Immortal Lovers {Run 2}

11. No Escape

"No," Harry said. "I won't do it."

I ignored him and sat on one of the mats placed on the floor in the warehouse. Crossing my legs, I looked up at Harry with a cocked eyebrow. "Get down here, Harold," I said.

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "No. You can't make me."

I tilted my head to one side. "Are you testing me?"

He let out a low sigh and hung his head for a few seconds. "I just don't see how this will work."

"It did for me, remember? You got to know me much better and we visited the one place where all my darkest memories were. I sat on that roof and it changed my whole perspective on life. We now live in the cottage I imagined having throughout most of my childhood. I still use the view from the roof as a way to keep the beast calm. How can you say that meditation never worked for me?"

Harry shrugged and had a sulky expression on his face.

"Please try it, Harry," I said. "You helped me and now I want to help you."
He met my gaze and stared at me for a long time. Eventually, he collapsed onto the mat, muttering under his breath and crossing his long legs opposite me. I ignored his behaviour and rested my hands on my knees, waiting patiently for Harry to copy me. I knew he was deliberately being slow with his movements, but I smiled nonetheless and waited until he complied.

"Good, now I want you to close your eyes and control your breathing-"

Harry let out a loud sigh. "I know what I'm doing, Rosie. I was the one who taught you all of this, in case you had forgotten that."

I stared at him, feeling the emotions build up inside of me. I wanted to keep them hidden, but the tears were relentless. I looked away and tried blinking them back when a hand landed on my knee. I sniffled and kept my head low.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he murmured. He paused. "You know what I'm like when I'm made to talk about my feelings. I get scared and take it out on other people. I'm sorry." He held my chin and lifted my head back up. I watched him lean towards me to brush his lips against mine. He continued doing so until my lips finally broke out into a smile. He smiled back, pressing a soft kiss to my mouth before sitting back again, resuming his previous position.

"I'm ready," he said, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing. I watched his chest rise and fall. His back was straight and his face looked calm. It was a view I would never get bored of. "Now what?" he asked in a murmur, not once opening his eyes.

I coughed and got back into my position. "Firstly, I want you to take three deep breaths. Clear your mind and relax your body. Do it with me, okay? Are you ready?"

Harry hummed lowly which I took as a yes. Together we took deep breaths, feeling the stress being released more and more each time. I let the corners of my mouth curl up as our bodies imitated each other. It was as if we were one person.

"Now that your mind is clear, I'm going to ask you some questions. I think we should establish a safe word that you can say if it gets too much for you."

Harry nodded and thought for a moment. "Kayla."

"Are you sure?" I asked. Harry nodded again. "Okay, now I want you to think back to one of your earliest memories as a child. How old are you? Where are you? Who is with you?"

With my eyes kept open, I was able to watch Harry's face scrunch up and his eyes move around behind his eyelids as he thought long and hard back to his childhood. Harry had supressed so much of his early life and so digging around to find what I was asking for proved to be more difficult than we thought.