Deep Water H.S

three.

Her fingers ran over different items of clothing that were hung up in front of her. She walked through the aisle, waiting for something to catch her eye.

Her mind wondered as bright colours flashed in front of her vision. Her mother had been so offish when she asked about the young man, Harry. He was just another guest. Ava supposed that her mom was surprised to see guest from all the way across the world staying with them, or maybe she recognised him like Tiana had. Susan was very wary.

Ava hadn't seen Harry in a while. He had remained in his room for three days straight, only to come out and request to stay another week. That made three weeks in total. It was a little strange.

The ring of a bell caught Ava's attention. She glanced behind her, only to see the celebrity she had been thinking about walking in.

He lifted his sunglasses and positioned them into his messy hair. His eyes were not used to the dark store and he blinked a few times to make out what was in front of him.

The store had a damp smell to it, a bit like the ocean.

"Hi there," the shopkeeper said soberly, vaguely lowering her magazine for a moment.

"Hi," Harry replied, offering her a short smile before he made his way toward the clothes. They were mostly loose and looked to have come from the 70s, but Harry thought he might check it out seeing as it was the only store in town.

Ava stared across at him from where she stood, holding onto a shirt she thought she quite liked.

"Fancy seeing you here," he murmured, moving to stand behind her. He pretended to be interested in the clothes in front of her, feeling over the material.

"There are only a handful of people populating this area. It can't be too much of a shocker," she murmured, causing a grin to rise on his face.

"I grew up in a village probably just as small as this one, but I quite liked it."

Ava looked over her shoulder and realised he was standing closer to her than she anticipated. Harry glanced down, his smile still not completely faded.

"That I doubt," she whispered, her eyes darting to the shopkeeper before they rested on Harry.

He wondered again if she knew about him, but she hadn't mentioned it. "And why is that?"

She only shrugged, choosing not to mention his career field. She thought it was better he thought she didn't know.

"So, what do you do around here?" he asked as he moved around her to look through the clothes. She trailed behind him, watching his eyebrows faintly furrow as he waved his hands through material.

"I sometimes run in the mornings, then I do a bit of schoolwork... The rest of the day is mine."

"Schoolwork?" He looked back at her, and for perhaps the first time he noticed that she was still young-looking.

"Yep. I've been home-schooled since I was eleven."

She picked out a blue and white bikini, to which Harry nodded in agreement even though Ava was staring down at it in her hands.

"You should get that," Harry said quietly, attempting small talk. "...Nice colour."

"You like it?" When he affirmed, she turned and held it up to his chest. "I think you should try it on. Brings out your eyes."

He rolled his eyes and lowered it, but a smile was already rising on his lips. "Hilarious."

Ava chuckled and placed it back on the rack. She didn't quite know why Harry was so talkative today after being silent three days in a row. Maybe he was lonely, she mused. Ava understood that quite well.

The ringtone of John Lennon's Imagine gently disrupted the silence of the shop. Ava loved that song; Susan had the album in her car. Harry's hand dived into his back pocket and he fished out his phone, murmured a polite, "Excuse me," and walked out into the sunlight to take the call.

Ava continued as she was, her mind running over their brief conversation.

She found that Harry was standing just on the other side of a flimsy wall of wood, making his voice very clear to anyone standing in the store. Feeling uncomfortable to be listening in, but having no real other option, she tried to focus on going through the clothes in front of her.

"I'm not coming back tomorrow, Niall," Harry said impatiently. "I'm on vacation."

"Harry, come on mate. Stop these games. We're worried about you. Just say where you are and I'll send for a plane. You don't have to go running off. Diana's worried sick."

This spark anger in Harry; frustration. No one was taking him seriously. He thumbed the corner of his front pocket and tried to ignore the burn at the back of his neck. "I have no intention of coming home right now. You don't need to know where I am, just that I am safe, and I am."

Niall's voice cut through Harry's, "You can't just run from all your problems, Harry. Come back. You can sort it out with Diana if you guys just talk it out... She's been crying for days."

Harry tried to hold it in, but something in him caught alight when Niall said that and it burnt up his throat and ripped through his tongue.

"She can cry me a river," he spat.

"Harry," Niall warned.

"Send that to your precious Diana from me." He hung up the phone, feeling the last drops of adrenalin spill through him. He hadn't ever talked to someone like that in years, but it felt quite good. He knew he would feel guilty later because Niall essentially had nothing to do with this, but right now he was done with his friends, his business partners, his family. They were all treating him the same way, like a child.

Suddenly, an all overwhelming thought struck him, and it hit his chest hard enough to wind him. He had no one on his side right now.

A creak of wood from behind drew him from these consuming thoughts, and he wiped a hand over his tired face before he walked into the store. He put on a smile and mentioned to Ava that his family had called to check up on him, to which she nodded quietly.