Sold // Harry Styles

Chapter 27

There’s a few knocks on the door, following with his rough voice.  “Jackie, come on out.  You’ve been camping in there all morning.”

I can hear him open the door but I don’t lift my head up from the pillows.  My morning has consisted of me taking a shower, getting dressed in ratty clothes, and finally burying myself under the blankets while trying to sleep when I know I’ll never be able to.

Harry’s escape route has been ringing in my head all day.  I’ve been keeping my distance from him in hopes that my news about canceling his plan will be easier to approach with time.  Besides, I know that if I tell him right now, I’ll only start crying and I don’t want Harry to know that I’m scared about being sold.  I don’t want him to see me for who I truly am.

The mattress dips as Harry takes a seat beside me.  “I think what you need is to burn some steam,” he says.

“I’m just tired, Harry.”

I can practically hear him roll his eyes.  I know he doesn’t believe my lie.

 He leans closer to me as he whispers in my ear.  His breath is hot as it glides across my skin.  “I know you’re scared about the plan but I promise it’ll work out just fine.”

No it won’t, Harry.

He still has no idea that I told everyone at his meeting to forget about it.  He’s the only person that’s going along with this plan.

 “Come on, it’s crucial that we go do something outside.  You need some fresh air.”  He tugs on my arm that lies limply by my side.  “Jackie, it’s really important now come on!”

I groan before complying.  I rub at my eyes as they adjust to the sudden light shift.  “What are we gonna do?” I mumble.

“I’m going to teach you how to protect and defend yourself,” he says.  “You know, just in case something were to happen.”

Something will happen, Harry. There isn’t a doubt in my mind.

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For some reason, Harry is very excited about beginning this lesson.  His eyes dance and sparkle as he explains the basics of everything.  Half of the time, I find myself smiling just because his smile is so contagious.

“God, why is it so hot out?” Harry asks rhetorically as he looks up at the sky.  His black t-shirt clings to his chest as he shields his eyes away from the sun that blazes down on him.

“The sun tends to warm things up, you know,” say.  “The Sun God has a lot of people to please and I’m sorry to say that your complaints aren’t his top priority, Harry,” I tease him without realizing what I was saying.

I don’t know who was more surprised at my response—me or Harry. He looks at me with a stunned expression before it quickly turns into a small smile.

Harry’s energetic and funny attitude must be rubbing off on me.  It’s as if he’s some kind of anesthetic that I took, causing me to lose all the feelings of sorrow I once carried and replacing it with a dry and witty Jackie—someone I haven’t seen in awhile.

“Wow, really?” he asks sarcastically.  His mouth twitches into a goofy grin and only one dimple appears in his cheek, leaving the other one bare.  “I had no idea.  I thought I was his top priority.”

He laughs and shakes his head, sending his curls flying all over.  He grips the hem of his t-shirt before pulling it up and over his head.  “It’s not a good day to wear black,” he says, tossing the shirt to the side.