Deception

Chapter 20: The Unknown

  

"Charlie?" Harry whispers as I stare out the window. We have been driving for five straight minutes in silence. I look over to his bulging green eyes and frown.

"Who gave you that scar?" he asks.

"I'm not telling you that, yet." I mutter and Harry huffs.

"But you will? You will tell me right?" he sounds like a little boy.

"I said I would, didn't I?" I stare through him. My stomach has this odd bouncing feeling after every signal we pass.

"They wouldn't touch your friends." He said.

"It could be you for all I know." I said.

The looks of pain in his eyes flashed inside of me, ignited open my heart. For a moment, I believe all of the things that I shouldn't.

1.) Harry Styles may actually be a decent guy.

2.) Harry Styles may actually care about me.

3.) Harry Styles would never hurt me.

By the time the third one crosses my mind I shut my eyes in frustration and lean my head against the window. I know he will, I have learned not to believe what your heart wants to believe. It's always inevitably wrong.

"We're here." He touches my arm and for a second, I imagine his arms snaking up to my neck, squeezing as I am pressured against the wall. Squeezing so tight I can no longer hear Ellie's screams.

"Please Charlie." He whispers, snapping me out of my illusion.

"You don't have to do this."

"Why? Are you afraid of what I will think about you?" I whisper and he bites the inside of his cheek.

"I am a fucked up person." He whispers, his eyes dilating.

"I know." I smile and for a slight second, he does too.

"Will you make me one promise?" he asks as my hand rests on the door handle. I turn to face him.

"You can't change how you think of me."

"I can't make that promise." I breathe and suddenly it really hits me. I am here, at the place that has been in my hauntings. I am here about to walk into some place dangerous, some place I shouldn't even want to go in, but I have to. I have to for Niall and Dominique and for those who want me in there.

If I did something wrong, then I need to fix it.

"You can't help it Charlie." He says and I slump into my seat, my fingers shaking.

"Help what?" I say.

"You fit the description. That's why Louis and Zayn want you so bad. You're worth more money than you can imagine." He whispers and his words feeling knives in my liver.

"You wanted me too, because of the money, didn't you?" I whisper and he nods.

"The minute I saw you in the coffee shop. You were mine to take. I knew I would have you here in days, fallen in love with me, willing to...willing to do whatever I told you to." He gulps and I take a deep breathe.

"But that night at the party, I swear I saw Julia. Julia wouldn't take jack shit from anyone. She would have stood up to those creepy assholes just like you. And your smile, I saw you smile and I realized that I couldn't bring you here. The feeling I got in my gut even thinking about other guys watching you washed me over." He whispers.