It took everything in me not to jump out of my seat and up the stage.

Every inch of my skin itched with the urge to look straight into her eyes, and touch her with my very own hands to convince myself it was actually her standing there; so close to me, sharing the same breathing space after all this time.

Every emotion you can think of, I experienced it to the fullest.

Shock, anxiety, fear, release, joy, despair. You name it, I felt it. All at once and in full force, swirling within me and rioting against my sanity.

I was restless to say the least, and more than twice Louis had to just punch me fiercely on the thigh so I would stop stirring on my chair.

"I need some air." I told him when the show, which to me seemed to last an eternity, was finally over and the lights when on again.

I did't want to leave. I didn't want to lose her out of my sight ever again; but if I didn't step outside and let some air into my lungs I was going to faint.

I excused myself to Louis's family, and politely smiling but declining taking pictures with a few girls who approached me, I stepped outside and just stood there.

I thought about what I saw, about her looking so content and focused. I though about the way she smiled happily when she went back to the stage after the kids finished their dancing, and the entire room was filled with the clapping and cheering of all the oh so proud parents.

And then something happened. Something that, as I walk slowly behind her, I never even noticed creeping in until it was there, occupying my whole mind and screaming loudly.

Every single emotion I had coursing through me, is like they suddenly decided to merge into one powerful feeling.

I'm angry. Furious, actually.

"Hello, Miss Lea." The contempt in my voice is as unmistakable as it was unexpected, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

She stops dead in her tracks, and I can see how her arms twist around her as she judders so visibly. And it makes my backbone follow suit.

I can feel my blood run cold as I wait for her to turn around; the anticipation of it building up inside of me and driving me closer to the edge.

But she doesn't move, at least not the way I was expecting her to. Instead, she just resumes her walking.

It takes me a few seconds to react, and I start moving forward, taking long strides to catch up with her just enough to stay a few steps behind her.

"Walking away, uh?" I say when I know she will be able to hear me clearly. "Why am I not surprised?"

Again, the words come out spiteful and cold, but I don't even make the attempt to rephrase or soften them up.

It's like all these months, all these days and hours of missing her, of wondering where she was or how she was doing, I have spent them missing and worrying about a girl who was happily living a new life.

And as much as I know I should be glad she's not as messed up as I am; I'm kind of hurt that she's not.

"Just leave me alone, Harry." She says without even stopping, and barely turning her head around for me to hear her. "Please..."

The sound of her voice is like a punch to my guts. Not just because it is the first time, since the other girl was the only one who spoke, that I hear it in months; but because there is so much fear dwelling in it.

My suddenly hardened heart cracks a little; but only superficially. The anger is running way too deep for me to tame it.

"I won't leave. I will follow you until you turn around and face me." I say though gritted teeth. "So... face me."

We are reaching the street intersection when she abruptly stops, and I barely manage not to clash against her.

And then she turns around, fast and determined like a whip. And the sight of her face, contorted into a grimace of fear, along with the fact that she's so close to me I can feel her ragged breath on me, causes my heart to crack a little further.

What am I doing? Bullying her into a conversation neither of us were expecting to have today, let alone in the middle of the street?

"What now!?" She blurts out, taking a jumpy step back upon realizing the closeness of our bodies.

The way her eyes stare back into mine, wide open and clouded with tears, shakes me to the bones but my reflexes act quickly enough to grab her by the arm and pull her out of the street just as a car passes right by her with a deafening honk.

"Dick! Watch it!" I scream at the driver even though is not really his fault, and he flashes me the finger while mouthing a curse I don't quite catch. "Are you okay?"

I can feel her shaking under my hands but I don't loosen my grip on her. Instead, my other hand goes to brush the hair off her face as if I were trying to see if she got hurt. Which of course is stupid because the car never even grazed her.

For a second she just looks at me, and it's like all this time without seeing each other never really went by.

It feels like it is just another day of us being us; Harry and Lea, the best man and the flower girl.

It is as though we were just walking home from a date night and I stopped her in the middle of the street just to kiss her for no reason other than wanting to do it right away.

In the most literal way, time simply stood still. Or even better, it went backwards.

But the problem with that, as beautiful as it is, is that the moment time decides to start ticking again - and believe you me, it always does -, it's like it wants so badly to fill the gap, to fix the glitch of the matrix, it begins to unfold at the speed of light.

"Hey, you! What the hell are you doing!?"

Right on schedule. Time is balancing the scale, and this girl whom I quickly recognize as the other girl from the stage, is running down the block and towards us.

"Lea..." She's panting by the time she gets to where we are, and I can now read the alarmed expression on her face. "What's going on? Who are you?"

I look at her and then back at Lea. Her eyes are still glued to my face and her expression hasn't change a bit; like she just never noticed or heard her friend coming.

"I'm..." I stutter, too baffled to form a coherent sentence. "She..."

"Listen, mate!" She cuts me off, frantically rummaging through the contents of her bag. "I have mace and a hell of a lot of experience with it."

I realize that I still have a hold, and pretty strongly I may add, on Lea's arms and I quickly let her go at her friend's threat.

"Wow! Easy." I breathe out, raising my hands over my head and taking a considerable step backwards. "I was just..."

"He was helping me." Lea finally speaks up, snapping out of her state and blinking the tears away. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I almost crossed during the green light."

She looks at me again, clearly begging me in silence not to say a single word.

I'm still angry. That little episode didn't change that. So I should just care little to nothing about what she wants and introduce myself as who I am.

But I just keep my mouth shut; listening to the girl apologizing profusely for her outburst and nodding.

"It's okay." I reassure her, giving her a strained smile that actually hurts. "But I was wondering if I could just have a minute alone with her... Lea?"

The girl looks at me strangely, confused as to what I could possibly have to say to her friend that she can't hear; but she just shrugs and makes the attempt to step away.

"Actually, we have to get going." Lea says, grabbing her friend like she's the only piece of wreckage floating in the ocean.

And before I have the chance to talk back, to object, a taxi is slowing down beside me.

"What is it with you and strange men on the street?" I hear her friend ask her with an amused tone as they slip inside the car.

They are gone half a second later. And I'm left alone and dizzy; rehashing the last five minutes in my head and trying to figure out what in the bloody hell just hit me.

~~~~~
A/N

I am back! Saddened by the fact that my wonderful trip has come to an end, but officially excited about carry on with this story!

I had sone wonderful ideas, which I hope won't slip out of my mind before I can put them into words!

I can't wait for you to read them and I hope you had the most lovely holidays!

Love you and missed you all, and let's get on with this!

All the love!

Lucy.