No Control • hs

thirty-two

Harry and I get out of the elevator and walk onto our level. We just got back from work. The night before remains in my head as I follow Harry to my now finished apartment that had been finished about a week ago.

"Okay," Harry says, "are you ready to see your apartment?"

"Yes!"

He nods and opens the door. My apartment looks exactly the same as it did before. Seventeen magazines stacked on the coffee table like they were never touched. I look in my kitchen and see all new stainless steel appliances. My bedroom was the worst of all after the flooding. It had a tumblr vibe now, all new clothes filled my closet and dresser. I have a whole new bed set, desk, and dresser. The decor on the top of my side tables consisted of a bath and body works candle, a new alarm clock, and a picture frame with a picture of Harry and I at the lake inside.

"Do you like it?" Harry asks, standing at the doorway of my bedroom, smiling.

I had no words, I just walked up to Harry and hugged him for God knows how long. A tear dripped down my face. He put so much work into my apartment without me even knowing. He knew I missed the home feeling I had in there and he put his heart into re-creating it.

"Thank you." I say, my voice shaky. "So much." Harry hugs me tighter.

"Just wait."

"Harry, you don't have to do anything else."

"Oh, but I did." He takes my hand and pulls me to the kitchen. "Open the fridge."

I open the fridge to see a cake laying perfectly on the shelf. Harry takes it out and I then realize it says "welcome back!". Harry grabs a knife and cuts through it. Just as I thought, the cake is red velvet, our favorite.

***

"Do you want to go do something?" I say, putting my plate in the sink. "Like get out and have fun, all we do anymore is go to work and come back come."

"Yeah, we should. Any ideas?" I think for a minute.

"Where is somewhere fun? We live in South Carolina there has to be somewhere."

"I know!" Harry blurts out.

"Where?"

"The park! They probably have their Halloween decorations up and everything!"

"Child."

"Excuse me, I am not a child, I just prefer taking a nice walk in the park."

"Seriously?"

"I'm being serious! Let's go!"

I follow Harry to his car and we're off to the park. I don't know why I agreed in the first place, but I did, and I can't take it back. Before I know it, we are there, by the bridge, talking about our life's, how much they've altered with each of us in each others life's now. We walk down to the small stream, which is assessable to the people throughout the park.

"We should get in."

"No! We would get kicked out."

"Take a chance for once Peyt! You took one by moving across from me!"

"Ugh! Fine! But only for like, a minute." Harry drags me into the water that is about mid-calf deep. I watch him splash in the water, enjoying himself.

"Peyton come look at this rock!" I take one step and I feel something sharp slice into my foot. I reach down and yank it out, gulping hard. There's blood in the water. The cut is deep. All I see is "guess who's back?" Written on the thick piece of glass.

"PEYTON!" Harry runs to me, fighting the water. I see my Indiana home. My brother on the swing set. My mom sitting on the front step. My dad next to her. My brother is young. Probably 6 years of age. It was the summer I blacked out. I had hit my head on the swing set. The event was reoccurring.

***

"Babe?" Harry hangs over me. I feel white sheets beneath my body and Harry's hand on my shoulder. I'm in the hospital. My foot is wrapped up and I can feel it has been stitched. "Are you okay?"

"I stepped on glass but you know, I'm fine."

"Not even a minute awake and your already giving me sass."

"What did you expect?"

"I saw what the glass said."

"Yeah, me too."

"Me question is, why were they even gone?"

"Probably planning something big."

"Was this their big plan? To put you in the hospital? Make you suffer and get stitches?"

"I'm not sure." I look at the tv in my room, it's playing spongebob. "We're you watching this?!"

"Haha, no!" Harry clicks off the tv and we just sit there.

"But why did we have to go to the park?"