Songbird [H.S]

TWENTY-SIX

The moment Marley stepped through Harry's front door, she was warmly welcomed by the soft melodies trickling their way through the house from Harry's bedroom.

Harry's house always had such a comforting feeling to it, the way the lad's music filled every corner of the place and mixed with the little traces of the boy's personality that filled his childhood home. Whether it be his jacket thrown messily over the bannister instead of hung up on a hook or scraps of paper he'd been sketching on covering the dining table, Harry's personality always shone brightly wherever he was. Her bedroom was beginning to look the same with random articles of clothing from his wardrobe littering her floor and forgotten packs of cigarettes on her dressing table.

Harry was beginning to feel like home to her.

Following the trail of music, Marley could almost picture her boyfriend covered in smudges of paint, his curls pushed back by one of his bandanas while he concentrated on his newest painting. Recently, every spare moment the boy had, he was allowing himself to get lost in his own imagination - a welcome escape from the melancholy thoughts that followed him throughout the day. It should be a cause of concern that Harry was shutting himself away in his room for such long periods of time, only coming out of his room to grab something to eat or to go to the bathroom but Marley knew this was just his way of coping with the loss of Josephine.

And it seemed to be working because today was the first day Harry's door was left open while he worked. He was very private about his paintings, especially whatever he was currently working on.

Upon reaching the doorway, Marley's eyes widened at the complete transformation of Harry's bedroom from the last time she saw it. In a matter of days, the boy's room was a complete mess of organised chaos with numerous canvases of different sizes cluttering every inch of space available. The boy's wardrobe and bed were barely visible amongst the rainbow of half-finished paintings carefully positioned so that you couldn't see the subject but glimpses of colour covered the room. Harry had turned his bedroom into an art studio.

"How are you feeling today, Bambi?" Marley's soft voice was barely audible over Jewel Eyed Judy playing through the boy's record player - Harry mumbling along to the words from behind a large canvas propped up on an easel. He peered around the painting at the sound of her voice, remaining silent as he gave her a tight-lipped smile that was a little out of character.

"I don't know, you tell me." His voice was a little tense as he wiped his hands on a piece of kitchen roll, stepping out from behind his painting. Marley stared at him in confusion as she watched him tidying up the mess around him, clearly deciding he was done for the day - probably something to do with his bad mood.

"Did something happen?" She questioned lightly, approaching the issue carefully knowing that the boy was still quite sensitive and anything had the possibility to set him off. It was tough for him not having Josephine to go to when he was sad and sometimes it only made him even more upset. It was ja harsh reminder for the boy that one of the people he loved most was no longer with him.

"Zayn just called."

This only confused Marley more, usually Harry would be in a good mood if Zayn was calling. She assumed that maybe Harry was going to cancel on her so he could hang out with Zayn and he was feeling bad about letting her down. Honestly, the blonde didn't mind at all, she'd be happy that her boyfriend was starting to want to leave the house and get back to normal.

"He did? Did he want to go out or something? I don't mind if you want to go, we didn't really have plans anyway." She smiled, trying to encourage him into venturing out of his comfort zone. So far, the teenage boy had only spent time with Marley since his grandma had passed away and she had a feeling that speaking to Zayn might help him feel better. He needed some time with his best friend, he just didn't know it yet.