Unchanging [h.s. au]

twenty

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. . .

The next few days, I hardly ever left the confines of the house. In a way, I was punishing myself for being so stupid.

I spent most of my time mentally kicking myself for what I did. If I could go back, do it all over again, I would have stayed at the wedding. I would have talked with Harry and tried to understand his side of the story. But I didn't. Instead, I made an impulsive decision, as usual, that left me feeling worse off than before. Even if I did try to talk with Harry about what I said, I wasn't sure he would take me back. Or if he even wanted to be friends. Besides, he probably already had plenty of other girls fawning over him that he could choose from. On top of being handsome and charming, he was basically a millionaire. Who wouldn't want to hop on that.

I did endless chores around the house to help keep my mind off what happened. I cleaned every inch of the mansion and reorganized several rooms. I didn't know the city at all and didn't want to meander anywhere around the club, possibly risking a run in with Harry.

Every once and a while, my dad would attempt to have a conversation with me. I'm pretty sure he thought my sour mood had something to do with him, not knowing anything that happened while he was gone. I wasn't planning on telling him any of the details but I never told him to leave me alone, seeing how him annoying me was also good punishment for how I treated Harry.

On Saturday, it was nearly noon and I was still lying in my bed when my dad knocked on my door.

"Clara, wake up. I brought you breakfast."

I lazily rolled over to see my dad holding a tray with a smile, filled with pancakes and fruit.

"Thanks," I muttered. I turned away from him and rolled back over into my original position.

I heard my dad set down the tray. "Clara, I think it would be great if we went out and did something today. You haven't left the house in days."

"It's okay, I can keep busy around here."

"The house is spotless, Clara." His voice was blunt. "You know what, how about I reserve a tee time for us today. It would be a fun activity that isn't that far from the house."

"I don't know..." I mumbled, knowing fair well it was possible we'd run into Harry.

"It will be great! I'll go reserve a spot online now." My dad hurriedly left the room before I could object.

Minutes later, I found myself being handed a bag of clubs and a pair of golf shoes after I left my bed. My dad animatedly talked about the nice fairways and how fast the greens were on the course as I zoned out. I had no idea what half the things he described meant. Honestly, golf talk could put anyone to sleep.

We got into the car and drove to the clubhouse. My eyes darted around as I kept a lookout for anyone I recognized. I remained close to my dad as we walked toward the the golf carts, using him as a shield to block my face from being seen. My dad took our bags and loaded them into a cart before motioning for me to get in next to him.

We arrived at the tee box without incident and I breathed a sigh of relief. From here on out, it would be unlikely to see Harry.

My dad stopped the cart to speak.

"Go ahead, Clara. Take the first shot!"

I pulled the driver out of my bag and set a golf ball on a tee.

I thought back to my mini lesson with Harry. I bent my knees and dropped my left shoulder like he taught me and took a few practice swings.