Rock me

Part 21

Harry Styles 

We left Nialls a bit earlier, us both being tired. Once we had both made it inside the room, I felt the tension grow. 

She immediately walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I took this as an opportunity to get changed. 

I heard the bathroom door creak.

"Hey could you help me with my bandages." 

"Oh sure."

I walk over to see her bent over the sink with her shirt pulled up. Gosh she drives me crazy.

"Do you just want me to change them?" I ask.

"Yes, please." She says in a low tone.

I hear her take a deep breath as I reach to take off the first one. I knew this hurt, but she never complained. 

As I put on the final bandage I reach up and pull down her shirt, so she's covered again. Out of instinct I kiss the back of her head before walking out of the bathroom. 

My eyes were wide. It wasn't a crazy thing to do, I just didn't really think before I did it.

She eventually came out and got into bed. I went into the bathroom and got ready, before packing my stuff back up. 

I got into bed next to her, trying not to get too close. I know we've had our moments, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable. 

"So you and Brandon have more of a history than I thought." I say looking over at her. 

"Jealous, are we?" She says teasing.

"Mm maybe a bit."

"So why did you make up the girl in Camden?" She questions, trying to sound casual.

"I didn't want to tell the truth and I know they guys wouldn't ask more questions with that answer."

"Hmm okay." She said giving me questioning eyes.

She was probably wondering if she was the best kiss I had, but I wasn't giving that up quite yet.

"Goodnight, Dylan." I say laying down facing her.

"Goodnight." 

.........................................

It was a restless sleep, one where I kept slipping into dreams that felt too close to real. Every time I closed my eyes, there was her face, the way she'd looked at me tonight, the moments we'd shared, but in the background, a shadow lingered—something dark, watching.

A harsh buzz cut through the silence, jolting me awake. My phone screen glowed with a message from an unknown number. I squinted, still half-asleep, but the words snapped me fully alert.

"Miss me? This isn't over. Meet me where you'll feel most at home. 2 a.m. Come alone, or I promise—you'll regret it." 

The warning sank like a weight in my stomach, twisting into a knot. Dylan lay still, tangled in the sheets, her chest rising and falling in the soft rhythm of sleep. I couldn't let her wake up and see me like this.

A second buzz came through, an address.

Silently, I slid out of bed, grabbed a jacket, and crept out of the hotel room. The air in the hallway was cold, unnaturally so, and each step echoed louder than it should have, a constant reminder that I was on my own.

Outside, the city was deserted, streetlights casting long shadows that seemed to twist and warp with each step. The meeting spot was an old warehouse on the edge of town, a place I barely recognized, but something about it felt familiar. The closer I got, the darker the streets seemed to become, like I was stepping out of the city and into some no-man's-land where no one would hear me if I shouted.

Finally, I reached the building—a crumbling structure half-hidden behind a line of warehouses and old industrial sites. There, under a single, flickering light, lay an envelope. My name was scrawled on it, like they knew I'd come.

I ripped it open and pulled out a note. The handwriting was jagged, almost like it had been scratched out in a hurry, the letters slanting downward.

"You think you can protect her? This isn't a game, Harry. Walk away while you can, or you'll lose everything. The choice is yours."

A chill ran through me as I stared at the words. There was something else, a faint scrawl below the message, like an afterthought:

"I'll be watching."

I scanned the shadows, my heart pounding, half-expecting to see someone standing there, waiting, watching. But there was nothing—just the empty street and the steady sound of my own breathing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------