Meet Me in the Hallway (HS AU)

sixty.

I was there when he woke up. I had been awake for a few hours but I refused to move from his hold, fearing he would wake up and think I was gone again. I couldn't put him through that twice in twenty four hours.

That's how long it can take for your whole life to flip and tumble a million different ways, under twenty four hours. This time yesterday morning, I was sitting on the beach with Harry. We were enjoying a weekend away from responsibilities, enjoying being around one another away from home and spending time with my friends in the process.

But in under twenty four hours, the universe can decide it wants to lay piles of misfortune on you all at once just to see if you'll survive it, like a sick mental Hunger Games. The last twenty four hours had certainly gone in the opposite direction to what I was hoping for, but amongst the pain I had felt, there were a few positives.

He loved me.

Harry Styles; the bastard who rested against wet paint in my classroom, the dickhead who made fun of my work lunches, the marvel who was able to remember my coffee order after only seeing me buy one once, loved me.

Me. Josephine Cook; the girl who runs from things that terrify her, the girl who panics at the thought of someone picking clothes sizes for her, the girl who made it out of a dead end situation, me.

I suppose I already knew his feelings for me, he showed them through his patience. If he did not love me, he would have encouraged me to move a lot faster than I was ready to. Instead, he left all the milestones of our relationship up to me and continued to ensure that I called the shots.

Harry started to stir at around 10:40am but he didn't fully wake up until a little past 11:00am. The green of his eyes was on display for half a second before slamming shut again, trying to adjust to the light pouring through the window of his bedroom. His arms tightened around me before a gentle smile grew on his lips.

"I didn't think you'd be here. I'm glad you are, baby." He mumbled, voice laced with sleep and a touch of relief.

I snuggled in closer to his chest, "I promised I would be."

We laid there in silence for a few moments before it was time for me to recite the apology I had been practicing since I woke up this morning, the apology that Harry deserved.

"I need you to understand that seeing him there, standing in the room with all the people I've come to care about, it triggered something in me. Knowing that every single person I had come into contact with, was now in immediate danger and there was nothing I could do to protect them.

I wasn't thinking about how much it would hurt everyone if I left, all I could think of was how much it would hurt everyone if I stayed. Will would stop at nothing to hurt me, even if that meant hurting all of you.

I didn't want to leave you, Harry. I wanted to take the danger with me so you were safe. Maybe if I had taken a little longer to plan my next move, I could have approached you and we could have found a way together.

But please know that I am so sorry for what I did to you last night. It was cruel of me to leave in the night and not say goodbye, and it was wrong of me to think that was okay. I swear that from now on, I will not run. I will not leave in the night. I'm here for good, I swear. I love you and I am so sorry."

My throat had run dry as I watched his face, it remained neutral. Harry wasn't giving away anything, no signs of anger or acceptance were present and it left me incredibly nervous. Usually he was very animated and portrayed a lot of emotion, no matter the circumstance. He kept his face blank but nodded twice before nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck.

"I will never understand how horrific seeing him would have been for you, I am not going to pretend like I do. I can only imagine how painful it was for all those memories to rise to the surface.

It hurt to wake up and find out that you were gone. I've never been so afraid in my life. I couldn't stop thinking about every possible scenario, I thought maybe he had gotten you or something. All I knew is that I couldn't breathe. I mean, air was going in but it was like all the oxygen rich air had been taken with you.

I would rather live in the worst amount of danger possible than live without you, that may be really scary for you because that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. I love you an unprecedented and unwavering amount. You need to remember that, Jo."

At that moment, I was glad his face was in my neck because I was on the verge of tears. Every time he opened his mouth, he reminded me just how much I had been missing out on for the last four years. Never in any relationship I had ever been in, had a guy continually poured his heart out to me with no shame.

Our moment was cut short though when a constant vibrating noise erupted from the bedside table. Blindly, Harry reached one arm across my body to grab it. He went to silence it but quickly answered it as soon as he saw the caller ID. The call was put on speaker and Clem's voice instantly filled the room.

"He's gone, so's Ella. Michael left not that long ago so Adrian and I are finally alone to call. What the fuck? What the fuck do we do? This is not something we could have prepared for, right? What do we do, Harry? I don't want Ella getting hurt. Harry?" She was out of breath after her ramble, it was evident she had been patiently waiting for them to leave before she could call.

Harry was now fully alert as Clem's panicked voice flooded the space between us and caused my stomach to sink. She was petrified, she didn't deserve this. Not after her own past.

"We're going to get Ella out, Clem. Alright? Take some breaths for me, drink some water and pack to come back. I will see you and Adrian as soon as you're back and Jo and I will have a plan ready for your arrival."

He sounded so confident we would be able to find a way to protect her, but I know from experience that there was no way to escape the pain that Will inflicted. And for Ella's sake, I sure hoped he would be able to think of one.