Before She Falls

Chapter 26

Ruth, Nicola, and I are out tonight at a popular bar near their apartment. This is one of the things I haven't been able to experience in England yet; legal consumption of alcohol. I'm allowed to purchase and drink at the bar in the UK and I'm definitely taking full advantage of it tonight.

"To your first legal drink" Ruth raises her Jack and coke mix in the air.

"And to my two beautiful cousins" I click my glass against theirs and take a big gulp. A fruity taste runs through my throat and I can feel the alcohol, but it goes down smoothly.

"Aw" Nicola throws her shot back and takes it all in. Somehow she manages to not make a sour face. "You're far too kind."

After about three drinks are inside of all of us, my cousins and I are having the best time of our lives. The atmosphere of this bar is so friendly and everyone around us seems to be having the time of their lives as well. Ruth and Nicola are giving me their advice about university, even though they don't know about half the things that go down at colleges in the States. They also tell me stories about their recent partying, and occasionally they start to flirt with the dark and handsome bartender that continues to give us free drinks. Just as I'm taking the first sip of my fifth drink, my phone starts to buzz on the table in front of me.

From: Harry Styles

Kat

"Is that Harry?" Ruth slurs her words together as she leans over the table to look at my phone. I have to admit, it's quite funny listening to a drunken British accent.

"Yes" I answer truthfully but hide the screen of my phone next to my chest.

To: Harry Styles

Haz

"Oh, come on" Nicola whines as I reply to Harry's text.

"We're not even talking about anything" I tell her as she sips her drink. "He's just saying hello."

"Oh yeah, just saying hello" Ruth mocks and her and her sister start cracking up.

From: Harry Styles

Haz, since when do you call me that?

To: Harry Styles

Sorry Harold.

From: Harry Styles

I'm joking. How is Wolverhamp?

To: Harry Styles

Wonderful, I'm out with Ruth and Nicola rihjt now

From: Harry Styles

A little drunk, are we?

"At least tell us what happened between you two" Nicola says to me.

"We just kissed" I reply, taking a second to remember that that's actually all we did.

"That's all?" Ruth questions.

"Yeah, he bought me a stuffed animal too."

"Aw!" Ruth squeals.

"Maybe he's not as cheeky as I thought" Nicola states.

"Nope, he's still cheeky" I inform her and the three of us laugh hysterically.

To: Harry Styles

Maybe a little

"I don't want to sound like the typical older cousin right now, but I want to warn you about the fact that Harry hasn't had a real, long-lasting relationship since...oh I can't even remember" Nic looks to me with true concern in her face. "Maybe Lauren, but that was about a year ago."

It clicks in my mind that the Lauren that Nicola just mentioned is most likely the same Lauren that Harry told me about; the one he cheated on.

"I think what she's trying to get at is that we want you to be on your toes with Harry. Even though he's a cutie, he has his moments with girls that are not-so-cute" Ruth tells me. "We're not trying to tell you not to talk to him, just be careful."

But even through their drunken words and my dizzy mind, I understand where they're coming from. I've know Harry and I know how... charming he is with, well, everyone. But I feel something with him, there's something about him that makes me believe he actually has some sort of feelings for me. Plus he's grown now, he's not the same seventeen year old he was the last time I was in England with him. On the other hand, I realize what I could be possibly doing to myself. I don't need another boy to waste my time on, I had enough of that with Mark. I'm nineteen, going back to school in a couple of weeks, and starting a goddamn internship. Maybe I'm just better off alone anyway. I'm more than capable of being on my own; I've never needed a boy to make me feel full and complete. But there's something about Harry.

"I get it" I put my lips to the rim of my glass and take a large gulp. "Thanks guys."

"What are cousins for?" Ruth smiles.

"Go Harry, though. You're quite the catch" Nicola nudges me and laughs.

"We're not even together!" I raise my voice in a joking manner.

From: Harry Styles

Sorry I'm not going to be there to wake you up in the middle of the night.

I think back to the last time I was drunk with Harry; the hotel in New York. He woke me up in the middle of the night and I found him in the bath tub. I had to lay down with him in his bed until he fell asleep, but I ended up just staying there until the morning. Wow, seems like ages ago.

To: Harry Styles

It's okay, you'll b here in a day. I thikn I can survive.

"C'mon Kat" Nicola says and guides me into the cab outside of the bar.

From: Harry Styles

Is it bad to say that I miss you?

I clumsily buckle myself into the backseat of the taxi as Nicola and Ruth do the same on either side of me.

To: Harry Styles

No, I miss you too Styles.

Maybe I shouldn't have sent that text to him. Maybe this is just the alcohol coming through my fingertips. Maybe that's just what he wants to hear, that I miss him too. But I do.

I spend the majority of the cab ride back to the Payne's household dozing off. It's hard to keep my sleepy eyes open in the dark of night, plus the taxi driver is playing this slow indie music that is putting me right to sleep. I'm so tired, drunk, and completely smitten by the fact that Harry misses me.

Nicola helps me inside the house and guides me to her old bedroom.

"Sleep tight, Katrina. We'll see ya tomorrow morning" Her whispered accent sounds like a lullaby as she pulls the blankets over my body.

"Mhm" I hum and she leaves the room to go back to her apartment with Ruth.

I check my phone to see if Harry responded back to me yet, but I barely have enough energy left inside of me to bring my iPhone to my face.

From: Harry Styles

Can't wait to see your lovely face in less than 24 hours. Get some sleep, Kat x

And you can bet your ass I'm going to sleep with a big smile on my drunken face.