A Moment in the Crowd

Chapter 35: Moment of weakness

My head thrashes and spins and aches and I think I've entered some sort of spinning room in a funhouse before I realize that I'm in a hotel. The beige curtains hide as much as they can of the minimal sunlight streaming into the empty room. I attempt to sit up but grasp at my forehead when the pounding intensifies to a painful thud and I lay back down.

"Fuck." I mutter to myself. My eyes are still drowsy with sleep and I can smell the alcohol from last night. The scent nauseates me and I think I'm going to throw up, but nothing comes yet.

"Lily?" 

The deep voice startles me so much that I hit my already pounding head on the headboard of the hotel room.

"Fuck!" I scream this time while clutching at my head and squeezing my eyes together in pain. I sit up and grasp around my hairline, as if that might make the pounding stop.

I hear rushed rustling before a large hand grasps gently at my shoulder. 

"Shit, are you alright? I'm so sorry." 

I open my eyes and peer through the slits but my vision is blurred. When I finally get a clean image, I'm staring into a pool of emerald green eyes. Harry. My heart betrays me, and it pounds even harder than my throbbing head.

"Sure you are." I say coldly and the pain begins to subside, but it's barely tolerable.

"Take this." Harry hands me a tablet and I eye the writing that says 'Advil' before popping the pill and swallowing it hard with water from the bedside table.

"Ugh." I groan and hand him the glass of water. He gently places it on the wooden table and takes the liberty of sitting at the foot of the bed. I can feel the tight dress that I have on pulling uncomfortably at my curves and I ache to take it off. I just want to sit in my P.J.s all day and stare at a wall in a dark room so that my head doesn't hurt so damn much.

"Are you alright?" Harry's head is down and his curles are ruffled from having just woken up. He has bags under his eyes and his muscle t-shirt shows off the many tattoos I've imagined myself tracing.

I don't answer his question.

"Why am I here?" 

He gives the emotion back to my words, even if they are negative. I don't feel numb in his presence, I could never be anything but vibrant and alive around him.

"Because I wasn't going to let some asshole take you in his fucking dorm room." He spits and I'm taken aback by his angry tone.

"It's not your fucking problem though, is it?" I retort, and I'm surprised that I have so much confidence.

"Well you clearly couldn't take care of yourself, so someone had to." He glares at me but despite the harsh tone he uses, his green eyes still hold the glow that shines through the curtains.

"I can take care of myself, Harry." I glare back at him but look away too soon because of my still-throbbing head.

"Please, let me explain." He surprises me with a softer tone, and we both know what the sudden change of topic is referring to.

"I don't need a fucking explanation. It's none of my business, just as my life is none of yours. So if you don't mind... -" I leave the sentence to trail off and I remove the covers from my legs.

I slowly attempt to stand, but it still causes my mind to swirl and I see patches of colours dot my vision. Purples, greens, pinks, all mesh into a dull grey as I sway on my feet. I feel Harry's hands steady my body, and his touch heats up my veins and causes my heart to work into overdrive. Damn him and his fucking touch.