FIRE | H.S.

Chapter 23

The next morning, Harry takes me to my house, which has been decorated with tulips and peonies, some of my favorite flowers. There is a large WELCOME HOME sign hanging on the wall by the t.v. and Aurora and Charles come out of the kitchen holding a cake.

Harry walks me to the living room and helps me sit on the sofa. Aurora sets the cake on the coffee table in front of me and I get to read what it says. You're alive, bitch! Is what is scribbled in Charles' horrible attempt at a Twilight font. I laugh breathily, wincing at the pain in my throat.

I'm getting really tired of that pain.

"Welcome home, Ava. How are you feeling?" Charles asks.

The doctor recommended I don't force my voice too much because the pain will get worse, so I just type what I want to say on my phone and use the speak text feature. It's faster than writing on a whiteboard.

"Tired and thirsty," my phone replies. "And in pain," I add.

Harry rubs my back and gets up, "I'll go get you some water."

I nod and mouth 'thank you', adding a smile after. He's helped me so much in these two/three days I've been in the hospital.

"Do you want some cake, Ava?" Aurora asks me.

I shake my head and type on my phone, "not yet, thank you."

Charles turns on the television and searches through the different streaming apps for something to watch. Finally, he goes on YouTube TV and searches for Twilight. I smile because he knows this is my cloudy/rainy day comfort movie.

Harry comes back with a glass of water and some chopped-up fruit in a bowl. He sits next to me and hands me the water, then the bowl. "I brought you some fruit as well to help soothe your throat."

I smile at him and swallow the forming lump in my throat. "Thank you," I mouth, before drinking some water and eating the fruit as we watch the movie. Harry stays next to me the whole time, asking if I'm feeling okay or if I need anything.

When I finish my water and fruit, I place the cup and bowl on the coffee table and lean back on the sofa to get more comfortable. I notice Aurora glancing at me a few times throughout the movie, trying to be discreet, unlike Charles who would turn his whole body and stare at me for a minute before going back to the movie.

I take my phone and type Where's Leilani? How is she doing? then show it to Harry. He reads and then tells me she's staying with his aunt for today and that she's doing good. I nod and continue watching the movie, then I remember that Evan hasn't texted or called. Or maybe he did and I just didn't get the notifications. That happens, right?

I check to see if my phone is in Do Not Disturb before I go and check my texts and calls.

Nothing.

Still the same Read 8:43 PM I saw the other night.

I can feel Aurora's gaze on me so I try to control my disappointment. I look up, meeting her eyes, and shoot her a small smile, letting her know I'm okay. The slight lift of her brow lets me know she doesn't believe me, but won't push me, which I appreciate.

By the time Bella is doing her research and comes to the conclusion that Edward is a vampire, I start falling asleep. My body feels heavy and my breathing is getting heavier, so I reposition my body so my head is resting on the armrest of the couch, but my feet are still on the floor. Harry notices and he leans down to grab my legs and rest them on his thighs. "It's okay, I don't mind," he smiles, answering my unspoken question. Charles gets up and walks toward the basket I keep near the t.v., grabbing a blanket that he places over me and Harry.

"Thank you," I whisper. I try to fight sleep and continue watching the movie but end up losing the fight and my eyes close. 

***

By the time I wake up, they're watching New Moon. Bella and Alice are racing down the streets of Italy to save Edward from the Volturi. I stay quiet and still as we all watch the movie. Harry, Charles, and Aurora are completely engrossed in the movie and I don't want to distract them. It's a cute sight.

I see Harry turn to look at me and he rubs the side of my calves gently, shooting me a smile. I return the smile and pull the blanket up to my chin, turning my attention to the movie.

My phone vibrates next to me and I quickly check it, disappointed to see it's just a notification from my period app.

It comes in 2 days! Are you ready?

Surely not, Stardust.

I decide to turn off my phone instead. I can't be checking it every single time I get a notification hoping it will be Evan. He should've answered when Harry texted him the other night.

He has no excuse to not communicate. Harry literally gave him his phone number just in case. And I'm positive Harry would tell me if Evan had sent him a text.

But what if something happened? What if the bus he and his students were in got into an accident? What if his phone fell and broke and he hasn't had the chance to buy another one and that's why he has not texted? Maybe he got so scared by reading what happened here that he dropped his phone and it shattered.

I try to shut off my brain and focus on the movie again, so much has happened and I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I can't be worrying about Evan. Something inside me tells me that he's okay. He just didn't have time to text back.

***