Poppy/H.S

Chapter 30

Hey besties, please make sure you've read the previous chapter, since I'm not sure if all of you have gotten the notification because it's got a little less votes than the chapter before that. Enjoy this 8.000+ words long chapter :)) -lucy

"What would you like for dinner?" I ask the two inseparable creatures now occupying my couch, the sleepy little girl cuddled up to her father who caresses her cheeks.

After having swum in the pool for a little over three hours, Harry was to give me a ride to the train station so that I could arrive to Brighton safely. Poppy fell asleep straight after getting in the car, making both me and Harry chuckle. However, our intentions got interrupted by a sudden call from Jeffrey, who'd been trying to reach Harry for at least three of four hours. Since Harry had left his phone in the stall along with his clothes, Jeff's calls went straight to the voicemail.

"Sorry about that," Harry says when his phone starts ringing, attempted to decline the incoming call while his eyes are still focused on the road.

"No, it's alright," I assure him that I'm not bothered by his phone going off during another one of my long monologues. "Are you sure you don't wanna pick it up? It might be important," I encourage him to rethink his decision to hang up on the person trying to reach him, feeling low-key bad for them.

"They can call later," he scoffs, annoyed. "I'm busy now."

"Busy?" I question his choice of words.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you. They can wait," he clears his throat when the phone stops ringing. "Sorry, what were you saying before the phone rang?"

"Well, um, I was analysing one of Bukowski's poems. From the book you got delivered to me," I say in a little voice, feeling the heat find the well-known route to my cheeks.

"Can you continue please? Your voice calms me down," Harry whispers, tearing his eyes from the road for a brief moment to look at me.

"Um, I really like the part leading towards the end of the poem, where he admits to being completely wasted and drunk by-"

I get interrupted by Harry's phone going off. Again.

"Just pick it up, Harry," I sigh. "It's obviously important."

"But I'm driving," he pouts. "The display that would transfer my calls so that I could pick them up while driving is broken."

"Give me the phone."

"What? Why?" He asks, confused, the wrinkle on his forehead even more prominent.

"I'll pick it up for you and put it on speaker," I explain my intentions, being handed the phone shortly after.

I answer the call, holding the phone close to Harry's mouth, so that he wouldn't have to raise his voice now that Poppy's having her afternoon nap. He mouths a thank you to my direction, to which I simply smile.

"H, are you there?" The voice echoes through the speaker, and I recognise it's Jeffrey.

"Yeah, mate, you need something? I'm driving," Harry replies, shifting the gears before taking a turn to the left.

"Don't go home tonight," Jeff says strictly.

"What?" Harry's eyebrows rise.

"I just installed the app for your new security system. There's tons of paparazzi in front of your house, trying to get your statement on why you couldn't be present in the courtroom today," Jeffs explains, concern evident in his voice. "Allegedly, there's someone saying you were stoned as hell and they couldn't let you in the courtroom."