Save Me - h.s.

Chapter 23

{unedited}

Rebecca wasn't home when I returned, so Lawrence helped me carry my bags up to the room. After he brought up the last one, I hugged him and wished him a safe trip back.

"I'm sorry," he said before closing the door behind him.

I didn't bother putting any of my stuff away, and went straight to my old bedroom and changed into some pajamas I had left in the drawer for when I wanted to visit. I then laid on my bed and curling into a ball before letting out a sob that shook my whole body. Everything felt cold as I continued to cry.

My phone vibrated against the nightstand but I didn't bother answering it. If it was Becca she would just come home, and if it was my parents they would leave a message. When it finally stopped it didn't take long for it to start again, and again, and again. It started to get quite annoying so without checking my missed calls I turned it off and shoved it into my drawer.

It wasn't long before I drifted off to sleep, only to be abruptly woken up by Becca slamming the door shut behind her.

"Ana," she said quietly, entering my room. "I got your voicemail..."

I nodded, burying my face in my pillow.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head.

I felt the bed shift as she sat down next to me. "Ana...."

I tried to say something, but all that came out was slight wheezing which caused my throat to burn slightly. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a wracking sob that shook my body and left me weaker than what I already was. I gasped for air, suffocating from my closing throat. "I love him," I choked out.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and sighed deeply, as if she knew exactly how I felt. She remained silent, and I knew that she didn't want to make things worse by reiterating what I already know.

I sat up and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt and then wiped my nose with the same sleeve. I must've looked pathetic; a grown woman crying over a man she knew would never love her. That didn't matter, though. What mattered is that the majority of what I own is there, and I am here. I don't have my car, I don't have nearly any of my clothes, and I sure as hell don't have any of my daily products, since I packed one suit case and left.

***

I awoke the next morning to my phone ringing in my ear.

11:48

I rubbed my eyes and read the screen, confused as to who the unknown number was.

"Hello," I answered groggily.

"Anastasia, where the hell are you?" Alex did not sound please and that's when I realized I had completely forgotten about my job.

"Shit," I muttered. "Mr. Carol, I apologize, but..." I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears I could feel behind my eyes.

"But, what?" His tone was still rather infuriated.

"There's... Been a family emergency... And it has required me to come back to Austin for a week or so. I am so sorry for the short notice, and I will be back to work as soon as possible."

"Alright," he said more calmly. "Just, next time, inform me immediately so I'm not calling everyone searching for you."

"Yes, sir."

"I hope everything gets cleared up."

"Thank you, sir." I hung up the phone first, not allowing either of to say a proper goodbye.

"What was that all about?" Becca asked from the doorway.

I sighed and tossed my phone on my bed. "I forgot that I have a job....."

"Oh shit," she muttered as well. "What did you tell him?"

"That I had a family emergency and won't be able to come back in for a week or so..."

"Are you really planning on going back?"

I remained silent, not entirely sure what I should do. "I guess I could always buy my own apartment there so I could continue to work."

"What about Harry...?"

"What about him," I huffed.

"What are you going to do if you see him? What if you run into him on the street, or in the grocery store, or-"

"Ok first off," I interrupted. "Harry doesn't walk anywhere. He had people drive his fancy-ass around town, even if it's just around the block. Second, he would never be caught dead inside a grocery store. He's too 'good for that'. And thirdly, I don't give a flying fuck about him right now."

Becca seemed taken aback by my vocabulary.

"He hurt me, but I shouldn't let that stop me from living my life."

I shuffled out of bed and made my way to the kitchen, making myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast. "Where's your computer?" I asked, pouring myself a glass of milk.

"Couch," she said abruptly.

I took my lazy breakfast and sat on the couch, opening her computer to start searching for an apartment in Dallas.

Harry's POV

"FUCK," I yelled as I stepped on a piece of broken glass. The bottom of my foot began to bleed and I hobbled my way to the bathroom, not caring that there was not blood on my carpet. I quickly grabbed a pair of tweezers and some bandages from the cabinet before lifting my foot on to the counter. I pulled the small piece of glass out and ran my foot under the cold water, wincing at the stinging sensation it caused.

I carefully dried off my foot and wrapped it in bandages, not sure if I had done it correctly. Anastasia usually helped me if I had cut or burnt myself, and now I wasn't sure how capable I was of doing it myself.

Anastasia.

I sighed deeply and peered into the mirror in front of me. My shoulder-length hair was greasy and had multiple tangles to where I couldn't run my fingers through it anymore. The dark circles under my eyes accompanied with my pale complexion made me almost unrecognizable. My clothes had stains on them, and if it wasn't for the painful ache in my heart, I wouldn't be so sure if I still had one.

It had been a week since Anastasia left and I haven't slept, or eaten much since then. The nightmares are back and more vivid than ever, and this time it's not my mother laying dead on the floor, it's her. My dear, beautiful Anastasia. The sight of her cold, dead body in my hands made my stomach hurt.

I walked back into my bedroom, careful not the step on the shards of glass that covered my floor like a sharp, glistening blanket of snow. The sheets were torn away from my bed and lied on the floor in a pile as memories of her naked body between those pieces of fabric and under mine came flooding back.

What have I done...

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Lol left off on a weird note.