3 days of soup, sex and sun salutations [H.S]

9. Morning sunrise

Lizzie's POV

Jefferson Airplane are playing in the background, but Lizzie can barely hear them. She's soaked with rain and her mascara is running down her face. She tries to dry it away, but it gets stuck in her eyes and burns even more. What a shitty day, and shitty night.

It had started out so well, but then Tom had gone and kissed Mary and she thought, maybe stupidly, that they had had something. Apparently not. She chokes on another heart wrenching sob and feels her heart squeeze in her chest. She keeps imagining scenarios in her mind, all the 'what ifs' spinning and making her dizzy. She thinks of Tom, somewhere deep in that crowd, maybe with Mary, maybe not, and it burns her like the end of a cigarette. Maybe he was right? Maybe what they had was nothing, and that she was imagining things that weren't ever real? She knows deep in her soul, though, that it isn't true, that the kiss they shared was special.

She vaguely remembers seeing Tom that first time, as he came into their English class in year seven. It wasn't particularly love at first sight, but for her gawky, 12 year old self, she was endeared. It was only luck that Harry and Tom bonded over music at recess, so that she had a chance to carefully watch him talk about Simon & Garfunkel, his blue eyes shining with want to impress. He still got that look sometimes, especially when talking to Harry. It was like everything in his body was just aching to make Harry proud. She got that. Harry was the type of person that you wanted to make proud.

Slowly emerging from her thoughts, she dries her eyes on her also wet arm, sniffling slightly before rising from the rock she's sat on. Where is Harry, really? He'd been absolutely sloshed the last time she saw him, and she might have told him to fuck off, so who knows where he's at. Hopefully alive, she thinks to herself, partly as a joke but also with genuine concern.

The sun has risen completely when Lizzie comes back to their tent. She looks in, but Harry isn't there, and his sleeping bag isn't either. She walks off to the trees that cover their sleeping bags and miraculously, the ground is somehow dry. She sees Harry's hair before she sees all of him, just a ball of hair messily put up with a pink hair tie. She smiles weakly at the sight of him, he's looking terrible, honestly. He's muddy all the way up to his face, covered in a layer of rain water and sweat. He hasn't got a shirt on.

She grabs her sleeping bag from the tree, laying it down next to him. She takes off her shoes that are absolutely soaked, puts them in a sunny spot in hope that they will dry, and crawls down in the bag, like a larvae into a cocoon. She rolls up next to her childhood best friend, craving his loving touch. He stirs a little in his sleep, slowly opening his eyes and looking at her.

"Hey", he mumbles, sleepy and hoarse.

"Hey", she whispers back, before he lays an arm around her, clearly sensing her distress and sadness even through his hazy state.

They sleep, Lizzie fighting with dreams of Harry and Tom and Mary and a lot of tall, dark skinned girls that are throwing themselves at her best friends. Every time she wakes up though, Harry's strong arms are holding her, his alcohol breath somehow calming her, rocking her back to sleep again. She doesn't know how long they sleep like that, but eventually, she falls into a dreamless sleep, tears drying on her cheeks.

She wakes up, hours later, by Linda slowly shaking her shoulder.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you?" She sits down next to Lizzie's sleeping bag, dressed in a shirt that has to be Brian's.

Lizzie has to stretch a little before answering. Her head is pumping with blood and her eyes are swollen and dry.

"I dunno yet..." She croaks out, looking up to her newfound friend. She looks around for Harry, but he's not there.

"I heard about Tom... Mary told me", Linda says carefully.

Lizzie's chest shrinks to the size of a peanut at those words. Of course Mary told her.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie." A warm hand on her shoulder, squeezing her dirty skin.

Lizzie nods, not knowing how to react. Linda gives her some bottled water and she gulps it down, parched. Her head has stopped pounding and is replaced by a headache around her ears. Linda sits there, next to her, just stroking her shoulder slowly.

"Where are all the others?" Lizzie asks, clearing her throat a little.

Linda just points to the tents, where Lizzie can make out Brian and Tom smoking.

"And here comes Prince Harold", she adds, smiling a little. Harry comes out of the trees behind them, looking even worse than he looked this morning. His eyes are puffy and pink, his lips cracked. His skin has a pale tone of green, if she squints.

Linda greets him, and rises from her seat to leave them alone for a while.

"Hi." Harry still has the pink hairband in his hair, some curls hanging down into his face.

"Hey."

"What happened to you last night? You got really, really pissed", she states with worry in her voice. Harry makes a grimace.

"I'm not really sure. I think Stevie helped me", he flicks his finger up on his nose two times, scrunching his nose in discomfort.

"I'm sorry I left you. I shouldn't've."

"'s alright. You and Tom had a fight."

Lizzie swallows. "Yeah."

"Hm. Do you think you'll sort it out, then?"

Lizzie swallows again. Then she shakes her head, wills her tears back into her dry sockets.

They stay quiet for a while before Lizzie meets his green eyes. Then she bursts into tears, bawling at the sight of him for some reason.

"Hey, no, what? No crying, please, love", Harry starts, holding her close to his chest as she sobs into his muddy skin. They sit like that for a minute, and eventually she calms down enough to let him go.

"Sorry", she says, dries her tears for the millionth time, sitting up straight.

"Don't be. I know it hurts."

Lizzie just nods.

"Come on. Let's go eat some soup." Harry says, taking her hand and pulling her up. "And maybe find somewhere to clean up a little."

// I keep thinking if three POV's are too much but I don't really care and I don't really want to do it another way so... Also, thank you for all the reads! You guys really make me the happiEST! <3