You're The Only Hope For Me

They’d gotten into the car and Frank had turned the music on again, Black Flag this time.
Hazel didn't know the song but she was content to sit and listen to Frank, who obviously did, sing along to it. He had a beautiful voice she decided whilst she was listening to him, she would tell him that later she also decided whilst listening to him.
The drive took quite a while as they were going from the countryside into the city but Hazel enjoyed it. About halfway there the CD ended and Frank started asking Hazel about what bands she liked
She listed them and he nodded after each one.
"Blink182, All Time Low, Pierce The Veil, Fall Out Boy-"
He interrupted her when she got to Fall Out Boy, "Oh! Fall Out Boy?" He said, "I know Pete Wentz from that band, he and my friends brother hung out a lot, we still keep in contact a bit. Tell you what; I'll have to arrange a meet up with him for you."
"Oh yes please!" Hazel cried and Frank laughed.
"Yeah, I think I will. Remind me to at some point."
"Yeah, I'll make sure I will. There's no chance of you forgetting!" Hazel replied and Frank continued to laugh as he found another CD to put on, this time the Misfits, and they both jammed out to Skulls as the car sped along the road.
The shopping centre itself was pretty big, with some shops in a traditional high street layout and others in an enclosed building. Although it had some old fashioned traits, it generally all looked quite modern, bright and clean - all in all, quite a nice and attractive place to spend an afternoon.
Whilst they were walking along the street Hazel felt herself become very self-conscious. She felt that all the shoppers were looking at her, of course she knew they weren't, but there was a part inside her that felt like they were all judging her.
Also, she felt really guilty for this, but she couldn't help watch all the male passer-by’s closely, thinking about how likely it was that they could be like those men who had kidnapped her. She wondered about what they were all thinking and whether they were in fact planning on capturing girls themselves. It was perfectly understandable given the situation she'd been in previously, but she still felt bad and very scared.
She was aware of a heaviness building up inside her, at first it wasn't that noticeable but she could feel it getting worse. She thought she was going to have a panic attack. She wasn't prone to panic attacks but she knew what one was like, and did not want to experience one - especially not in her current surroundings and company.
"Please not now," she pleaded in her thoughts, "No no, anytime but now."
The terror must have shown on her face because Frank stopped walking to have a look at her, concern clearly etched across his face.
"Hazel? Are you alright?" He asked, his voice conveying concern as clearly as his face was, "What's wrong?"
"I-" Hazel started but couldn't find the words, "All these people... I feel uncomfortable.. No I don't mean- well yeah but, I'm worried that-"
He took both of her hands in his; the warmth and strength of them immediately making her feel a bit better.
"Look, Hazel," he began, "I know you're going to be scared, I mean who wouldn't after they'd gone through what you have? But I want you to know that I'll protect you, okay? I won't let anything or anyone hurt you, at all. If you feel threatened or uncomfortable in any way, then just tell me. Please don't feel you must remain quiet, don't be afraid of me," he laughed then, "Despite my tattoos and piercings, I'm not really that scary, am I?"
Hazel giggled a little, and he released one of her hands but kept hold of the other. Hazel would never have admitted it, but she was glad that he did.
As they continued walking through the shops Hazel felt herself grow lighter, like she could feel the heavy weight being lifted. She imagined all the other shoppers who walked past looking at them, would they see the two of them as a couple? Secretly, Hazel hoped they did, though she was glad that Frank couldn't read her thoughts. Maybe he was thinking the same as she was; she sneaked a glance at his face and saw that he had a smile fixed upon it, similar to the one on hers. Could it be possible? Hazel smiled even wider, imaging what could happen if he was. Frank’s hand was larger than hers and she liked the feel of her small hand being enclosed in his big one, his grasp felt strong yet very gentle and warm.
When they got into the shops Hazel became slightly nervous about choosing and trying on clothes. What if she chose something too expensive? What if it didn't fit her and she came out the changing rooms to put it back on the shelf looking like an idiot? What if it didn't suit her?
But she didn't need to worry because Frank took care of all of that. He pulled out clothes from all over the place saying that they'd suit her because "it brings out the blue in your eyes" or "you could wear it with this". He was also very good at picking out matches, he would acquire two items which she would never had thought would go well, but when he held them together they complimented each other perfectly. He even knew a little bit about which shoes were suitable for which season, which ones you would NEVER where when walking on a wooden floor and which ones were more appropriate for parties than everyday life.
"Oh my best friend just loves helping people choose outfits." He laughed when Hazel commented on this, "There's just some things that rub off on you I guess."
He asked Hazel if he wanted a hoodie when they came across a shop that sold band merch, and she was tempted to say yes although she couldn't decide which one so just politely declined.
"Ah it's fine," He said, "You can just wear all my hoodies, I've got loads anyway."
Which Hazel decided was almost as good as getting a band hoodie, possibly even better!
He would look at her for approval before buying whatever it was he was examining, and when he was paying for it he tried not to let everyone see how much he was spending. Hazel could tell he definitely had money, but she admired the fact that he wasn't splashing it everywhere or trying to buy things just for the sake of it. He seemed to be someone who wanted to be liked for himself, rather than his money. He'd already managed that with her, Hazel blushed slightly at the thought.
In one particular shop they'd bought some soap, as Frank said he was running out. He asked her if she wanted make-up and she hesitated before answering.
Yeah, she did want make-up but she didn’t want to say that to him. She'd feel too much like she was being demanding things from him and that she was taking advantage of his money.
"Ermmm," was the only response she could think of without pouring out her entire thought stream.
He looked at her for a moment then smiled brightly, "Yeah, I'll get you make-up!" He beamed and gently pulled her in the direction of the cosmetics, where they picked out the suitable ones together. Frank messing about with the testers to make her laugh, and buying eyeliner for himself too.
They went round various stores, talking and laughing about random nonsense with Frank gathering clothes to fit out her new wardrobe. He even bought her slippers which would match the carpet and the wallpaper in his house! He also bought other things along the lines of household supplies, healthy food and other foods like chocolate and crisps. The time passed really quickly and although they were shopping for over three hours, it felt like less than one! As the time passed Hazel found that as the time passed, she was becoming more open and unafraid to be herself, it was definitely a result of Frank’s charm, and he seemed rather pleased with himself for coaxing her out of her protective shell. Normally she would have minded, in fact normally she wouldn’t have even thought about expressing herself, but for some reason she didn’t care. This felt right. There were definitely worse ways to spend an afternoon than walking round the shopping centre and laughing with an attractive guy, Hazel actually found herself quite enjoying the whole thing.
She was aware of the grin plastered across her face but, try as she might, she couldn’t subdue it. She didn’t even know what she was so hyped about, yeah a guy was holding her hand, a kind and good-looking guy at that, but did she really need to be this excited about it? She felt safe and happy, like she didn't care about anything right now. Which she didn't - like Frank said, he would protect her.
And Frank kept hold of her hand the whole time.

Notes

I promise this day will end soon, it's a very long day, like a very very long day as you can tell c':