PULSE [H.S]

084

"Abandonment doesn't have the sharp but dissipating sting of a slap. It's like a punch to the gut—hard and sudden and lingering." — Mariella Frostrup

Niall drops me off at Cloves's place.

She texted me this morning, asking me to come over. Her text didn't sound good, and she said that she really needs a friend right now. I rushed over here, Niall driving me since my car is currently getting new tires put on.

I walk into her apartment building, waving at Niall as he makes sure I get inside safely. I climb the stairs to her floor and find her apartment. I knock on the door, but it pushes open.

That's weird.

I walk inside the apartment, closing the door behind me. I call out, "Hello?"

There's nobody around. It's eerily quiet, but all of the lights are on. I call out again, "Clove?"

I hear footsteps. My jaw drops as Harry walks into the living room. He holds a bottle of aspirin in his hand. His eyes are trained on it, so he hasn't seen me yet. He says, "Are these what you—"

He freezes when he sees me standing in the middle of the room. His face is full of the same confusion that I am feeling right now. Why is he here?

"What—"

I hear a bang against the door, and it suddenly clicks. I sprint to the door, pressing down on the handle and trying to open it. It doesn't budge. When I look through the peephole, I see Niall and Clove using something to jam the door.

"Niall, what the fuck?!" I scream.

He yells back, "Yes, this was an ambush. But you two need to sort your shit out. You don't have to make up, but you need to find a way to move past it."

No.

No.

No.

"Niall, open this fucking door!" I yell as I bang my fist against it as hard as I can. "I am going to murder you, Niall Horan. Open the door!"

He let me walk into a trap. He ambushed me. I trusted him, and he lied to me. How many times is my trust going to be broken before I'm incapable of ever trusting anyone again?

Harry bangs on the door next to me, his knocks making an even louder noise than mine. He shouts, "This isn't funny, Clove!"

Clove yells, "Don't have makeup sex on my bed!"

I hear their footsteps walking away, but I keep banging on the door until they are long gone. When I look through the peephole again, the hallway is empty.

I'm trapped here.

With Harry.

I walk to the other side of the room, putting my hands on the back of my head as I angrily pace back and forth. This can't be happening right now.

I mutter, "This is just perfect."

Harry hadn't moved from his spot by the front door, but he's turned so that he's facing me now, and his eyes follow me as I walk around the room. He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a long sigh.

He says with his raspy voice, "Maybe they have a point."

"No," I say, shaking my head furiously, "Nope. I have no desire to talk to you about anything, I quite frankly don't give a shit anymore."

I look at the windows in the living room, searching for a fire escape to climb down. There's none in the living room or the kitchen, so I check the bathroom and bedrooms. I check every single window in this place, not finding a single fire escape.