Wish You Were Here - Part 3

Chapter 33

HARRY'S POV

There's a constant humming coming from the huge group of fans and press waiting outside the tiny gallery, the vibrations seeming to increase as we prepare to leave, as if they can tell that the moment is coming and you can almost feel the tension in the air.

Liv's hands are already trembling and I ask her again if she would prefer to go with Bec when the others are out of ear shot but she mumbles something along the lines of wanting to stay with me.

"Mr. Styles, the crowd is impatient and we are in a compromised position with only a single door exit," one of the security team speaks quickly in my ear.

"Darling, we need to go. Are you ready?" I ask Liv quietly, my hands rubbing up and down her folded arms, trying to instil a false sense of calm into her for both of our sakes.

She's chewing the side of her mouth and staring at the gathering behind the windows but nods distractedly as if she wasn't really listening to what I said.

I sigh and lick my lips before taking her hand in mine and squeezing it a little in reassurance.

"Alright?" The burly man next to me asks and I follow him towards the door, Olivia's fingers grip onto mine as she trails slightly behind me and I glance back to make sure there are guards on all sides of us before the door swings open.

Nothing can prepare you for this.

Nobody can train you or teach you or equip you to deal with hundreds of people literally swarming you, all screaming and shouting, hands flying up to try and touch you, grab you, pull you, trying to do anything in their power to get your attention, film you, photograph you, speak to you.

No one has the ability to get used to how suffocating and unsafe and out of control this feels. And the minute you do get used it, then that's the moment you know you have lost a grip on reality, on your mind, on your life.

The group outside of the gallery tonight are strong and restless. They have been waiting for hours, excitement and anticipation growing like a poisonous seed and the moment that door opens it is complete and utter anarchy.

Our small convoy hasn't even made it fully out of the doorway before there is a stampede of people hitting us head on, the guards doing their best to keep them back but there is only so much a few men can do against the mass.

I'm deafened by the high pitched screeching and I'm pushed back into Liv by the guards in front as girls launch themselves at me.

I always wonder what they would do if they were allowed to get any closer? Would they hurt me? Probably, by accident, over excited as they tried to jump onto me or kiss and hug me, touch my hair or face.

Liv's free hand pushes against my back to steady me as I nearly fall into her and I feel her little fist gather the fabric of my shirt as a way of holding onto something when this feels like we might levitate off the ground.

The security team around us storm forward bit by bit but it's agonisingly slow as more people descend onto us, some managing to get past our fortress and getting a hand on me or getting close enough to take selfie before the crowd swallows them back up and new people take their place.

My heart feels like it might burst in my chest from the intensity of the situation, the things being shrieked at me not sounding like words anymore and just adding white noise to the whirlwind of flashes and phones and hands and faces.

Liv's hand is jerked out of mine so violently that the gasp that rips through my throat gets stuck and I spin instinctively on my heel only to see her hair being yanked back by an angry, jealous fan.

A painful wail breaks from her chest and it only takes a millisecond for two guards to pounce on the girl and another to push Liv forward into me to get her as far away from the danger as quickly as possible.

We both stumble with the force and I can feel hands grabbing every one of my body parts as I hold Liv upright. She is trembling with fear and adrenaline and although we are still being pushed I try my best to hook my arm around her waist and attempt to shield us both.

We have probably only been out on the street for a minute but it feels like hours as we inch our way to the car, door open and waiting, our feet barely touching the ground as we float on the sea of hysteria.

The security team shove us into the back of the car forcefully in order to get us out of the mess as efficiently as possible and Olivia practically falls on top of me before the door slams shut. The shrill screams are replaced with the thunderous noise of a hundred palms smacking the hood and windows.

We scramble as our shaking hands try to get our seatbelts clicked in and we both duck our heads down into our knees, arms covering our heads, in a strange animalistic reflex to protect ourselves.

Nothing can prepare you for this.

After a couple of minutes, the noise has subsided, my ears still ringing and I dare unfold myself to see that we are driving in the now quiet streets of London towards our home.

I take in a distressed breath that is racked with a tremor from my thumping heart and my weak hands push my hair back as I unbuckle my seatbelt immediately and try to comfort Olivia.

I pull her little body up towards me and she doesn't open her eyes that are squeezed shut as her hands grasp on to my shirt and she buries her face into my chest. My arms wrap around her little frame and I engulf her as much as my body can.

My hand covers the side of her face as I push frantic kisses into her hair, neither of us speaking as we allow ourselves to process the commotion of what just occurred.

I rock her back and forth in my arms, softly humming to try and calm her down and after about thirty minutes her breathing starts to finally slow.

It's only when I'm sure she is asleep, completely exhausted by the days events and this last mighty push over the edge, do I remove one of my arms to look down and survey the damage.

She has lost a shoe, and her ear is bleeding from where her earring has clearly been tugged too roughly. Her hair is messy, but thankfully, it doesn't seem to have any chunks taken out where that girl had yanked.

My shirt has been ripped open, the buttons burst clean away from the fabric and the little pocket on the chest has been torn off.

I rest my head back onto the seat and take a deep breath, tears prickling my eyes at the overwhelming fear of how bad it could have gotten and how it became like this in the first place.

I get the fans think they love me, need to physically touch me or get close to me. I get it.

But how can so much love turn into something so hateful towards people I decide to love in return?

I wish Liv went home with Bec tonight, but then again, without her there I would have been alone in this car right now and I'm not sure how well I would be coping without her warm body securely drawn into mine.

I pick up her sleepy figure when we arrive back at the house and carry her bridal style into the house before carefully stripping her as best I can and tucking her into our bed.

I know she's going to be cranky I didn't wake her to take her make up off or even more, so she can check that I'm ok, but as I pull a clean t-shirt over my head, I know sleep is the best thing for her right now.

My security team will be waiting in the lounge to debrief and as I tiptoe back out I wonder why Frankie or Bec hasn't called to text to see if we are ok? 

The moment the thought enters my mind, I swear I feel my blood cool.

"Are you alright, Harry?" José, my Head of Security rushes as he sees me stop abruptly and my face turn white. I pat down my back pockets to confirm what I already know.

"I don't have my phone."

A/N:

I wanna hear all your thoughts!

Please remember to vote if you're liking it!

Love Ruby 

x