No Control • hs

seventeen

     I explain the dream to Harry. He wouldn't understand how horrifying it was, he never will. He never interrupted, he just listened, and I could tell he wasn't just hearing me talk, he was actually, truly, listening. "I'm sorry." He says. "Even though that wasn't even real, I wouldn't let him take you away from me like that."

     "But what if it was real, Harry." I say. "What if that really did happen, I would loose you forever." I cuddle up to him and he wraps and arm around me. "I don't want to loose you Harry. I know we haven't known each other for a very long time, but I feel I have known you all my life. I don't want that feeling to change. I don't want Niall or anyone to hurt you. I just want to be happy, and my happiness lies within you."

     "I love you, Peyton Ruth. I didn't know it when I first met you, but I sure as hell know it now." I lean in towards Harry and I rest my lips on his gently. We sit and chat for a little while before it's time for me to get going. "Peyton." Harry says as I am exiting his room. I turn around. "We have work tomorrow, remember?" he says, raising his brow. I roll my eyes and walk into his living room. Louis sits there, watching television.

     "See ya Peyton." I smile and wave to him, then walk out. I stand in the hallway and take a deep breath to recollect myself. The only light in the hallway comes from the vending machine. I reach in my pocket to find a dollar and decide to enter it in the slot to get a water. The machine doesn't move and I press the letter and number combination again. I hit the buttons repeatedly until the digital keypad on the machine loads and makes out the words- I'll be back.

My breathing accelerates and I turn my head in all directions making sure he wasn't around. Then it hits me, Niall didn't charge Harry because he wants to continue to make us miserable by himself.

I'll tell Harry about this tomorrow, even though I refused to believe it's real. I hurry into my apartment and make sure I lock the door behind me.

***

Sunlight breaks through my window which wakes me up slowly. I rub my eyes gently then stare into the bright abyss until I'm woken up fully. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and make my way to the kitchen, only stopping to turn my tv off from last night. I throw some bread in the toaster and get out the almond butter to top it when it comes out.

     I walk over to my coffee maker to brew myself a cup when the familiarity of the routine jogs my memory. My mind recalls Harry's words from last night. "We have work tomorrow, remember?" My eyes widen and I run to see the clock on my bedside table, then I realize I have ten minutes to get ready and leave. I take off to the bathroom, immediately grab my toothbrush and squirt a glob of the minty substance on the bristles.

     I brush my teeth with one hand then run to my bedroom to pick out my outfit with the other. Once both tasks are completed, I throw my hair into a bun and actually put on the clothes I picked out ever so quickly. I don't have time to mess with makeup so I only splash some water on my face, getting my clothes wet of course. I come back to the kitchen and take a deep breath. I inhale again and again. "What's that smell?" I look over to my left and smoke billows out on the toaster. I sprint to unplug it, then turn it over and dump the charred square into the sink. I fan the gray air away and I jump when the smoke alarm starts ringing in my ears.

     I get a magazine and fan the smoke out even harder. When that doesn't work, I open the door in a panic and try moving the smoke out of the room. I stand there and fan for another minute but the smoke alarm still won't give. "Peyton, what the hell?" Harry yells over the loud ringing. He grabs a pillow off my couch and fans the excess smoke out of the doorway. The buzzing stops and we both sigh while dropping our fanning tools. "What happened?" Harry threw the pillow back on the couch and grabbed his things he dropped before he scurried to help me.

     "My toast got a wee bit over cooked."

     "Peyton, it's not funny. You could've started a serious fire!" He blows a curl out of his face. Most of his hair wasn't even in his bandana anymore, it was all pushed out the bottom.

     "I know, I'm sorry! It wasn't on purpose!" I retrieved the things I needed for work and met Harry as he was standing in the hallway outside the door. I locked up and Harry was ahead of me.

     "You forgot, didn't you? You forgot about work and were rushing." Harry continued walking. I dropped my head in embarrassment and saw him look back at me from the corner of my eye. "Peyton! I even reminded you last night!"

     "I know, we had just been off for so long." He didn't talk to me the rest of the way to our cars. I knew if I wanted to talk to him about the vending machine dilemma, it was my duty to initiate conversation. "Harry." I say, catching up to him in the parking structure. He twirls his head around with a neutral look on his face.

     "Yes, Peyton?"

     "I know you are mad but this is important, last night after I left your apartment, I tried getting a bottle of water from the vending machine, but the keypad made out- 'I'll be back' instead. It was from Niall, I'm positive."

Harry furrows his brow. "Then he would've had to come back into the apartment complex after he left, the police would've still had been watching him." Harry says. "Niall might be sly, but he can't outsmart the police force and override a vending machine keypad."

"It had to be him, Harry, who else would it be?"

"It could be anyone, Peyton. The message couldn't even be for us." He says.

"Who else would do that?" I crossed my arms and stopped my route to the car.

     "Peyton, at least if you are going to argue with me, keep walking because we are already late." I continue walking reluctantly. "Do you really want to know if it's him or not?"

     "Yes."

     "Ok, then were going to rewind some security footage tonight, and you're coming with me."