coffee and tea | larry

1. "and then I crashed into you."

Close your eyes, cover them for good measure. Keep them completely closed, no peaking. You don't want any light to get in. Okay, do you promise they are closed? Good. So, what do you see?

Black.

Now, I want you to close one eye, left or right is fine, whichever you please. Then, I want you to look around like you normally do, just with the one eye closed. While your open eye sees the world, what does the closed eye see?

It sees nothing.

And that's exactly what he sees.

Nothing.

• • •

July 19, 2006
12:21 p.m.

That date, that time, that one simple combination of random numbers, will forever be an image burned into his mind.

12:18 p.m.

He was seven, a cheeky smile finding its way to his pink lips– a ray of sunshine delicately painted on his face, green eyes radiant and full of delight, as his infectious, playful giggle floated through the air like a melody.

Well, I was movin' at the speed of sound
Head spinnin', couldn't find my way around, and Didn't know that I was goin' down, yeah, yeah
Where I been; well, it's all a blur
What I was lookin' for I'm not sure
Too late and didn't see it coming, yeah, yeah

"I love this song, mummy!" He had said, cheerful smile putting his two missing front teeth on full display, as he bounced up and down in his booster car seat. He tightly hugged his beloved stuffed puppy dog close to his chest. He lifted the toy's mouth to his ear, nodding his head a couple times, with a small "uh huh" leaving his slightly pouted lips. Then, smile took over once again, "Lucky loves it too!" He proudly announced to his mother, before proceeding to play the air guitar.

Somehow I couldn't stop myself
I just wanted to know how it felt
Too strong, I couldn't hold on, yeah, yeah

12:19 p.m.

"I always knew my little boy would be a rock star," Anne smiled, glancing back at her son using the rearview mirror, smiling fondly as he waved at her.

"I'll be the biggest rockstar, mummy! I'll sell out stadiums!" Harry giggled, dimples showing on his rosy cheeks.

"I'm sure you will, baby."

Now I'm trying to make some sense
Out of how and why this happened
Where we're headed
There's just no knowin', yeah, yeah

"Dr. Khan gave me a sticker for being a good boy as he checked my teeths, mummy! I love stickers! This one is sparkly! He even gave one to Lucky, but he accidentally lost it when I put it on his fur." Harry babbled, sitting up tall to proudly show his mummy his sticker in the mirror, voice slightly slurred from his missing teeth.

And, then I crashed into you
And I went up in flames
Could've been the death of me
But you breathed your breath in me

"I'm so proud of you, bub! How 'bout we get some ice cream from Seven Sisters Farm to celebrate?" Anne suggested, earning an excited nod from her son.

Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train

Harry hummed the tune as he played with Lucky in his lap, happy as a seven year old could be.

Everything had been running smoothly. He was healthy, besides his asthma, but that didn't stop him from being happy. He was a great artist and he enjoyed taking pictures on his mum's old camera. He took guitar lessons, and sometimes he would put on small shows for his family. In September, Harry would be starting year 3, along side his two best mates, Zayn and Nick. The trio were inseparable from the start, and Harry liked it that way.

Everything was perfect, at least before their lives took an unexpected turn.

Anne was stopped at the red light, lightly tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. Her wedding ring was shining from the sunlight coming through the window on that bright, sunny, Wednesday afternoon.

12:20 p.m.

"Mummy, when will we be there? I want ice cream," Harry had whined with a dramatic pout. He wiggled his body toward the window, pushing his straight, light brown hair away from his eyes.

"Soon, dear. There is just a wee bit of traffic ahead of us," Anne had assured her son, earning a small smile from the young boy.

And I crashed into you
And I went up in flames
Could've been the death of me
But then you breathed your breath in me

The light then changed from red to green, and the line of cars in front of Anne's silver Honda Odyssey began to move.

"Mummy!" Harry whimpered, his eyes widening, sitting up straighter.

"Yes, darling?"

Then I crashed into you
And then I crashed into you

12:21 p.m.

"Mummy!" He shrieked

Everything happened so fast. With a gasp, Anne abruptly slammed her foot against the brake petal as a large, red truck came barreling toward them, hoping to avoid the crash.

But it was too late.

With the unexpected and the deafening screech of the brakes, Harry unintentionally surged forward, causing his head to jostle into the back of the seat in front of him, all of the air being knocked out of his body.

Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train

His brain was yelling, screaming, but no sound left his parted lips. It burned, the light hurt so bad, and he wanted it to stop. The stinging in his eyes remained as he cried out, begging for his mother as he felt himself falling, pain shooting through his body. It felt as if thousands of tiny needles were being rapidly stabbed into his eyes and temples, with no mercy. The pain increased and he wailed loudly. The smell of gas burned his nose and he whimpered. Why won't it stop? Please, please mummy. Help me, please, make it stop. Mummy, please, make it stop. Where are you, mummy?

All at once, as if someone was pressing play to restart a movie, everything turned to black.

You will consume me
But I can't walk away

— — —

A/N:
Hi! I decided to edit the first couple chapters of Coffee and Tea to keep them up to date with my current writing style!

chapters 1-7 edited on: June 27, 2018

ao3: prideinlou