The Ashes

Chapter 14

I have returned ;)
~

The alarm drills into my ears, my phone flashing merrily despite the fact that it's too early to be awake, in my opinion. This is the second time I've woken up on Harvey's sofa in a fairly short period of time. Somehow all the blanket ended up tangled in our ankles, the soft fabric like comforting manacles, as ridiculous as that sounds. I hunch my shoulder up when I feel the steady, quiet breaths hitting the back of my neck. Goosebumps rise on my skin.

"Hi," Harvey mumbles.

"Good morning."

"I hate that saying. There's nothing good about morning," he mutters dejectedly.

"This is true."

"Damn right it is."

"Come on," I chuckle, "we need to go to school."

"Or we could just not."

"It's a beautiful day!" I sing happily.

"The curtains are closed. How would you know?"

I don't answer, sliding off the sofa with a snigger aimed at his grumpiness. I throw open the curtains with an exaggerated gesture, smirking at his attempt to hide from the natural light.

"No, come back!" he whines from under the covers.

"If you want food, you'll get up."

Suddenly full of motivation, he kicks off the blanket and jumps up. "I am up, look."

"Okay," I laugh. I head to the bathroom to get dressed. When I walk out, he's leaning against the doorframe already wearing black jeans. However he appears to have 'forgotten' his t-shirt and hot damn. My cheeks heat up and I glance away quickly.

"You were in there an awfully long time, kitten," he smirks suggestively.

"Shut up, Harvey," I retort, having walked past him into the kitchen.

"Ooh, someone's sassy today."

"I'm always sassy."

"Oh, of course," he says, "but more importantly I was promised food and I'm very sad because it's not here."

"You're a big boy now, I'm sure you can reach it."

"The sass is real," he mutters, reaching for the cereal. "What do you want?"

"Just Cheerios, thanks." He places the bowl on the counter and shakes out little loops into it as I open what I assume is the fridge. Nope, just a cupboard. "Why do all your cupboards looks the same? Why can't you just have a normal fridge, like everyone else, so I can actually tell where it is? All I see is this fancy wooden stuff, and any one of them could be the fridge."

"Just to irritate you," he snickers, pulling open the correct door and taking out the milk.

"Bully," I pout, taking a seat. He comes round behind me and kisses my cheek.

"Am I forgiven?"

"Hm, no."

"Damn."

~

"Alright girls, the rules are simple, hit the ball, run from base to base. You have to run even if you don't hit the ball. If the bowler gets the ball before you've safely arrived at a base, you're out. One lap gives one point to your team, if you do it in one go you get two points."

I hate diamond cricket. It's essentially baseball, but with a differently shaped field, and personally I believe it to be a P.E. teacher's gleeful alternative to torture. She splits us into teams, and I take my position on the field, shivering in my shorts and t-shirt. I forgot my hoodie, of course, and we have to wear the school sports kit.