Skin

8

With the gun on my mind I barely slept through the night, finding myself staring out my window from the comfort of my bed as the sun rose.

It was a new day. Sadly a new sunrise could never deliver a new plot for my current situation, it was still as unknown and tense as the previous days. However, a new sunrise delivered an open bookstore, and beyond those walls surely sat Harry.

I got ready and left the house without eating breakfast, stepping over the jacket I dropped on the floor the night before. I slammed the door behind me as I stepped out into the mildly cool morning, sloppily locking the door before walking down the sidewalk. I watched my feet as I walked, observing the surface they paced on.

I glanced up once, only to cross the intersection. From that point I knew my way, and my feet carried me right to the shaded area, and the stepping stones to the stairs of the front entrance.

As I walked up and opened the door, I refrained from raising my glasses. Even my concealed under eyes couldn't mask the tiredness in my eyes.

At the front desk stood Scarlett, tapping her nails on the surface of the counter as she rested her head in the palm of her hand. When the bell on the door rang, her eyes shifted towards me and immediately her posture changed.

"Hello, my dear!" She cheered as she stood straight, linking her hands together over her front. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I nodded, lightly chuckling at her. "Is Harry around?"

Scarlett made a clicking noise as she looked down at the paper in front of her. "Nope," she shook her head, tapping a line of the page with her index finger. "He won't be in for the whole day."

"Oh,"

"Do you have his number?" Scarlett asked, cocking a brow at me playfully.

I shook my head, "No."

"Here," she said, pulling out her cellphone from the back pocket of her jeans.

I took mine from my purse, typing in the ten digits of his number as she told them to me.

"Thank you, Scarlett." I thanked, saving the number under his name.

"Go call him." She pushed my arm, nudging me towards the door.

I smiled at her, nodding before turning towards the door again. Once I was outside I sat on the third step down, staring at my phone and the number I was deathly close to calling.

I was nervous call, even though I shouldn't be.

I tapped the phone icon, and immediately the line started to make an outgoing call. I raised it to my ear, listening to the dial tone as it continued.

"Hello?" Harry answered, casually.

There was rustling on his end of the line, making it sound as if he were searching for something.

"Harry," I started, "Hi, it's Phoebe."

"Phoebe!" He cheered, and suddenly the background noise on his end halted. "I just knocked on your door, thought you were avoiding me."

I laughed at his accusation, "Why were you knocking on my door?"

"I have a fight tonight, I'd love if you would accompany me." He proposed, "I'll wait for you to come back home, and then we'll go. Is that alright with you?"

"I'm on my way." I agreed, finally hanging up the phone and jumping from the bookstore steps.

It seemed as though the sun was finally shining, something that had gone unnoticed by me in the previous hours of the day. I speed walked down the road, crossing the intersection without looking. The town was so small, there really was no point in checking for cars.