perspective | wroetoshaw

Chapter 24

We'd been cuddling on his bed for just over an hour when a series of loud noises outside of his room made me jump up from my position. 

"Mmm, what's wrong?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes, holding onto my wrist gently. He'd been in and out of sleep, so it didn't really surprise me. 

"Something's going on in the hallway, just scared me a little bit," I tell him, assuming it was probably Freezy doing some shit. 

"It'll be him taking his shit out of the apartment," Harry spoke casually, as if it was nothing. 

I'd forgotten about that...I'd tried to wipe my mind clear of everything that had happened earlier, but now, as I looked over at Harry with the cuts and bruises on his face, all of it started coming back. 

"Harry - you don't have to kick him out just because of me, you do know that, right? You can just come to my place, he's your friend, I get it, I don't wanna -"

"Shut up and come back here," he whispered, pulling me back down slightly, motioning me to cuddle him again. I know he meant it jokingly, but this was also a serious situation, and I worried that he was going to regret not changing his mind. 

"Not until you at least go and say goodbye to him," I tell him, standing my ground, staying sat up. 

"Eddie, I don't want to -"

"If you don't, I will," I tell him stubbornly, wiggling my arm out of his grasp, starting to get out of his bed. 

"Eddie, stop it! Come back here, please?! Eddie! Fuck, fine! Fine, you win, I'll go!" He hisses, his voice gradually getting louder, until he's out of bed, walking full speed towards me. 

"Why are you so insistent? I thought you hated him, I was just gonna let him go, no drama or anything," he speaks quietly, his hands intertwined with mine. 

"I don't hate - I just, I dunno. But he's your best friend, and I hate that I've managed to come in between you both. You guys have been so close for so -"

"If he stays here are you gonna feel comfortable coming round?" He asks quickly, barely giving me any time to form a normal reaction, leaving me speechless, and staring at him open mouthed. 

He took that as an answer, nodding his head and pursing his lips. "Exactly. I'll go out and watch him leave, but I'm not going to let someone who talked about you like that stay here, at my place. No fucking way," he spoke firmly, and he sounded very adamant about his decision. 

He let go of my hands, opening the door and walking out into the hallway. I stayed in his room, just leaning against the door so I could supervise - sort of, anyway. I'd be able to hear if anything was to go haywire, that was enough. 

"Mind if I come in and chat?" A voice to my left startles me a little, but I realise it's just Lux, looking a little dejected. 

"Yeah, course," I smile, widening Harry's door, instead just praying nothing kicks off tonight. I hadn't spoken to Lux since apologising to him earlier today, not really being sure of what I could say to make him feel better. 

"Freezy asked me whose side I was on earlier...whose fucking side! Why does there have to be sides? Why can't I be friends with both of them? I don't get it...I don't get any of it," he tells me, looking out of Harry's window. 

I can sense the frustration in his voice, I can sense the anger, the hurt. I can hear all of it, and deep down I do blame myself for not keeping my mouth shut...it would've been so much easier if I could've just moved on from it all. 

"I'm really sorry, Cal. I tried talking him down, I tried telling him -"

"Me too, don't worry. It's not your fault, Eddie. Harry loves ferociously, he'll do anything for the people he cares about the most, and it's something no one can control. Don't stress," he advises me, and for the first time today, I feel a slight sweep of relief. 

"Thank you...and about the side thing, I'm sure it'll settle down soon...I'll keep trying to talk to Harry, and hopefully he'll realise he misses his best friend, and everything between the three of you will be fine again," I ramble, and at this point it sounds like I'm trying to convince myself too. 

He was about to say something back, but there's more shouting from outside the room...clearly the two of them had gotten heated again. 

"For fuck sake," Cal whispered, rushing out of the room, out to where the shouting was coming from. I hurried behind him, hoping I could be at least some help.

"How many fucking times have I got to tell you that she's different?! I told you right from the start to never mix that shit with her! Especially her! Those exact fucking words you prick!" Harry was shouting, pointing an accusing finger at Freezy, who was surrounded by suitcases, along with big bags. 

"You don't have to kick me out of my fucking place like this though?! You're making this shit into such a big deal! And for what? For her? For someone like her?" He asks, and it feels like a kick in the teeth, because this was coming from someone I'd watched religiously throughout my teenage years...someone I'd idolised, someone I'd looked up to. 

Lux looked back at me, and then back at Harry who had literally pounced onto Cal, but Lux hadn't stepped in to stop it, instead holding me back from going to stop Harry. 

"Leave him, leave them," he whispered, pulling me back from the fight. 

"What are you doing?!" I screeched, pushing him back because from what I could see, Cal was fighting back just as hard now. Two fully grown adult men having it out in their kitchen...normally it would be amusing, except right now I could see flashes of blood, the sound of knuckles making contact with each other, and Lux wasn't even stepping in. 

"Lux, please, Harry's getting hurt now too!" I plead with him, causing his tight grip to become a little softer. 

He looks back, nervously biting his lip. it's obvious he had initially stayed back to let Harry get a few hits in because of what Cal had said, but his plan had only backfired.

He did a full one eighty, letting go of me and running over to them, heading straight for Cal, as physically he was lighter than Harry. It took him longer than I expected, but he managed to pull Cal off of Harry, allowing me to go over to him, dragging him away from the other two, still swearing blindly at them both, and at me until he started to realise who I was. 

"It's me! It's Eddie you fucking asshole, stop calling me names and look at - oh my god," I whispered, taking a look at his face, which was way beyond my medical skills to fix. 

"Eddie! Are you okay? Why are you saying oh god?" He asked, moving a tuft of hair out of his face. 

"Harry...your face," I say slowly, rubbing my thumb gently across his cheek, frowning when he winces at my touch. "I can't...I won't be able to clean all of this properly, you're gonna have to get it checked out," I tell him, holding his hand. 

"At least tell me he came off worse?" he asked me, and I was about to tell him I hadn't seen Cal's face when Lux came over and answered the question instead. 

"He did. And to answer his question from earlier, I'm on whatever side this is," he says to me, giving me a side smile before concentrating on Harry's face. "He needs -"

"- to get checked out, yeah, I know, Eds already told me. Are we going or what?" He asked, squeezing my hand and fist bumping Lux with his spare hand.  

"Yeah - I guess?" I say out loud, unsure of how he's able to be so calm after literally getting beaten up, but decide to roll with it anyway. 

"I'll drive...Harry will crash the car because he's injured, and, well, Eddie is Eddie," Lux teases, darting out the way before I have time to hit him. 

"I'll get you for that one, McGinley."