SOFT SPOT// h.s

4.6 ~ gut feeling

//DOUBLE UPDATE YOOO\\

I was growing panicky again as Gemma and I drove around in circles in her car. Our necks craned to scan every inch of every area we passed through and our eyes were searching every hole in the hedge.

"This is all my fault," I muttered, burying my face in my hands. It was less than an hour until my wedding ceremony was due to start and my stress levels were practically bursting through the ceiling of the car.

"Clary, calm down ok? We'll find him," Gemma assured me. I'm pretty positive that she was having second thoughts about asking me to join her hunt for Harry, seeing as I seemed incapable of calming down.

I didn't care that my makeup was probably smudged by now and my hair was slightly falling out of the bun at the back. I only cared about finding Harry and telling him that I was sorry.

We drove around the small town before peering into a few bars and shops. My feet were aching and one of my false nails had fallen off.

My spirits were dampened enormously, and I was t even sure if I wanted to get married anymore.

But suddenly a thought came to me like the flicker of a lightbulb. "The hospital!" I exclaimed, climbing back into Gemma's car and motioning for her to drive as fast as she could to the damn hospital were I was certain Harry was visiting his mother.

I just had a real good gut feeling.

The brakes squealed dramatically as Gemma pulled the car to a sudden halt and we bolted through the glass entrance doors of the hospital.

The smell of disinfectant and 'hospital' immediately hit my nose as we dashed to the front desk, where Gemma blabbered her details.

I bounced up and down impatiently as we stood in the elevator, which was not moving fast enough for my liking.

We sprinted down the hallway and paused outside the door of the private hospital room, where Gemma and Harry's mother lay.

I took a moment to attempt to catch my breath, I had never been much good at physical exercise.

"Please let him be in here," I whispered hopefully, as I rested my hand on the door handle, ready to push it open, only to have it flung open from behind, revealing a tall, dark haired figure.

--x--

•HARRY•

Her parents house was nice, it seemed very homely, unlike anything I had ever grown up in.

I liked how the garden was enhanced with plants and colourful shrubs that were blooming under the late summer sun. I liked how vines of leaves travelled up the stony walls and how the cobbled pathway added character to the vintage style of the house.

But most of all, I liked how I could imagine a childlike version of her playing amongst the trees and bushes and frolicking on the mowed grass of the lawns. I could visualise a little girl dancing on the fallen leaves in autumn, building a snowman in winter, and exploring the hidden wonders of spring, bathing in the heat of the summer sun. I could hear her laugh, a beautiful ringing in my ears and watch how her long hair fluttered in the breeze.

The soft wind travelled musically through the air, touching my skin with its warm breath as I nervously made my way up the drive, making for her doorstep.

What was I even doing here? I asked myself as I rapped my knuckles against the mahogany wood of the front door.

I had rehearsed a full apology and a suggestion to start over in my head countless times as I had made my journey here, but as the large door swung open, revealing an even larger man, my words turned to mush.

"H-hi sir. Is, uh.. Is Clary in?" I asked him nervously, fumbling with my fingers.

His eyes narrowed as he observed me skeptically. "You do know she's getting married in under an hour, don't you?" He reminded me. The reinforcement like a stab in the chest.

I nodded quickly. "Of course I know that s-sir. I'm actually the one who drove her home from California. I'm Ellie's father," I explained hastily.

His face suddenly broke into a huge smile. "Well why didn't you say so?" He laughed, patting me on the back and gesturing me into the warm home.

I chuckled nervously with him as I treaded carefully into the house. I could see pictures of Clary in her childhood hanging on the wall, making me smile absentmindedly.

I heard rushed footsteps coming down the stairs hastily and I looked up to see a woman that could only be Clary's mother. They had the same eyes and body posture, but she had inherited her curly, red hair from her father.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, running forward to embrace me. "Honey, what are you doing here?"

I was taken aback by her surprised behaviour. "I just needed to talk to Clary for a few minutes, you know. To set some things right," I told her.

"Oh sweetie," she said, shaking her head. "Gemma and Clary have been driving around frantically looking for you! And you're right here! Oh my god," she muttered, walking over to a wall phone and punching in numbers.

"We'll see you at the ceremony, eh?" Clary's father asked me.

I looked him up and down, meeting his eyes with a smile. "You bet sir."

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FOUR MORE CHAPTER AND AN EPILOGUE OK