Red String [h.s] (Completed)

Chapter 17

"When you lay there and you're sleeping
Hear the patterns of your breathing
And I tell you things you've never heard before
Asking questions to the ceiling
Never knowing what you're thinking
I'm afraid that what we had is gone"

Amy arrives back to the hotel and Tom walks her up to her room. When they get to the door, she turns and looks at him.

"Thank you. I know that wasn't easy and I'm not sure if you're going to get in trouble for doing that but thank you for getting me out of there."

"Of course, Miss. Bernier. No need for thank you's."

"Good night," she says turning to swipe her keycard.

"Amy?"

She turns back quickly, caught off guard with him using her first name. She has never heard him be so informal.

"I've known Harry for a long time and he is a complicated guy. He hasn't had a normal life. I think that's what he misses most. Doing normal things without hassle. But you, you're the closest thing to normal he's had. He's different with you. He's nervous around you. That's why he drank so much and when he's drunk he says things he doesn't mean. He cares about you Amy. I promise you that."

"How do I know this isn't your signature talk that you have with every girl he does this with?"

"Because I've never once had this talk before. To be honest, you're the only one who has ever talked to me. I've never had any storm off and leave him behind. I've never had any that stayed in a separate hotel room. You're a lot of firsts for him."

"Thanks Tom," she says and touches his shoulder and then turns and goes inside her room.

She goes straight to the bathroom to have a shower and wash this day off. She lingers in the shower thinking about what Harry said to her. That he was just waiting for her to give in to him. Amy was about to go home and break up with her boyfriend of three years to be with Harry. Part of her knows that breaking up with Derek is the right choice regardless of what Harry said or not but she hates how convinced she was that it was the right choice because she thought she meant something to Harry.

She also thinks about what Tom said. That Harry cares about her. That everything he is doing with her is new to him. She wants to know if that's true.

She gets out of the shower and washes her face and brushes her teeth. She brushes her hair but doesn't bother blow drying it. She gets on her pajamas and then starts packing her bag. It's already three o'clock in the morning. She wants to be at the airport at seven for her flight at nine. She sets an alarm on her phone.

She goes into the kitchen to have a glass of water. She hears voices outside her door. Strange. She drinks the water and then washes the glass and puts it back away. She starts to walk back to the bedroom but she can hear the voices louder now. She walks closer to the door and now she for sure hears a woman say, "I think that's Harry Styles."

She opens the door slowly and it's a good thing she did because there is a figure slumped against her door, asleep. It's Harry. He has changed since she last saw him. He is wearing black sweatpants and a black hoodie from his tour merchandise with the hood pulled up over his hair.