022

        chapter song; any 

        I was tempted to a shower when I woke up. And after I finished, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body. I walked the hallways slowly, my skin shimmering beneath the hallways light from the water droplets still present.  

        My arms crossed over my chest tighter, glancing at the empty walls that told no story. Not by frames or images. 

        I hurried around the corner to make an abrupt stop when I heard Harry's voice from downstairs. The furious, unbelievable force of his loud, vexed tone. "Fuck!" He roared, a few things bursting into pieces and loud crashes blowing through the house. 

        A breath hitched in my throat, widening eyes following. I tightened my towel and sprinted down the stairs to see what was wrong with him. I stopped at the very end of the stairs, wandering eyes following the broken computer that was nearly shattered to bits and Harry standing there with his hands through his hair, face burning crimson. 

        I watched him, slightly horrified by his outburst. 

        "Harry...?" I breathed out slowly. 

        He snapped his eyes up at me, though he said nothing. He was panting heavily, like had just ran for miles non-stop. Really, his anger drove him breathless 

        His narrowed green eyes bore into mine as I tried to remove some of the intimidation by looking behind him. "What's wrong?" I asked lowly as I began tightening my grip on my towel. 

        I saw his nostrils flaring as he closed his eyes and paused. He clenched his defined jaw tightly, out of impatience and absolute fury. "For four hours, I've been trying to communicate with your father. And I can't," he spat out. "The program is hacked from another source, and I have no fucking clue as to how." 

        "Have you tried calling Zayn or Liam?" I inquired, beginning to feel the slight apprehension settle over me. The one I've been trying to avoid for days now.

        "Of course I fucking did!" Harry yelled, both hands reaching for the chair before he threw it across the living room. It slammed against the wall, denting holes and chipping paint.

        I nearly jumped, crossing my legs and inhaling shakily. "Okay, Harry. Please, just try and relax." I begged him. I had to beseech for his sanity to remain in his mind. I'd hate to see him lose complete control of his anger and do unspoken things.

        His eyebrows raised. "Relax?" He whispered. "You want me to fucking relax?" Although his volume decreased drastically, he still sounding lethal and ready to burst. "I can't relax. This means I don't have any contact with your father or anyone else. I can't tell if they're unharmed or if anything really. Which fucking screws everything else up." 

        I'm afraid I know what this means. This is horrid news, regarding the lack of communication we'll have now with anyone on the outside. How we'll know if we're safe or if the investigation is going further is beyond me. Because we won't. 

        Harry shook his head, kicking the computer further across the floor. Quite vexed, he leaned his elbows against the desk and breathed in heavily. "God damn, there are professional killers looking for you everywhere. People who have their hands to government advances, too." 

        As he tried to calm himself, I stood there with my heart nearly in my throat. A drop of water slowly trickled down my neck from my damp hair. I let my eyes drop to the floor. 

        He leaned away from the desk and turned to me. Our eyes inevitably locked. "And the chase?" He laughed bitterly. "Fucking Christ, they're just getting started. And I'm on my fucking own."

        If I didn't know any better, I'd say Harry was beginning to panic. At all cost, that is the end of any hope I have left if I can visibly see Harry worrying. It just so happens to click in my mind how serious this entire situation is. Not that it hadn't before, but now it just feels like the only gateway would be straight to death. 

        "I could help you..." I began quietly, very afraid that I would just get shouted at or maybe even slammed to the wall like that chair. My father could be locked in a room right now with tons of his men dead already for giving their lives to protect him. And all of this hit the pit of my stomach like heavy rocks as I hesitantly watched Harry.

        "No. Don't even think about it." He snapped, his eyes averting to the chair he threw at the wall. He picked it up and roughly placed it back near the desk. "The investigation is off limits for you. I'm not putting you --" 

        "How much more danger could I be in?" I interrupted him hastily. I know I will never get anything good out of trying to stand up for myself, especially to someone like Harry. "I can't possible be in any more danger than I already am. So why can't you just accept my help? We could figure this out together." 

        Harry snickered. "Together? Even if your help would be sufficient, I'm still under orders." 

        I don't know why, but I had enough.

        "Fuck your orders!" I yelled, seeing his eyes snap back up to me. The visible shock was in his hateful, yet beautiful eyes. I gripped my towel so tightly, my knuckles were flushing white. At his words, I lost all my fear of being yelled at or any other type of terror. I was just...exhausted from this all. 

        "I'm sick of hearing you say that. I may not be in the best physically shape to help you fight off some fucking killers, but I do have a brain. One that's gotten me very far. I was almost the valedictorian if I hadn't had to move thirty eight times." I vented out, my voice beginning to waver. 

        Out of frustration, tears brimmed my eyes as I sighed heavily. Harry, with narrowed eyes, took a step forward to me as I took one brave, bold step forward as well. 

        I continued, a tear slipping down my cheek. "And I know I'm not the easiest person to work with, and I can't fight to save a life, but I cannot just sit here and act helpless." 

        "Why are you crying?" Harry murmured tiredly. Again, he was close enough to reach for my face. This time he cradled my face in his hands, the pad of his thumbs brushing away the hot, angry tears. At his gesture, I could have melted right into his strong arms. 

        "Because I'm angry," I sniffled.  

        I peered up at him through my wet lashes, his own pale green eyes piercing through mine.  He dropped his hands from my face, not increasing the distance between us however. "I have to protect you," he lowly said for the hundredth time. "And if that means doing all of this on my own, then so be it." 

        "No, you can't do it on your own. And you know it." I persisted, swallowing down loudly when Harry squinted his gorgeous eyes at me. At this distance, they were so mesmerizing I fought to keep my goal alive. 

        He then sighed and let his facial expression soften, yet of course there was still those eyebrows furrowed in anger and those lips pressed into a thin line. "There are certain things you should not know, Dollface." He rasped out. "I'm well aware of how intelligent you are, but even then you should not be involved."

        "I'm already involved as it is. But now so is my father. And he may be the only person that still even cares about me," I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my pink cheeks. I don't mean to be weak about it, but it is true in my view. Paige could care less about me, and it is clear to anybody. My father, however, swears to have me secured, and now I could at least return the favor. 

        Harry let his hands run through his thick curls again. "That's not true," he said through a clenched jaw. 

        "What?" I asked softly, yet ready to burst out again. "Are you trying to say that you care about me?" 

        "Catalina --," he started out exhaustively.

         "This is your job. You don't care about me, and I hardly believe you'll ever. That's how it works, right?" I huffed and turned on my heel, ready to start for the stairs when his hands grasped my hips, even through the fluffy, soft material of the towel.

        A squeal left my lips once I was in front of him again, our bodies pressed together. Despite my displeasure earlier, I felt my cheeks burn like fire beacons. I hastily snapped my eyes to his, our noses brushing slightly when he gazed down at me.

        There was silence between us, frustrated, angry gazes burning one another like water never seemed to exist. Like air stopped blowing, and the temperature only ever raised. 

        "I bust my ass trying to protect you," he snapped quietly, "I don't sleep, I barely even eat, and still I'm down here every fucking day ready to have a bullet blown right through my heart. For you. If that doesn't say anything to you, then your valedictorian award is shit compared to the real world."

        My mouth went dry, my tongue nearly knotted as I parted my lips to say something, but nothing even came out. He inhaled sharply and muttered, "I can't say I care about you, Catalina. But in a way, I devote my life to your safety so consider that enough." 

        "I don't have anyone at all," he continued slowly. "No one gives a shit about me, and I don't complain." 

        "Harry --" 

        "Harry nothing, Dollface." He snapped lowly. "Harry nothing," he repeated more gently as he shook his head. "This is not about to be your mystery to solve. Leave that to me." 

        "I've only ever wanted to help you," I whispered.

        "I know." He replied quietly, nodding. "I know, you don't have to tell me." 

        "Then why can't you just let me? Screw your orders, at this point I don't think those even matter anymore." I tried.

        Harry began to groan in exhaustion, sighing heavily. "You make it so hard, Catalina." 

        "It doesn't have to be that way, Harry." 

        "Catalina," he warned.

        "Harry."

        "Catalina." 

        "Harry."

        Harry closed his eyes for a bit, inhaling deeply. "Alright." He groaned out, opening his eyes while he began to shake his head.

        "I'll be safe," I promised him, "With you."

        He watched me for a few seconds without a word spoken. "Get dressed, yeah? We need to go out into the city and buy a new computer. I tore the other one apart."

        "Okay," I nodded slowly, moving away from his grip and rushing up the stairs with my hands still wrapped tightly around the towel, the only thing that sealed my body from Harry's intimidating gaze. 

        When I arrived into my bedroom, I noticed the heat still burning across the skin of my face. I shut the door and leaned up against it, sighing heavily to myself. I can't believe he agreed, still after much persisting. And even still I regret not saying it.

        That when he said no one cares about him, it isn't true.

        note// ooh (: comment and vote please, please, please <3 

        love you all for the support. my goal is 300, and i'll probably like even update again in a couple of hours so ;)