The Fast Lane

Chapter 33

I started to come to. My head didn’t hurt at all. It didn’t take long for my vision to clear up either. I looked around and noticed that I was in Harry’s house in Tampa. I climbed out of round bed in one swift movement and began to walk into the hall just as Harry was entering the hall from the kitchen. “Oh hello, Love. How are you?” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. I stood perfectly still and stared at his chest which was three inches from my face. As it moved up and down with each breath he took, I reached up slowly and touched the skin that was not covered by his open shirt.

"Harry…?" I began. He looked down at me.

"What is it Love?"

I looked up at him, confused as ever. His green eyes were still and lifeless. I cautiously backed away a step. “You turned yourself in to Rich.”

He looked at me, puzzled. “Why on earth would I do that? Our wedding is today.”

I froze. “What? Hold on, I-”

"Love, are you feeling alright? The last couple of weeks you’ve been acting really strange." Harry gripped my shoulders.

I pulled back away from him and took a few more steps back. “Now hold on, you turned yourself in to Rich to save my sister. Caleb, Joel, and I were on our way to come save you. I was in Charlotte yesterday.”

Harry looked at me worriedly and began to shake his head. “No, Love…” He took his phone out of his pocket and sent a text. Not a minute later Caleb walked in the front door. He was wearing a tuxedo. “What’s up boss?”

"Caleb!" I yelled. I rushed past Harry and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Please tell him about yesterday. We drove to Charlotte to save him," I said, pointing over at Harry.

Caleb laughed. “Save him? From what?”

I grabbed the sleeve of his tux and began to pull on it. “To save him from Rich! He turned himself in to save my sister! He was going to die!”

Caleb looked just as confused as Harry did. He glanced from Harry to me and back to Harry and then shrugged. “You were dreaming perhaps?”

I took a step back from him and Harry, who were both looking at me, desperate for clarity. I thought long and hard about all that had happened yesterday. There was no way it could have been a dream.

I looked around the apartment. Harry stared over at Caleb until he had caught his attention and whispered, “Maybe we should postpone the wedding.”

I turned to face Harry. “NO! I mean… no. Just… When did we decide on a date? When did we decide it would be today? I haven’t even gotten a dress.”

Harry’s eyes continued to widen as I spoke. “Love, have you hit your head? We decided right after I asked you to marry me. You bought a dress the next week.” I was breathing hard. I wanted to cry. Why couldn’t I remember anything right now? Harry watched as I began to get more and more upset. He took me in his arms and held me for a few moments, stroking my hair and hushing me like he usually did when I was upset. “Why don’t we put you in your dress? Maybe that’ll help you remember.”

I was guided to Harry’s room, and out of the closet Harry pulled a dress cover. He unzipped it and removed from it a beautiful long white lace dress. It was strapless and had a navy blue sash that came across the waist and tied into a large bow. I gasped when I saw it but was devastated when I still couldn’t remember picking it out. Who did I go with? When did I even go? Harry unzipped the back and helped me step into the dress. He re-zipped it and tied the bow and allowed me to admire myself in the mirror for at least 5 minutes. It was in that time that I noticed my hair was curled, my nails were painted, and my makeup was on. Harry finally spoke.

“Remembering anything?”

I shook my head. My bottom lip trembled. Harry sighed and took my hands in his own. “I love you so much. If you don’t want to do this today we don’t have to. Do you want to go to a doctor?”

I thought for a moment and shook my head again. “No, I want to get married. I love you too.”

Harry smiled and leaned down to kiss me on the lips. He pulled away and studied my face for a moment. He returned to the closet where he pulled out my heels; lacy white heels that were at least 5 inches tall. I began to cry as Harry put on each of my shoes, one at a time, kissing my toes before each one was put on. Why could I not remember even buying the shoes?

I watched as Harry changed into a suit. He had a navy blue bow-tie that matched my bow, and he asked me for help tying it. I reached up to help him, and as I did he stared into my sad eyes. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was sad though. He just glowed with excitement and a smile spread across his face. His eyes, however, were still gray and lifeless.

We walked out of the apartment and rode the elevator down to the ballroom of his apartment. “Here? We’re getting married here??” I was shocked. Harry didn’t answer my but simply kissed my hand and left promptly to rush to the front of the ballroom where the priest, Caleb, and Joel were waiting. I stood in the back of the room between the open doors, and the woman who I supposed was the wedding coordinator handed me a bouquet of white roses tied together with a navy blue ribbon. I looked around at the backs of the crowds heads as I waited for my queue to walk down the isle and realized that I didn’t know a single person there. No one was smiling. No one was trying to sneak a peak at me. A cold hand tapped me on the shoulder as the music began to play. “You can go now,” the wedding coordinator whispered monotonously. My feet carried me forward as I walked alone down the isle. The music seemed as though it were slowing down with each step I took. I looked forward at Harry who was beaming down the isle at me. Suddenly his face began to fall, and I realized he wasn’t looking at me anymore, but rather, behind me. He began to yell. Caleb and Joel reached into their tuxedos and pulled out two guns each, but before they could begin to fire, I saw a bullet hit both of them directly in the heart. Blood splattered their white shirts and blue ties. They collapsed. Dead. Harry began to run toward me, and right as he was reaching for my outstretched hand, a bullet flew past me and hit him in the chest. My blood-curdling shriek echoed throughout the ballroom as I dove to catch Harry’s falling body. I turned him over, brushing the hair out of his face and cradling his head in my hands. Blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth and he coughed. “I love yo….” He breathed as all of the color escaped from his eyes. I turned to see who the killer was, but all I could see when I turned around was a bullet, spinning in the air straight toward me. I stood up and braced myself as the whole audience watched me in my blood stained dress. The bullet came closer and closer and closer until-

I shot up from where I was laying. I was breathing hard and sweating. I began to cry. It was all a dream. My body began to shiver as I tried to get myself under control again. My eyes wandered around the room, the white room that seemed so familiar. I was in Charlotte. Harry really did turn himself in and we really had gone to Charlotte to look for him. I was knocked unconscious by someone… But who? My eyes searched each corner of the room for anyone who might have been in there with me. Finally, I spotted him. I blinked a few times, mainly to get the tears out of my eyes but also to make sure I was seeing the right person. Maybe I hadn’t woken up after all. He took a few steps closer to me and a smile spread across his face.

"Alex?"