In a Heartbeat
Hunter Hayes and The Box
Harry's POV
Melody fell asleep with her head on my shoulder, and I was petting her hair with my thumb when the lads rode down the escalator, talking quietly to one another. Once down, they ran to the up escalator and rode back up to the second floor. They repeated this process three times, then Louis walked over to where Melody and I sat and left the others to their own devices.
"I guess she was really tired," Louis said, gesturing at the sleeping girl next to me. He crouched down in front of me.
I nodded, not wanting to wake her. Louis and I watched her sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took.
"You really like her, don't you, mate?"
I looked up at my friend, and saw the seriousness in his eyes. There was no lilt in his voice that hinted at a snide remark coming next, so I was painfully honest with him.
I nodded. I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "I wish I could make her stop hurting."
Louis nodded and sat down on my other side, looking as if he understood.
"You know what she told me?" I said. "When we were on the balcony at her house after we met, she told me that she wanted to be somebody. To show the people that told her she'd never amount to anything what she can do."
I looked back at Louis, tears welling up in my eyes. "Today, she said that I showed her how to be somebody. That I showed her how to live again."
"Wow. That's deep," Louis said. "I can't even begin to fathom what she must be feeling right now."
"She's feeling tired," I said flatly, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean."
"I do," I said after a moment of silence. "I really do."
Half an Hour Later
"Melody!!!" a familiar voice shouted. I looked up to see Ella running toward us. I held one finger up to my lips and pointed at Ella's point of interest, who was still sleeping.
A few moments later, the rest of Melody's family walked through the automatic doors. Mr. Musikk not included.
"I am SO sorry we're late," Melody's mother said, walking quickly over to us. The others had decided they were done with the escalator and went to go get more food. "Ella decided that she wanted to come with to get you guys, too, and both of them fell asleep, so I had to wake them up."
"That explains the pajamas," Liam said, nodding at Ella.
"Is she asleep?" Heather asked, talking about Melody.
"Yeah," I said.
"Hm. That never happens."
I was confused. "What?"
"Oh. She usually can't fall asleep sitting up."
"Oh," was all I could think to say. There's still so much I don't know about her.
"Ready to go?" Mrs. Musikk asked. "Heather, Ella, get their stuff, would you?"
They did as they were told, and Louis went to go get the others.
Twenty minutes later, we had all been herded into two vehicles. A green 1994 Ford Escort wagon with peeling paint that Heather said was called Edna, and a shiny red 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan.
"I get to ride in the oversize clown car!" Louis had shouted, getting sliding into the back seat of Edna and slamming the door shut. Niall followed suit, just a little less loud and not quite as slammy. Ella climbed into the minivan, then jumped out again, and I directed a sleepy (but semi-awake) Melody into the backseat of the van. I climbed in after her and sat down on the opposite side.
Melody clumsily grabbed two small blankets and a pillow from the trunk and laid one out lengthwise where the seat met the backrest, then placed the pillow on my lap and laid her head on it and snuggled with the extra blanket.
"Mel?"
"Hmmm?"
"Whatcha doing?"
"Sleeping, nimrod," she replied. Ella climbed into the front seat and closed the door behind her. "You shouldn't be in the front seat, Ella Smella."
"Too bad," Ella retorted, but Melody was already asleep.
Mrs. Musikk got in and turned the key in the ignition, and Ella took her mother's phone and plugged it in to the stereo. Liam climbed into one of the middle seats and pulled the sliding door closed.
"I hope you guys like Hunter Hayes," Ella said, and music started playing.
Since I had nothing else to do, I listened to the words.
"When you try not to look at me
Scared that I'll see you hurting
You're not hiding anything
No
And frankly, it's got me worried
Nobody knows you better than I do
I keep my promises
I'm fighting for you
"You're not alone
I'll listen till your tears give out
You're safe and sound
I swear that I won't let you down
I mean it when I say
When I cry, I'll cry with you"
My eyes got wide. "What'd you say this song was?"
" 'Cry With You' by Hunter Hayes," Ella answered after looking at her mother's phone for the song title. "It's on shuffle, so don't ask what song's next."
I typed it into my iPhone notes and made a mental note to download it from iTunes later. I listened closely to the rest of the song, and when it was over, a familiar-ish song came on.
"I wish the couple on the corner would just... get a room
Seems like everyone around me's on their... honeymoon
I'd like to take a pin to a heart-shaped balloon
Everybody's got somebody but me"
Liam and I started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Ella asked, confused.
"Nevermind," I said. "Inside joke."
I pulled out my phone and tweeted: Jammin' to Hunter Hayes. Jealous, @NiallOfficial ??#EverybodysGotSomebodyButMe
Melody's POV
"Please don't die," I said, tears dripping down my face.
"Melody," my brother said, struggling to wrap his fingers around my hand. When he did, he squeezed it softly, not able to manage more than that. "I hid it."
"What?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"The box. You need to find it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, confused. "When you can go home, you can show me. You need to rest," I said, trying to convince myself that he would get better.
"Melody, listen to me," Will said fiercely. "You NEED to find it. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will find it."
I nodded, not knowing whether I would be able to fulfill my promise. "Where is it?"
Will smiled weakly. "There's a time for everything, Melly. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun." He pulled his cross necklace off and opened my hand, placing it in my palm and curling my fingers over it. "Keep it safe, Melly. Don't lose it. Find yourself."
I woke to sun streaming through my window. I rolled over and fell off the bed, taking the blanket and sheets with me.
"Well that felt amazing," I mumbled, sitting up. "Where the fuck am I?"
I recognized the room now. My room.
I'm home.
Melody fell asleep with her head on my shoulder, and I was petting her hair with my thumb when the lads rode down the escalator, talking quietly to one another. Once down, they ran to the up escalator and rode back up to the second floor. They repeated this process three times, then Louis walked over to where Melody and I sat and left the others to their own devices.
"I guess she was really tired," Louis said, gesturing at the sleeping girl next to me. He crouched down in front of me.
I nodded, not wanting to wake her. Louis and I watched her sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took.
"You really like her, don't you, mate?"
I looked up at my friend, and saw the seriousness in his eyes. There was no lilt in his voice that hinted at a snide remark coming next, so I was painfully honest with him.
I nodded. I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "I wish I could make her stop hurting."
Louis nodded and sat down on my other side, looking as if he understood.
"You know what she told me?" I said. "When we were on the balcony at her house after we met, she told me that she wanted to be somebody. To show the people that told her she'd never amount to anything what she can do."
I looked back at Louis, tears welling up in my eyes. "Today, she said that I showed her how to be somebody. That I showed her how to live again."
"Wow. That's deep," Louis said. "I can't even begin to fathom what she must be feeling right now."
"She's feeling tired," I said flatly, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean."
"I do," I said after a moment of silence. "I really do."
Half an Hour Later
"Melody!!!" a familiar voice shouted. I looked up to see Ella running toward us. I held one finger up to my lips and pointed at Ella's point of interest, who was still sleeping.
A few moments later, the rest of Melody's family walked through the automatic doors. Mr. Musikk not included.
"I am SO sorry we're late," Melody's mother said, walking quickly over to us. The others had decided they were done with the escalator and went to go get more food. "Ella decided that she wanted to come with to get you guys, too, and both of them fell asleep, so I had to wake them up."
"That explains the pajamas," Liam said, nodding at Ella.
"Is she asleep?" Heather asked, talking about Melody.
"Yeah," I said.
"Hm. That never happens."
I was confused. "What?"
"Oh. She usually can't fall asleep sitting up."
"Oh," was all I could think to say. There's still so much I don't know about her.
"Ready to go?" Mrs. Musikk asked. "Heather, Ella, get their stuff, would you?"
They did as they were told, and Louis went to go get the others.
Twenty minutes later, we had all been herded into two vehicles. A green 1994 Ford Escort wagon with peeling paint that Heather said was called Edna, and a shiny red 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan.
"I get to ride in the oversize clown car!" Louis had shouted, getting sliding into the back seat of Edna and slamming the door shut. Niall followed suit, just a little less loud and not quite as slammy. Ella climbed into the minivan, then jumped out again, and I directed a sleepy (but semi-awake) Melody into the backseat of the van. I climbed in after her and sat down on the opposite side.
Melody clumsily grabbed two small blankets and a pillow from the trunk and laid one out lengthwise where the seat met the backrest, then placed the pillow on my lap and laid her head on it and snuggled with the extra blanket.
"Mel?"
"Hmmm?"
"Whatcha doing?"
"Sleeping, nimrod," she replied. Ella climbed into the front seat and closed the door behind her. "You shouldn't be in the front seat, Ella Smella."
"Too bad," Ella retorted, but Melody was already asleep.
Mrs. Musikk got in and turned the key in the ignition, and Ella took her mother's phone and plugged it in to the stereo. Liam climbed into one of the middle seats and pulled the sliding door closed.
"I hope you guys like Hunter Hayes," Ella said, and music started playing.
Since I had nothing else to do, I listened to the words.
"When you try not to look at me
Scared that I'll see you hurting
You're not hiding anything
No
And frankly, it's got me worried
Nobody knows you better than I do
I keep my promises
I'm fighting for you
"You're not alone
I'll listen till your tears give out
You're safe and sound
I swear that I won't let you down
I mean it when I say
When I cry, I'll cry with you"
My eyes got wide. "What'd you say this song was?"
" 'Cry With You' by Hunter Hayes," Ella answered after looking at her mother's phone for the song title. "It's on shuffle, so don't ask what song's next."
I typed it into my iPhone notes and made a mental note to download it from iTunes later. I listened closely to the rest of the song, and when it was over, a familiar-ish song came on.
"I wish the couple on the corner would just... get a room
Seems like everyone around me's on their... honeymoon
I'd like to take a pin to a heart-shaped balloon
Everybody's got somebody but me"
Liam and I started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Ella asked, confused.
"Nevermind," I said. "Inside joke."
I pulled out my phone and tweeted: Jammin' to Hunter Hayes. Jealous, @NiallOfficial ??#EverybodysGotSomebodyButMe
Melody's POV
"Please don't die," I said, tears dripping down my face.
"Melody," my brother said, struggling to wrap his fingers around my hand. When he did, he squeezed it softly, not able to manage more than that. "I hid it."
"What?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"The box. You need to find it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, confused. "When you can go home, you can show me. You need to rest," I said, trying to convince myself that he would get better.
"Melody, listen to me," Will said fiercely. "You NEED to find it. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will find it."
I nodded, not knowing whether I would be able to fulfill my promise. "Where is it?"
Will smiled weakly. "There's a time for everything, Melly. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun." He pulled his cross necklace off and opened my hand, placing it in my palm and curling my fingers over it. "Keep it safe, Melly. Don't lose it. Find yourself."
I woke to sun streaming through my window. I rolled over and fell off the bed, taking the blanket and sheets with me.
"Well that felt amazing," I mumbled, sitting up. "Where the fuck am I?"
I recognized the room now. My room.
I'm home.
Notes
Okay so, I didn't add the song. But I PROMISE it's coming soon, okay?Love you guys!
HEY. Your official-unofficial announcements sadden me. No promises or not, I really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY hope you decide to eventually continue. I won't even be mad if you do a rewrite but dude, you gotta do something. I WILL DIE IF THIS STORY DOES NOT CONTINUE.
5/2/16