FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Day on the couch

After sitting in the park for a few hours, I came to the conclusion that maybe I should apologise to my Dad. He was only trying to help after all. I stood up off the grass, and dusted off my butt.

As I walked up to the front door, I noticed that Dad’s car was gone. A frown found its way onto my face as I realised that I didn’t bring a key with me.

I decided to try ring the doorbell, just in case someone had stayed behind. To my surprise, a very tired Harry opened the door for me.

“Ah, she’s returned.” he smiled sweetly at me. I think part of me melted as I saw his dimples form.

“Yeah, she has.” I flashed him a flaky smile. “Has my dad gone?”

“Yeah, him and the others left around an hour ago.” He said as I walked through the door.

“And you’re still here because…?” I left my sentence hanging in an unspoken question as we walked into the lounge room and sat down on the couch.

“Well, as you can probably tell, I’m kinda tired, probably from staying in the park with you last night.” he said, gesturing to the bags under his eyes.

“Naww, lil Harrykins is tired, is he?” I said in a baby voice, pinching his cheeks.

“Um yeah, how are you not smashed?” he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

“I’m used to it, never have been one for a lot of sleep.” I sighed, copying his actions. I knew it was only a matter of time till he asked about what he had overheard before.

3…2…1 and cue the questions

“So Rhi, about before…” he sat up, staring into my deep brown eyes with his innocent green ones.

“Just… don’t worry about it, ‘kay? Maybe I’ll tell you about it another time, but for now just don’t tell the others, or treat me differently.” I said, adding a pleading smile, and looking away to avoid getting lost in his eyes.

“Sure thing. So, want to watch some T.V with me?” he asked, picking up the remote and switching on the at T.V set.

“Yeah, that would be great.” I sighed, leaning back and resting my head on his shoulder, as his arm snaked around my back.

That’s how we stayed for the rest of the day, occasionally talking, but mostly just enjoying each other’s company. I think we must have eventually drifted off, because when I woke up I was lying alone on the couch. I heard noise from the kitchen, so I got up, expecting Harry to be there.

When I entered the kitchen, I found my Dad preparing dinner. I walked in and plonked myself down on one of the stools. There was a comfortable silence before I decided I should just apologise.

“Look Dad, I’m really sorry. I over reacted. I promise I’ll try my hardest to be good.” I apologised giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

“Sweetie, I should also apologise. I didn’t really think about how much you’ve been through.” he explained. I let out of a sigh of relief and got up to give him a hug, which he gladly returned.

As we sat down to eat dinner, I asked him where the boys were. He explained to me that they had gone back home to their own houses. We discussed what we were going to do tomorrow. He had the day off work, and it would be Sunday, so I would also be free. We decided that school shopping would be the best idea. I wondered if we would see Harry, after today I felt surprisingly close to him.