Alternate Paths (Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 7 - Reece

The key didn't fit. I should have realised since the key seemed far too large, but noticing that now was of no help. I yanked on the metal, struggling to pull it out. Placing a foot against the door, I gripped the key with a painful force and tugged again, hoping that I could use the added leverage to some advantage.

"Ugh!" I crashed into something, and was later lifted up by that something; I realised I had stumbled back into Harry and he had caught me. Blushing from the embarrassment of knocking into someone who was barely an acquaintance, I stepped away and mumbled a 't-thanks'. Thankfully I didn't cause him to fall over too - that would have been too awkward to bear and I doubt I would have been able to talk to him again.

"Great, it's stuck now," I muttered, annoyed with myself. Good going Reece - now even if you were to find the right key it'd be pointless because of this one jammed in the lock.

A small huff of air tickled my neck as Harry laughed. Forcefully, I laughed with him as I stepped away from him slyly. Harry grinned at me, shook his head and muttered brightly, "Guess we're stuck here."

"Yeah, great deduction Sherlock." I blurted out sarcastically without even realising what I was saying. That only caused Harry to laugh louder and harder, clasping a hand over his mouth so as to quash the chuckles.

"I like you Reece."

.

An hour later and we were still in the same room, yet this time clasped in our hands were some crisps, a chocolate bar and an apple which may or may not have been starting to wither. The items had been found by Harry, when he was unabashedly snooping through the draws. He told me that it was purely to find things that may help us survive, but really I knew it was because he liked the idea of espionage.

We had decided since we had no idea how long we would be trapped that we would ration said items. The chocolate bar was coveted like gold, so we decided that we would eat only half a piece every day. Harry had already cracked open the crisps and eaten one; so had I. It had been a while since I had tasted their salty goodness and I made sure to chew it slowly - as if doing so would make it last longer.

After our snack break, we weren't quite sure what to do. The sun finally rose and light spilled upon the jewellery store - at least now we could move without the fear of bumping into every darn thing in the way. For what I guessed was thirty - maybe forty - minutes, we just sat. Sat on the hard wooden floor and gazed out at the street. It was empty now, but the asphalt was littered with bottles and cans and posters and banners, causing the road to look like a little kid had been playing with their toys. After growing bored, the kid just left the mess for someone else to clean.

Harry made a joke of some sort, but I didn't really get it and just nodded, a slight smile on my face that wasn't quite genuine. I felt bad not paying attention to him. To be honest, it was hard not to pay attention to the lad, with his cute features and startling green eyes, but I was growing way too uncomfortable in his presence. Actually, I'm not sure if it was being so close to a stranger or the situation we were in that was giving me the squeamish  jitters in my stomach, but maybe if I avoided Harry for a bit I'd be able to tell.

"Hey are you alright?" Harry asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I didn't turn to face him - I couldn't. If I did I knew I would slowly feel my sanity slipping away. I didn't want that. Right now I was clinging to it with both hands and would not let go.

"Reece? Reece, you're shaking. What's wrong?"

I gulped, my eyes boring into the glass and out at the street. Maybe if I stared intensely and hard enough, I'd burn a hole in the window and I could escape. I could escape and get out of here, but what was the street like? For some reason I couldn't grasp a solid image. It kept changing and twisting and then I was almost certain I was going insane and that sent a shudder through my body and fear down my spine because I had seen what happened to my mother and I didn't want to become that and if I lost my sanity then I would surely become that and that was a  future I couldn't bear and-