Sold // Harry Styles

Chapter 37

All the similarities were right under my nose, and I had absolutely no idea the whole time.  It makes me wonder what kind of comments Harry and A.J. have said right in front of me without giving anything away.  I was so unaware of all this information, the thought of them being related never crossing my mind.

I look back up at Harry, opening my mouth to ask him a question, but his rigid body makes me bite my tongue.  All the questions swirling around in my head are slowly drowning me, but for Harry’s sake, I bite my tongue and wait for the right time to ask.

I’m still cradled in his arms, and as much as I want to stay here, pressed up against his chest, I can see him struggling with the duffle that’s slung over his shoulder and the flashlight in his hands. I squirm in his arms, trying to make him put me down.  He smiles softly, watching me wiggle in his grip.

“Hey, Harry.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I happen to have legs that allow me to walk.  It’d be great if you’d--”

“Oh I’ve noticed your pair of legs before, Jackie,” he interrupts, jolting me in his arms a little to tease me.  “I’ve noticed alright.”

I laugh, feeling my cheeks burn.  “So you admit to checking me--”

“It’s really dark out,” he says, cutting me off again. “I don’t want to put you down and risk you twisting an ankle or something like that because you stepped on a twig.”

I raise my eyebrows at him, gaping at him.  “Are you saying I’m clumsy?”

He shrugs his shoulders, trying to hide his smile.  I poke his cheek where his dimple usually appears before he reluctantly puts me on my feet, handing me the flashlight.

“It’s so dark out,” he repeats.

“Yeah.”

He nods his head in agreement as we continue to walk through the treacherous ground.  We’re no longer on the farm.  We’re walking through a woods with tall, pine trees and bushes.  It’s eerie with the haunted silence that lingers within the trees.  Only the sounds of our footsteps are heard.

I clench the flashlight tighter in my hands, trying to comfort myself in some way.  Every time there’s a noise other than our footsteps, I jump slightly and move closer to Harry who remains thoughtful.  Or maybe he’s just tired.

He stops suddenly and turns around to face me with a worried expression.

“Did you hear that?” he whispers.

My breathing catches in my throat.

“Hear what?” I whisper.

He takes a step behind me, shining the flashlight over the trees and bushes.  He doesn’t say anything as he scans the woods, and I think that may be scaring me even more.  I take a step closer to him, practically hopping on his back out of fright.  His familiar, comforting scent fills my nostrils.

What if A.J.’s following us?  What if he wasn’t unconscious when we left him and now he’s after us?  Or what if it’s an animal?

I think I may be more afraid of an animal than A.J.

Is that bad?

Harry, if you can read my thoughts, then I’d like to apologize in advance for screaming in your ear like a little girl and running away even if it’s a bird or a chipmunk . You can never really know what kind of intentions those animals have.  For all you know, a bird can swoop down and carry us away and feed us to her babies...or a squirrel could throw an acorn at me and knock me out. Or it could bite me.  Or scratch my face.  Or what if they--