storms {harry styles - completed}

1

fatigue.

the uttermost inevitable lack of energy looms around me, and every time i fluttered my droopy eyelids closed; i swore i could've fell asleep. my shift as rocky's cafe was soon over, and i decided to brew myself a black coffee. as i let it boil, i move over to my last customer, bringing him the the latte he asked for.

"is there anything else i can get for you?" i try to ask as sweetly as possible, hoping my tiredness doesn't make my voice monotonous. 

"no, thank you though." he answered with a raspy voice, and a thick british accent. he has a bit of a scruff of a beard, and a very prominent jawline. his green eyes and brown curly hair shone in the lights of the cafe. i smile at him and walk back to the counter and drink my coffee. i count my tips from the mason jar, and the man stands up and walks over to the counter. "sorry love, i forgot to give you a tip." he explained, and dropped a twenty in the jar.

very generous for a four dollar latte and a small blueberry muffin.

"thank you!" i gratefully exclaim. he nods humbly.

"have a good day uh," he starts then his eyes trail to my name tag, "elise." i nod thankfully, with a small smile etched on my lips. the tall man strides away, and the bell attached to the doorway rings as i clean up my counter, and take the crisp twenty dollar bill and put it in my wallet. i set my apron on the coat rack, as i walk out the front door and lock the building. 

the moon sets over the silver sleek bridge, as the vast lake sparkles in the moon light. with my hands shoved in my pockets, i walk along the sidewalk against the bridge. smatterings of cars zoom past me, as i walk to the horizon, where the lights of the city dazzle among the crisp night. it was the beginning of summer, and fireflies buzzed around the lake. i stopped in my tracks, and take in a breath. the city was really beautiful at night.

i glance at the bridge yet again. then the lake.

suddenly, my lungs lack air. i let out a throaty croak, as i gasp from the sudden loss of breath.

my long legs step onto the side of the bridge. the wind screams in my ear, as i look down at the lake yet again.

just jump, elise. all of your problems will fade away if you just jump!

i take a leap off the bridge, looking around yet again. the lights from the city and lightning bugs blur in my vision, as my body suddenly plummets against the lake.

"are you okay?" a familiar voice interrupts my train of thought. i let out a hitched breath, as i look down at my hands. i still stand on the sidewalk, and look around. what the hell was that?

did i just imagine myself jumping off the bridge?

"miss?" the gruff voice repeats, and suddenly i turn around, only to be taken aback. the boy from the cafe!

"yeah, i'm fine." i say distantly, avoiding eye contact. the words just kind of fell out of my mouth, i wasn't even paying attention to what i was saying. my heart was racing, and my eyes teared up. the man furrowed his eyebrows, as he looked down at me with a confused expression. "bye," i mumble quickly, and turn on my heel and speed walk home. 

"wait, miss, stop!"

i stop in my tracks.

"were you going to jump off?" he musters, concern prominent in his voice. i turn back around, and pretend to laugh, like that possibility seemed ridiculous. i dig my hands into my short pockets, and shake my head.

"have a good night." i say, and wave to the man. it seemed as he didn't recognize me, so i collected myself and strode away quickly. i was almost running, until i hear the familiar voice.

"have a good night, elise."

⌁

i turn the key into my quaint apartment door. i tip toe in quietly, hoping i don't awake my roommate - rosanna. much to my surprise, the woman comes jogging to me, with a large smile on her pretty face. she had beautiful blue eyes, luscious dark brown hair, and sleeve of tattoos on her left arm. she was tall, and extremely fit. her arms were toned, and her eyebrows were arched. she was tall, and intimidatingly beautiful. 

"rosanna, what are you doing up? don't you have work tomorrow?" i ask, raising one of my eyebrows curiously. i was still distracted from before, but she can read me like a book. i try to be as attentive as possible, but i was still tired and confused. 

"i quit!" she gleefully shouted, as she smiled, flashing her pearly whites. 

"what? how are you going to pay rent?" i ask, baffled. 

"that was just a part time job, elise. plus, i'm going to spend all summer in my parents' lake house, and you're coming with me!" she exclaimed. huh? i squeeze my eyebrows, and glare at her in a confused way. i tilt my head, and cross my arms. is the woman crazy?

"rosanna, i can't afford to quit my job. and i can't afford to stay in your lake house." i explain solemnly. i would love to spend an entire summer with my best friend, in her lovely house on the lake, in a peaceful and quiet rural area. but, i have a life. i'm an adult now, and i can't just pick up everything and go. 

well, not anymore. believe me, i have tried. but your problems and responsibilities follow you everywhere. "and, when we're both gone, how are we going to pay rent?" i argue, resulting in a devilish smirk.

"i've thought this out, elise. i've been saving up some money, just for you! this trip is meant for you, lovey." she explains. at that moment, my heart hurt. i was so lucky to have rosanna in my life, but i was just torn. this seems awfully impulsive. and even if i went, i would be leaving everything behind.

including oliver.

"elise, i'm not taking no for an answer. you need this, especially after what happened." she mustered, her tone taking a dark turn. i huffed, throwing my arms up in the air in defeat.

this year was messy, and maybe i did need a break. before i could stop my self, my impulsive side kicked in.

"oh, what the hell? why not. when are we going?" i blurted, and it took me a bit to process what i just said. what was i doing? and more importantly, why was i accepting this?

"two days. get packing, babe!"

⌁

after the two days, i went and collected my last pay check, packed so many clothes that my wardrobe was left empty. we were going up to lake george, and in the early and late summer, the nights are a bit chilly. i packed my camera, laptop, and filming software.

my dream is to be a film maker, and lake george is a place with natural beauty, i simply cannot resist. rosanna is an aspiring actress, and i have had her act in my student projects when i was still in NYU. i graduated this summer, and i was young. i might was well live while i'm young, right?

i drag my suitcase and duffel bags behind my frail figure. i look over at rosanna, who was carrying so many heavy, heavy things gracefully. her muscles flexed slightly, and she gave me an amused smirk when she saw me struggling. 

"it's fine, we just need to pack these in my car, then we're done!" she explains, and i nodded, literally already out of breath. we take the elevator to the parking garage in the apartment, and we stuff her black mini cooper up to the brims with luggage and snacks. she gets in the driver's seat, with a look of determination in her eyes. she takes her phone out and puts in across the dashboard, with google maps set up. the bright screen read six hours and twenty three minutes. i take my phone and plug it into the auxiliary cord, and start to blast halsey. rosanna starts the car, and looks at me. i look back, and we had these smug looks plastered onto our faces. we were ready for whatever was ahead.

or so we thought.