Into Your Arms

My bare feet padded across the wood floors softly as I walked down the hallway. A dull pain remained in my head from crying but it was slowly fading. As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw Harry grabbing a few waffles out of the toaster. The grey sweatpants he wore hung low on his hips and the black tank top he wore showed off his slightly toned arms. His mop top curls were disheveled and sticking up in all different directions. The sight caused me to smile softly. When I walked to the refrigerator and opened the door to grab some orange juice, he jumped slightly.

“You’re like a mouse.” He stated causing me to laugh as I poured my juice. “Very quiet.”
“Would that make you a poodle?” He sent me a questioning glace so I elaborated. “That curly hair and you’re quite yappy.”

His mouth fell open in mock horror as I laughed and grabbed a waffle from his plate. I sat at the island and nibbled the waffle in my hand as Harry stood on the opposite side and ate his. We stayed silent as we ate, him scrolling through his phone and me casting glances at him periodically. Every few moments, a small smile would grace his features as he continued to scroll through his phone. I smiled as I watched him and bit my lip before going out on a limb.

“So what did you want to do today?” Harry’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth with a bite of his waffle, his mouth open as he stared at me. He quickly composed himself.
“Well this is a turn of events.” A smirk settled into his features. “You’re actually wanting to hang out with me?”
“I could always call Zayn.” I narrowed my eyes at him, blushing slightly as he called me out.
“No,” He said quickly before clearing his throat and smiling. “No, we can hang out. I need to go buy some new clothes so we can go to the shops.”

I nodded as I finished my waffle and told Harry I was going to get ready. The warm water in the shower soothed my tense muscles as I let it run over my skin. Once I was clean, I climbed out and quickly wrapped a towel around myself before exiting the bathroom. I help the towel around myself tightly as I walked briskly to my room and shut the door. My head was feeling better and I didn’t feel as sad as before as I got dressed. Running my fingers through my hair, I decided to let it dry wavy and put on minimal makeup. Harry was waiting in the living room when I came out of my room.

His mop top was now covered by a gray beanie and he wore simple jeans and a white v-neck similar to the one I had on. He appraised my outfit with a chuckle causing me to blush as I grabbed my purse. We were silent as he led me to his sleek car parked just outside the building. He opened my door for be before climbing into the driver seat ad starting the car. The engine purred to life as he revved it. I rolled my eyes at the smirk he sent me as we pulled out of the parking lot.

“So what do you do?” Harry questioned, sending a glance my way.
“My job?” I asked and he nodded. “I’m a teacher.”
“You look a little young to be a teacher.” He raised an eyebrow.
“I teach little kids, like five and six year olds.” I explained, running a hand through my tangled hair. “And I just finished my first year of teaching so it hasn’t been for very long.”

He nodded as we pulled up to a busy shopping center. My stomach knotted as I glanced out the window at the crowds. Before my anxiety could take over, my door was pulled open. I began to climb out before I was pushed back into the seat by my seatbelt. Scrambling to undo the belt, I glanced up at Harry who was biting his lip to keep from laughing. My eyes narrowed at him as I climbed out of the car and walked ahead of him.

“Noel!” He called but I kept walking, trying hard to suppress the blush crawling up my cheeks. “Come on, Noel, I’m sorry! It was funny.”

I felt Harry’s hand grasp my wrist as he pulled me back. My feet jumbled as I feel back into his chest and his arms went around my torso. A chuckle rumbled through him, vibrating onto my back. A small giggle left my lips as his fingers probed my ribs. I freed myself from his grasp and faced him. My heart fluttered at the genuine smile on his face. I felt my own lips pulling into a small smile as I looked up at him.

“Shopping, yeah?” Harry broke the silence causing me to nod.

The rest of the day was spent following behind Harry to different clothing shops where he would pick out clothes and model each outfit for me. He would throw open the curtain of his dressing room before strutting out dramatically. We were in the last store and the sun had already set. I was sat in a cushioned chair outside of the dressing rooms while Harry changed into his own clothes. My eyelids felt heavy as my head leaned against the back of the chair. They slipped closed as my legs dangled over the armrest of the chair. Just as I felt myself losing consciousness, my phone buzzed in my purse on my lap. A groan left my throat as I dug through the bag until I pulled out my phone. There was a twitter notification.

@Harry_Styles: I seem to have worn @ohnonoel out with my shopping.

Attached to the tweet was a picture of me sleeping in the cushioned chair. My eyes slipped away from the screen to my left where Harry stood with his phone in his hand and a smirk on his face. I promptly flipped him off before stretching my arms above my head and yawning. He chuckled before helping out of the chair. He held his bags in one hand and my hand in the other. I was too tired to remove mine from his as we exited the store.

“Thanks for coming with me today.” Harry said as we walked back towards his car.
“It was fun.” I smiled sleepily, leaning my head on his shoulder.

Silence settled over us once more. There were a lot less people than before which I was grateful for. Before we reached the parking lot a shrill scream echoed through the air followed a few moment by the sound of a gunshot. My heart picked up pace and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Harry gripped my hand tighter as he pulled me towards the sounds. In a small area between two stores stood a girl holding a gun in her hands and a man lying on the floor. My eyes wandered down to the figure on the ground and I felt my stomach drop at the blood spattered yet familiar face.