Always

Chapter 64

Hiiii everybody! So sorry I haven't updated for a few days, I've been really busy with school and stuff! I made this one a bit longer to make up for it, and I hope you like it! :) x

(Had to reload the chapter because the formatting got all messed up so all the comments are gone. Tear.)

Cuddled against each other in my bed, it was like we were in a fragile bubble where the darkness of what had happened with Colt had been leeched out. It had been a slow, lingering, poisonous process, but throughout the night and most of the day, the weight of the guilt seemed to lift.

Harry and I hadn't really talked about it; neither of us knew what to say and we both felt responsible, so there wasn't much to say about it, really. My heart had pounded heavily when my phone had rang around noon. It had been Haley calling from the hospital, her voice raw from crying but elated to tell me that Colt was out of surgery and in the ICU, well on his way to recovery.

His physical athleticism, it seemed, had provided him with a healthy enough body to make it through the ordeal, and his drunken, lethargic lack of reaction had saved him from further damage. Apparently it was better to be a limp ragdoll in an accident than a normal, reflexive person.

It was as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off Harry and I now that we knew he would be okay. The guilt, which had been sitting raw in my stomach like a rock, eased immensely. I knew that my other friends felt just as responsible as Harry and I did, so it was an immense relief to everyone. They had spent the night at the hospital despite their falling out, but we all agreed it would be best for Harry and I to stay away; we didn't want to upset Colt even more by being there when he woke up, which would supposedly be soon.

In the mean time, Harry had snuck out of my house to go home and shower before coming back shortly after, pretending to arrive for the first time that day. I had barely managed to shower in the short time that he was gone, but immediately felt ten times better after I had washed away the bad memories of the night.

It was a new day, everyone was alive, and I was happy.

Contributing to my happiness, of course, was the mystery of the surprise Harry had promised earlier. For the life of me, I couldn't think of whom he possibly wanted me to meet. The only people he had ever introduced me to were his mother and sister, seeing as he didn't really have any friends besides me. Was it some other relative? Maybe a friend I wasn't aware he had? I had no idea.

He refused to speak to me as we lay on my bed, my legs draped over his lap as he tried to study for something, resting his book on my shins and scratching lightly at the skin on my ankle absentmindedly. He frowed at the book, twisting his lips to the side as his eyebrows pulled down. I lay on my back, alternating between watching him study and closing my eyes, reveling in the feel of his fingers on my skin.

He had insisted that we study before we could go meet this mystery person, but so far I had accomplished nothing. Every attempt at distracting him was shut down almost immediately, playfully swatting me away or shutting me up with a quick kiss before returning his focus on the book.

Giving up, I let him study in peace while I observed him, taking in all the beautifully perfect aspects to his face and body. It still shocked me how incredibly amazing he was, in every single way, and it shocked me even more so that he was mine. This living, breathing, vision of utter perfection was mine- mind, body, and soul.

The light in my room had started to darken, hinting at the sun going down when he finally closed the book. I threw my fists into the air in victory, cheering.