I Need You (H.S Vampire)

Chapter 26:

Chapter 26:

(Harry's POV)

"Harry!" Ellie shouted, pulling my head out of the memory. I looked across the table at the woman who had just occupied my thoughts and felt a mix of emotions. She leaned over the table, her hand gripping my arm as if trying to shake me from a daze, her hair cascading to one side in disarray. A relentless throbbing pulsed in my head, and the room around me blurred and swayed, contributing to my sense of disorientation. The familiar face I had expected only added to my confusion. She appeared so different from the woman etched in my memory, time had changed her completely. Now, I found myself sitting across from a stranger, grappling with the reality that the person I once knew had evolved into someone I could hardly recognise.

"You've got to stop doing that." She leaned back in her seat, allowing her hair to fall around her shoulders, sending waves of her scent into the air. It was strange how the scent of her blood seemed to carry a new complexity that smelled different. I tried to shake off the unsettling thought as she lifted her drink.

"Sorry. It's um. These memories. They come back like a bad headache. I have no control over it." I explained before taking a sip of my drink. She watched me with a mix of fear and confusion, still not trusting me.

"It seems like it's one thing after the other with you. I can do something to help with that if you want?" she offered, her voice soft and tentative as she scanned the dimly lit empty bar.

"I thought you said your family were the ones that removed my memories. Why would you return them?" I asked.

"Why do you always challenge everything? Why can't you accept when someone wants to help you." She said.

"Maybe because you weren't as receptive to help me yesterday." I explained. I wasn't quite sure what was causing me to feel restrained compared to how I felt yesterday. Despite my uncertainty, the offer to get my memories back and be back to normal was more than tempting.

"Maybe. But that was yesterday and today I'm in a nice mood." She smiled.

"Yesterday you were a polar opposite person. What's with the new look anyway?" I asked.

"You really weren't kidding about that amnesia thing hey. I guess you're right. I am a different person." Her sudden laugh caught me off guard and eased the tension I was feeling.

"I actually need to get away from this town. I thought a new look would be easier for me to fade away." She explained further looking back down into her glass.

"Wait. Why are you leaving?" I snapped out my question, frustration evident in my voice, as I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me hearing that she was leaving. What would make her need to leave suddenly and completely change overnight?

"I'm not supposed to be here and I know I'll only be safe once I'm out of this town." She explained. I could see the fear wash over her. The silence fell between us, feeling heavy. Her fingers fidgeted nervously with the edge of her drink, and her eyes darted around the room as if searching for a way out. It was obvious she was on edge; I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was troubling her had something to do with me. As my brain was trying to reconcile everything, I found my thoughts pulling me into another strong headache.

***

The sway of the woman's dress in the rain became flat as the figure frantically started looking every direction for a way of moving. I started to pick up the pace in my steps as I walked closer to her to double check as she looked so similar to her. When I got closer, I could smell her blood and the smell was warm and welcoming.

"Harry?" The figure spoke, calling out to me making every muscle in my body relax after all these years. She turned and took strides towards me.

***

I forcefully pulled myself out of the memory shaking my head and tightly closing my eyes, pushing the thought to the side so it couldn't consume me again. The memory may have felt long but once I opened my eyes, it had been a second this time. The pull of the her voice from my memory calling my name ringing in my ears.

"Are you in danger?" I asked.

"I'm always in danger." She explained with a small laugh, looking down at her drink.

"Anything I can help with?" I asked leaning forward. I couldn't explain it but there was this deep urge within me to protect her from whatever was weighing on her. It was as if I sensed the struggles she faced, and I just wanted to shield her from any pain.

"You're sweet. Thanks but the only thing you can do is let me go." She replied before taking a sip of her drink.

"There's something different about you." I commented before I took another sip.

"You've said that already." she said laughing uncomfortably, looking around once again.

"Well yesterday you were doing everything to get away from me. And now you're sat here with a new style, having a drink with me." I fidgeted with my glass, struggling to understand how our dynamic had shifted since yesterday. The attraction I felt seemed to disappear, and I found myself waiting for it to return, but there was nothing.

"I don't know what to tell you." She replied in a flat tone, clearly hiding something.

"You can tell me the truth." I stated, holding onto the memories that had come back. She froze still in her chair as if she was being caught of out a lie.

"What happened between us?" I asked. Just as she was about to explain, the light from the outside flooded the room as the doors opened distracting her.

"Fuck." She whispered in shock and fear. I turned to see a familiar face enter the bar, smiling in his black trousers and white shirt, with his jacket draped over his arm as he approached us. The bartender and the waitress stood watching from behind the bar, chatting to themselves when Simon used his speed to twist their necks. Their bodies hit the ground and the bar as we watched him walk around the bar. He clapped his hands smiling, happy to see us.

"Simon."