‘Hannah, please don’t cry. I hate it when girls cry. I don’t know what the hell to do.’
This makes me smile in spite of everything, and I rest my head on his shoulder, and squeeze his arm, desperate for a comforting hug. He has one hand on the wheel, and is hugging me back as best he can, when a car suddenly pulls up in front of us, and Alex gets out.
‘He’s got a knife,’ I squeal to Harry, who central-locks the car.
‘It’s okay, we’ve got this. He’s not hurting anyone,’ he says calmly, never taking his eyes from Alex, a dark figure silhouetted in the headlights, arms in the air.
He walks closer, comes around to the passenger window, and it’s then he sees Harry. The realisation makes his mouth fall open in surprise, and he starts banging hard on my window, as if he’s hitting me in the face.
I flinch and yell, ‘Drive, drive,’ and Harry puts his foot down, swerving on the icy road, the snow adding extra slide as the wheels spin, giving Alex time to get back in his car. I watch him in the side mirror, shouting at Harry to ‘go, go,’ and eventually we start to move and slide along the ground, with Alex tearing after us.
Harry is as scared as me, and driving so fast I’m worried for our lives. On the coast road, the sheer drop is terrifying, but on black ice, it’s treacherous. We can’t see a thing in the dark, and Harry’s having trouble keeping the car on the road. We turn a bend and almost go over the edge, and Harry’s so frightened he pulls up at the next visible gap in the road, with Alex right behind us.
‘Harry – we can’t stop here.’ I glance behind me to see Alex pulling up a few feet away. ‘Harry! He’s getting out of the car! Please drive,’ I’m begging him, terrified.
‘No,’ he says calmly, turning off the engine, the lights. ‘I’m going to talk to him.’ And he opens his door, the icy wind whips through the car, cold and dangerous, and he steps out into the darkness.
‘NO!’ I’m yelling at the top of my voice. But he’s gone, and has closed the car door behind him and locked the doors. I watch him in the rear-view mirror walking back a few yards to where I presume Alex is waiting. I can’t see him, and now I can’t see Harry either.
I sit and wait, wondering if I should have got out of the car and helped Harry. I know he wanted to talk, but Alex may have turned it into a fight, and I’ve seen how angry he gets. Two of us might have overpowered Alex, but on his own, I can’t imagine Harry standing much of a chance if Alex starts on him. Harry’s always said he’s a lover not a fighter, and whereas he thinks talking will work with Alex, I’m not convinced. I hope to God it isn’t Alex who returns and finds me locked in the car, a sitting target. I check my phone to call the police, but there’s still no signal out here. I have nothing to protect me, and if Alex hurts Harry, and returns with the knife, I know my life is over.
Eventually, I see someone in the rear mirror. They are walking towards the car, and I swear I see the flash of metal. It’s Alex, he must have stabbed Harry and now he’s going to get me. I duck down, lying my head on the gearstick, unable to breathe I’m so scared. I hear the thud of the lock being opened by the key fob, and hear myself gasp, then I hear a whimpering noise, and realise it’s me. The door opens, and a blast of freezing wind whips into the car and I slowly lift my head to see who it is.
‘You okay?’ It’s Harry, and as he climbs in, I grab him and hug him too tight.
He hugs me back and we sit there for a long time just holding each other, as I sob into his chest.
Eventually, we pull apart. ‘Did he hurt you?’ I ask, but he doesn’t answer, just sits with his head on the steering wheel and for a few moments he seems shaken.
‘Harry, what happened, where is he?’ I say, looking behind the car – my relief was temporary, I’m now scared again.