Bad boy, Great lips//h.s.

Chapter Forty-Two

Thanks for all the reads, even my ghost readers. I'm aware of how very few of you vote and even less comment. It would be great for you guys to become more active. Please just take a moment and vote.

::Yours Always::

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Harry's Point of View
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I breathed in deeply before rapping my knuckles on the wood. The silence in the hallway seemed to echo in my ears.
I heard footsteps and my heart pounded, the beating only became faster when I heard the bolt click open and the door hinges groan. The bland light in the hallway leaked into the empty dorm.
"Harry?"
I met the eyes of Tori and felt a huge disappointment but at the same time, relief. If Rose had answered the door, I don't know what I would've said.
"What are you doing here, again?" She asked quietly.
I gave her a look and she seemed to know the answer.
"Rose hasn't been at the dorm in almost a week, she should've been back from the states a week ago today," Tori told me, bracing both of us for the hurtful truth. Tori steppe out of the room in her pajamas and messy bun, arms wrapped around herself.
"I don't think she's coming back."
I sighed and tugged my hair angrily.
"No, she would have told me Tori. She would have at least called me or fuck, even a text message."
I could see Tori was upset to the point of tears about this too, I knew I wasn't the only confused one about Rose's sudden disappearance.
"I've checked her studio and they said she quit. I asked if she had just called them or came there but they won't tell me. They said she had asked that to be kept in secrecy. She knew I would check every where, why is she doing this?" I was so frustrated.
"She has to still have classes here right?"
Tori shrugged. "I don't know. The dorm attendant asked if I would be comfortable with a new dorm mate soon."
I backed myself against the wall and slid down to the floor. I sat there, my head in my hands in absolute misery.
"I just, I listen to her voicemail every day and it-,"
"What voicemail?" Tori asked taking a seat beside me.
I bit my tongue. I wasn't sure if I were comfortable sharing this with her but with the hopeful look on her face, I couldn't turn her down. I fished my phone out and dialed my voicemail on speaker and played the heart breaking message Rose had left me in the airport.
I watched Tori listen to it and every time I heard this again, I I noticed something different. This time it was the background. I could hear the common hustling and bustling of the airport along with a obnoxious baby crying. It was sobs of absolute despair. It seemed to echo the emotion she was feeling too. Why hadn't I picked up the goddamn phone again? Oh yeah, because I was too busy nailing some slut that didn't deserve the time of day of a lonely cat.
Tori sighed. "Why didn't you pick up?"
My mouth went dry. "I was busy?" It came out more of a question. Tori's face asked for further explanation.
"I was busy with something."
"You're a liar Harry, you were busy with someone weren't you?"
I said nothing.
"That's what I thought. You really need to start thinking about what you do because they hurt the people around you. I am not just saying that because of Rose but for everyone. I know you don't mean to you, you just don't think."
Anger flashed through me.
"You don't think I know that? I've know that for years," I seethed.
"You do but you don't think before you act, it hurts you too Harry. I know it does. I know screwing girls left and right doesn't make you feel better about yourself. Does it?"
I stood up. "I don't need a fucking therapist, Tori."
She stood up facing me. "Then what do you need?" She was getting angry too. It wasn't her tone, or her but her words caught me. They caught me off guard and made my anger freeze. Because I didn't what I needed. I knew what I wanted but was it what I needed?
"I know what I want," I said more to myself.
"And what is that?"
I almost said Rose but I caught myself. I thought about my answer more throughly.
"I want peace," I mumbled.
"Is what you need?" She asked. I gulped and blinked slowly before speaking.
"I...yes."
Tori nodded in approve and opened her dorm door. She turned back around, standing in the open door.
"Then go find it."
"I can't, I don't know how to find her. What if she's still in the States?"
Tori smiled. "Then go there."
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Fourteen hours later, I was boarding a flight to DFW airport. Another fourteen long hours later, I arrived in Texas. I found my way to the information desk.
"I have a question?"
The large black woman raised her eyebrow.
"And I may have an answer for you sweetie," she cooed in a thick southern draw.
"I need to get to Granbury from here. I need to get a ranch?"
The lady laughed. "There at least twenty different ranches in Granbury. What's the name?"
After some discussing and her slamming my cluelessness, I was walking up the steep steps of a charter bus. I grabbed the seat in the far back corner and settled in.
The bus ride was long and I was the last person to get off. It was late afternoon by the time he stopped in front of a dirt road.
"Is this it?" I asked. He nodded.
"Yes sir."
I asked. "Do I just walk up the dirt road." He nodded his yes. I said no thanks as I got off the bus and started the long haul down the road.
It seemed like I was walking forever but I knew it only been about twenty minutes but this heat was absurd. I had striped my light jacket and sweater and was left in my thin white tee shirt with my duffle bag slung over my shoulder as I walked. I took around carefully. It was lush with bushes and short, wide trees and vines were every where. It took me a few minutes to take in this is where Rose grew up.
Finally, I arrived in front of a large familiar house I had seen in her camera roll. I looked to the left and saw the mountain she had taken her prom photos on. She wasn't kidding, it was right there.
The house was a huge three story manner and big wrap around porch. I scaled the porch steps carefully and all too aware of the creaking each of my steps made.
I lightly rapped on the wooden door. I could hear American voices on the other side of the dark wooden door. At last, the door swung open. There stood a short dark haired girl with pale skin and light freckles literally all over her nose and cheeks.
"Yes?" She spoke carefully and was the first person I met here without a southern twang.
"Hi," I said awkwardly. "I'm looking for Rose?"
The girl raised her eyebrow. "You're the wrong side of Atlantic."
What?
I spoke thoughts aloud.
"She left for England a week ago to study English. She was just visiting for the holidays."
I dropped my things in shock and maybe horror.
I spun around cradled my face in my hands, gasping for air. I'm not sure if I was upset I'd traveled all this way or if I was relieved that she hadn't left me.
"Um, are you okay?"
I didn't say anything.
"Did...did you come from England? Looking for her?" She spoke carefully, as if she knew she were wrong. But she wasn't.
I took in a shaky breath and nodded.
She gasped.
"Wow. Just wow."
"Do you know for sure she is in England?" I asked breathlessly.
She nodded.
"We Skyped last night or morning for her. She was in what she called her favorite coffee shop in the city. It was right by Big Ben."
I pulled my hair angrily.
"Shit," I cursed.
"May I ask, who are you?"
Look up and met the gaze of the blue eyed girl. I've seen her in Rose's pictures before, I just couldn't remember her name.
"I'm Harry," I said.
She smiled. "I'm Brooke, Rose's best friend."
It clicked as soon as she said it. Brooke held her hand out to shake. I took it carefully but she gave my hand a strong shake.
"Nice to meet you," she chirped. I wish I could say the same.

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Rose's Point of View
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I groaned as I woke up, pain shot through my spine as I sat up. Running my hand through tangled hair and cradling the back of my neck; I complained.
"I really need to get my own place," I told Dmitri. I watched him mosey in the kitchen and make coffee and bagel.
"No kidding," he said playfully. I laughed and chunked my pillow at his back from across the decent sized apartment.
"Your aim isn't any better since high school," he remarked eyeing the floppy pillow three feet away from him. I flipped him off.
"And classy as always," he laughed. I giggled with him before pushing myself off the couch and toward the bar. I grabbed a mug and filled it with fresh coffee and took a bit out of his bagel as I walked by.
"Ass," he muttered as I walked to the bathroom to get ready for class. I shot him a grin over my shoulder before closing the door behind me.

I was walking to class after arriving on campus, I shudder when I realized what class I was going to. College Algebra. Gross.
I was halfway across the court yard when I felt a solid hand on my shoulder and suddenly, I was spinning around. My face was completely in someone's black shirt.
"What the he-," I started but was cut off by a familiar voice.
"Where the hell?"