Him.

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

I woke up to the gentle shaking from Harry. I mumbled as I was woken. “Bella, I have to go to work, I’m sorry. Go back to sleep and I’ll text you later” I processed what was said to me and cheekily pouted my lips before engaging with a small and soft kiss with Harry. He gently rolled me over so that I was lying on my side and tucked me back up in bed before letting me drift off into a light sleep again.

*Harry’s POV*

Her soft snoring was so cute and I was really gutted that I had to leave so early but I really had to go to work. Since moving to this part of town, I hadn’t been back to work for a while but it was still in the area that I used to live in and wasn’t that far to travel to and I had to go back sometime. I worked in a gym as a personal trainer and since the incident with Gracie, I had recently taken up fighting as a sport in the UFC. UFC stood for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and had only been introduced in the UK recently.

It was an interesting sport that was not to be watched by the faint hearted. It was fighting but to an extreme level and therefore was better for me than boxing. UFC is related to martial arts and can result in serious injuries. You are basically allowed to beat the shit out of the other competitor and allowed to hit them wherever you want except for your balls, eyes or temples on the side of your head. Other than that, you can do whatever the fuck you want. Although Bella didn’t know about this, it was a good way of controlling my darkness when it becomes overbearing.

I wanted a fight but no one knew what the sport was in the UK and I would have to travel to America to get one, which wasn’t going to happen any time soon. But for the time being, it was good to be a personal trainer and work in a gym as I could increase my muscle and weight just in case I do get to fight in the UFC one day. I was trained by Paul who also took an interest in the sport and used to fight in the UFC himself but a nasty accident left him paralysed from the waist downwards and he was left wheelchair bound. I felt sorry for him but he coped so well with it.

When I finally reached the gym, I parked my car in the small car park labelled “Staff Only” next to it and locked the car before tossing the keys into my bag. Upon entry at the gym, I was greeted by plenty of familiar faces that I had not seen for weeks. I walked into the changing rooms and dumped my bag in my locker and looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing dark blue shorts that were slung just below my hips and a black vest top that showed off my inked arms.

“Hello stranger” I heard a voice say behind me. I turned around to see Paul looking at me. “Have you been working the weights mate?” I asked, noticing that the muscles in Paul’s arms were surprisingly more prominent than when I last saw him. “Ah yeah mate! And been on steroids, they’re the best thing ever” he replied. I was shocked at what Paul had said but he didn’t look like his normal healthy self. He had bags under his eyes, his skin had become pale and weak and his teeth were yellow-ish.

“You sure you’re alright mate? You look like you could do with some sleep!” I said. He looked angered by my comment but I stood my ground. Realising that my height towered over him, he didn’t provoke an action from me and just simply said “I’m fine.” And then silence.

“You ready to train?” He said to me. I nodded my head before he stuck his hand out for a high-five. We came out of the changing rooms and went into the direction of the gym. “Hey Nad, do I have anyone coming in today?” I questioned at the front desk. The desk chair spun round and to my unfortunate surprise, it was Lottie. She smirked at me and dropped her left eye into a wink when she saw my face. I bowed my head trying my best to hide my fury. She leant forward and placed her hand on top of mine. Lottie was the girl who kissed me at the club when Bella saw us and therefore I wanted nothing further to do with her. I snatched my hand away and turned to walk away.

“Harry” she called. I turned around, not saying a word. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, but she’s a lucky girl” she said, blushing. “That’s right, and you fucked things up. So stay the fuck away from me and Bella” I spat at her. Feeling slightly guilty as I walked away as Lottie had clearly just got the job at the gym to spy on me but I didn’t want her to carry on thinking she could have me when she wanted. Especially now that Bella is involved.

I persisted down the corridor and to the room on the left. I walked into the gym where the loud music was echoing throughout the atmosphere. It was pretty empty, with only a couple of other guys lifting weights and running on the cross trainer. I continued over to the weights and picked up the heaviest one before I began my regular workout to increase my muscle capacity.

***

I worked hard for the whole session and it was now nearing 5pm which was when I finished work. It had been pretty empty all day as no one had booked in appointments to have a workout with me. I went in to the changing rooms and look the towel out of my bag to wipe the sweat away from my workout. I’d leave the shower until I got home. I picked up my phone and smiled when I saw the screen. “1 new message: Bella.xx” I opened the message that read “Come back after work, I’m lonely again tonight!xxx” I smiled and didn’t reply as I thought it would be better to surprise her.

I flung my now sweaty towel and phone into my bag and picked it up before slamming the locker shut again. As I was about to leave to changing rooms, Paul came in and closed the door behind him. “You alright mate?” I questioned. He nodded. “Sit down, I want to tell you something” he said. I complied and sat on the bench in front of Paul, beginning to feel anxious about what he was about to tell me as he seemed to be quite serious.

“What’s up?” I asked. “I have a fight coming up for you mate. But it’s someone in a higher weight category of you” I knew this was illegal but I decided to sit and listen to what he had to say. “So are you interested?” I nodded. “But how am I gonna be able to take him pal?” “Steroids mate. They work wonders.” Paul said. My eyes widened. I’d taken drugs in the past but that was a long time ago and they didn’t end well. “Oh, I don’t know mate, aren’t they like” I began but Paul interrupted. “They aren’t that strong and it’ll make you win, I promise.” Still feeling a little unsure, I remained silent. “Mate, you could win loads of money for this, you can beat the shit out of him, I know it” Feeling powerful, I nodded. Paul smiled at me and picked up his bag from the floor.

He pulled out a needle and a small bottle and handed them to me. “Look mate, you’re gonna have to start using them soon, just to get used to them. I’m here with you and I’m using them too” I felt guilty because I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but if it helped me win, then it would be okay. But there was no way that I was telling Bella. She’d hate me. I agreed to what Paul was saying and quickly vacated the room before getting in my car and driving to Bella’s house.

When I pulled up outside, all of the lights in her house were off apart from the one in her bedroom window. I smiled knowing that I was soon going to see this beautiful girl. I walked up to the door about to knock on it, but for some reason, I pressed down on the door handle. Even though I expected it to be locked, it wasn’t. How could she have not locked the door again. It was growing dark now and any weirdos could be creeping past at this time. I quietly entered the house and closed the door behind me. Trying to make as little noise as possible, I persisted upstairs to the landing. Soft music was playing and the lighting was dim as it was coming from Bella’s room. Excited to see her, I quickly walked over to her door and peered around it. However, the smile was quickly taken away from my face.

She was sat there in front of her mirror with no shirt on. She had a razor blade in her hand and the skin across her torso was slashed to bits. She looked at me and sobbed uncontrollably. I had caught her self harming.