Sweet Disposition (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 13

The next time I woke up Harry was gone. I rolled out of bed  as I scrubbed a hand over my face. It was already eight o’clock. I was surprised Harry’s alarm didn’t wake me up.

I put on my jeans and a t-shirt, then looked on my phone for where the cemetery was. It wasn’t far from the hotel, so it made sense when I saw Harry’s car still parked outside. I decided to drive, considering how lazy I am.

It was dark and the headlights weren’t very bright, but I eventually found the cemetery. I pulled into the parking lot. Luckily he had a flashlight in his glove compartment, so I grabbed that and got out of the car.

The light landed on something white crouched on the ground by two headstones. I sighed as I sat next to him, but he didn’t look up. He stared straight ahead blankly.

I scooted closer and slipped my arm around his waist. He finally looked at me. I thought he would be crying or something, but his face showed no emotion. It was just the blank state he always used when he didn’t want to let anyone in.

I pulled him back with me until we were lying on our backs in the grassn. He grunted in protest, so I rested my head on his shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on his jaw. He seemed to relax after that. After a while of quiet peacefulness I pointed up at the sky.

“Those stars look like a top hat.”

It was quiet again for a few minutes then Harry spoke up. “Those look like a cat.”

“They do not.” I snorted. “It’s just a big blob of stars.”

He thumped me on the nose and I frowned. He smiled a little and kissed my pouty bottom lip.

We layed there for hours, just looking at the stars. It was kind of insane actually. We were laying down in the grass in a cemetery laughing at things we pointed out in the stars or making up stories about them. It was perfect.

**

“There you are! I’ve been calling you for the past two hours!” Paul frowned at Harry.

He shut the car door and he visibly shrunk back. Paul took a deep breath. “There’s something wrong with Missy.”

Harry took a step towards Paul with a nervous look on his face. “What do you mean?”

I stepped up beside him and laced our fingers together, trying to offer him comfort. He glanced briefly at me, but he turned his head towards Paul as soon as he spoke again.

“I’m not really sure to be honest.” Paul scratched the back of his head. “She won’t eat, she won’t come out of the stall, and she won’t even eat her treats. At first I thought maybe she just missed you, but it keeps getting worse. She just stands in the back of the stall with her head down. She went out the very first day and ever since she’s stayed in.”

Harry took off at a jog to the barn and I was right behind him.

Just like Paul said, Missy was standing in the back corner with her head down and her food was untouched.

Harry unclipped the lock and she cowered against the far wall. His eyebrows furrowed and he stepped into the stall carefully, as if he was treading on thin ice. He stretched his arm out slowly and trailed his fingertips along her side.

She jumped back, letting out a high pitched whinny. When she hit the wall, she got even more terrified. Before I could do anything, her back hooves were off the ground and Harry was flying backwards. I ran forward as quickly as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough. She reared up into the air and her front left hoof came down hard on his ankle.