The Run Away Girl || Harry Styles

Chapter 19

ALICE'S POV

My heart is pounding helplessly in my chest as Harry and I make our way down the now unimaginably crowded streets. I can see a few teenage fans starting to run towards us in the distance, their high pitched screams causing me to sink farther into Harry's strong chest. 

Harry's deep green eyes burn into mine as they fall upon my face, and I immediately sense the worry and anxiety that has consumed his body. His warm grip on my hand gives me a small dose of strength, though nothing could possibly settle the frantic beating of my heart or the fast paced thoughts scrambling around in my mind. 

The once small group of people that had gathered at the sight of Harry Styles had now quadrupled, and I suspected tons more would be arriving. I wasn't dumb; I knew word of mouth was very effective when it came to spotting celebrities, especially through the help of twitter and fan accounts. Before too long I expected the crowd to quadruple again, leaving Harry and I helplessly stranded in the middle of their frenzied starstruck state. I keep my head down, my eyes glued to the gray pavement below me.

I loose focus of keeping up with Harry's fast paced steps only to find that my mind has drifted to the 'what if' scenarios. What if everyone freaks out when they see me with Harry? What would everyone say when they saw me? They wouldn't know who I was or how I got to be holding Harry's hand; how would they react? Surely they wouldn't get angry and violent.. but what if Harry got hurt? What if I got hurt? The possible mental and physical pain frightens me, as I remember just how protective Harry's fanbase could be. I would know, I had spent plenty of my time in the past browsing through fan accounts on social media.

A few steps separate the two of us from the sea of wild faces. A sudden bright flash from an older man carrying around a large camera nearly blinds me. Within milliseconds of the first, at least twenty other cameras begin going off, the whole scene appearing like an LED light show of massive proportions.

Harry squeezes my hand and leans in close to the side of my face so that his nose touches the hair that is pushed back behind my ear. "Hang in there, Al. I'm so sorry. It will be over soon."

My heart flutters a little at his simple, yet meaningful gesture.

The loud street chatter is deafening; 'Harry' and 'One Direction' are verbally thrown around in all directions. Still fearful of looking up, I steal a quick glance at the scene in front of me. There are people gathered excitedly on the street for as far as I can see. The sight is absolutely stunning. Fans and photographers of all ages swarm around us like thirsty flies, shoving us forwards.

Some of the more adamant and intense fans thrust their way to the front of the crowd and begin to loudly talk in Harry's face. Refusing to acknowledge his personal space or general social mannerisms, the yelling continues, getting louder and more intense by the second.

I avert my eyes back from the ground and I glance over at Harry, fully prepared to see his easy smile wiped from his lips. To my surprise, Harry has maintained his composure and seems at ease. He's smiling and waving at the crowd. He's even managed to sign a a few autographs and smile for fan pictures while we had been walking. I'm impressed to say the least. I want nothing more than to kiss him right here on the street; to show him how much I loved him for being so good to his fans, even on days where his mind was elsewhere. I smile helplessly at him, knowing he wouldn't see me, but wanting to acknowledge my sense of happiness to have such an amazing guy by my side.

One of the fans who has made her way to the front makes eye contact with me, her face full of disgust.

"Don't you dare smile at him, you little whore!" She spits, her lips curled down in a frown. Thrusting her hands out in front of her, she makes contact with my shoulder, pushing me backwards with all her strength.