Luella

43 | in-between

L U E L L A

A couple of blocks later, we're rounding a corner and squeezing the car into an alley. It's dark and dirty, and has multiple metal doors leading into the building.

The car stops. I turn to Harry, who's now holding his phone and dialing someone. The phone is connected to the car's speakers so I, too, can hear the rings. One, two, three rings and the person picks up.

An old man's kind voice speaks through the speakers. "'Ello?"

Harry looks at me sideways as he converses with the man. "Hey, Rich. We're here."

"Oh, that's splendid. I'm comin' to ya."

And the line is dead.

"Where exactly are we?" I ask the question he's been waiting for. Harry only just smiles, grabs the keys out of the ignition and climbs out of the car.

I copy him and don't forget my clutch as I hop down. The air is a bit warmer now, that we're in a narrow place, but I can still feel my nose numbing from the cold. I don't see Harry for two seconds before I hear the car junk shut closed. I walk over to him and give him a look.

"Are you going to murder and bury me here, or...?" I joke as Harry shoves his hands in his pockets and scans my figure.

"It is a very scary coat, you know," he says and I chuckle, shaking my head.

I open my mouth to say something, but I'm interrupted with the noise a squeaky door brings. Heavy footsteps followed said noise and I was nearly actually frightened that I took an inevitable step back. A moment later, a short, chubby old man with a janitor's blue clothes steps into sight. Once he glimpses Harry, his lips stretch wide and all his yellow, crooked teeth are sparkling at us.

"'arry, ma boy!" The man, who sounds a lot like Rich on the phone, engulfs Harry in a friendly hug. I stand back and smile as Harry bends down to hugs him back. When they pull away, he pokes his head around Harry's figure and beams at me, his thick mustache almost sticking up his nose. "You must be Lola!"

Harry and I glance at each other and chuckle. "Luella," I gently correct him. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Ooh, she's lovely, 'arry." He nudges Harry and nods at me approvingly. He reminds me so much of Hagrid from Harry Potter with his accent, but I refrain myself from being rude by pointing that out. He says, "Well, me name's Rich, darlin'. It's ironic." He laughs haughtily and walks towards me with open arms. I'm taken aback when I, too, receive a warm hug from the friendly man.

"That's enough there, Rich," Harry chuckles and pats his shoulders gently. We pull away and Rich almost bows to me before he turns to Harry who's asking him quietly, "Is everything ready?"

"Yep, I made sure meself. Ye could go in now now, eh?"

"Yeah, okay," Harry takes a hold of my hand and tugs me towards him gently. "Thanks a lot, Rich. I owe you one."

"Nah, it's nothin'. Josie could tell ya how I love me romantics. Tell her I say hi, would ya?" He pats Harry's shoulders.

"Sure will. Thanks, old man," was the last thing Harry said before he led me to the metal door Richard has emerged from. We're in a dark room with dim lights when we first enter the unknown building.

"Harry," I nervously speak up. "What are we doing?"

"Don't worry, just follow me," he says, his voice echoing once we move into another room. Except it's not a room, it seems like a hallway.