favorite crime [h.s]

sixty six

"That's your motivation to stay alive?" he teases.

I grab his shoulders and jump onto his torso, wrapping my legs around his hips. It's harder than I thought with the backpack he's wearing on his back.

"Do something before I change my mind," I hiss, wrapping my arms tightly around him, my face disappears in the crook of his neck.

He kisses the side of my head and hugs me more tightly.

The next thing I felt was the feeling of endless falling. And I hated that feeling with everything I had.

An earpiercing scream leaves my mouth for many seconds. I didn't care that I was squeezing Harry's guts or cut off his airways. I didn't care that he might go deaf from me screaming into his ear.

"Hold on tight, baby," he reminds me.

"Don't you think that's what I'm doing?" I yell.

We're already hundreds of metres down when a tremendous explosion appears somewhere to our right. The bang makes me flinch, and I bury my face deeper into Harry's skin. We're too far away for the airplane pieces to harm us, but that doesn't mean I'm not terrified as hell.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," I sob, awaiting the moment for everything to be over.

"I'll open the parachute now," he informs me, before another force pulls us back and another scream leaves my lips.

We're not falling anymore, but floating very gently down to the ground. My entire body is shaking with fear, although there's no need to be afraid anymore. I haven't opened my eyes since the jump but I won't open them until we've reached the safe ground.

Hitting the ground, Harry runs a couple of metres before falling with me and rolling over a couple of times. Thankfully, we landed in a field and the grass wasn't too hard under our asses.

We lay next to each other with sore limbs, quietly panting with the adrenaline rushing through us. Both of us doubted that we'd make it out of here alive and I hate us for that. I hate myself for not staying in the car. It would've been four backpacks for four guys and I made things more difficult for them. I hate Harry for willing to sacrifice himself for my safety.

"You're an idiot," I sob, starting to cry out of nowhere. I sit up and drop my head into my palms. "You wanted to die for me. Why would you ever do that?" I push him, his chest, everything. "How could you be so stupid?"

I can't see anything through my blurry vision when Harry catches my wrists, stopping me from hitting him.

"I'm here, baby, it's over." He forces me closer to him until I give in and hug him back. "We're okay," he whispers, stroking my hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I sob into his shirt, fisting the fabric in my hands.

"What for?"

"For leaving the car," I mutter, "nothing of this had to happen."

"Shut up, don't say that."

He proceeds to stroke my hair, running his fingers down the length of my blond hair. Tears stain his shirt, my weeping fills the air.

We lie in the grass without any sense of time and any care to head back any time soon.

Is this how love is supposed to feel like? Would Harry die for me because he loves me? Do I love him because I don't want him to die for me?

"Harry! Alison!" Faint screams call our names in the distance.

My eyes flutter open and I turn around to stare across the field. Little silhouettes approach us, running towards us in the grass. My fingers rid the tears under my eyes as I sit up, and Harry keeps rubbing my back in comfort.