Felicity

Just about five hours later from our stop in Mississippi, we finally make it to New Orleans. I stare out the window as we drive through the city, admiring the beautiful sights in front of me. There are buildings old and new, vibrant and neutral, tiny cottages and beautiful homes, Spanish and French architecture. We drive by several cemeteries, one right after another.

People are everywhere walking the streets and hanging out in bars. Some are in groups, many are off on their own. I get an eerie feeling as I think of all the supernatural stories I've watched on television about this city. With some of the shops that we pass, I know that there are so many people that believe in them. A chill runs down my spine at the thought, so I quickly shake my head and look over at Harry.

He's been silent nearly the entire way since we got back into the car. His hands tightly grip the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white, slowly releasing his grasp and stretching out his fingers before repeating it all again. He doesn't look out at the scenery in front of us. His eyes are focused on the road ahead. 

We barely spoke a word to each other during the ride here. I'll admit it was kind of painful to endure and it made me nervous as to what was going through his head. Did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to say something to start a conversation? I thought we had a really great morning and lunch together, so what happened to change all of that?

Harry continues to drive down a few streets until he finds an area of public parking. He pulls into the lot and parks the car, still not saying a word. It's silent for a few more moments until I finally decide to speak up.

"Are you okay? You've barely said a word since lunch."

He glances up at me, his green eyes softening as a smile touches his lips. "Sorry about that. I'm fine, really. I've just been thinking of things."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Not at all," he shakes his head. "Maybe another day. Not now."

"O-kay," I exaggerate the syllables before turning away from him. I get out of the car and pull my coat tight around myself. "So where exactly are we?"

"Right outside the French Quarter. We're just a few blocks from Bourbon, I believe."

We walk side by side down one street until we turn down another. I don't think either of us know where we're going or what we're planning to do, but we continue walking and exploring together. We take in the sights of the city and watch all the people pass us by. I admire all the buildings around us, seeing so many windows with beautiful plants in front and vines growing alongside a few walls. It's enchanting and magical, and I hope that magical feeling doesn't have anything to do with the supernatural stories I always hear about this city. 

It's cold outside, though thankfully not as cold as it had been in St. Louis. We're just a few streets away from the Mississippi River, so the breeze that travels down the streets every once in a while is not very pleasant. 

We stop into a few little shops as we walk along the streets. Some are creepy and a little weird, to which Harry finds entertainment in, and others are simply small trinket stores. The atmosphere of the city is incredible. It's not even 6:30 in the evening, and the streets are just as loud and exciting as I would imagine them to be at night.

Harry points at a few buildings, commenting on how cool he thinks they are, and tries to subtly point at people on the street that make him laugh. It's as if our silent car ride didn't just happen because he's returned to his goofy self. He smiles at me a lot more and there are times I catch him staring at me. Any time he touches my back to guide me into a store or brushes his hand against mine just to grab my attention, he's gentle and soft and making me feel as if I'm some kind of precious cargo of his. 

As we walk around one of the shops, I start to feel creeped out with all the witchcraft inspired items. Harry seems completely interested in everything he picks up, and when my phone begins to loudly ring throughout the shop, I'm glad I have an excuse to step outside for a moment. I wave at Harry to let him know I'll be out before he nods his head and turns back toward a thick book in his hands. When I step out the door, I press the phone to my ear and brace myself for another painful conversation. 

"Hello?"

"I hope you're at the airport," Colton's voice travels through the phone. 

I'm surprised it's taken him this long to call me, especially when his twenty-four-hour ultimatum ended about three hours ago. 

I roll my eyes at the situation in front of me. There's absolutely nothing I can say that will make him happy. Even if I told him I was already at the airport in Los Angeles, ready for him to pick me up, I'd receive an earful about my 'poor decisions' and how Harry is such a 'bad influence' and how I should've been there earlier. 

This conversation makes me wish I had Harry standing right beside me. Somehow he makes me feel a lot more comfortable whenever I talk to Colton.

I find an open bench and sit down as I inhale a breath. "Well then you're not going to be pleased to find out I'm not even close to the airport."

"Where the hell are you?"

"New Orleans."

"Why the fuck are you over there?"

"I didn't want to leave just yet. Harry and I left this morning to drive here. Colton, is it really such a bad thing for me to want to explore the U.S.? It can't be that horrible of me to want to make a quick stop in a few cities we pass by."

I can hear the anger and frustration in his voice as he speaks. "It's shitty because you told me before you left that you'd be here days ago!"

"I'm sorry, but I really want to explore new cities. I don't get to travel very often."

"You can explore cities over here, Felicity. You're so selfish!"

"How am I selfish?!" I nearly shout into the phone. It's now me that infuses anger and frustration into my voice. "I'm on this trip because of you! You told me you couldn't afford a trip back home, so I decided to spend my own money to come visit you. You want me to get to LA and you keep telling me what I'm supposed to do and you continue trying to control everything about me. Do my feelings ever cross your mind? The one time that I want to do something on my own, I'm being selfish? How-"

"Do you hear yourself? You-"

"I haven't finished talking!" I interrupt him. My heart is beating out of control and my cheeks are burning hot. I've caught the attention of several passersby with the raise in my voice, so I lower my head in embarrassment. I take in a deep breath to calm my emotions and regain my composure. "You've never asked me how I feel about anything. Everything I do isn't good enough for you, and nothing I do is ever appreciated. You haven't told me that you're excited to see me or that you're thankful I'm able to come visit. All you care about is me getting there as soon as possible. You only care about yourself and what can be done to benefit you."

As I finish talking, I feel tears threaten to fall. I have never been this honest with Colton. I've also never noticed how much his actions affect me. If he really wants me, he needs to change his behavior. Had it not been for Harry helping me realize what's going on, I never would have said anything to him. As much as I fought coming on this trip, I'm glad Sierra forced me into it. Without her, I would not have met Harry.

It hurts my heart coming to this realization. I've been with Colton for over four years and not once did I notice how self-centered he is. When I think about our relationship, I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that it's almost entirely one-sided. I do all the work and put in all the effort to keep us talking and seeing each other. If I didn't call him or send a message, he probably wouldn't contact me unless it's a Friday night and he's making sure I'm not going out with Sierra. I spend so much of my own money sending him gifts and trying to travel to see him and he hasn't spent a dime. Since we've been in college, he has yet to come visit me on his own. And I-

My brows draw together as I come to another realization. Was Colton lying about not having money to visit me this holiday break? He told me he couldn't afford coming home, but he has no problem spending over three hundred dollars on a plane ticket for me? It doesn't make any sense in my head. Am I missing something?

"Have you finished talking?" His voice pierces through my own thoughts. Just the sound of his voice irritates me and I nearly lose track of what I had just been thinking about.

"Did you hear anything I said? And I have to ask, where did you get the money to buy me-"

"Of course I listened to your rant," Colton interrupts as his voice grows firm and intimidating. I can picture him rolling his eyes at me. "So now I'm the selfish one? Unbelievable. Stop acting like the victim, Felicity. What do you think it's like for me to be sitting around waiting for you to show up? My girlfriend is driving around the country with some random guy that I don't know, nor will she tell me anything about. How do you think that makes me feel?"

I feel a bolt of guilt shoot through my body as I realize he's kind of right. He might not be the only one at fault here for the tension in our relationship the past week. I'm contributing to that. As much as I would like to blame him for everything that's wrong, I need to accept responsibility for my actions, too. I'm leaving him hanging.

"You've changed, Felicity," there's a shift in his tone of voice, and I can't tell if he's actually hurt. 

"I've stopped living my life your way. That's not a change, that's just me taking care of myself for once. I'm putting on the oxygen mask first."

I hang up the phone, not out of anger but because I don't see the conversation going any other direction. I'm surprisingly calm and the fact that we didn't end the conversation at a screaming match makes me feel a little better. I still have feelings of anger and frustration towards Colton, but the way his tone of voice shifted at the end lingers in my mind. Does he truly have a lot of emotions and care about me but just tries to hide it?

All of this makes me nervous to see him in person. Will I be able to express my feelings to him face-to-face the same way I'm able to talk about them on the phone? I'm scared that the moment he stands in front of me, I'll cave. I'm scared that I'll forget about the girl I'm trying so hard to become, the one that doesn't let people walk all over her and actually makes herself happy. 

When I stand up from the bench, planning to walk back into the store and ask Harry for a hug, my phone begins to ring once more. I don't even bother to see who's calling because I know it's Colton. And instead of ignoring it like I normally would, I answer the phone anyway. 

"I don't want to talk to you," I frustratedly groan into the receiver. "I have nothing to say."

"Felicity Jane Olesen! How dare you answer the phone so rudely to your mother."

I bring the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen. I was terribly mistaken thinking it was Colton when in reality it's my mother. I haven't talked to her in a week. Actually, I haven't talked to anyone in my family in a week. Another pang of guilt courses through my body as I realize it didn't even occur to me to call my parents and let them know how I'm doing. I'm their only child, how could I be so careless as to not inform them of my well-being?

"Oh. Mom. Hi. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"That is not how you should answer the phone to anyone. Where have your manners gone?" Very faintly I can hear her infamous sign of disapproval: the tsk tsk. "You haven't called any of us since you left New York."

Well the line goes both ways, Mother.

"Sorry. I've been ... busy, I guess."

"That's no excuse, young lady. You could have been dead and we wouldn't have known. We've been worried sick!"

"I know and I said I was sorry."

"How is California?" She moves on, thankfully changing the subject. "How is that sweet Colton of yours?"

I can't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her question. Of course she asks how he is before actually asking about me. She has never hid her love for him, thinking he's god's gift from heaven. He has always been a kiss-ass when it comes to my parents, so I'm not surprised that my mother loves him more than she loves me. She thinks he's a saint. Colton has her wrapped around his finger so tightly that she would never believe me if I said a bad word about him. 

In high school, Sierra always tried her best to plan our weekends together so that I wouldn't have time to spend with Colton. My mom had a fit when she found out, lecturing me about spending too much time with my friends and not giving enough of my attention to my boyfriend. My mother never failed to tell me nearly every chance she got that I'm lucky a guy like Colton would want to be with me. I couldn't tell if she pushed me to be with him because she genuinely liked him, or if it was because his family is pretty well-off. Owning a beach house in the Hamptons, a home in the French Alps, and vacationing every summer in some place tropical never looks like a bad thing. Maybe she assumed she would receive some of those benefits. I've only ever seen their house in the Hamptons. 

But anyway, Sierra's distaste towards Colton is the main reason my mother can't stand her. Sierra's lack of a filter and inability to keep her mouth shut on things she doesn't like are the reasons my mother always tried to prevent her from coming over. She didn't like hearing Sierra talk crap about my boyfriend for fear that I would eventually be brainwashed with the things she said and break up with Colton. 

"I haven't reached California yet," I answer her, ignoring the part about Colton.

"What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"Well, I'm in Louisiana with a friend."

"What friend? And what on earth are you doing there? Why haven't you told us? Felicity, what is going on?"

I've been outside for a while now, and at the rate this conversation is going, I'll be out here for a long time. I'm surprised Harry hasn't grown bored of the shop yet as he still hasn't come outside. Maybe he's already stepped into another shop and I haven't noticed because of my phone calls.

"I'm with one of Louis Tomlinson's friends. I told you I was taking a road trip with him instead of going on my own. There's just been a few detours on this drive, so it's taking longer than I planned."

"You're with a male? Does Colton know about this? Felicity, you haven't done anything to jeopardize your relationship, have you? You better get to California as soon as possible because it is rude to keep Colton waiting this long. Your behavior is atrocious."

"Right. Well, I've got to go. We're in a tunnel and I'm losing signal. I'll call you later."

Without waiting for a response, I hang up the phone and lean back into the bench. I feel exhausted already. Talking with Colton and my mother really drains every ounce of energy out of my body. It's interesting that I never noticed how they made me feel before.

Standing up from the bench, I finally get the chance to meet Harry back in the shop. I could really use one of his comforting hugs. Looking down at my phone, I see a few text messages from Colton but I refuse to read them. I'm not in the mood to see what he has to say. I already feel like crap and his texts aren't going to brighten my day.

As I lift my head up to watch where I'm going, I'm too late as I crash right into someone. My phone drops from my hand as I trip over my own feet and fall forward. My expectation to meet the ground face first is unmet as an arm wraps around my waist to keep me from going anywhere. With lightning fast reflexes, I see a second arm reach out to catch my phone before it hits the concrete. 

For just a moment I believe it to be Harry that catches me. It's entirely possible that he walked out of the shop at the right time and bumped into me as I wasn't paying attention. But when I inhale the cologne of the man holding me, I know it's a complete stranger.

The guy is just about my height and very slim. His hair is one solid shade of black and styled without one piece out of place, his skin is tan despite the winter season, and his eyes are the brightest pair of brown eyes I've ever seen. The sharpness in his jawline and the prominence of his cheekbones are stunning in such a way I never thought possible. As I look up at him, it's like seeing a male model straight out of a magazine. Despite living in New York, where models are typically born, I haven't been this close to someone that looks this untouchable before. 

"I'm so sorry," I find the ability to speak as my cheeks deepen in color, feeling embarrassed for colliding with him. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." 

He pulls me upright so that I'm standing straight, still keeping one arm around me. It feels awkward, even if he's attractive. "Don't worry about it. You wouldn't be the first."

"You have incredible reflexes," I note, pointing towards my phone.

He laughs and hands the device back to me. "I guess so."

"Well, I'm sorry for bumping into you."

"You've already apologized," he grins and finally lets go of my waist. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have been running down the street like a maniac."

The guy straightens out his jacket and dusts the sleeves. I'm not sure if I should say something else or just let him be on his merry way.

"Are you from around here?" I hear myself asking. At the look of skepticism on his face, I quickly try to say something else. "Um. I'm only asking because this is my first time here, and I just thought you'd maybe be able to recommend some places to check out. Food, entertainment, a hotel to stay in. Anything would be nice, really. I don't know. I'm rambling, I'm sorry."

"I do live here, and I'd be more than happy to suggest some places to see," he laughs as a bright smile crosses his face. He holds one hand out to me to shake. "Forgive my lack of manners. I may have caught your phone, but I didn't catch your name."

"Felicity," I smile as I shake his hand. In the corner of my eye I catch Harry walking out of the shop, staring at me with widened eyes.

The guy in front of me returns my smile and gives my hand a light squeeze. "A beautiful name and a pleasure to meet you. I'm Zayn."

A/N: Hi! @kissmecake so kindly made a trailer for this story, I've attached it to the chapter. It's super cute, so take a look and give her a follow! x