Prove It (H.S)

Chapter Forty Nine

Claire's POV~

My eyes flutter open as the bright sun glares through our window. I yawn, looking over to the other side of the room to see Jasmine, still sound asleep. I swing my tired legs over the side of my bed and walk over to my computer.

I create an email draft, my fingers hovering over the computer keys as I think about what to write Harry for his birthday. Harry was not only my boyfriend, but I also considered him one of my best friends. He understood me in a way that I perhaps didn't understand myself. He knew how to make me laugh, even if his jokes were awful.

I begin to type, finding it easy to write as soon as I get the first word in....

Dear Harry,
It's your birthday! You're twenty-two, wow. Time flies. It seems like I've known you forever, however cheesy it may sound, it's true. You have a way of putting spark into people's lives, and anyone who's gotten the privilege of meeting you knows exactly what I mean. I know that this letter may be awkward for you to read coming from me, but just consider it a birthday wish from any other friend. Have a great one, Harry. You deserve it.
Love,
Claire

I smile contently at my finished letter, and hit send. It's rather strange writing to him in such a casual way, but I realize that I'll have to get used to that.

After I send the email, I get up and walk over to the small closet near the foot of my bed. I change into gray athletic shorts and a white tank top. I walk to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth and hair. When I arrive back to the dorm, Jasmine is sitting up, rubbing her eyes. "No class today, thank goodness," she says, her voice croaky. I laugh and grab my phone and wallet. "I'm gonna head out, grab some breakfast. Want anything?" Jasmine shakes her head and I say goodbye.

I walk out of the small dormitory and into the viscously hot sun. Sweat immediately starts to form on my forehead. I decide to leave campus and head over to a cafe that many students seem to have taken over. I push open the door and wait in line to order an iced coffee.

The line moves quickly and I am soon face to face with the register. "Un café con hielo, por favor," I tell the cashier, using the little Spanish I know, plus eavesdropping on the orders before me to help. The girl at the register punches in my order and turns the screen to me to show me what I owe. I dig in my wallet, and before I know it, a hand that is most certainly not mine hands the girl 52.25 pesos.

"I'll take care of that," the familiar voice says. I look over to see Andrés. "You didn't have to do that," I say, blushing. "I wanted to," he says as we walk over to where I wait for my drink. I grab my drink off the counter after thanking the barista. I take a sip and let the cool liquid flow down my throat and refresh me.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Andrés asks me. "Please," I say, holding out my arm to two empty seats. We sit down across from each other and Andrés stares at me. I look away, smiling. "You blush a lot," he says. I look at him again. "Do I?" He nods and brushes his dark hair up away from his forehead. "Why?" I shrug. "I don't know, I think it's because I'm not comfortable with the attention, like you never know what the person looking at you is thinking."

"I'm thinking about how beautiful you are," he says and I laugh out loud, almost choking on my drink. "What?" Andrés asks with a grin. "You caught me by surprise, that's all," I say. "How often does someone tell you that you're beautiful? Not often enough, I think," he says. I look down, suddenly feeling sort of down. "Uh," I say,"It's been a little while."

Andrés doesn't say anything. Instead he subtly removes one of my hands from my coffee cup and takes it in his. At first I'm a little taken aback, but I relax. It feels strange to have someone else touch me like this, even something as simple as a hand hold. I look up into his brown eyes and I feel a sense of warmth. He gives my hand a squeeze and I reply with a smile.

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Harry's POV~

"Still haven't heard from IKEA?" Louis asks, coming through the door and disturbing my studying. "Nope, but honestly I could care less," I say. "What? You really wanted that job," he exclaims, sitting on his bed and facing me. "Yeah, and I still do, but it's not the first thing on my mind right now. Look at this birthday message I got from Claire this morning." I pass my computer over to Louis who looks skeptical.

His eyes scan the screen and he soon passes the computer back to me. "Wow, that's sweet," he says and I smile, ear to ear. "That made you really happy, didn't it?" He asks. I nod sheepishly. I can hear him chuckle quietly. "Well, on a different note, maybe you'll still get a call." I nod, "Yeah, maybe."

"So where do you wanna eat tonight? The boys are up for anything, I already asked them," Louis says. "I was thinking BJ's," I tell him. "Yum, I'll go tell the guys," he says and leaves.

I pick up my phone and decide to call Claire to thank her for her email. I dial her number and wait as the line rings. "Oh, Harry! Happy birthday!" Her beautiful voice travels through the speaker. "Thanks, the email was lovely, by the way." I can hear a muffled voice on the other end. "I'm glad you liked it, uh, is it okay if I call you later to catch up?" She asks, sounding distracted. I frown to myself. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I'll talk to you later?" I ask. "Yeah, for sure. Bye!" She hangs up.

She sounded really happy, which is nice, yet I can't help but feel jealous. It's not like I want to be the only reason for her happiness or anything, even though I never have been, especially not now, but seeing her enjoying life and doing great things without me, while I'm back here smiling stupidly at a fucking birthday email, makes me feel small.

I stand up and take off my shirt to change for my birthday dinner with the boys. I walk over to the mirror on the wall and look at myself. I bro my hand to my hair and shake it around. The long brown curls fall in front of my face and over my shoulders. I can't remember the last time I got a hair cut, and I suddenly find myself picturing what I would look like with a fresh do.

I chuckle to myself and lift a clean black shirt over my head and grab my phone and wallet and keys. Tonight is gonna be sick, and I can't wait to get back into old habits with my friends and just have a little fun.

Happy fucking birthday to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Okay, this is officially a record for how long can Lila go without updating. I AM SO SORRY. I am so busy with traveling and summer things that I just can't get around to writing. Hopefully soon my schedule will clear up and I'll have much more writing time. Thanks for 60k!!! I love you all.
~Lila