THE CURB (MATURE HARRY STYLES AU) #WATTYS2016

CHAPTER NINETY SIX

Cover by @hoodsnroses_ She's so cool,i loveee her.

The doorbell rings and Laura's attention diverts from her phone momentarily, wondering whom it might be.

In hopes that Louis will attend the person on the door, she focuses back on the task at hand.

"Hello. You still there?" She says into the phone, raising an eyebrow when she only hears heavy breathing on the other side. "Mister Strackencz?"

"Open the front door for me please." Her lawyer tells her and almost instantly Laura's on her feet and unlocking the door of her room.

"Is everything alright, Nigel?" She asks him, frowning as she wonders what brought such busy man to her house.

There's no answer from the other side and she realizes that Nigel has hung up.

As she climbs down the stairs, her eyes fall on Jed whose busy playing with his new toy, biting and chewing and sniffing it like it's something foreign. Louis' nowhere around Laura finds it strange since she's always seen him around Jed when he's home.

Ignoring the gut feeling that something bad is going to happen today, she hurries towards the door and unlocks it, opening the door, she's surprised to see that Nigel's not wearing his usual stern expression she's always seen. Instead his lips are curved up into a smile and he looks relaxed.

"May I come in?" He asks her politely, causing Laura immediately nod and step out of the way, mumbling a small sorry when she  realizes that she's been blocking the door way.

Nigel moves with grace, striding towards the living room and taking a seat on the couch. Laura follows after him and stands at the corner of the same couch, wondering why he's here.

"Mr. Strackencz, I don't want to go to Australia any more, I wanna stay here." She tells him in one breath and Nigel nods his head at that, letting her know that he's heard her.

"Have a seat. I have something to tell you." The man states calmly, patting on the couch before crossing his legs, waiting for Laura to comply.

"What is it?" She asks him impatiently, plopping down on to the couch a bit far away from Nigel. Not liking the fact that he's ignoring her demand to stay here.

Nigel is quiet for a while, he opens his mouth before closing it again, as if trying the right words to break the news.

"You've told the police that you don't remember who kidnapped you, correct?" Nigel asks her and Laura's body tenses a bit at the question.

She's been asked that many times and every time she's told them the same answer. She's been feeding them lie to keep Harry s identity hidden and this time is no different.

"Of course," She says, looking away from her lawyers and around the room as she clears her throat, "I've said that many times, I don't remember who it was."

"Take a deep breath for me." Nigel tells her, breathing in deeply himself before exhaling.

Laura frowns at that and opens her mouth to say something but Nigel places a finger on his lips, telling her to keep quiet. He breathes in again and with the roll of her eyes, Laura does the same.

"That's it." He says approvingly, nodding his head and Laura just wants to snap at him already. "Stay calm alright, I'm warning you ahead because I don't know how you'd react to the news, Laura."

Laura scowls at that before saying, "I am calm, alright."

Jed as if sensing a foreign person in his home, comes running towards the two and barks at Nigel, causing both of them to divert their attention towards the little pup.