Visting Austin

Goodbyes.

Harry

                Hours had passed, and Harry had managed to color almost all of Chelsey’s legs, and some of her left arm. It was cute to Harry when he could press the cold marker somewhere new and Chelsey would giggle. I could write a song in her laughter, Harry thought.

                “Alright, what is your fondest memory?” Harry must have asked Chelsey a million questions in the couple of hours they sat there. He now knew that Chelsey was trying to get better for her little siblings, her best friends were a group of girls who wanted to me something they couldn’t ever quite achieve, her mother was a hard relationship to keep under control, and that Chelsey really liked parmesan cheese.

                “The summer before we went into high school, my friends and I went to one of your concerts. It was great. I cried a lot.” Throughout the hours Harry had also felt Chelsey relax with him. Her legs had gone limp around the first hour and she would now full out cackle when Harry made a joke and that made Harry happy.

                “Our concert is your favorite memory?” Harry actually felt a little bit sad that a concert he had paid less than enough attention to was the most important thing in Chelsey’s life.

                “Either that, or the night Cheyenne, Cassidy, Savanna and I all stayed up until morning then played in Savanna’s pond.” Harry tried to imagine Chelsey, at the early hours of the morning with her hair a mess and her smile bright splashing water at her friends. He couldn’t see it as easily as he wished he could.

                “Alright once more tattoo and we’re done.” This time Harry was going to give Chelsey a tattoo that could mean something to her. He grabbed her right arm and started to draw the recovery sign, Harry had only known what the sign looked like because his friend in high school had an eating disorder and the sign was posted up in her bedroom after she was in recovery.

                “Okay, you can open your eyes.” Chelsey slowly sat up and opened her eyes. Harry couldn’t help but laugh at the way she readjusted her eyes to the light. Her hands rubbed her eyes and she blinked a lot but that was cute to Harry. She was cute to harry.

                There is a lot there, Harry thought. He really hoped that Chelsey liked it.

                “I don’t want to ever wash it off, obviously I’ll have too, but they are so beautiful.” Chelsey grabbed the latest marker from Harry’s finger tips and watched as Chelsey drew a small ‘h’ like an exponent to the recovery sign.

                “How about a fire?” And Chelsey agreed to have a fire with Harry. Harry and Chelsey remained at the house until the early hours of the morning when Chelsey needed to be returned.

                It was nearing six in the morning when Harry woke Chelsey up.

                “Chels,” Harry couldn’t shake her awake, so he was forced to carry her back to the car and drive her to the hospital without her company.

                “How was she?” Harry walked into the ward with Chelsey hung in his arms. She was still sound asleep in his arms.

                Harry had to look down at Chelsey to answer properly. He ended up just smiling at her and looking back at the nurse.

                “She was perfect.” The nurse suggested Harry not wake her when he dropped her off, so he placed her in bed with a note from himself, and kissed her forehead, afraid he would never see her again, but knowing he would make it a point to see her.