Redemption [h.s]

twenty-four

"Harry, stop!" I shouted running after him once I realised he wasn't going to come back.

He ignored me, so I fastened up my pace and I called him again.

All of sudden he stopped, and stayed still in the middle of the street, waiting for me to catch up.

"Harry" I said again when I reached him, wrapping my fingers around his wrist, in hope that it would've stopped him from going away. "What happened?"

He said nothing and kept staring ahead, so I moved, from next to him, to in front of him. I gave a fast glance behind him, Gemma was still shouting at Louis, their voices could be heard from where we stood, but it was almost impossible to understand what they were saying and I wasn't exactly interested in that anyway. I let go of his wrist and put my hands on his cheeks, forcing him to meet my eyes. "Please, talk to me" I begged him, trying to understand what was going on in his head.

When I forced his attention on me wetness started to pool in his eyes, and he looked behind me, as if he wasn't able to stand my gaze.

"Do you want to go home?" I asked him, and he nodded slightly.

I took his hand and started pulling him back to where the car was parked. When we walked next to Gemma and Louis, Harry gripped my hand tighter, and I could literally feel his nervousness as if it was mine.

Gemma, who was angrily whispering to Louis, looked up, curiously. Since I was behind Louis, I took it as my chance to mouth "Home" to her, and she nodded in understanding. She kept the conversation calm until we were far enough, and then I heard her shout something that sounded like "you need to get the fuck out of Harry's life."

When we reached the car, I took Harry's key from his pocket, since he was so lost in his thoughts that he couldn't have been of any help. I unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for him, making sure he'd buckled himself in before closing it and going to the driver's side.

During the car ride he kept looking outside of the window, but I could hear him sniffle every once in a while. I moved my hand from the steering wheel to his, that was gripping the corner of his seat tightly. I started drawing circles absentmindedly on the back of his hand with my thumb, hoping to provide him with some kind of comfort.

I parked the car and went on his side to open his door, and he silently stepped out. I locked the car and directed him towards the lift, putting my hand on his back. When the lift came we walked in, and I pushed the button that would've taken us to our floor. I kept staring at Harry worriedly, not really understanding why he was so upset, since Louis's comment hadn't been particularly aggressive. Maybe it was more because of what he had so carelessly mentioned.

The doors of the lift opened and I walked Harry to his door and asked him quietly for his key. He gave it to me after a while of searching, and I opened his door.

"Hey" I said, and he looked at me, but didn't say a word.

"What's wrong?" I asked him again.

His eyes widened and he shook his head slightly, letting me know that he didn't want to tell me.

I stepped closer and hugged him, not knowing what else to do to try to make him feel better.

As soon as I did, he wrapped his arms around me, leaning on me. I hugged him tighter, hoping to make him understand that I was there, and that I would've not left. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, probably Gemma asking if everything was okay, but I ignored it, not daring to let him go. After a while, I felt wetness on my neck, and I distanced myself just enough to look at his face. He was crying. I hugged him for some more seconds, then I let him go, but kept one of my hands around his, and he looked down.