H&M

Chapter 22

"Let me take you away from the cold,
baby be my diamonds and gold. Wander through the dead with you caught up in my head."

Harry • • •

"He says he's heard Maya's name before, he just can't decipher when and where." Gemma said to me through the phone.

I sat upright in my bed, the sheets lazily draped over my half naked body.

"I don't care, Gemma." I rolled my eyes.

"Doesn't that make you nervous? Our father, who's a cop, remembers your girlfriend's name." She reasoned.

"Her name is very common."

"I didn't really think of that." She said from the other end.

Do you want to hang out tonight?  Maya's smiling face appeared on my phone. I could imagine her saying it in person, her left brow would slightly raise.

For some reason, I had been avoiding her ever since we got to campus.

Sorry, I already had plans. I replied.

"Harry?" Gemma asked over the line. "How is she?"

"She's great." I replied while pressing send. "We've been great."

"That's nice to hear." I could tell she was skeptical. "It's nice to see you happy, baby brother."

"What makes you think I'm happy?" I ran my fingers through my hair.

"This is the first time you're letting yourself get close to someone." I could imagine her nodding her head slowly.

"That's not true."

"It's very true. When you notice a possibility of  you getting hurt, you begin to detach yourself." My childhood psychologist still knew me very well.

"I think you may be right." That was exactly what I was doing. I was truly afraid of losing Maya, this was my way of detaching myself from her.

"I know I'm right." Gemma replied. "I'll talk to you later Harry. Tell Maya I said hello."

"Will do." I hung up.

Maya: Oh, alright.

•••••

Maya • • •

"Forget him, let's party tonight." Sara replied enthusiastically.

"Uhh, sure." I hesitated. Why had Harry been so distant lately? I hated feeling like I was annoying him all the time.

"He just texted me." I lunged towards the phone.

"What does it say." Sara asked.

"Gemma says hello." I read aloud.

"Don't you dare reply."

•••••

Sara and I strutted through the familiar frat house's front doors. The house reeked of marijuana, alcohol, and sweat. The music was deafening and the living room was completely dark. A sea of grinding bodies moved in unison to Miley Cyrus' We Can't Stop.

I had come to forget my issues, to let loose and get drunk like a normal college freshman. I wanted to have genuine fun and possibly a few stories to tell in the future. Maybe that was too much to ask out of a college party.

"Let's get drunk." I yelled over to Sara, right into her ear canal.

We made our way to the small bar, a handsome man stood behind the counter.