Into Your Arms

“You’re sure you’ll be okay alone?”

I rolled my eyes at Lilia for the tenth time today. Her and Niall were leaving for their honeymoon and I was staying at their place while they were gone. Lilia was apprehensive to leave me alone of course with me being in an unfamiliar city. Niall sent me an apologetic look which I waved off. I’d been dealing with Lilia’s overprotective side for years. I grabbed her shoulders and steered her towards the door.

“I’m fine.” I reassured her. “If I need anything I have all of the numbers you left me. Now stop worrying. Niall here is trying to enjoy this honeymoon and you’re ruining it.”
“Alright, alright. We’re going.” She laughed, kissing my cheek. “Thank you for watching the place for us. We’ll be back in two weeks.”

I waved her off with a smile. Niall thanked me as well, kissing my cheek as he passed by. They both waved to me before I shut the door. Sighing, I glanced around the large flat. I was staying in the guest room which was bigger than my room back home. The whole flat was extremely clean, Lilia had always been a bit of a neat freak. After a moment I decided to explore a bit of London for myself. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my purse and left the flat. It was the middle of summer, the sun warming my skin as I walked down the pavement. I pushed my sunglasses further up my nose as I reached a small park.

London was very different from Manchester. Somehow it seemed more open despite it being such a big city. I could see why Lilia had moved here as I sat cross-legged on the side of a small hill. The grass was soft against my bare legs. My eyes watched the different people around the area. There were a few people playing football, some kids chasing each other, and their moms chatting while watching from a safe distance. I picked at a few pieces of grass with a small smile on my lips. Taking out my phone, I snapped a few pictures before posting one to twitter.

@ohnonoel: Beautiful day for the park in London. Why am I not living here?

My phone went off a few moments later. A text from an all too familiar number popped up. The feeling of my stomach dropping caused me to swallow hard. Despite my better judgment, I opened the message.

What are you doing in London?

A sigh escaped my lips as I replied.

I told you, I’m watching Lilia’s place while she’s on her honeymoon.

The response to my message came faster than I anticipated.

I might have to come visit then.

A shiver ripped through my body as I slipped my phone back into my purse. Paranoia suddenly filled me as I stood and quickly walked out of the park. I could practically feel his eyes on me. Ricky and I didn’t have the best relationship. We started dating when I was seventeen and he was twenty. Three months in, he became overprotective and verbally abusive. He brought me to the lowest point where I couldn’t leave the house because of how self conscious I felt. The day before I left for London, I broke it off. I thought that since I would be gone for a few weeks he’s have time to cool off.

When he said he might have to come visit I knew he was serious. That’s what scared me. I all but ran back to the flat, glancing around every now and then. Once back inside, I locked the door and caught my breath. It looked like it was going to be a movie day. My eyes landed on the movies and I quickly pulled out the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. They were mine and Lilia’s favorite movies. We would watch them as often as we could. Wrapping a blanket around myself, I snuggled into the huge couch and started the movie.

The sun went down halfway through the second movie. By the beginning of the third, I was exhausted. It was almost midnight so I turned off the tv and began walking towards the guest room. As I passed the kitchen I heard noises outside the door. I paused and furrowed my brow as I listened for another sound. The doorknob jiggled, causing my heart to jump into my throat. My mind automatically went to the text Ricky had sent me earlier. Looking around quickly, I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the first thing I saw.

The lock turned and the door was pushed open. My hands shook as I gripped the spatula tighter. With my back pressed to the wall, I tried to quiet my breathing as the person rounded the corner. A squeal slipped past my lips as I waved the spatula around. It connected with a smack. I flipped the light on, my eyes widening.

“Bloody hell!”

The boy with curly hair had his hand pressed to his nose, the other gripping the wall for support. A key dangled from his fingers. He glanced up at me cowering back with a spatula in my hands and wide eyes.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded.
“I’m watching Lilia’s flat while she’s gone.” I told him quickly. “What’re you doing here?”
“I left my phone here last night, I was coming back to get it.” He explained, hand still pressed to his face. “No one told me anyone was here.”

Silence fell over us as he rubbed his face. I finally lowered my arm, blushing madly as I saw the red mark on his face.

“I-I’m sorry about that.” I murmured, motioning to the spatula. “I was a little on edge.”
“I can see that.” He chuckled, his eyes watched me for a moment before he offered me his hand. “I’m Harry.”
“Noel.” I replied, accepting his hand. Our eyes connected for a moment before I looked down, blushing again. “You said you needed to get your phone?”

He nodded before walking into the guest room. When he returned, he held up the phone with a small smile. I smiled back before setting the spatula down in the kitchen. Harry leaned against the wall, his eyes moving down my figure. When they reached mine, his dimples dug into his cheeks as he grinned at me. I swallowed hard and crossed my arms.

“Well, I’m off to bed.” I stated. “It was nice meeting you, Harry.”
He nodded, moving towards the door. “The pleasure was mine Miss Noel. I’ll see you around.”

He sent me one more cheek grin before leaving the flat. I locked the door behind him and pressed my back to the door. My heart was still beating quickly as I changed into my pajamas and slipped under the blankets. Within minutes though, I was asleep.