Save You Tonight (Harry)
Natalie sighed. She arranged the perfectly aligned cutlery once more and recrossed her leg. She heard the key fit into the keyhole and turn. She stood up and straightened her clothes.
Harry entered and threw his keys into the bowl at the side of the front door. He removed his shoes and saw Natalie standing there. He was taken aback; he wasn’t expecting to see her here. But then again she did have a key.
“Hey there,” she greeted him with a tiny smile, one that flashed her dimples but not all her teeth, his personal favourite.
“Hey,” he replied, smiling back at her. He removed his coat and shoes, walked to her and reached down to kiss her. Immediately, her arms were around him as they pecked each other’s lips. “How come you’re here, love? Weren’t you going to visit your mum?” he asked her as they pulled away.
“Well, I did leave but then I thought that maybe we should -” She admitted, sitting down on the chair of the table they were at.
Harry looked at the table and interrupted her before she could go on. “Hey Nat, did you cook?” he asked lifting the lid off of the pot on the middle of the table. “It smells delicious, what is it? Bolognese?” he continued so that Natalie wouldn’t talk.
Natalie watched Harry; she knew exactly what Harry was doing - avoiding the topic - just like always. “Harry, we really need to talk,” she whispered softly.
Harry put down the lid of the pot and sighed, there was no way he could avoid this now. “Yeah, I know,” he said without making any eye contact with the girl he loved, “let me just take a shower. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her forehead and walked away to his room before she could stop him.
Harry knew what Natalie wanted to talk about, he knew that they should, but honestly, he didn’t want to. Natalie and he had been in a rut – in the mother of ruts - for a few months now. They had fallen into a routine, one that he never imagined them to be falling into. Phone calls, dinner dates and movie nights, they were all just part of this routine. All the spontaneity, the passion they once had seemed to be fizzling away and it was killing him.
It killed him because he loved her. After years of staying single he had finally found a girl that was perfect for him. Tailored to perfection as if she were made to order. Over the years during which they were together, they had been through it all; ups and downs, fights and make ups, doubts and reassurances. Harry loved her more than he’d ever loved another girl; he knew that and so did she. What he didn’t know was how he had forgotten to show her that.
And now it had built up, built up to the point where he was scared that it might lead to the unthinkable - a break up. He didn’t want to admit it, admit that their once exciting, adventurous relationship had somehow become uneventful? Boring? All the butterflies, the jitters and the stuttering had vanished somehow. The spark had faded and he knew he wasn’t the only one feeling it for a while now.
Harry showered and walked back into the dining room reluctantly. He sat down on a chair and waited for Natalie say what he knew was coming.
“Harry,” she started, staring at her fingers while she fiddled with them in her lap, “when did we get so boring? You know I’m right so don’t try denying it. I feel like we’ve fallen into this routine of sorts and even though I hate to admit it, its tearing us apart, because this isn’t us and I think -”
“What are you doing today?”
Natalie was surprised. “I-I nothing,” she finally said, looking at him with curiosity written all over his face.
