Chapter 8

Heads turned as we raced past locals going about their usual day. Harry was up ahead of me, shouting ‘Permiso!’ so that people would make way for us. I had no idea where we were going, but it didn’t matter, I was having a great time either way. It was nearing midday and the sun was almost directly above us, the temperature pressing on 35 degrees.

So far, I had only crashed once into a street light and much to my dislike I received 2 bruises on my knees. My legs are covered in bruises. They just appear on my legs and I have no idea how I even got them… Mum even told me that I resembled a five year old.

As we stopped at a pair of traffic lights I gazed down on my arms. They had turned fire engine red. Only then did I remember, after all that fuss of getting ready, I had forgotten sun cream. It was going to cost me later in the shower…

Harry noticed me examining my arms, “Ooh that looks bad. Forgot your sun cream?”

“I could pass for a lobster huh?” I shamefully hung my head. The lights turned green and we peddled slowly to the other side.

“Nah it’s not that bad!” He smiled, “besides, you look cute.”

“I look dumb.” I scowled back at him.

“I don’t think you look dumb. Hey, are you getting hungry?”

When I thought about it, I actually was quite famished. I hadn’t eaten anything that day apart from those quick eggs. “Yeah a little bit, did you have anything in mind?”

Harry beckoned me to pull over to the side. “Actually, I do have something in mind… Sorry just a sec” He took out his phone and started to do something with it.

While he was texting away, I actually took in my surroundings really for the first time today. We were on the edge of the old part of the city which bordered with the modern, more luxurious part. The houses, though a little bit more broken down and dusty, still managed to look beautiful. The cobbled stone pathway made the ride a bit bumpier than I would have liked, but it was all part of the experience. There weren’t so many beggars around, which made the mood a bit happier too.

I turned back to Harry. He was holding up his iPhone at me. I quickly realised he was taking photos.

“What the hell are you doing?” I held up my hands to my face.

“I’m trying to contain the memories in photographs. Ready to keep going? I know a place we can eat.” His cheeky smile told me he was up to no good.

“Somehow I’m not so sure if I should trust you…” I reluctantly sat up straight on my bike again.

Harry took my hand and looked me in the eye, “Tilly, you can always trust me.”

***

“Really? McDonalds? Really?!”

I stood underneath the big ‘M’, staring at its abnormal size. I wondered why they had to make it so big. People see the sign anyway.

“Hey! I think McDonalds is pretty cool!” Harry took our bikes to a public bike rack next to the building and locked them up with a chain.

“Yeah so did I, when I was like 8 years old.” I peered inside the window. There were people everywhere! Especially little children.

Harry started to walk to the door, gesturing for me to follow him inside, “Come on! It’s not that bad you’ll see.”

I reluctantly followed him to the main entrance where he was waiting for me. I noticed a large man wearing all black was standing outside the door looking bored out of his mind. Something about him seemed a little bit suspicious. As I got closer I could just make out what his ID card said, Paul Hig… I got cut off by his grunting. I think it was aimed at Harry because when I looked up, they were staring at each other. I had hoped that it wasn’t because I really didn’t want any trouble and ending up in a police station or something.

As soon as Harry pushed that door open, a never-ending gust of cool air blew my way. It was like I had died and risen to heaven all at the same time. I imagined how much pollution these air conditioners were producing. The thought of it made me shiver.

“What did that guy out the front want?” I asked as we made our way to the counter.

Harry looked up at the light up menus on the walls, “Um I actually don’t know… Anyway…” He turned his head slowly towards me with a creepy smile. “Want some chicken?”

“Ahh no thanks, I’ll just stick with a salad. I’m trying to be as natural as I can get in here which is REALLY hard.” I really didn’t like how he just brushed of my question like that because he seemed to know more than he was telling me. It just reminded of everyone else back home who just brushed me off as soon as I asked something intrusive or something like that. Maybe I was just being over reactive.

“Are you actually serious..? You’re on holidays Tilly! Let yourself go! Be free, like a bird!” He started chirping around me, fluttering his hands as if he were some sort of pigeon. People turned their heads and the counter chicks stared at us in confusion.

“Alright!” He paused in his tracks. “If I give you permission to order me a burger will you stop embarrassing yourself?”

Harry grinned as widely as possible before saluting and marching towards the counter like a soldier. I rolled my eyes and went in search of a place for us to sit and eat. It took me a while to find the right one because most of them were covered in filth that I didn’t dare to even look at them for more than 5 seconds in case I caught a disease. In the end of my search I chose a window seat because I didn’t want to get too cold in that igloo of a ‘restaurant’. I was really grateful to be inside though. Everything looked so dry outside, I wondered how long it had been since it last rained. I looked back over to the counter. Harry was ordering our food, his hands gripping the edge of the counter as he tried not to bounce all over the place. Somehow I could tell he was excited which kind of made me feel a bit better about myself. No one was ever excited to be around me and that I knew.

My iPhone vibrated once in the back pocket of my phone. A message? No one (apart from Harry) had sent me anything all holidays. Zack �" Message. As I was about to unlock my phone, I heard Harry slide into the leather seat across from me and I quickly turned my phone of and put it back into my pocket. I looked up, only to find my jaw go slack.

“I gave you permission to buy me a burger. NOT A WHOLE F*****G MEAL FOR 5.”

Harry lay out the 2 big red boxes full of crap onto the table. “Lighten up Tilly… It’s your vacation you can do what you like!” He reached inside his and took out napkin, laying it nice and neatly on the table whilst taking his burger and chips out as well.

“Firstly, there is NO way you can just ‘lighten up’ with all this junk and secondly, that’s not how you eat McDonalds.” I opened my box and took out the big mac and the large fries, pouring the fries into the box with the burger.

“You p***y…” I managed to mumble as I began scoffing the burger down.

Harry looked speechless. “You just made me look like a total arse.” He looked straight into my eyes, “You’re going down Matilda Garrot.” He grabbed his Quarter Pounder, took the bun off and started to line the chips down on the burger before chewing his down himself.

We began to battle out who could eat and drink the most in the shortest time. Me, in one corner with my orange juice and Big Mac and in the other corner, Harry Styles with his large coke and a Quarter Pounder. It was going to get nasty.

After half an hour of a pure eating showdown, I threw in the towel. There was no way I could have fit even the tiniest of chips through my mouth.

Harry somehow managed to heave himself up onto the table and started to cheer, “YES! THE MIGHTY STYLES DOES IT AGAIN! HE IS THE CHAMPION!” People stared to turn heads for the second time today and I think my face went crimson.

“Harry! Get down! Alright, you’re the winner!” I hissed as I sunk lower into my chair.

He nodded and stumbled back down into his chair. “Sorry I got a bit excited there… I have NEVER won an eating competition!” He smiled and lay back rubbing his belly. “It’s usually Niall that takes home all that glory.”

“Niall…? Oh! Right! Your mate! Is he…” Harry cut me off, “Big? Gosh no! Niall’s the skinniest out of us guys.”

I was glad Harry was opening up to me about his friends again. “So I’m guessing Niall likes his food?”

Harry’s laugh boomed across the table, “Likes? Nialler LOVES food. There is never a moment where he doesn’t have some with him. It’s good for the boys and I when we’re on the road and stuff.”

“Nialler?” On the road? I was becoming confused again. I’m always confused. Harry especially makes me confused.

“That’s Niall’s nickname! I keep forgetting that you don’t know the boys… You’ll have to meet them one day!” He beamed across at me. I returned the smile.

Harry was so beautiful. Even if he had cheese and tomato sauce smeared all over his face, he looked like some sort of superhero whose super power was to make everyone melt by their good looks.

“Come here.” I took a napkin and leant over the table to wipe his face. I struggled to do it because had never felt that bloated in my whole life. My stomach was being me down like an anchor. I wiped his face until every bit of food had been wiped away.

Something flashed at the window and we both turned our heads. Girls were crowding the window, flashing their camera’s and pressing their faces against the windows to get a closer look at us. They were tapping on the glass and started screaming when Harry turned to look at them.

“Oh crap. They found us.” He took a napkin and wiped his hand before taking mine in his.

This had brought the confusion to a whole nother level. I stood up and held his hand firmly. He dragged me across the restaurant and pushed past the protesting employees at the counter. We ran through the kitchen and I could hear the screaming girls smashing through the front doors, I wonder what had happened to the security guard. Harry didn’t turn back once as we traversed our way through the back door into the alleyway outside. That alleyway resembled the one next the hotel but I supposed all alleyways looked similar.

“Quick! This way!” Harry held my hand even tighter and we broke out into a sprint, up the alley and back onto the main road. I thought we had at least made it a little bit away from Maccas but we were actually right next to the main entrance.

Harry went right to the edge of the road to hail a cab while I stood guard, looking for any signs of those crazed psycho’s. It took a fare few seconds for a free taxi to finally pull over as all of them were already in use. All of a sudden, something grabbed me be the shoulders, picked me up, opened the door of the cab and roughly threw me inside. For a few moments I thought I was being kidnapped but I turned to the door and I saw that security guard wheeling one of the bikes and putting it into the boot of the cab before pushing Harry inside with me and slamming the door. Harry leaped up next the extremely confused cab driver and shouted “GO GO GO!”

The car screeched off onto the busy road and back into the fast flowing traffic. I turned back in my seat and looked into the rear window. I could see some girls attempting the chase after the car but quickly giving up because of the speed and the heat. What had just happened? I twisted my head back towards the front and realised Harry was looking back towards the rear window as well.

He whistled, “That was too close.”