Yellow || hs au

| 91 |

—

Clover

   I draw in a deep breath, feeling myself stir out of my sleep, my eyes pinching together tightly before I slowly flutter them open. I stretch my arms out in front of me, before turning around to face Harry, only to find that his side of the bed is empty. I frown with confusion, pushing myself to sit up fully, the comforter falling to my waist. Harry's room is dark, the curtains drawn closed with only a small sliver open, allowing the morning sun to shine through. I run my fingers through my hair before pulling it into a half-assed bun to keep it out of my face.

   My legs sling over the edge of the bed, the cool air bringing goosebumps to the surface of my skin. Harry's shirt falls to the tops of my thighs as I stand, leaning back to stretch out my lower back with an exhausted yawn. I tiredly make my way into the bathroom, going pee and brushing my teeth before striding back into Harry's bedroom that is still lacking his presence. I sigh quietly, leaning down and picking up one of my shirts from the floor, tossing it into the hamper. While Harry was at rehab, I spent most of my time here in his apartment. It made the distance between us easier to get through.

   My thoughts pause and my ears perk up, my entire body practically freezing in place when I hear the quiet strumming of a guitar. It's too quiet to even make out what the song is, and I can't quite tell if it's music playing from a speaker or if it's Harry own music. I urge myself to walk quietly from his bedroom, my feet landing softly on the hardwood floor as I draw nearer to the living room.

   I peek around the corner, finding Harry sat on his couch in just a grey hoodie and his boxers, with his black guitar resting in his lap, leaned against his chest. His hair, that now reaches his shoulders, is mostly hidden beneath a blue beanie and the hood of his sweatshirt. I don't know if it's the long hair and the pantsless guitar playing, or the simple fact that he's back in front of me all together, but my stomach churns like it did the first time I saw him. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, trying to suppress the stupid smile that is fighting to crawl onto my lips, and failing miserably.

   I watch how he lightly strums the strings once again before he reaches up and places the white guitar puck between his lips. He leans forward and snags a pen from the coffee table, seeming to be writing something down. My eyes follow his movements, and when they land on the brown journal laying open on the coffee table, my heart jumps into my throat. He drops the pen into the open spine of the journal, and this time, his gaze catches mine from across the room. His eyes light up immediately and he takes the pick from his mouth, his own smile plastered on his lips.

   "You're up early." I voice, my shoulder leaned into the wall as I cross my arms over my chest. Harry wets his bottom lip as he glances at the decorative clock on my shelf to check the time, before back at me. He leans his guitar against one of the other chairs adjacent to him, and he closes the journal before he jerks his chin at me. I push away from the wall, his arms opening towards me until he pulls me to stand between his legs.

   "Slept the whole drive home yesterday." He mumbles up at me, my arms wrapped loosely around the back of his neck. He keeps his arms wrapped around the backs of my thighs, his forehead leaning to rest on my stomach. "Did I wake you up?" He asks quietly, pulling his face away to look up at me. His foresty eyes glisten up at me from the sun outside, my heart slamming against my chest as I shake my head down at him.

   "No," I hum quietly, gently toying with the strings of his sweatshirt. We don't say anything for a moment, and I find it impossible to tear my gaze away from the man in front of me. It feels like just yesterday he was leaving for the first time, leaving me to hope everything would go well for him. Although I'm glad the six months are over, it does make this moment feel that much more special. Knowing that the two of us made it through the hardest time in our relationship so far, it makes me love him even more.