Chapter 12

We spent all day touring the ‘local’ parts of the city. From 11am-4:30 pm, we cruised through the streets in Ernesto’s Alfa Romeo. I sat back and just surfed the net on my phone whilst Ernesto pointed out all the touristy sites and made lame jokes, mum and V laughed along with them and that was extremely gross. It’s not that I wasn’t interested in the ‘tour’; it was just that Harry had given me a tour of all these places already and his tour was 1000x better. V kept leaning out of the car windows, taking photos of absolutely everything. She even squashed me a few times just to get shots from my side.

Ernesto asked me the occasional question just to keep me involved; I could tell that mum was encouraging a relationship between us. I felt as if Ernesto was just trying way too hard and it was kind of weirding me out.  He was so sweet on mum, almost too sweet and mum was all googly eyes on him. I wondered what dad would think if he were in the car then. I hadn’t received a text back from Liam yet about my thanks for the breakfast. It made me intrigued to learn more about him, but as a friend.

The heat outside the car when we finally stopped was unbearable. Even though it was 4:30 in the afternoon, the dryness and the heat combined made my skin feel like I was going to drown in my own bodily oils. The door of the car was scorching hot and when I got out, a bit of my leg brushed the side and it left a blister on my thigh.

I was relieved to be back at the hotel though, I probably couldn’t have stayed in that squishy company car for very much longer… for a few reasons actually but they’re pretty much self-explanatory.

I stretched my arms out in front of me and took in my surroundings.  The underground hotel car park. I could see our rented car not far away from where Ernesto had chosen to park. Screeching from the other cars driving through the car park pierced my ears. V hopped straight out and strutted to the lift with her phone in hand, texting away. She only turned around once to say goodbye to Ernesto with an over excited wave. Ernesto returned it reluctantly with a shy smile.

Mum stepped next to me and whispered into my ear while Ernesto opened the boot of the car. “I don’t like the way you’re acting, especially not your attitude.”

I turned up to her with a look of annoyance. “Hey, at least I’m not like Zack. He can’t even look at Ernesto”

Her good posture faltered. “I don’t know what has gotten into you two. Zack is acting like a maniac and you are just being a hormonal teenager. Why can’t you just accept the fact that I’m with someone else now? Your father would be happy for me. V definitely seems to like Ernesto.”

Pssh… “Maybe a little too much.”

Mums jaw clenched. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged and began walking off towards the elevator, proud of my last comment when a black van came screeching down the concrete. I was totally stunned because the noise had shocked me after my brief moment of glory.

I watched as the van shrieked through the car park towards my direction. It began to slow down as it reached closer to the elevator. I just stood and gazed at the events unfolding before my eyes. The doors of the van rolled open and someone (a guy) jumped out before the driver ran around to shut it behind him. The guy regained his composure and took in his surroundings. He had bleached blonde hair, styled into a moderate quiff underneath his adidas snapback. He was obviously tired; the bags under his eyes said it all. The singlet he was wearing bared his biceps enough to know that he obviously spent a lot of time working out. He took off his snapback to ruffle his hair a bit before plunking it back on.

A slight buzzing sound could be heard from outside and the guy turned to see where it was coming from.  The driver put his hand on his shoulder and said “We’ve got to go. They’ll come any second now.” I noticed that the driver was the security guard from the McDonalds, which was extremely strange knowing that my butt had been in his face when he threw me into the taxi. The guard looked at me briefly and nodded before leading the guy towards the elevator. It was more like a shove though. Their footsteps echoed through the whole car park and the sound gave me goose bumps.

I was extremely confused at the time. What was the security guard from the McDonalds doing with the mysterious van guy? The buzzing was getting louder by the second.

The guy turned his head and finally noticed me. He smiled at me, baring clear braces and mouthed the word “Hello” before walking into the elevator with the guard the second after it opened. The guard frantically pressed the elevator close button but the guy kept his cool. Finally the doors began to close and I watched the Supra high-tops disappear behind the closing doors of the elevator, unsure of whether I would ever see the van guy ever again.

Honestly, the whole experience had been just plain weird. Had it even happened? It was all too quick for me to properly take in.

That smile was gorgeous, regardless of the braces he wore. What was with all the guys? Was it just a Spanish thing?

I was still standing in the exact spot, next to the van. I turned back to see if Ernesto and mum were there but they had vanished. Probably leaving through the unofficial exit to get some alone time. The buzzing had turned into a roar, like the waves of the ocean against sand. I moved closer to the van, just to check it out. I peered inside the tinted black windows, maybe there was a clue of the purpose of all the secrecy and randomness? I pressed my face against the window. All I could see was a scrunched up chocolate wrapper and a few magazines spread out all over the van. Nothing that interesting.

I stood up properly and listened closely, the roar had turned into a sea of screams. I looked towards the direction where the screams were coming from, leading along the car park and up the ramp. I could see lots of shadows moving at the top of the ramp, unsure of what they could be until a few girls ran down them. Then another few. Then another. They were screaming their heads off, running towards me with signs I couldn’t read flapping against their running bodies. My body began to feel hot and it felt like a nightmare. The vicious looks of determination on those girls faces frightened me. Some of them pointed at me, or at the van. I wasn’t sure.

I backed away towards the elevator and pressed the button for it to come down to pick me up. They were getting closer now, and more girls were rushing down the ramp with savage looks on their faces. It felt like some sort of zombie attack. It felt as if I had been waiting for 10 years for the lift to come when the light went green and the doors rolled open. I quickly backed into it and fumbled in my pocket, desperately searching for the key card. The girls were less than 10 meters away from the van now and I noticed on the signs that the van guy was one of the five people on them. I didn’t notice the rest on the sign because I had found my card and I swiped it in the elevator and frantically pressed the level 19 button and stressed out until the doors closed. I did get the chance to see the screaming girls climb onto the van like some sort of disease. It was one of the scariest things I had ever seen in my life.

***

I collapsed backwards onto my bed. The aircon had been on all day which was a blessing for me. The sheets were nice and cool and I just wanted to roll around in them. I literally had no idea what had just happened. I had to hold on to the bars in the lift because I was so shocked. Also partly because I had a fear of lifts, they just freaked me out.

I began to recount the events of the day. Firstly, Harry had left for the whole day. Secondly, got knocked out by Liam, whose number I happened to get. Then the breakfast and the events that took place on that table. Then the ‘Grand Tour’. And then, the car park. Back home, I would never even encounter 1 good looking guy in 5 months let alone 3 in the space of 2 days.

Nothing actually made sense anymore. It all felt like some sort of dream, and some parts where a bit of a nightmare. Was I actually in some sort of extensive deep sleep and I was actually in a coma, lying on a hospital bed? So many questions exploded in my mind.

I took out my phone from my pocket. I’d completely forgotten to read Harry’s text from earlier that morning. Guilt filled my mind.

Harry Styles

Hey, I’m coming back this afternoon. I’ll be at the beach at 5 ok? Meet me then. I need to see you! Xx :-)

My eyes darted up towards the clock on the wall opposite my bed. It was 5:02pm.

S**t. I was going to be late. Harry was going to be waiting for me.

I didn’t bother getting changed because not only was I late, but I didn’t even think of changing until I was already halfway down the hallway and pressing the button to call for a lift. As I waited for the doors to open, I couldn’t believe that I had forgotten to check Harry’s text all day. It was as if he was on my mind yet not entirely.

I raced through the lobby as soon as the doors of the lift opened. I could sense eyes watching me as I jumped over furniture and dodged incoming humans. It’s not as if Harry was going to be annoyed that I was a few minutes late, it’s just that I had a tendency to want everything to be absolutely perfect and on time. I was a perfectionist really.

Luckily enough, the walking sign had turned green as soon as I got to the crossing so I didn’t have to run in front of a bus like a crazy maniac again. The sand was cool, although I wasn’t barefoot I could feel the sand slipping into my converse as I ran through. The beach was pretty empty considering it was late afternoon, although there was the handful of couples strolling along. I could see someone up ahead, standing by the edge of the water.

I began to slow down. Turning my sprint into a jog, then a fast walk. The sun was slowly setting although there was still plenty of light out for people to see clearly. His hair shinned against the setting sun. He had his white chinos rolled up and his feet were just beneath the water. Harry held his classical converse in one hand and stared out into the distance. I neared the water and about 5 3 meters away I called out, “Harry?” even though I knew it was him.

His head turned to me instantly and he broke out into a smile. His daze had been broken and he walked towards me. I had an instinct to back away because I was a little bit frightened. Frightened of his beauty. Would I ever get used to it? There are just those people who are so naturally beautiful without even trying and it just makes you want to curl up into a ball and start crying. Only, Harry didn’t want to make me cry. Rather, I jumped into a hug in his outstretched arms. He smelled of cologne, but I loved it. His shirt was so soft against my cheek, I wondered if I could get pillows made out of the material.

We stood there for a few minutes, just gripping each other in a hug. Usually hugs lasting longer than 20 seconds are really awkward, but this one felt really… right. After a while I pulled away and looked up at him. He rubbed my shoulders and looked down at me.

“I’ve missed you. Where were you all day?” I sounded like some sort of child.

“And where was i? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. XOXO Gossip Harry.” His voice was deeper than most guys at school. It was scary but actually really sexy.

I playfully slapped him slightly on the arm. “Don’t quote gossip girl to me! How was your day anyway?”

“My day was fine! But please tell me about yours, I’m fascinated!” He took my hand and we sat down on the dry sand where he crossed his legs and pretended it was some sort of story time.

I told him about breakfast, although I left out the Liam bit. I went through the ‘local tour’ and what a flop that was. I then went through the encounter in the car park; I had still left me a bit shaken.

He seemed intrigued about the Ernesto ordeal. “Wow, so Zack’s not taking any s**t right? Poor guy. I remember when my parents split up and my mum started going out with other guys. It wasn’t easy at first, but I could tell how happy she was and that made me happy too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah try telling that to him! Hey, but what do you reckon about the car park thing? Who do you think he was? I certainly never have seen him before.”

Harry stiffened a little bit. “Um I actually don’t know. The description of the guy you gave me doesn’t match any celebrities I’ve ever heard of. But it doesn’t matter now, he’s gone and we’re here!”

“Yeah you’re right…” I shook my head, trying to get rid of that memory. Maybe if I ever saw him on TV I could say to everyone that I’ve seen him, would that make me cool? I shook that out of my head too. I would never be considered ‘cool’.

Harry took my hand and moved in closer. “Listen, I was thinking about this all day today. I was thinking about you all day today. But I really want to do something crazy. Something spontaneous. I’m just in that kind of mood, can you handle that?” I could tell by his smile that he was up to no good.

I was unsure whether to accept or decline his offer; I hadn’t even heard the terms and conditions yet! But then I remember that no one ever listens to them. “Let’s do it. Whatever you want, I’ll come with you.”  Was I going to regret saying that? Probably, but I wanted to trust Harry. I just wanted to do anything for him, but I just couldn’t work out why.

As we sat, hand in hand on the beach, I couldn’t help but notice the seagulls and other birds swooping into the sea, snatching their pray as their beaks hit that water for the split second. I don’t know what drew me to watch them but I remember learning about it in science one time. I also noticed the cabana boys swept around the women who were just leaving the beach, exchanging numbers and flirtation. The similarities between the situations were astounding.

I turned back to Harry and he was staring at me with one eyebrow raised. “You zoned out there for a second Tilly? Are you okay?”

Shaking off that feeling I nodded and we stood up, brushing all the sand off our clothes and hands. I’ve never liked getting dirty and I especially hated sand on my clothes. A slight buzzing could be heard in the distance. It quickly developed into a cloud of screams. Similar to those in the car park. Harry seemed to have noticed too because his muscles tightened and his jaw was clenched. I looked down the beach and there were a crowd of girls running in our direction. The exact same ones from the car park with the signs and t-shirts. Harry took my hand and we began running back towards the hotel.

That hot adrenalin feeling returned. “Harry..?”

We ran across the busy street even though the lights were still red. Cars screeched to halts in front of us and people rolled down their windows to stick their fingers out at us and swear. As we reached the revolving doors of the hotel, Harry stopped quickly and turned to me. “Go upstairs and put on the bestest most casualist thing you packed and meet me down in the car park in 20 minutes. I’ll be waiting.” Before I had a chance to speak he pecked me on the cheek and ran down the pavement and behind the back of the hotel.

Once again, for the second time today, I was left speechless and without thought. I soon regained my brain and realised that I only had 18 minutes left before I was supposed to meet harry. And that time, I would not be late.