Fireproof // H.S.

15. Love

I opened my eyes and turned to face the clock on the nightstand. It was 6 AM and I was surprisingly awake even though I didn't well last night. I slowly sat up, careful not to wake anyone up. I grabbed my phone, a light jacket, and swiftly headed out the door.

Once outside, I fished my phone out of my pocket and turned it on. I waited for my phone to get a signal again, and once it did, it buzzed from the multiple missed calls and text messages I got. I frowned at the 7% battery life I had left. I knew I didn't have much time before my phone would be dead. I quickly scrolled through my missed calls and saw that most of them were from my uncle, some from my relatives, and a few from numbers I didn't recognize. I was in the middle of listening to a voicemail when my phone died. I just sighed and put it back in my pocket.

I didn't want to go back to the room just yet so I stood outside staring at the sunrise. It was a cool morning and the sky above was blue. Under any other circumstances, I would appreciate what a beautiful day it was today, but today, I just couldn't. I wasn't feeling it. I leaned against the metal railing and zoned out staring at the forest a mile away. I was deep in thought about what I had to do next. I knew I had to go home and make sure my uncle was okay.

I turned around to head back and was startled to see Harry standing at the doorway. He looked tired and worried. It was obvious he didn't sleep well looking at the bags under his eyes. His hair was all over the place and there was some stubble on his face. He uncrossed his arms and walked up to me.

"Thank goodness you're still here. I thought you ran away," he breathed. I was taken aback by what he said. He thought I ran away?

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said shyly, looking at the floor. "I thought you ran away to find Zayn or something." Harry rested his arms on the railing and looked out at the sunrise.

"That has crossed my mind," I admitted. "But I wouldn't stand a chance against him. Perhaps someday when I'm ready but not now. In the meantime, I have to get back to my uncle." Harry looked up to meet my gaze.

"You aren't planning on going back by yourself, are you?" he asked. Concern was evident in his voice.

"Not unless you guys want to come along?"

"I want to go. I'm sure the others want to go as well. I'm tired of being out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Can we leave today?" I asked hopefully. Harry simply nodded and I smiled. We stood in silence staring out in the distance. I turned to face him and was surprised he didn't do the same to look at me. My gaze followed his strong jawline to his pink lips which seemed to be in a permanent frown. His green eyes stared straight ahead in concentration and his hair curled around his face perfectly. For someone who had just woken up, I had to admit he looked good.

"Do you like what you see?" he asked, turning to face me. A smirk was plastered on his face. I quickly turned to look at the sunset suddenly finding it interesting again. I hope he couldn't see me blushing.

"I was trying to look at the parking lot but your big head was in the way," I replied. I don't even know where that lame excuse came from. I was only making the situation worse. Harry just laughed.

"The blush on your face is telling a different story," he pointed out, still laughing. I wanted to bury my face in embarrassment.

"Let's go back inside," I suggested. I was hoping he would let that slide but knowing Harry, he wouldn't.

We walked back to the hotel room and opened the door. Niall was sprawled out on the bed taking advantage of the extra room from Harry not being there and Bridget briefly stopped watching the news to look at Harry and I enter.