Across the Pond (Prince Harry #2)

Chapter Ten

The drive back to the dorm was silent after Meredith was allowed to get out of the parking lot at the Duluth mall. Meredith didn't dare glance behind herself to see if she was followed; it wasn't worth the fret. She stared forward in the silent car, where the only sound came from the occasional sniffle from the driver. Once back to the dorm, Meredith walked swiftly inside, followed by her friend.

After bidding a quick good bye to Tabitha, Meredith locked herself into her room. She still shook from almost being swallowed up by the paparazzi. Her hands trembled, not allowing her to grasp onto anything. Tears burned her eyes, but she kept it pushed down. Closing her mouth, she tried to stay silent.

Placing things away, the books were taken out and placed on the shelf for her enjoyment later. The other things she bought, the ones from Victoria's Secret, Meredith stared at the bag for a minute, and then she shoved it into a drawer and slammed it shut. The loud sound made Meredith jump, but it also made her break.

Laying down on the ground, she found it hard to move. She stared up at the ceiling of her room, waiting for something to happen. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen, because Harry calling didn't seem like enough. There wasn't much he could do, and she hated needing to be saved. Though it seemed like the best choice, Harry just suddenly picking her up and taking her from this world was not, in fact, a good plan.

She could save herself. She didn't need his protection.

Reaching up, Meredith pulled down a pillow and pressed her face into it. She screamed, her body finally letting out all the shaking. Her body flopped on the floor as she screamed into the pillow, which muffled the voice. Meredith screamed into the pillow again, shoving her face further down. Her fingers curled into the pillow, wanting to rip it a part.

Tears streaming down her face, she finally stilled, lying on the floor. She stared at the white wall of her room. No matter how much she stared at it, it didn't shift or change. No one put a camera in her face. There weren't any screams, finally. No one wanted something from her.

Tiredness swept through Meredith as she lied on her floor. Perhaps she waited for something. Maybe she waited for the nightmare to end. The joke was that it wasn't going to end. Even if she called it off with Harry, it wasn't going to end. This was just the beginning. Meredith closed her eyes, and there was darkness, thankfully. Silence spun around her, guiding her into sleep. Meredith let herself be taken away.

Somewhere and somehow she was woken as her phone started to ring. Blinking, she opened her eyes and found it was Harry. Meredith wasn't sure if she really wanted to speak with him right now. She wasn't sure if she wanted to ever speak with him again. If she could stay on the floor forever in silence, Meredith would. That meant no Harry.

The phone stopped ringing. Meredith set it back on the ground. Silence hung in the air. Her phone beeped. Meredith stared at the screen as Harry's message popped up. After reading it, Meredith dug her face back into the pillow, but it didn't work. Sleep wasn't coming back to her.

Meredith called him. After two rings, he picked up. "Mere, are you okay?" He watched her with careful eyes over FaceTime. He bit his lip, holding something back. Meredith didn't want to hear it.

"I'm fine." She brushed her hair back, revealing more of her blotchy face. She blinked wetness from her eyes. When looking at Harry, she just felt slightly better. "How are you?"

"I would better if I was with you."

She rolled her eyes.

"Mere, you're not okay."

"I thought I was going to die," she admitted quietly. "I don't know why. They can't kill me. But I felt so scared like I was going to die." She swallowed. "I called the police and they came."

"I know."

"I had to do something."

"You don't have to justify it, Mere. I saw the videos."

She scoffed. Of course videos were already up.

"They were after you," Harry said. "It's okay to call the police and get help. These... animals were stalking you, almost hunting you. They were pounding against your car. They surrounded you. They--" Anger got the best of Harry and he closed his mouth so he wouldn't say anything to upset Meredith. "Mere, there has to be something we can do."

Meredith said, "I don't think so, Harry." When her eyes came to him fully, a tired and sad blaze in them, Harry was forced to look away. "Tell me you're worth it, Harry."

"Mere?"

"Tell me you're worth it," she repeated. "Because with this whole shit-fucker is making me believe that you're not. And I probably wouldn't feel this way if I was with you, but we're not together. You're across the world, and I have a normal life where I have to go outside and do things. I don't have the privilege to hide. So tell me, Harry, you're worth it. Why?"

"Mere."

"What stops me from walking outside right now and telling them that I quit?" Meredith asked. "Telling the paparazzi that we broke up. They won. It wasn't true love. You can find someone better. Blah. Tell me, Harry, why you're worth it."

"Mere, I swear I am," he promised. "I swear that you're worth it and I'm worth it. I swear all of this is worth it."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

"Love isn't enough, Harry. I feel like I'm going insane."

"I love you, Mere, with every part of me. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. I would give you the world, and I plan to do that. I plan to make you the happiest woman in the world. I plan to make you my wife. I plan to make you a duchess. I plan to give you whatever you want and whatever you need for the rest of your life. I am worth it," he said strongly. "I am worth it.

"These things now, it'll change eventually. It will end. I know it doesn't seem like it, but eventually it'll be in the past. We're the future, Mere. Please, please, please remember that." Harry was so sure that Meredith didn't believe him, like she was ready to break his heart at any possible moment. "Mere, you also don't really have to have a job for the rest of your life. Taxes aren't really a thing either. You get to live a palace for the rest of your life."

She stared at him, and then bubbles of laughter spilled from her mouth. "That's the best you have?"

He swallowed. "Is it enough?"

Meredith nodded.

Harry let out a dazzling smile, but it faltered when Meredith didn't return it. "Mere--"

"I have to go. I have work." Meredith hung up and put down the phone. Looking at the clock, she didn't have work for another three-and-a-half hours, but she couldn't take this much longer.