Indulge [h.s.]

Chapter Ten

I awoke to the sounds of birds whistling and muffled chatter. I could tell it was early in the day by how horrendous my body felt. I rolled away from the window and looked beside me to find an empty, cold spot.

Oh.

The muffled chatter continued. This time, I could tell it was coming from the kitchen. It was Harry.

Oh?

Maybe he was talking to Abby. That's awkward; I should get up.

I checked my phone, spotting the time as a quarter past ten in the morning. I groaned before pushing myself out of bed and walking towards the mirror. God, I looked like a corpse. My eyes had dark bags and my cheeks lacked any pigmentation. I slapped my cheeks a few times before grabbing a hair tie off of the dresser and tying my hair up in it.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Harry spoke. He sounded agitated.

The door creaked open, alerting Harry to my wakened presence. He stood by the island countertop with his cell phone held up to his ear. The sweatpants that he declined last night now clung to his hips. His expression momentarily softened as he spotted me and shot me a soft grin. It quickly returned to its stressed state as the person on the other side of the call continued speaking. Abby's bedroom door remained shut. She must be sleeping still. Lucky.

I crept into the living room to avoid disturbing Harry's conversation or the resting Abby. As I found my way into the kitchen, I began brewing a pot of coffee.

"Yeah, Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." He ended the call and returned the phone to his pocket.

I opened the fridge door and mindlessly looked inside to make it seem like I wasn't paying attention.

"Sorry about that," Harry spoke in a lighter tone.

I hummed before turning my head towards him, "Oh, no worries."

I retrieved the creamer from the fridge and placed it on the island, facing him, "Did you sleep okay?"

The sides of his lips curled slightly, "Not too bad."

I nodded my head and turned away while sucking in a deep breath. I opened the upper cupboard where the mugs were stored before looking over my shoulder at him, "Coffee?"

He still had his eyes on me, "Yeah, thanks."

I fetched two mugs and filled them with the scalding, dark liquid, "Cream and sugar?"

This time, I avoided eye contact. I could feel his gaze still lingering.

"No, that's alright."

I finished mixing up my beverage before grabbing both drinks by the handles and finally turning around to face him. He appreciatively grinned as I handed him the mug. The urge to sit down was intense due to the stress of this situation. I carried myself back to the living room, my legs nearly collapsing before I could sit down properly. I heard Harry make his way over and saw him sit on the other end of the couch from the edge of my peripheral.

"You okay?" He spoke before blowing on his coffee.

I sipped my sweetened caffeine, "Yeah, I don't know. Sorry."

He tilted his head and readjusted his position on the cushion, "What do you mean?"

A deep inhale flooded my nostrils, "I've never done this, like, I've never spent the morning with someone else."

He hummed before taking another sip.

"Sorry. I don't know what to do."

He shook his head before setting his mug on the table, "You're fine, Daisy. No need to panic. I won't stay long."