The state I'm in COMPLETED

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My voice refused to come out, stuck in my throat as I processed the fact that Harry hadn't answered his own phone.

"Hello?" The girl's voice repeated.

"Can I... speak to Harry, please?" I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. I felt like an intruder, like I had walked into a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear.

There was a pause before she spoke again.

"Oh Jesus, Harry, I accidentally answered your phone! It's exactly like mine—I didn't even check before picking up," she called out, her voice fading as she spoke to him.

I could hear Harry in the background. That twisting feeling in my stomach wouldn't leave.

"Hello?" Harry's voice replaced hers, and even though I had been waiting for it, I couldn't shake the odd sensation that had settled inside me.

"Harry?" I repeated.

"Hey, Val... how are you?"

That's when I noticed it.
He hadn't called me babe.
Not love, not baby, not beautiful.

Just Val.

It was small. But not unimportant.

"Who answered your phone?" I asked, aiming for casual, but feeling anything but. I hated clingy girlfriends who made a big deal out of things like this—but let's be honest, if the roles were reversed? Harry would have already flipped the hell out if I had been in the company of another man.

"Uh... it's Ashley. From the lawyer's office," he said after a slight hesitation.

My breath released in relief. Okay, that makes sense.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You're obviously in a meeting. I'll just call you back later," I offered.

"No, no—she's not... um..." He trailed off. "Can I call you back?"

There it was again. That feeling.

"Yeah, sure," I said softly. He didn't hear the hesitation in my voice before the line went dead.

Ashley.
A secretary.
A friend.

But if she was a friend, why had I never heard of her before?

***

"So, what did he say?" Rose's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She was standing in my doorway, eyebrows raised, waiting for my reaction.

I sighed. "I... didn't get to tell him. He was in a meeting. Or... something."

Rose came in and sat cross-legged on my bed, facing me with an expression that could only mean one thing: She was about to give me some real talk.

"You know, I've always shipped Varry."

I blinked. "What?"

"Varry. Val and Harry," she grinned. "Don't act like it's not a thing."

"Oh my god, are you ten?" I burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" she chuckled, swatting my arm. "Listen, as I was saying before being rudely interrupted by a certain clown... I've always supported you two. But I really don't think this is something you need to discuss with Harry."

I sobered up instantly. "What do you mean?"

She tilted her head. "Val, this is your life. This decision affects your future. You don't need his permission. If your relationship can't survive a month apart, then what kind of relationship is it?"