Legitimately Me ||H.S||

Chapter 26

I'm at a loss for words as we sit in silence in Harry's car, now that we're at our destination. A flood of thoughts are coursing through my brain and I can't figure out which one I would like to voice first.

He said he wanted to drive me home, and got me to say I'd be alright with it, because he would drop me off at the path. And now we're staring at what is definitely not the path that we passed down the street nor is it my house. He tricked me because he didn't want to take me home.

I want to be mad. There is a part of me that wants to storm out of the car and go home because he lied to me. But another part of me knows just how stupid that would be, even though I still don't know why we're here, and he's lied for good reason.

I can feel Harry's eyes on me as I stare out the windshield, as if he's waiting for me to say something. He's waiting for me to yell at him for this, voice my opinion, say something. But the longer I sit here, the more I realize how grand this gesture is. Because like always with him, actions speak louder than words, and I understand why he's done this.

I let out a long breath as I look over at him. His eyes flick back and forth between mine as he stares back at me and all I can wonder is what he's thinking about. What is his plan, now that he has me here?

"Are you mad?" he finally asks after the long silence.

"That depends," I answer. "Why did you bring me to your house?"

"Can we go inside first?" he asks. "We can talk more in there — if that's okay."

I look between Harry and his house just outside the window, knowing that what lies beyond the door is uncertain. I don't know what to expect, but I don't think it could be any worse than going home, and I should be happy that he didn't want to take me there.

He has an idea of the things that happen inside the walls I live in, and I want to believe that in some way he's trying to keep me from harm, to protect me. And all I need to do right now is allow myself to walk into his open arms and let him do this for me.

The fact is, I am usually fairly stubborn and I want to be independent. I want to do things on my own, on my own time, in my own way, because I had to learn to do that so quickly, so long ago and now it's all I know. I've had a plan all along for how I've wanted my life to be, where I was going to go and when. No one else was in the picture for the last year, making everything easier. I could figure it all out on my own. Deal with it by myself. No one was meant to come in and change things.

But maybe it's time I let someone do something for me. Stop being stubborn and realize I can't deal with this all by myself. At least not all the time. I know that I've been in need of a break, not just an escape. And while Harry is the one who gives me the escapes I need, maybe I should let him also give me a break, whether it be big or small.

"This better involve some kind of food, since you threw my dinner to the birds," I tell him. I grab my backpack from the back seat and look over at him, to see that he has a relieved smile on his face as he looks back at me.

"Oh, there will be food," he laughs. "This I can promise you!"

I follow Harry up the steps of his front porch, my heart seemingly pounding in my chest as I watch him open the door and walk in. He turns around when he notices I'm not following. My feet unable to move for unexplained reasons.

His eyes meet mine, concern laced in his features. "It's going to be fine, Jayde," he says.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I question. "I think I should go home."

He steps out, grabbing my hand to pull me into the house and closes the door quickly behind us. "You're going to be fine here. I promise," he assures me. His eyes flick back and forth between mine as he squeezes my hand before pressing his lips gently to my forehead.