Strange [h.s.]

Twenty Three

Ella Frazier

I let out a sigh, shutting my computer and resting my head against the warm laptop. I close my eyes for a second, letting my breathing control itself. I countdown from ten to zero, my chest rising up and down slower and slower until it eventually evens out.

I lift my head, my eyes still staying shut. My head falls back in my chair as I open my eyes, my attention being focused on the blank ceiling above me. I suck in another deep breath, blowing it out childishly before lifting my head up straight. I push myself out of my desk, stand up on my feet, and walk over to my bed, grabbing my phone off the nightstand and pressing the screen. I see that I have a few messages, some from Harry, some from Mia, and just one from my mom.

I open up my phone, replying to everyone's messages except Harry. Instead, I press on his contact name and call him.

The phone rings for a few moments before the line picks up.

"Ella Mae, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He answers

"Ew," I laugh, "Why are you speaking like that?"

I hear Harry gasp on the other end of the line, "Speaking like what?"

"Oh please," I sarcastically say into the phone, rolling my eyes although Harry can't see me.

"Fine, what's going on." He says plainly

"Sound a bit more eager to me on the phone with me," I tell him, moving around my room and over to my dresser.

"I can't be too eager, and I can't be too distraught. What do you want from me?" I hear Harry laugh into the phone, the smile growing on my face from the sound of his pure joy.

"Just act normal," I laugh.

"Impossible when it comes to you," He tells me

I feel my cheeks heat a little at his words.

I hear Harry sigh before he speaks again, "It's been a long day," He tells me, a little bit of a laugh mixed in with his words to try and not sound too disappointed with how his day has gone. At this, even though I shouldn't, I smile.

"Perfect."

"Why is that perfect?" He asks

"Because I had a long day too," I tell him, grabbing a pair of black biker shorts and a blue tie-dye shirt. I grab a pair of socks and underwear from my dresser, head into the bathroom, and set my clean clothes on the counter.

"So it's perfect that we both had a miserable day?" Harry asks me, and I can hear the confusion in his tone.

I let out a laugh, "In a way, I guess." I drop my phone onto the counter, pressing the speaker button and resting my hands against the countertop. I let out a little breath, my voice dropping slightly since I'm in a smaller space, "Wanna get ready for me, please?"

Harry stays silent for a short amount of time. I then hear him huff out a breath, "Ready for what?"

"Was that a frustrated huff?" I ask.

"No, that sigh was not a frustrated huff," He reassures me, "That was a huff of you asking me to get ready for you in the tone you did."

"Oh," I smile, "My bad."

"Mhm," Harry says into the phone, "Yeah, I'll get ready for you."

"Thank you very much. I'll pick you up in like thirty minutes. No need to dress fancy, just something comfortable."

"Sounds good. See you soon," Harry says, hanging up the phone.

I watch Harry's name disappear from my phone screen, returning to the contact file I have for him. I stare down at the picture in the little bubble of him. It's one of the first pictures I have of Harry saved on my phone. I remember the exact moment I took it. We were sitting at Mia and Wyatt's house, the four of us. It had only been a few days since Harry and I had actually taken a strong liking to each other, so we were still weary of letting Mia and Wyatt know that we were hanging out alone.