Get Your Kicks

If I didn’t already hate packing enough, I would have hated it then, because I really did not want to leave Vegas. I wanted to stay for the boys’ show, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t convince Healey. Every time I asked, it seemed to put her in a worse and worse mood, so I just stopped. She was determined to get on the road as soon as possible.

A knock on the door interrupted me just as I finished zipping up my last bag and I rushed to answer it, hoping it would be Harry coming to see me. I didn’t want to say goodbye to him, but I didn’t have a choice, and I had faith that we’d still talk after the trip. I didn’t know exactly what would come from our talking, but I had faith that we would.

“Darcy,” Harry smiled as I opened the door, instantly wrapping his arms around me. It felt so good to be hugged by him, and I loved the way he always pulled me closer when it didn’t seem like he could anymore.

“I’m not ready to leave,” I said into his chest, already feeling the tears well up in my eyes. There was no doubt that I was an emotional person, and I was sure Harry understood that by now.

“I don’t you want to leave either,” Harry whispered, his warm breath falling on my ear. “Are you sure you can’t stay for the show?”

I shook my head quickly, because I’d already tried more times than I could count. “Healey refuses.”

Harry nodded knowingly, as if he understood something that I didn’t. I was too worried about what was going to happen to us to ask about Healey, though, so I ignored it. That conversation was probably better saved for Brenna, anyway.

Harry’s arms moved from my body down to my hand, wrapping around it tightly. He pulled me gently over to the bed and sat down, and I sat directly next to him, so close that I was almost on his lap. His arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me into his chest, my ear pressed so close to his heart that I could hear it beating.

“Darcy, let’s go. We’re leaving in five,” Healey called from the doorway, her displeasure clear in her voice. I was the last one to get my bags packed and they were just waiting on me. I was sure the other girls didn’t mine though (aside from Healey and Taylor) because they didn’t want to leave any more than I did.

“I’ll be right there,” I called back, causing her to shut the door and go stomping down the hallway. I wasn’t much for dealing with crabby Healey, but I was sure she’d be fine again once we got on the road.

When she was gone, Harry looked down at me with a smile on his face, while he ran his hands through my hair. “I could pop your tire.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “They’d just buy a new one.”

“I could put sugar in your gas tank. There’s no fixing that.”

“I think at this point Healey would just buy a new car to get out of here.”

Harry laughed at that, because we both knew it was true. Nothing either of could do would be able to keep us from leaving, and I hated that. I don’t think I’d ever have been ready to go.

The both of us knew that we couldn’t waste any more time without having Healey breathing down our necks, so we stood up from the bed and Harry grabbed my suitcase, carrying it out the door for me.

Everyone else was already downstairs waiting at the car, and I didn’t really want to say my sad goodbye in front of them, as much as I would have loved the extra minutes with Harry.

“I can get that,” I said, taking the bag from Harry’s hands. “I have a feeling Healey will kill me if you pack up the car for us.”

Harry nodded his head gently, before biting his lip. “So, you – uh – you want to say goodbye now?”

I didn’t really want to, but I was going to have to do it sooner or later, so I nodded my head.

Harry quickly wrapped his arm around me, pulling me so close to him that I dropped my suitcase to the ground and wrapped my arms around his neck. Honestly, I wished that moment could last forever, because I never wanted to forget the feeling of having Harry hold me.

“I’m going to miss you, Darce.”

“I’m going to miss you, too, Harry.”

“Promise that you’ll call?”

“Promise.” I nodded my head. “Promise that you’ll write?”

He nodded his head, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “I promise.”

He pulled away then, and even though I had hoped that he never would, I knew he was going to. I hated to leave him like that – I hated to leave him at all – but we both knew we couldn’t put it off any longer.