The next day - Saturday - my dad stopped by again. It turns out it'd slipped my mind to reschedule our lunch and I felt awful about it since there aren't many people who even want to be around him anymore. I wasn't one of those people; I still cared for him despite him leaving us, so I agreed to go back with him to his flat for a takeaway and a movie.

It was a fun evening, but I felt like he always tried too hard when it came to me. He didn't behave the same way he used to when I was a kid and it usually felt just a little uncomfortable as if I was hanging out with someone I didn't know very well. It shouldn't feel like that - he's my dad, and after seventeen years it shouldn't feel like either of us have to act a certain way, it should come naturally and we should feel relaxed around each other but that's just not how it was, and I couldn't help but blame the rest of my family for alienating him like they had.

We ordered Chinese food and sat in front of the TV making idle small talk but before I knew it I was battling my heavy eyelids and sleep was dragging me under.

When I woke I hadn't even realised I'd actually fallen asleep. I couldn't remember the last thing that'd happened before I'd nodded off but the end credits of Spiderman 2 were rolling so I must've been out for at least an hour since I did remember us deciding on the film. The room was nearly pitch black, the only light coming from the titles on the television, and there was a lonely feel to the still room.

I rubbed my eyes with my fists and stood from the armchair, scanning the room drowsily with confusion. That has to be one of the worst and most puzzling feelings that I just can't put into words: falling asleep during a film and waking up to find that it's finished and you're alone. My fuzzy vision was just useful enough to spot a note on the coffee table.

"jessie

something urgent came up and I had to go out - business stuff !! make yourself at home ... or if you want to leave thats ok too but have someone pick you up if its late when you wake up

love you

dad x"

I sighed to myself as I read the note, placing it back down on the surface and massaging my temples. When he's not trying too hard, he's not trying at all. I'm the only one who'll give him the time of day and he leaves as soon as I fall asleep. I mean, come on, business stuff? It's ten at night.

I figured there was no point in being there if my dad wasn't, and despite his request of asking someone to pick me up I decided I'd just walk home. It was only a short minute walk, and besides, who would want to come out this late on a Saturday night to pick me up? I jotted down on the back of the note to let my dad know that I was leaving before grabbing my coat and lazily pulling on my boots.

The bitter September air was sharp on my skin as I began my journey home, I pulled my coat tighter around me and further up my neck to try and keep the cold out as I walked at a speedy pace to try and make it home as quickly as I could. I found myself constantly peeking over each shoulder every ten seconds and my senses were heightened, however I was calm for the first five minutes of the journey. But that was before a dark, shady figure caught my eye.

I glanced back at what looked to be a man much older than me, but the black oversized hoodie he was wearing made it impossible to see his face. Even during the day time I considered everyone a threat, but there was something off about this man that was walking too fast behind me.

I got this feeling, a feeling that kind of felt like regret. A feeling that was merged with panic and the overwhelming desire to run, but I knew that if I started running anything that could already be bad for me would only end up being worse. I knew now that it was too late - I'd made my foolish decision and there was nothing I could do other than keep walking and hope I made it home before anything could happen to me. I tried desperately to convince myself that I was overthinking this like I do most things, but the heavy thump of my heart begged to differ. I looked behind me again and worryingly the figure was catching up.

Diverting my eyes forward again, this was the moment I knew I was totally screwed: I had to walk down a dark alleyway. There was no other way for me to get from A to B other than down this path. My eyes were starting to water as I tried to come up with a plan in my head but the sound of my heart along with the sound of my rushed footsteps was deafening and all these things added together were clouding my thoughts. This was the kind of thing you'd see in a horror movie; young girl walks home alone at night, hooded figure follows her, there just so happens to be no one around to witness whatever was more than likely going to follow.

I regretfully rounded the corner and turned down the alleyway that lead into a quiet back road near the train station. My feet were begging me to take off and sprint the entire way but my brain was holding me back, the adrenaline was rushing through me as I clutched my coat tighter around me and prayed for the distance from here to my house to somehow miraculously shorten, or just for someone to show up and save me. My eyes were fixated on the ground in front of me, and then I started to hear another pair of footsteps approaching, following my own closely.

Before I could even turn my head fully to check out the situation the figure was right there behind me, grabbing at the back of my arms and yanking me backwards by my elbows. The sudden but anticipated contact made me stiffen up and my body went rigid as he tried to drag me towards him, my gut reaction was to scream as loud as my lungs would allow me to, so without even thinking I cried out in a blood-curdling shriek just in time before a gloved hand shot up and covered my mouth. My captor grunted, probably in annoyance, and my small body was slammed into the tatty fence that ran along one side. I tried to cry out again when my forehead made contact with the splintered surface but the sound was muffled by the leather glove holding my mouth shut.

Suddenly a second person shot round into the alleyway, upon noticing me being held against the fence they shouted, "Hey!" and didn't hesitate to begin sprinting towards us. My aching head spun and I became weak and terrified by the thought of another person joining in with whatever was going to happen next, but the new figure didn't slow down as he approached at lightening speed, instead he lunged forward and threw his fist at the man holding me and the brutal cracking of bone made me cringe and I screwed my eyes shut. The fierce grip around my arms loosened as another punch came flying at him, and as the fist connected with his face again he pushed me forward and I fell to my knees as he stumbled backwards, but I watched timidly out of the corner of my eye as he quickly regained balance as the second man went after him for the third time. Before he could take another swing the hooded figure was cowardly darting off down the alley leaving me crumpled in a heap on the tarmac, and as the footsteps faded away the space was left deadly silent apart from the din of strained breathing behind me.

"H-hey are you alright?" I felt a much softer grip as the person who had just essentially saved my life gently pulled me up off the floor. Involuntarily, I began to whimper and sniffle and the tone to the person's voice that soon followed was uneasy when they said, "Hey, hey. Uhh... it's okay. You're alright."

The man turned me around to face him slowly, ducking his head slightly to peer down at my face and my eyes drifted down to his feet with humiliation. "Did he h- ... you have to be kidding me. Jessica?"

At the mention of my name my eyes shot back up with shock and it took me a moment to process who was standing in front of me.

"H-Harry?"

I hadn't recognised him for the split seconds I'd actually managed to get a glimpse of him, I didn't even recognise his gruff voice - it all happened so fast and my mind was swimming with fear so much so that trying to think back to the train of events was impossible and nothing was making sense. I guess the immense sensation of so many feelings all at once got the better of me because I started to cry and I just couldn't stop, leaving Harry standing anxiously watching me. He fidgeted and his mouth opened and closed multiple times, hands twitching as if he was trying to think of what to say or do but he remained frozen and looking so uncomfortable like he'd never seen anyone cry before. I just stared at him with tears cascading down my cheeks as if I was silently pleading for him to do something.

"You're... you're okay, Jess. Please stop crying."

I got the inkling that if I were anyone else, Harry wouldn't be so unsure of how to react in this moment. He lifted his arms from his sides and with apprehension brought his hands up and placed them on my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. Without giving myself a chance to overthink the possible outcomes of my decision, I threw my arms around his body and sobbed into his chest.

His movements again were shaky and hesitant but he allowed himself to wrap his own arms around my back. After a long minute Harry's tense muscles eventually softened, his warmth soothed me and I finally forced myself to stop crying as we stood quietly in the dingy alleyway, his chin resting on the top of my head whilst he held me. He probably felt so embarrassed but for once in my life I was being selfish and needed someone to ease whatever these emotions I was feeling were. I could tell he was trying so hard to be nice to me and I really did appreciate it, maybe he wasn't so nasty deep down.

"Come on," he whispered, letting go of me but keeping a firm hand on my back as he motioned for me to walk with him, "My car is just round the corner."

"I-I... I don't know if I can go home like this," I bubbled, my voice trembling as I stopped dead and started to freak out. "What am I supposed to do? What will I say? Someone's bound to be up and they're going to ask que-"

"You can stay at my house..." he offered, looking down at me with sympathy before quickly adding, "If you want to. You don't have to," and averting his eyes forward again nervously.

I thought about it for a moment; I knew he probably didn't want me of all people staying at his house but he was being thoughtful which I gathered wasn't a very typical thing for him to do, and although I was going to have to live with the embarrassment of all of this afterwards, I'd much rather avoid having to face my mum or Niall right now. That was about as logical as my thoughts got before I was nodding thankfully and following him to his car.

We walked back the way we came and down the road where an impressive black BMW sat on the side of the road. It certainly was not the type of car you'd imagine someone of Harry's age to own. He pulled his keys from his back pocket and casually unlocked the car, the lights flashing as he strode ahead to open the driver's door. He dipped his lean body downwards as he slid into the seat, pulling the door closed after him in one smooth motion while I hurried behind him to get in the passenger side. I flopped down into the seat and glanced around to admire the swanky leather interior, the inside was just as dark as the outside when it came to colour scheme and the small space smelt like a mixture of leather and musky aftershave. When my door finally slammed shut (a little too loudly) he started up the engine and immediately roared off up the street.

Neither of us spoke as he drove and he seemed hell-bent on keeping his glossy eyes on the road in front of him. He came across as kind of a 'boy-racer' type driver as his sleek black vehicle whipped round corners and flew along the quiet roads, engine revving and wheels spinning. Despite his obvious tendency to drive fast and show off in his fancy car, he was a good driver and I felt... safe? The radio hummed quietly in the background and I watched as his fingers tapped along to the beat on the steering wheel every now and then. I studied him discreetly, making sure my eyes didn't linger so long as to be caught, noticing how his left hand gripped the gearstick with enough force to make his knuckles turn white, and the look of concentration he held when he turned his head to examine the situation at a junction, sometimes his mouth fell open delicately as he leant forward to get a better view.

"Thank you... by the way," I muttered over the silence, staring down at my clammy hands which fiddled with the bottom of my coat in my lap.

"You don't have to thank me," he insisted quietly. His voice was lower than ever and he was still looking fixedly ahead as he spoke.

"Of course I do, god knows what would've happened if you hadn't showed up," I spoke more loudly this time, with purpose.

"It's weird how that keeps happening, isn't it? How you and I keep ending up in the same place at the same time."

I nodded, glancing up at his blank face before staring back down at my lap. I guess it was weird; we'd been living in the same town possibly even for years and I'd never seen Harry before the first time in the court room, but since then he seems to be everywhere I look.

"But I was there first so you followed me this time," I attempted to make a joke, and it seems I was successful because as I looked over at him again he looked back at me briefly, chuckling that kind of chuckle where you just blow more air out of your nose than usual through a closed-mouthed grin as he shook his head and turned away. I smiled a small smile at him before turning away myself.

"And what were you doing out on your own this late? Did you have a death wish?"

"You sound like my mum," I scoffed, "But no, I was walking home from my dad's house because after he convinced me to spend the evening with him, he went out and left me when I feel asleep. 'Business stuff'."

Harry went silent again and his expression was back to neutral as if he wasn't at all interested in what I was saying, which made me regret telling him at all. Who was I kidding, he didn't care about my family issues. "Why are you out on your own this late?"

"Uhm... I was just, you know, out," he shrugged, lounging back in his seat and running a hand through his unruly curls.

"Were you doing something... that you shouldn't be doing?" I asked unassumingly, trying to sound curious but not like I was judging him in any way.

I'll take the absence of reply as a yes.

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So this turned out to be a long chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Please vote and comment :) Remember if you want a chapter dedicated to you all you have to do is vote or comment!

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