Ripped Away (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Harry could feel someone jump onto his bed as he stirred awake. If Lou wasn’t injured, there’d be no doubt it was him. Harry peeked out of one eye to see who it was.

“Mornin’!” Niall chirped, an excited grin on his face. “Thought I’d let ya know we’re about to leave soon.”

Harry grumbled as he twisted in his sheets. “Leaving where?”

“We’re gonna tour ‘de village, silly! Don’t cha wanna see ‘de old buildin’s? Also, breakfast is on its way up. Thought ya wouldn’t wanna miss that.”

“Thanks, I’ll be right out.” Harry said mid-stretch. Niall bounced out of the room, and Harry noticed he looked much better. More lively. The trip was already working its magic on their tainted spirits.

When he finally managed to crawl out of bed and get dressed, he stepped out of the room to be greeted with the smell of sausage, eggs, bacon and toast. Anne was dishing out plates, and Liam helped Louis get seated at the table. Zayn was fast asleep on the couch while Niall threw tissues at his face to wake him.

Anne smiled at Harry as he approached them. “Good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

“Sure,” he answered, and looked around briefly. “Where’s Paul?”

“He’s on the phone with his wife. Now come and eat before it gets cold! Niall, stop wasting tissues.”

~

The group toured around the small ancient town, admiring the raw beauty of it. They visited one of the main attractions there, a gorgeous cactus garden. The garden was home to many amazing sculptures by Jean-Philippe Richard, and they were delighted to fill their cameras with such an unforgettable view.

After a few hours of walking, touring and taking boatloads of pictures, they found a small café that they could have a sit-down and a short bite. Harry ordered iced coffee and crepes for him and Louis and brought them over while Louis fiddled with his bottle of Aspirin.

“Here, I’ve got it.” Harry insisted as he set down the tray and reached for the pill bottle.

Louis didn’t resist his help. “Thanks,” He quietly took the pills from Harry and remained silent as Harry went on to start eating. Louis didn’t move. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

It didn’t escape Harry’s notice. “What’s wrong?”

Louis looked up, like he didn’t realize he was still sitting in public. “I’m just thinking...” He answered, and shifted in his seat. “I haven’t heard from Eleanor and I’m worried about her. I called her when I got home from the hospital and she didn’t answer, which isn’t like her. She would’ve definitely called me back by now.”

Harry saw how much this was affecting his best friend. Sure, he was used to being away from Eleanor, but they always kept contact. Not hearing from her made him assume the worst. “Listen, mate, I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just busy, or her phone is dead.”

“See, that’s what I thought when she didn’t answer, but it’s been two days. Two days, Harry.”

Harry waited before speaking gently. “Louis.” He looked up and met Harry’s eyes. “She’s fine.”

Louis stared at him for a while before nodding slowly, which told Harry that he’d succeeded in convincing him that everything was alright.

“Now, quit worrying and eat your crepe!” He said lightly and Lou cracked a smile.

Once they had finished at the café, they walked around for a bit longer before heading back to the hotel. Louis needed to rest; in fact, he probably shouldn’t have travelled around that much as it is. But it was definitely worth it, getting to see such a fantastic place.

The group spent a few hours together in the hotel room, playing board games and charades. They’d all forgotten about the rotten times they’ve had recently and just enjoyed the company of the ones they loved. It was a nice change. Refreshing, and much-needed.

It was getting late, and everyone decided they should go down the street to the theatre to see a movie. None of them understood French very well, but what the heck. For some reason, though, Harry couldn’t sit still. He felt the need to walk, and not be surrounded by walls for the next couple of hours. He doesn’t usually feel this suffocated, but he needed to do something about it.

“Hey, guys. I don’t feel that great. I think I need to take a walk.” Harry explained as they put their shoes on.

Anne looked concerned. “You mean, by yourself?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine, mum. You guys go catch the movie. I’ll be back in the room soon anyways.” Harry crossed his fingers that his mother would stop worrying and let him do his thing. She looked over to Paul, who hesitated before replying to Harry, “Make sure you keep your phone handy, and don’t spend too long outside. Text me when you get back so I know you’re safe.”

Whew. Thank god for Paul.

~

Harry trudged down the stone path, once again admiring the beauty of the medieval town. He didn’t really have a destination in mind, he just needed a walk. It was lovely, walking alone. You have your thoughts all to yourself. No one is there to distract you. You can think of anything, or nothing at all. It’s magical.

The idea was short-lived as Harry was drawn back into reality by a noise. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it sounded close. It was dark out, and there weren’t many people out walking. Harry stopped in his tracks and strained to hear the mysterious sound.

It grew louder, and as it did so, Harry was able to identify the noises as yelling. There were people nearby, and they didn’t sound too happy.

In fact, Harry could distinguish that it was a man and a woman, and as he followed the shouts, he realized that they were coming from a small alley between two brick buildings across the street.

Mindlessly, he walked closer. The man’s shouts stopped, and the woman began to scream. She was probably trying to form a cry for help, but she sounded frazzled, almost defeated. She knew she was going to lose.

Harry didn’t think. He bolted forward towards the two shadows. “Hey! What’s going on here?”

As soon as the man heard Harry’s voice, he dropped the woman to the ground and ran the opposite way, disappearing into the darkness.

Harry stared after him, half expecting the man to return with a gang or something. But there was nothing.

He turned towards the woman, who sat helplessly on the ground, clearly unwilling to move. She looked very tired, since she allowed her muscles to relax to the point where she might as well have been asleep sitting up. Mostly, though, she was probably just in shock.

“Hey, are you alright?” Harry asked kindly, offering a hand to help her up. His words seemed to have knocked her out of a daze, and she shook herself and began to stand up on her own. Harry took her arm and tried to give her a little boost, since she was struggling a bit. Once she was standing, she turned her head to look him in the face, probably to thank him. But as soon as their eyes met she stopped, frozen, horrified.

Harry released her arm in shock. He stumbled backwards, losing all balance in an instant.

They both stood, completely paralyzed, staring into the other’s widened eyes. Neither of them could breathe.

Harry’s eyes began to fill, his lip quivering.

“Crystal?”

~~~

Hi. 

Okay, I know what you're thinking. What the actual f***. 

BUT DIDN'T I TELL YOU THINGS GET GOOD?!? Didn't believe me, did ya?

Anyways, I'll let this marinate in your thoughts. I'll be sure to explain everything for you guys in the next chapter! For now, let me know what YOU think happened in the comments, since I'd love to hear your ideas! You may just influence me to change my ending!

Ta ta! 

Crystal xx