Endlessly (Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 14

“Come on now, gorgeous,” the gruff voice called out over the base of the techno music that blared from seemingly expensive speakers.

                Casey weaved in and out of crowded bodies, ducking her head occasionally to see if she had finally dodged him.  She must have been looking back for too long, and she felt the wind escape her body as she crashed into an innocent bystander.

                “What the hell?”  The voluptuous blonde shouted.  Her voice was barely audible over the eight oh eights.  Casey paused, scanning the area again once more over as bodies grinded up against her.  The heat of the club was rising with her anxieties, and she continued to bulldoze through people.

                “You better pay for another drink!”  The blonde shouted after her, but Casey disappeared into the vast expanse of dancing drunkards.

                She found a small opening from the mosh pit and took her chance, jabbing and elbowing whoever it took to ensure her escape.  Finally, she stumbled from the enclaves of people and steadied herself against a bar stool.  Careful not to draw too much attention to herself, she adjusted her dress and combed her fingers through her hair and made her way nonchalantly for the back exit.

                A gust of cool air flooded in as she opened the door, the icy midnight frost penetrating her lungs as she inhaled heavily.  As miserable as it was outside, she could not bring herself to go back into the club; especially if he was still looking for her.

                Casey made her way down the dank alley, nothing but a lamppost at the end lit the way.  Her heels clicked against the damp pavement and the only other audible sound was the whoosh of cars as they sped by on the nearby streets.  For a moment, she paused and looked down at her dress; noticing the stain from the blonde’s drink she had spilled.  The fumes billowed up to her nose and she laughed, recognizing the scent of cheap vodka.  Just then, she heard a door creak open and slam shut within seconds of each other, followed by heavy footsteps.

                Her heart sank as she looked around and saw a tall, muscular male bounding towards her.  His pace quickened, and she kicked her heels off and let them clank off a dumpster that found refuge against a brick wall.

                “I told you that you couldn’t run away from me forever,” the voice called out.  There was something sinister about the way he called out for her, like his only intention was to hurt or violate her.

                Casey felt something sharp pang at her bare feet, but the lamppost at the end of the street kept her hopeful as the adrenaline surged through her veins.

                “HELP!”  She started shouting and waving frantically, hoping to cause a scene before she reached the street.

                She was about to call out again when she felt his presence at her side and, for a fleeting second, she accepted defeat.  His hand clasped over her mouth and he brought her to the ground with a thud, her head smacking down hard on the concrete.  It was then along with the throbbing in her skull that she noticed the pain at the bottom of her feet from the broken bottle she had stepped on seconds before.  Blood had begun to trickle from the tops of her toes and pool around her ankles.

                “Please, stop,” she gasped, writhing as the repugnant man hovered over her.  Casey’s arms flailed about, smacking him with all the strength she could muster up.

                “Shut the hell up,” he hissed, kneeling on her so that one knee was on either side of her waist.  He worked at his zipper hastily and undid his belt as Casey cried out beneath him.

                “Please, just don’t do this,” she whimpered.  “Just let me go, I promise I won’t tell anyone, please…”

                “I said shut up!”  He yelled.  He took a large callous hand and fastened both of her wrists in one menacing grip above her head.  Still, she wriggled and turned underneath him; using all she had to break free. 

                “HELP!” She screamed out again, her tone was more desperate than ever.

                “QUIET!”
                “SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!”

                Suddenly, a sharp glass object met the side of Casey’s head and everything went black.

               

                Fear clouded Casey’s mind as she lurched forward, swatting her hands in every which direction.  She felt beads of sweat trickling down the nape of her neck and sighed, trying to suffocate the tears that were stinging in the crease of her eyes.  She was exhausted, in every possible way one could imagine.  She was physically exhausted because she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since she was twelve; she found herself emotionally drained because these nightmares, these flashbacks had only become more prominent with every passing day.  She held her face in the sweaty palms of her hands and leaned forward, her back shuddering as sobs begged to escape.  She fought against them and won, silencing her cries just as she’d trained herself to do.  Why, all of a sudden, were these nightmares becoming so vivid?  She had repressed these memories and images all her life; she locked them away so they wouldn’t eat away at her like that again.

                Harry stirred underneath the covers, internally sensing that there was a presence shifting in his peripherals.  His green eyes fluttered open, and he immediately sat up and looked up at Casey’s bed.  He saw her sitting there, head in her hands as she scratched at the roots of her hair.

                Quietly, he stood up and slid next to her and placed a warm hand on her back.  The warmth of his hand through the thinness of her old band t-shirt made her quiver internally.  Still, he remained silent.  He knew that there was more to Casey than met the eye; there was nothing straight edge about her.  Harry could sense that beneath her angelic, ivory façade lurked a dark, paralyzing secret that had been repressed for far too long.

                “Your darkest secrets can’t scare me away, Casey,” he whispered.

                His tone was warm, almost reassuring.

                “I’m not afraid of scaring you away,” she said, a slight break in her voice.  “I don’t want to have to face the judgment in your eyes.”

                He guided her head close enough to his chest for him to rest his chin upon her heap of curls.  Casey surrendered to his caring gesture and sighed heavily into his chest, collecting her emotions so she personified a stone yet again. 

                He took her face in both of his hands and gently craned her neck so that she was looking up into the rich pools of emerald on either side of his nose. 

                “Casey, listen to me,” his face was stern and his eyes inviting.  “There is nothing on this earth that can hurt you as long as I’m next to you.”  He took his eyes away from her for a moment as if he was trying to articulate the words that weighed heavy on his heart.  “I’ll protect you endlessly, Case, it’s a promise I’ll keep until I take my very last breath.”

                She stared up at him, physically unable to formulate a proper sentence.  He took note of her splendor and kissed her sweetly, holding her as close as their limbs would allow.

                With a yawn, Harry lied down and Casey swiftly followed.  Their legs intertwining as he scooted his chest against her back.  Casey felt a paradoxical bled of serenity and anxiety as he kissed the bare spot behind her ear and drifted into slumber.