Second Chances

Chapter: 9

I got up after being unconscious or asleep for about 15 minutes, soaking wet. The hem of my shirt dripped while I stood up and twisted the fabric. The water fell out and hit the pavement. I sat back on the steps with my head in my hands. Why did he let me sleep out in the rain? I cough and sneeze at the same time as anxiety flushes over me. Am I sick now? I sneezed again. Probably. It was barely 4 am, but I had given up on my plans for the day. All I wanted was to head back to my hotel and be left alone to sleep and rest. I could just picture my head on the pillow, my sheets up to my chin. I sighed. The street lights had dimmed, making my anxiety grow bigger with ever raindrop I heard on the street. I can't just sit here. I stood up and began to walk down the street in hopes of finding a place to sleep for the night. The only sound was the click of my shoes going along with the patter of the rain. As I walk, my mind races back to Harry in his rage and hopefully drunken state. His slurring, snapping vocabulary burns a hole in my heart and my vision blurs. Why do I care about what he thinks? I thought I hated him? Afterwards my mind was washed over the memories of his hug. I refuse to believe I have any stronger feelings than 'stranger' towards him. I Just met him, he's rude, he's frightening, he's not him. Whoever he is, it won't be Harry. Just say you need him. No. Let's get real here, there's an energy between it you can deny, hun.
"Shut up!" I said out loud,talking to myself. I tugged on my hair. The nearby street light twitching and shutting off. Unlucky for me, that was the only light I had. The street became dark and only a few tires slashing the road puddles gave me a sense of where I was.

"Hello?" I called. The light was bright before, it must have been broken or turned off by someone nearby.

"I-I know you're there! Show yourself!" I studdered. Oh, please let it be Harry. You don't need him, I told myself. My hair whipped around to hit my neck as I frantically turned in search of a light source. The sound of footsteps and faint talking grew louder. You could really use a hug now. Like 'his' hug, my conscious added. I need to stop thinking so much. I didn't know if I was imagining it or not. 'Get lost' were the words I lightly heard.

"Hello? Who are you? Where are you?" I backed up. The footsteps stopped as a new sound hit my ears. It sounded like two people high-fiving, a groan followed. Did someone get hit? It wasn't me, which meant there were at least two other people on the road with me. From what I could hear, one of them was getting beat up. I hope I wasn't next. My hands touched a pole. I wrapped my arms around it, hoping that if someone tried to hit me, they'd hit the pole instead.

"Get off!" I heard someone say. My body was shoved off the pole, it felt like the it moved! In the very little light given to me, I saw a figure facing the opposite of me, accompanied by another body. They seemed to hit each other. The one who I mistook for a 'pole' stood in front, blocking me. After, one of the figures fell to the ground. The one still conscious turned to me. The feet sped into action to try and scoot me back, considering I was sitting on the ground.

"No, Grace come here." It knows my name!?

"Who are you!" I swatted the person away. It nodded no and proceeded to pick my up by my underarms. Feel that? Good god, stop thinking. His husky voice turned to a deep sigh of relief as he pulled me to his chest and buried his head to my hair.

"Thank god, you're safe. Are you hurt?" his hands left my back to examine my arms. I still don't know who this is.

"Who are...?" I pushed his light brown curls from his forehead before realizing, it was Harry. "Harry?" I say. Yes! No!

"Yes, babe. It's me." he hugs me again, I hug him back. He just said babe, Ohhh Kay... I despise my conscious for being so damn annoying. You've missed him. No, no I haven't. I correct myself. You don't like Harry. You should despise him. "I-I'm so sorry I-" he burried his head in his hands. "I tried to push you out of the way of that car.. I did, but I knocked you out. The men in the car were looking for you so I hid you until I was done dealing with them. You were gone when I came back.. God, I feel like such an asshole."