As I Was

Thirteen

The day was only just beginning in Paris by the time Harper released her grip on the arms of her chair and they stepped off the plane. The sun shone down through the scattering of clouds across the sky and she turned her face to breathe in a chilled breeze, smiling slightly at the refreshed feeling which came with it caressing her skin.

She had stayed awake throughout the entire flight, her fear not allowing her to close her eyes for longer than a second, and she was exhausted. Her bag felt heavy on her back, the straps digging into her shoulders, and her boots had begun to rub her feet. Her head was pounding and she was pretty sure she had the aches and pains of the beginnings of a cold but that still didn't stop Bucky from marching away forcing her to hurry to keep up.

It had been the adrenaline still coursing through her veins from the night before which kept her going through the airport as their passports were checked and they wandered outside. A yawn crossed her lips as the fresh air, that cool breeze hitting her pleasantly once more, and she followed Bucky along almost in a daze as he headed into one of the car rentals across the way.

Her head was fuzzy with sleep as she listened to him act like they were holiday goers looking for a rental so they could travel the city independently. It would usually be her conversing with people and getting things sorted and she could hear the slight hesitation in his voice but couldn't, for the life of her, summon enough energy to help him out.

It had taken all she had in her to get through the flight, no matter how short it had ended up being, and she wasn't sure she could deal with much more without collapsing.

She knew she had mumbled 'sorry' yet again as she was helped into the passenger side of the car but her exhaustion soon took over as a yawn stretched her lips. Slipping her feet out of her boots and tucking her legs beneath her she scrunched her hoodie up and pressed it against the window to use it as a pillow, her stinging eyes finally closing and darkness welcoming her.

Her sleep was one that ended up being deeper than she'd had in a while, no dreams and no interruptions, until she found herself waking with a start.

Holding her breath she glanced around the room she found herself in. She had been curled up on top of the quilt in the middle of a double bed, a large window spilling light across the space to her left and a, what looked like, open plan bathroom to her right.

Her heart pounded as she shuffled up into a sitting position. A television decorated the wall directly in front of her beside a desk holding a kettle, a couple of mugs and some tea and coffee. It was so obviously a hotel room and she found herself wondering how and when she had got there from the car. She vaguely remembered Bucky helping her back out of the car, swinging her bag up onto his shoulder and curling his arm around her waist to help her in through some large glass doors.

The receptionist must have had a million questions but Harper had definitely been too exhausted to care.

Noticing the piece of paper sat in front of the kettle she narrowed her eyes and swung her legs around, hopping down off the bed and almost creeping across the room as though she was somewhere she wasn't allowed to be.

Her heart dropped slightly as she plucked the paper up, opening it up slowly and reading over the words scrawled in the centre.

H,

Gone out. Left you the car. See you later.

B

Plucking the car and hotel keys he had left beside his letter up Harper let out a sigh, stepping backwards and allowing herself to drop back down onto the bed.

This was something he would do when they first arrived in Brighton. Whenever he needed space off he'd go without a word of where and when he'd be back and she knew it was just a way of him dealing with things but she also couldn't stop the worry from encasing her.