Speed ➢ harry styles

Ch. 14 ~ Uncertainty

A/N: For those of you unaware about the reason behind Leo's actions, I'd like to throw it out there that he is going through a relapse of PTSD which is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Maybe this'll help explain his actions a little better. :) Also see the gif at the side which is meant to represent Leo thinking about and missing Penny.

Before I knew it I found myself in a lovely park setting. Numerous people were going for their morning jogs and there were some cyclists zipping past. I had no time to enjoy my surroundings because I needed to find Leo.

I scanned every bench but no sign of him. I got closer to the river itself and leaned over the railing. The view was incredible. As I leaned I realized how easy it was to jump over the railing and land in the river. From where I stood you could dangle one leg over the railing and then land on the mossy cement, merely an inch away from the water. 

Was this the way Penny and the woman on television had taken their lives? I shuddered at the thought of lifeless corpses lying at the bottom of the very water that I stood in front of.

Who could blame Leo for having a mental breakdown when this whole ordeal was one big horrible nightmare. Only problem was, Leo didn't get to wake up from this because what was happening was real and it was happening again. 

I gnawed at the skin under my nails. I had to find Leo.

Suddenly I felt a sense of déjà vu. Here I was looking for a friend in New York, feeling that same anxious sentiment as the fear of not being able to find said person set in for the second time. All in one week this was happening. Maybe this whole trip to New York wasn't such a good idea. I'm not fit for detective work. I'm just me.

But I shook away all my doubtful thoughts. I was being an idiot. I was here and that was that. No use having regrets now. I came here by choice and it was my own decision to undertake this self appointed mission. Besides I'd found Anella hadn't I? I guess I'm not as inefficient as I thought.

So I scanned my surroundings once again. This time I searched for Leo's familiar figure among the people leaning on the railing.

There were several people leaning against the railing. Some were tourists who were having their pictures taken as they struck various poses and some were couples who were nestling in close and basking in each other's warmth on this rather cold morning. But one man stood out. 

So there he was, several blocks away from where I had stood earlier. 

Leo was lying on the floor in front of the railing in a fetal position. He looked awful and passerbys were giving him weird looks. No one was helping him up. From the looks of him, they probably thought he was just another homeless man taking a nap in the park.

"Leo," I whispered, kneeling in front of him. "Get up Leo. I'm here now." 

"How did you know I was going to be here?" Leo asked, his voice barely audible.  I helped him up and sat him on a nearby bench.

"I don't know. I debated going to a bar to find you but then a part of me felt you wouldn't be out drinking at this hour. You'd be here instead. I remember the last time I was in New York and I called you and asked if you wanted to go out for lunch and you said you were at the park and I asked why and you told me you were spending time with your love and at the time I didn't know about Penny so I just assumed you were out on a date with some girl. But now I added it all up and it made sense so I came here."

"Wow. Didn't I tell you, you were meant for all this sleuth stuff? Because you're really good at this mystery stuff." There was silence. He ran a hand through his messy hair and gazed at the river. There was a hint of sorrow floating about in the oceanic blue of his eyes. "I miss her you know? When I'm here I feel closer to her. It feels as though she not only haunts my mind but the entire river. Whenever I get near the water I just feel this presence. It's not a negative sensation though." He paused and then smiled at me. "I sound crazy don't I? One of these days I might need to admit myself to a mental hospital..."