Ever Since New York [h.s au]

12

Dinner was delicious. It was so fun talking to everyone about their lives outside of the studio and music. Sarah offered to help clean everything, but Harry told her the two of us had everything under control.

It was getting close to midnight, Harry's phone was playing music quietly and I was finishing up the dishes. I was humming "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd, after closing the dishwasher I looked over at Harry. He was hovering in the fridge door, likely trying to find space for the leftovers. I couldn't help but smile at the fridge light against Harry's silhouette in the dimly lit kitchen. It looked like the moon was dancing over his good side, not that he had a bad side.

Harry turned to look at me while closing the fridge, "Those aren't the lyrics, are they?"

"We're just two ghosts swimming in a fish bowl... I swear that's the lyrics."

Harry grabbed his phone and sat at the bar, he tapped his hand on the seat next to him. I padded across the kitchen and sat down.

"Look," he handed me his phone. The lyrics to the song filled the bright screen. How I wish, how I wish you were here, We're just two lost souls, swimming in a fish bowl, year after year...

I slapped my hand over my mouth, and read the lyrics over again. I dropped my hand and handed Harry the phone. "Oh my gosh, as a Pink Floyd fan I am so embarrassed right now. Harry, I've been seeing the lyrics wrong my whole life."

He threw his head back laughing, "Don't be embarrassed, people get ghosts and fish mixed up back home all the time."

I turned to face him, "Do they really?"

He was laughing even harder now, "Noooo."

I faced the clean kitchen again, thinking about the lyrics I messed up. "We're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty, trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat."

Harry sat up, "Lauren, did you just...?"

"Yeah, I think-"

"Keep going!" I saw Harry open his notes app and start typing the words.

I thought about watching Harry in such a domestic moment, cleaning the kitchen. "The fridge light washes this room white, moon dances over his good side."

I shrugged, "I don't know, that's all that's coming to me right now. I'm sorry."

I felt his hand on my shoulder, "Don't apologize, this is a great start. I love it already."

"Yeah? Do you want to go to the studio and work on it right now?" I mused.

Harry looked at the time on his phone, "Are you willing to pull an all-nighter?"

"With you? Of course. Let me go grab my journal and a hoodie."

Only a few minutes later, I was sitting on the orange couch in the studio; my journal, a black pen, and a water bottle sat comfortably in my lap. Harry was sitting on a stool with his guitar. He was strumming a similar tune to the Pink Floyd song that inspired the songwriting session.

"We've got two ghosts, maybe they are dead?" I mumbled.

Harry continued strumming, "I was thinking, 'two lost souls' from the song. Maybe, the two ghosts are trying to reconnect, together."

"Harry, that's brilliant, two people reminiscing on a relationship."

"Exactly. They're not who they used to be."

"We're not who we used to be, we're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me."

"Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat." Harry finished my lyrics from earlier.