The Forced Arrangement [Harry Styles]

11: Sleep By The Sea

Chapter 11:

Harry POV:

"Guys! Seriously! Stop it!" Eleanor yelled with a chuckle. 

Louis and I both struggled to stand up and when we managed, we skated towards Eleanor and walked towards the wooden benches. We sat down and took off our skates while we continued talking. I looked behind me, near the reception to see if Ashley was there but she wasn't.

"Where's Ash?" I asked Eleanor curiously while standing up.

"She's right over -" she said turning around but stopped mid-sentence. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked towards the reception. She talked to the receptionist, her eyes widened and she walked back towards us. "According to the receptionist, she left."

My eyes slightly widened and I felt two pairs of eyes on me, I looked at Louis and Eleanor staring at me. 

"What!?" 

"You know what," Louis said and winked at me, I rolled my eyes, ruffled my hair and arranged it automatically. "You reckon she left because of the kiss?"

My head snapped up, in shock. "I don't think so."

I looked at Eleanor, she was looking away, looking guilty.

"El?"

She looked up and smiled guiltily. "It's just that, I think that she just doesn't feel right about everything." 

"What do you mean?" I asked her confused.

She sighed and shrugged. "She doesn't feel comfortable with everything going on in her life."

"I still don't get why she left," Louis admitted and I nodded, agreeing with him.

Eleanor shrugged again and ran a hand through her brown, silky curls.

"Call her," I suggested.

"Can't," Eleanor said, sadly

"Why not?"

"She left her phone in my bag."

I breathed out deeply, annoyed. What was up with Ashley? "Let's just go and try and find her, maybe we'll find her along the road."

Ashley POV:

I breathed in the salty air and smiled to myself. I smiled and walked up towards the sand. When I reached the sandy part, I took off my shoes, grabbed them and let my feet sink into the silky, soft sand. 

The beach wasn't even occupied by anyone except for a cute old couple, sitting on their beach chair, staring at the never-ending blue sea and a family having a picnic while their two young sons played in the sea.

I don't know how I managed to find my way to this beach but through thinking and thinking, I noticed that my feet had led me here, I knew the road by heart. I could even walk it blind folded to this beach. How could I ever forget the path I had taken for all my life. 

To me, this beach was childhood and unforgettable memories. Memories with my mom and dad. Memories with him. Memories of everything. Whenever I came here, it was always either because I was happy and was with someone that I really loved or else because I just wanted to be alone and just think.

I had left my phone in Eleanor's bag, which left me without any form of communication with anyone and no one could communicate with me.

Perfect. I smiled at the thought and continued walking. I finally sat down on the dry sand but a few feet away, the sea was rising up and down on the smooth, wet sand. I hugged my knees and closed my eyes. I took in deep breaths of the salty, fresh breeze.

Whenever I used to have a problem, I used to come here, sit down on the sand and just stare at the blue, sparkly sea for hours. I once came out at night and stayed here till sunrise. If I had a bad day or a heated argument and my mother couldn't find me, she would know that I'm here. It was something that almost everyone knew, well the ones that I was close with. Eleanor and Danielle knew about this place and my reasons why I came here whereas Harry nor Louis or any of the boys had one single, tiny clue where I would go if I had a problem or was in a bad mood.

I didn't want to be found, I just wanted to stay here forever. Turn the clock backwards, back to the time when life was just happy-go-lucky type, were problems didn't affect me, were I didn't care what other people thought about me or what I wore. 

When nothing affected me or my life.

Nothing. 

Thinking back, I never actually wanted to become famous. I just wanted to live my dream at becoming a singer and an English teacher but if I wanted to become a succesfull singer, I had to let go of my old life and say hello to my new one which I loved but loathed at the same time. 

I'm not saying that I hate my new life but some unnecessary consequences come along with it and they just ruin a person's life. We already have the paparazzi drama, add some rumours, drama, hate from jealous people and add a few other unnecessary consequences which aren't needed and you have a fucked up life on the inside and an amazing life on the outside. 

I sighed out noisily and opened my eyes. The sky was sort of orange mixed with fuchisia and red, the sun was starting to lower down, the sea was calm, the family left and so did the old couple, the light breeze was still light but it was colder. 

I was alone. I have always been alone but I never actually felt this alone. I felt weak and tortured. I felt sleepy and just wanted to lie down and sleep forever and never wake up again. I laid my back down and let my body relax onto the sandy floor. I didn't care if I was going to get sand in my hair and that it was going to take a lot of scrubbing shampoo and conditioner into my hair to get rid of the sand.

I suddenly starting wondered how worried Harry, Louis and Eleanor were right now. Or maybe they weren't even worried at all. Maybe they were out partying, having fun and getting drunk. Maybe Harry had found a girl at some club and took her home and was probably fucking her right now. 

I sighed and tears stung my eyes. I looked up at the sky and noticed that it had gotten darker and the stars where showing up in the dark blue sky. Tonight the sky was filled with the stars while the moon was full, I studied the moon curiously and made out a pair of closed eyes and a happy smile plastered on the front of the moon. 

I smiled lazily and stretched my arm upwards, trying to reach out at the sky, trying to grasp a handful of stars, place them in my pockets and keep them forever for myself. I closed my hand into a fist and let it flop down on the sand, making a silent 'thud' sound. I kept staring at the star-filled sky probably for hours but I didn't care. I had no intention or thought of going back home tonight.

I felt my eyes slowly closing, I didn't fight the urge to stop myself from falling asleep but I was just too tired to resist the urge of sleeping so I just closed my eyes softly and slept, hearing the sea going up and down the smooth sand.