Written

Chapter 19

When I roll over after I open my eyes, I am in bed. It takes me a moment to remember where I am. A hotel in...Little Rock? No, New Orleans. I am pretty sure it's New Orleans. Wait, why am I in a bed? The last thing I remember is falling asleep on a couch in the dark, and feeling Harry slide down onto the floor next to me. I sit up to find him lying across the foot of the bed, mouth open and fast asleep. Did he carry me here? There is no way I woke up and got myself into bed, he had to have. Careful not to wake him, I slide the covers off and walk back into the sitting area. I grab some clean clothes from one of my suitcases and locate the bathroom. The towels hanging on the rack are so fluffy and white that they could pass as pillows. After a solid minute of fumbling with the knobs, I finally get the shower water to a temperature that won't kill me. The hotel shampoo and conditioner do little for me, but it's all I have right now. I shut the shower water off and get changed.

I finally glance at the clock as I exit the bathroom, it is only ten in the morning. I chance a guess that it was about 4 a.m. when we got in, so that wasn't much sleep. I did sleep in the car though, and so did Harry. When walk back into the bedroom, Harry is sleepily sitting up.

"Good morning," I tell him. He just blinks blearily and falls back onto the covers. He lets out an exhausted groan. Harry doesn't move again, so I put on a pot of coffee and step onto the hotel balcony. It is already hot, miserably hot. The street below is already somewhat crowded with fans who are waiting for confirmation that this is indeed the hotel that One Direction are staying at. They pay me no mind as I look down at them.

"You might want to come back in here," Harry's voice sounds from behind me.

"Why?" I ask.

"They'll know who you are," he says. "They know everything." I don't think that he is right, but I humor him anyway. "Did you sleep alright?" He asks.

"Yeah, I did. I think," I answer him. "Thanks for moving me."

"You're welcome. I didn't want you to have nightmares again, sleeping like that."

"Oh...did I?" I am afraid of what he'll say.

"I don't think so. I was out just after you were. Sorry, by the way, I slept on the bed. I didn't know if that was..." he trails off, looking awkward.

"Its fine, Harry," I laugh. "We're friends, remember?"

"Okay," he agrees simply. We sit in silence for a few moments and he rejects my offer of coffee. "I should probably get dressed," he says. Harry stands up to leave the room, but turns around in the doorway. "Stay here?" he asks.

"Sure," I say. It's not like I have anywhere else to go. Harry heads out to his own room, probably just down the hall. I step out onto the balcony again, resting my cup of coffee on the ledge. I was right; the fans don't acknowledge me. They don't know me or recognize me. A crash from inside the room brings me out of my thoughts. I hurry back inside and shut the doors behind me. What was that? It sounded like breaking glass. I check the entire room, but nothing appears broken or seems like it could have been the cause of the noise. Just as I am about to dismiss it as a product of my imagination, I hear it again: one crash followed by another. It is coming from the room next to me, it's as if someone is throwing plates against the wall. I go out into the hallway to see if anyone else has noticed the noise, but I seem to be the only. I hesitate before knocking on the door. What if it is someone important? My desire to make sure everything is okay wins out over my fear as I rap my knuckles quickly against the door. Just as I am about to walk away, the door flies open and I almost shrink back in terror. Liam is standing in the doorway, and he is fuming. We just stare at each other for a few moments. He is shaking, physically shaking in anger. I know that it cannot be directed at me, at least not all of it, but that doesn't stop it from being terrifying.