Heartbeat

Driving Lessons; Panic

Song of the chapter-

Over again by One Direction



Harry-

**2 Weeks Later**

I sit in the passengers seat of my car, Alex slumped in the drivers seat, blue eyes set on me in a matter that showed me she was in an impatient mood.

"Just start the car, it's not going to be that hard, I promise you." I encourage her.

I'd driven out to an empty parking lot with her, determined on teaching her to drive today. But she didn't want to, informing me that there is 'no point to it', I quote from her whiteboard. I told her there was a point, because everybody needs to learn to drive and she is eighteen.

"Go on." I tell her again.

She huffs out a breath and sits up in the car, her small, dainty hands working to turn the key. It struggles to start, and soon cuts off to a silence. She try's again with my encouragement, and when it shuts off again she mumbles something under her breath that I couldn't hear, but it made me smile brightly anyways. To see her become so comfortable around me that she's starting to murmur things and mumble under her breath without acknowledging it makes me happy.

"Third time is always the one." I tell her amusedly with a smile.

Her jaw tightens as she turns the key again, her features relaxing as the engine comes to life. The air conditioner and heater is still broke, so our jackets remain on our bodies to keep us somewhat warm.

"Okay, now just put it in drive, but keep your foot on the break." I instruct her. She shoots me a glance before doing as told, putting the car into drive, her foot pushing down on the brake.

"Now let go of the break, and just barely give it any gas for now." I tell her.

She sits up in her seat a little more, as if it will help her from making any mistakes. When she'd first settled in the seat she'd had to adjust the chair so she could reach the pedals. Her pink lips part as she concentrates on her actions, foot being eased off the brake and onto the gas. The car jolts from her giving it too much gas, making me chuckle in my seat as she freaks out a little bit, slamming on the brakes which caused another jolt to be made.

"It's okay, it's okay." I laugh.

"Just barely give it anything." I say.

She nods her head, flustered as she tightens her hands on the steering wheel. She did okay this time, the car moving slowly through the vacant parking lot, her turns not so well.

"Maybe you're worse than Eleanor." I tell her with a smile, causing her to send me a glare from over her shoulder.

"I'm kidding, you're doing well."

After a half hour or so Alex finally had enough of trying to back into parking spots and trying to parallel park and insisted she wanted to stop. So I laughed and got out of the car to switch sides with her, smiling to myself as she climbed over the center concle instead of getting out of the car.


*****

Alex-


"Would you guys want to go? I mean it should be really fun don't you think?" Eleanor asks us from the drivers seat of her car. I felt as if I had been in a car enough that day, but since Harry had gone to work I didn't have anything else to do, and Eleanor asked if I wanted to go to lunch.

I shrug my shoulders to a suggestion of a night out with the group, never having gone to a club in my life let alone drink. I know I'll be fine if Harry was with me, but it's just out of my element.

"I know you'll come around to the idea, you have the rest of the week to think about it." El smiles.

I sit in the passengers seat with my hand holding onto the door, being ready for any sudden stops or turns she makes. Sometimes I feel a little bit overwhelmed while driving with her, the first time wasn't bad, but over the last few times I've driven with her I feel a little anxiety creep up on me. It's just a problem I have, always being aware while I'm driving with someone, because I don't want to get into an accident and relive the last one.

I trust Harry while driving because he is a great driver, I never have to worry about it while being with him. Maybe thats why I've refused to drive all these years, I'm just paranoid sometimes. I listen to her as she talks about the plans for this weekend, telling me she really hopes I will come along because it wouldn't be the same without Harry and I, who will only tag along if I do.

The radio was a bit too loud for my liking. I wanted to reach out and turn it off completely because it was too much with her talking as well. It's not helping that all day the accident has been on my mind since I drove Harrys car this morning. I've felt just a little queasy all morning. And its when Eleanor makes a harsh stop at a light that turned red when she wasn't paying attention, that the car is propelled forward by the car behind us ramming into her bumper, my lungs clogging up and my hand clutching desperately onto the door handle, eyes squeezing closed as I hear Eleanor curse loudly, a slight pain in my neck.

I hear honking cars from behind us, knowing the light had turned green but the accident was holding it up. The honks grow more frequent as they speed around us, making my heart hammer against my chest, all the noises making it harder for me to breath. I didn't want to open my eyes because I knew I would cry if I did, all I could think of was last time, and I thought if I did open my eyes it would be just the same as before, seeing them...seeing the blood...

"Alex?" I hear Eleanor call my name, my breathing erratic.

I hear a knock on her window, but still do not open my eyes as I hear her apologizing over and over to the man who'd hit us because of her recklessness. I felt like I was going to throw up, because my stomach was churning and I couldn't get a full breath sucked in to help my burning lungs. When I hear Eleanor trying to talk to me again I pop my door open blindly, prying my eyes open when I knew I wasn't inside the car anymore, eyesight meeting the asphalt which I now sit on my knees upon, hands pressed to the cold ground as I try and heave breaths in, not knowing if it was my tears that were making my face cold, or the wind. Am I even crying?

"Alex what's going on? What's wrong?" Eleanor keeps repeating those questions, her voice ringing in my ears along with the cars who zoom by us, still honking.

When I start coughing by the lack of oxygen in my lugs I know she started to panic as she kneeled beside me, the man who sill remains at the scene asking if he should call 911. I shake my head furiously, knowing that will just make more memories come back to reality.

"Harry." I choke out, not caring at the way she gasped by the sound of my voice as I coughed out his name again, pleading for her to get him here.

I just needed him to help me. He knows. He will know what's going on.


****

Eleanor had basically dragged me off the busy road with the help of the man who had been in the accident as well, who kept insisting on calling for help, already having called a tow truck. But I would shake my head with sobs and struggled breaths each time.

I knew it wouldn't take it long for Harry to get here because his work was close, but the longer it took the harder it was to breath. Because the noises and voices were muffled and every time I tried to force myself to stop crying another wave would hit me. I don't even know what's happening, it's like I can't control my intakes of breath and I can't think straight. Sitting on my knees with my hands placed to the cold concrete again, I tired to calm down, Eleanor's hand running over my back.

I heard Harrys voice before seeing him, Eleanor's presence leaving me, his cologne filling my jumbled senses as he crouched down beside me, arms engulfing me into his body.

"It was a tiny accident, I don't know what happened to her, she just started bawling." Eleanor speaks to Harry.

I hear him murmur something to her, but couldn't make out what it was as I clung onto him for dear life.

"Breath Alex, just breath. It's okay, you're fine."

Between the tears and the attempts to breath I was a blubbering mess against his chest, getting angry at myself for not being able to control my emotions and reign myself in.

"Everything's fine, you're fine, you're perfectly fine, love. Nobody is hurt, everyone is safe."

I tried to listen to his words as I racked with sobs against him.



**


When I woke up I knew I was in my bed without having to open my eyes. My sheets smell like a mixture of my strawberry shampoo and Harrys calogne from all the times he's been in this bed with me. I knew he was in here with me, I can hear him clearing his throat in that way that he always does, that little habit of his that I find quite cute. But I kept my eyes closed because I didn't want to have to face him, I didn't want to talk about it yet.

I feel embarrassed for acting in such a way, I feel foolish for not being able to control my own body from behaving in that way. He must've thought I was crazy or something, sitting on the sidewalk bawling my eyes out over a little accident.

"Alex?" I hear his voice ask in a hushed tone from above me, in a voice that was curious if I was still in my heavy eyed state or awake.

I decide to open my eyes, seeing him knelt beside my bed.

"Are you alight?" He asks me.

I nod my head, feeling small and vulnerable. I wanted him to just lay down with me so I could stop thinking about what happened, and so I could stop thinking about what Eleanor probably thinks of me now. I see my whiteboard perched on my nightstand, surprised at how weak I feel as I retrieve it along with my marker. It also made me discover that my neck is a little sore still.

I'm sorry for the way I acted

His eyes are torn from my face to read over the words.

"Why would you be sorry Alex?" His hand rests onto the mattress near my own.

"You were scared, and you had a reason to be." He murmurs.

I didn't want to talk about it anymore, so I moved my hand the needed amount to grab onto his, pulling it as a signal for him to lay down in the bed with me. And when he did, pulling me into his side it helped me forget, just like I knew it would.



I pulled together a few of you're guys's ideas that I was fond of, hope you enjoyed :)