The Boy Next Door ✑(h.s.)

twenty four

Chapter 24

"Harry.. what the hell was that?" I asked franticly. In all my life I have never heard a car make such an inhuman noise. My breathing started to pick up to the point where I was practically hyperventilating. Not only was I worried about getting to Maryland and back before daybreak, but we were also stuck in the middle of this tiny town, whose population was probably still in the 300's. The worst part though, was being broken down in the middle of the night. It was almost like a scene from those horror films. We get out to fix the car, and we end up never being heard from again. I couldn't control my breathing. I knew this was a bad idea. God, why don't I ever listen to my better judgment?

Just as I was in mid-stroke, Harry spoke. "Poppy!" He said firmly, grasping my shoulders and turning me in the passenger seat to face him. "I need you to calm down okay? Everything's going to be okay, babe. I promise." He spoke calm, yet stern at the same time. His eyes were soft as they looked into mine. The only light in the car came from the overhead light. "Just breathe." He coached me through my breathing, mimicking deep breaths. I felt my heartbeat decrease from its skyrocketing speed to its normal pace. With one last deep breath, I gave Harry a slight nod signifying that I was okay. His hands left my shoulders, but one made its way to my cheek, gently rubbing it. His touch comforting me instantly.

Harry soon removed his hand, and made his was outside of the car. He went to the front of the car, and popped the hood. Immediately white smoke poured out of it, causing Harry to take a few steps back while waving his arm through the air to remove the smoke. Despite my utter fear of the situation right now, I decided to get out and see of what assistance I could be.

I stood in front of the car, the headlights shining brightly, making my eyes squint slightly at the intense contrast from the black of the night. I saw Harry slumped over the front of the car, looking around to see if he could identify the problem.

"It's too dark. I can't see a damn thing." Harry stated while turning around to face me. "All I know is that there is no way we can have it fixed within a couple of hours. But our first priority is finding somewhere safe to stay."

"I'll go see if I can find a gas station on the map." I said heading back to the passenger side of the car. I reached inside and pulled out the large paper map we used to navigate our way here. "Harry! Come look!" I yelled so he could hear me over the various noises still coming from the engine.

He made his way over and looked on the map along with me. "There's a gas station a couple of blocks from here." I said pointing on the map.

"Okay great. We can push it up there, and then figure out what to do once we get there. Hopefully they'll have a payphone." Harry said while moving the front of the car, closing the hood. I folded the map and placed it inside the glove box. I then joined Harry at the end of the car, setting ourselves to push the 2 ton car.

"Okay on my count." Harry started. I placed my hands on the back of the trunk and nodded at him.

"1...2...3!"

We both pushed with all our force, causing the vehicle to move forward. Thank god there wasn't anyone else on the road right now.

"Remind me to never let Rodney lend us a car again." I said letting out a frustrated sigh. Harry only chuckled next to me.

"Lighten up Pop. It could be worse. I mean look we're almost there."

I looked forward, following Harrys gaze. Just as he said, we were almost there the bright illuminated gas station was visible. From the distance I would say we weren't more than 50 yards away.

We finally were able to push the 2 ton of junk to the gas station, relieving my aching muscles. As soon as we had the car into a parking spot I collapsed on the trunk, my head resting on my arms which were folded across the back. I felt Harry put his hands on my shoulder and bring his head down to kiss the back of my head. "You did great babe. I'm going to go inside and ask around to see if I can find a mechanic close by or something, okay? I'll be right back. Be careful." I then felt the absence of his presence as I looked up and saw him make his way into the store.