"So this is where you live now?” Harry's face is a mix between hope and confusion.
“Yeah, I moved here not long after we... well... after you...” I struggled to find the right words to say without bringing up the past. He could sense the uncomfortable vibe I was putting out and decided to change the subject.
“Well, you look great anyway!” He gave me a quick smile before Niall, the blonde guy I bumped into with Harry, interrupted with a throat-clearing cough.
“Oh Niall, you remember Indianna right?”
The look on Niall's face seems like one of confusion which pushes Harry to dig a little deeper.
“Um, you'd probably know her as Indie... from back home. You met each other a few times.”
Niall looks back at me and I feel slightly more comfortable. His face changes from confusion to one of assurance as he nods his head and smiles.
“Oh yeah! I remember you! Harry wouldn't shut up about you for ages,” he laughs as Harry gives him a look that could kill. To hear that he spoke about me after we saw each other for last time puts me at a little ease. Maybe he hurt as much as I did? Or maybe he just laughed about how stupid and naïve I was.
“Well I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I definitely remember you Niall,” I give him a smile as I remember the young 19 year old Niall that had made me laugh on occasion and he returns it.
“So what are you doing now?” Harry interrupts and my eyes move back to his face. Nothing I say could possibly compare to the whole 'famous boy band' thing which is kind of a bummer. A little part of me once hoped that he would give up on this boy band before they became international superstars, but that was a long time ago.
“Uh, I'm just studying at the moment- fashion. Aside from that I have a part time job here,” I motion to my surroundings.
“Fashion huh? That's pretty cool. You've always loved that stuff,” he gave me a sympathetic smile and continued. “Where do you work here?”
“Oh, I work at Peter Alexander, the pyjama place. It's nothing too crash hot,” I laugh. Never had I imagined that I would be standing here again in front of Harry, the boy I once knew at such an intimate level, chatting away like we had just sort of 'known' each other, nothing more and nothing less.
“They have some pretty comfy pjs at that place,” Niall interrupts my thoughts and I'm drawn back to reality, “I was just there this morning buying a pair for my mum.”
“That's cute man, really.” Harry looked at him and shook his head, clearly not phased by his friends confession.
“Now I know why you looked so familiar!” I hear Louis' voice from behind me and turn my head, “Indianna, right?” he asks.
The two girls that I had left him with earlier were walking at a slow pace behind him and looked up to see who he was talking to.
“Yep! You finally got me,” I confessed in defeat but gave him a smile. I knew they would all start to recognise me eventually.
“Hang on,” Harry grabbed my arm lightly and swung me back around. “You're the one who vomited on Louis before, aren't you?”
Shit.
“Um, yeah... yeah that was me.” I knew Harry was there and saw it happen because I heard him call out to his friend, but he hadn't seen my face so he didn't know who I was.
“Oh my god,” he began laughing and I immediately felt the embarrassment I had felt not long ago. By this time, the two girls had finally caught up to Louis and were once again laughing too. As I looked at Louis he noticed my embarrassment and gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Stop laughing at her guys, she was obviously not feeling very well,” he tried to make me feel better and Harry and the girls ceased their laughter.
“Sorry Indie, how are you feeling?” Harry's choice of name for me sparked the attention of the girl with the purple hair.
“Indie? Do you know her or something?” she questioned, clearly interested in why he was giving me a nickname. If I hadn't known better, I'd say there was a slight tone of jealousy in her voice.
“Uh, yeah. We were... friends back home,” he explained. Friends? Really Harry?
“That's bullshit,” Louis spoke, and I sensed that he would reveal what really happened between Harry and I. “They were the most hardcore of lovers,” he laughed. Both Harry and I choked on the air we had breathed in as Niall joined in with Louis' laughter.
“Oh.” She was clearly not amused. She walked past me and stood beside him, putting her hand around his waist.
“Well, I'm Jess. Harry's girlfriend,” she emphasised. Well at least I know why he referred to me as his “friend” from back home.
“Nice to meet you Jess,” I smiled at her and she smirked back at me. “I better get going, I have, um, things to do and stuff,” I tried make up an excuse but failed miserably. Louis laughed, probably recalling our earlier conversation. “Maybe I'll see you guys around,” I smiled and began to walk off.
“Indie... wait!” I heard Harry yell, those words all too familiar for the wrong reason. I turned around and watched as he approached me, leaving Jess with the others. “Can I ask you something?” he was clearly nervous.
“Uh, sure. What's up?”
“When you knew who Louis was, and when you heard me call out his name, why did you just run away?” I wasn't prepared for a question like this. I didn't know what I was expecting him to ask, but this definitely wasn't it. As I searched for the right answer, he interrupted my thoughts. “Please, I need to know,” he continued.
“Because running is easier than facing reality I guess.” I couldn't come up with anything else. It was the truth. I wasn't ready to face the reality of seeing Harry again after months of hurting and forgetting what it was like the last time I had seen him.
I should have walked off but I just stood there, waiting for his response.
“What reality?” he questioned. I looked up at the confused look on his face. He didn't understand where I was coming from, or rather what I was talking about.
“You.”
As I said it, the expression on his face turned from one of confusion to understanding, as if I had given him the answer he knew was right but needed to hear.
“I'm sorry,” he confessed.
“Don't fret Harry, it's in the past.” I didn't entirely believe his confession, but I didn't want to talk about that here, not at a casino filled with excited teenage girls waiting to get a glimpse of their idol. As I begin to walk off for the second time, he takes a hold of my arm.
“Maybe we could catch up while I'm in town or something?” The hope in his voice made me almost let down my guard. I wanted to, but was everything I had worked so hard on putting in my past, and risking it all coming back to the surface something worth a 'catch up' with someone I once knew?
“I don't know if that's a good idea Harry,” I stick to my guard and watch the slight hope disappear from his face.
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” he agrees in defeat. “Uh, I'll see you around then.” He fakes a smile and with that he turns around and walks off, leaving me standing there and wondering if I had made the right choice.
