The Man on the Moon (The Man Duology)

Chapter 19

"I'm sorry," Harvey's tear-coated voice shook me awake.

Deion's car was at a stand-still, with everybody else evacuated except for Harvey and me. Eventually, when I sat up, he was clutching his phone to his ear. He protected himself with his arms and hunched his back, facing his head to look down at the floor. The familiar grey hoodie was hugging his tense body, with the jaw-strings pulled tight against his skin. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Harvey quickly wiped his eyes with one of his sleeves and continued to speak. "Look, Laura--" A small voice erupted from his phone's speaker within a high pitched hurricane, causing Harvey to raise his voice. "I am sorry! I've said it a thousand times--" More interruptions. "I didn't expect this to happen. You can't help who you love. I'm sure you'll find somebody-" Briskly, Harvey ripped his phone from his ear and looked down at it, like an eagle, with disgust. "She hung up! She hung up on me! Can you believe that?"

"Well, what did you expect?" I replied, sleepily. He whipped his head towards me, shooting daggers with his narrowed eyes. "You did just dump her... I assume anyway."

Sighing, Harvey slumped into the leather passenger seat. Briefly, I felt his weight press against my knee. His eyes relaxed alongside him, glistening with empathy. "I'm an ass."
He sighed again before throwing himself from the chair and diving into the backseat. Slinging his arms around me, he decided that it was my chest's turn to play cushion. Although my breasts were tender, and Harvey's head made me wince every time he moved it, my heart was fluttering -- so it was worth it.

"You're not an ass," I paused, my fingers tangling through his dusty brown hair. I watched them get lost in the sea of his locks, mesmerized by how soft they felt. "Okay... Maybe you are... A little bit... From personal experience."

"That's why I'm an ass..." He sighed, holding onto me slightly tighter than before. "Now that I know what I want, hopefully I become less of one."

Smiling down at him, I desperately wanted to ask him what that was. Although I wanted to, Max swung the car door open before I got the chance. They clutched bags and bags of different snacks -- peanut M&Ms, Ruffles, and other brands of crisps I'd never seen before... I was foaming at the mouth with anticipation. My stomach suddenly became a savage beast, growling and panting for food. Harvey and I got up faster than ever before. Although we didn't want to part from one another, we had to feed our vicious animals.

Before I could register what was happening, my hand was already at least a foot deep in a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. The crumbs clutched to my casual leggings, which hugged my thick thighs. In a poor attempt to brush myself off in a confined place, I wiped myself down and bumped my head on the ceiling. Harvey rushed to my side, of course after laughing first.

"THERE! THERE IT IS! I WIN, I WIN, I WIN!" Abby screeched from the front seat, causing me to almost wet myself from shock. She was at the edge of her seat, practically sweating with excitement. Her right pointer finger was fully extended towards the windshield, gesturing towards one of the passing cars. "Z! IT'S THERE! DO YOU SEE? DOYOU SEE? DOYOUSEE?"

"We see, Abby," Max smiled, admiring her from the back seat. "We see, angel."

Abby did not reply with anything but an adorable grin, which warmed my chest, like a piping hot chocolate would. Their love filled the atmosphere, causing us all to exchange in heart-felt smiles. Harvey grabbed my hand and placed it onto his lap, gently caressing it with his thumb. Max and Abby's blossoming relationship was innocent, pure and radiated throughout the entire car. Their love was a little flower. And we were all seeing it blossom -- day by day. It started as a seed, waiting to be watered. Then, as time progressed, the roots began sprouting from the hard shell of the small seed, and it was clear something beautiful was on the horizon. At that moment, we could almost smell the sweet fragrance their flower was admitting. Their petals were still in construction -- but I'm sure when they were fully developed, they would attract thousands with their beauty.