Things We Don't Normally Do

NINETEEN

Limbs tangled together, Harry and Alex woke up to Harry's phone ringing nonstop. He had actually chucked it across the room, but it just kept ringing.

"Get your phone." Alex groaned, shaking him away to shut his phone up.

Alex doesn't remember falling asleep, and for a moment she had forgotten the sense of dread that lingered at the back of her head. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up as Harry got up to get his phone.

"Fuck." he muttered, looking at his phone.

"Hmm?" she hummed, by then aggressively rubbing her eyes.

He walked back to the bed, "I gotta get going. It's the boys calling me."

She took a massive breath before releasing a weighted sigh. She hesitated as if debating what to say--not because she didn't have anything to say; on the contrary there were so many things she was tempted to say. Things that asked him to stay a little longer. Things that considered actually trying this thing out. But she didn't have the courage to say any of that out loud.

"I think I'll miss having you around."was what she settled with.

"Don't be like that." he smiled, sitting on the bed.

"Like what?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Like it's all over." he shrugged, a hopeful smile playing on his face, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Is that right?" she smirked.

"Yeah. I'll be pestering you everyday." he took her phone, navigating to her instagram, "You're not even following me?"

She scoffed, "You just expect everyone to be following you then? Because you're that popular."

"No!" his smile slowly grew into a laugh, "I don't know. Not like that. But you know me. Fuck, I don't know what I'm saying."

"Not like you follow me." she said simply.

So he unlocked his phone, looked her handle up, and tapped follow, "This is your main, right?"

"Was I meant to have multiple?" she laughed, not really understanding what he meant, "It's my only account, yeah."

He scrolled through her feed, smiling then turning to face her, "You need more selfies. Definitely."

"No. I can't stand my face." she said simply, getting her phone back from him.

It didn't take long before his Uber arrived. There was hardly any time at all before it was time for him to go. They settled with one last kiss, one that lasted long but still not long enough. She missed him already, even when he still stood there in front of her.

"Alright." she said. They agreed that she wouldn't walk him all the way down. She was scared she'd break down and let the more hardened facade go.

They hugged. She bit his shoulder which made him flinch before laughing, "I'll take that as an 'I'll miss you'"

"I will. Miss you." she said, her arms slacking from around his neck. He gave her one more squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "Alright" she said, letting him go.

"Alright." he echoed, kissing the top of her head.

It had been a tough couple of days for Alex. After Harry and his friends left, things have felt a bit weird. Like it had gone from full state of chaos to utter quiet and calm, aside from Stella. Who herself only stayed a couple of days longer.

Alex kept feeling annoyed--as if she was regretting a lot of things; like she wished she could've done more. She and Stella had been planning this reunion for so long; pretty much since shortly after she left Texas, all they would talk about was how they would get into all sorts of things once they were reunited. Then, after years apart, she couldn't help but feel like she let their friendship down by being distracted by a boy. Not only that, but she also wussed out with the boy she was distracted with.