Off The Ice

Chapter 13

Harry reads to me for what feels like hours. His deep, raspy voice is enough to almost put me in trance while I drink the remainder of my room-temperature chocolate. 

He finishes the chapter he's on and pauses, looking at the book before placing the bookmark back inside and closing the novel. He places it on the table and rubs his eyes. His contacts are probably bothering him. "Awe, does wittle Hawwy need his gwasses?" I tease.

"Says the girl still wearing my old ones." I push them farther up my nose as if to put me above him metaphorically.

"I still think it's weird that I've gone all this time without knowing I need glasses. I guess I don't really read things far away." I muse.

"If you're not in a classroom everyday and you're nearsighted you don't really notice. It's when you're in the back of the room trying to see the board when you can't that you mainly realize sight deficiancies. And same thing with farsighted people."

"Interesting." I say, stroking my pretend beard. He laughs before rubbing his eyes again. "Harry, go put on your glasses if they're bothering you that much."

"They're just a little dry. I'lll be right back." He rises from his chair and leaves the room. I hear the bathroom light across the hall flick on and cabinets open and close. Water starts running from the sink and I stand up to go watch him tend to his eyes, as creepy as that sounds. I lean against the doorframe as I find Harry holding his head back, taking his finger and scooping the contact off his eye. His dripping hands put the contact in the contacts holder before he does the other one. He take a little solution bottle and squirts it in both of the pockets of the container before he picks them back up and puts them back in his eyes. He does all of this without noticing me until the end when he blinks them into place. "Having fun?" He asks, glancing at me before putting everything back where it goes.

"Just a little bit." I smile a small smile and cross my arms, pushing the glasses up the bridge of my nose. "You should just take out your contacts and wear your glasses."

"Fuck no. I normally sleep in my contacts, I only use the glasses when the contacts get so fucking irritating that I can't handle it." 

"Then I'll just have to make them bother you one day." I say even though there is not truth behind that sentence.

"Yeah yeah. However, it is now 10 o'clock and you have practice tomorrow morning, so I am ending this night and driving you back to your house."

"Good call." I say, straightening my body and turning around to go back to the living room. I hear Harry turn off all the lights and follow me down the hall. "Why are you turning off all the lights?" I question. "You're just coming back here aren't you?"

"Uh, no. During the week I stay at the dorms. I come here on the weekends. It saves gas money."

"How far is campus from here?" I ask as we exit the premesis. 

"About twenty miles." 

"How far is it from my house?" 

"About ten." He ballparks.

"So I'm in the middle of your two habitats." I state.

"Habitats? I'm not an animal." He laughs.

"You know what I mean. I couldn't think of another word." I playfully push his shoudler as we make our way through the trees to get back to the car. 

"You could've said living quarters and I wouldn't have you thought you were nearly as weird as when you just said that." He says.

"No one asked your opinion! Who invited you?!"