Act Two // Book One

Chapter Twenty Seven

Three days later and Harry was no closer to figuring out how to get Samantha to allow him into her heart. He was beginning to lose hope. Since their discussion, Samantha and Harry had drifted further and further apart. Samantha would report for work every morning and quietly sit at the kitchen table, only talking to him if it had to do with work. It was driving him insane while she seemed only mildly discomforted.

But today was different. While Samantha usually walked into his house every morning with a slight awkwardness about her, today she walked in surrounded by sadness. Instead of taking her usual seat at the table, she took one that left her back turned to him. She was completely closed off. Harry's curiosity was at an all-time high.

He must have walked past the kitchen 40 times that morning, only to find she hadn't moved an inch save for her fingers tapping on the keys of her computer.

Had he done something? He decided he hadn't considering they hadn't had a meaningful conversation in the last three days. But something was definitely off.

By the time noon rolled around, he was starving. He'd allowed her the space of the kitchen without his presence all morning but he had to eat something.

The rain outside was only getting worse, pelting the windows so hard it sounded like tiny pebbles. Going out to get something would've been hard though he guessed he could've braved it if she got upset.

Rufus had also opted to stay away from her that day, keeping himself on Harry's heels throughout the house. He nervously laid on the ground when he saw Harry enter the kitchen.

Harry crept into the kitchen silently, just about to reach forward and open the refrigerator when he heard a sniffle.

He stopped, turning his neck to look over his shoulder. Was she crying or was that just a sniffle? He heard another one, pulling his hand away from the refrigerator. Ok, that was not just a sniffle. He saw her shoulders shake and before he could stop himself he was at her side.

She was most definitely crying, hard enough that her entire face was wet. Her eyes were red and puffy, her lips swollen. Harry pulled his eyebrows together, his hands going to her face,

"Are you alright? Why are you crying?"

Samantha looked down at him. She needed so desperately to feel someone's arms around her but she'd been clear with Harry that their relationship was friends only. She chewed on her thumbnail nervously.

He shook his head,

"It's ok...you can talk to me."

Samantha took her hand away from her mouth. She gathered herself for a moment, staring down at her fingers,

"It's Tabitha's birthday."

Harry's heart sank. He instantly felt like an asshole for thinking her mood had anything to do with him. He pulled a chair up close, sitting on it while he took her hands in his,

"Shit..." He breathed, "Nava, I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Samantha nodded, still refusing to look at him,

"She would've been 22." Samantha laughed though it sort of sounded like a cry, "She would've been some kind of doctor or a famous singer or something where she changed the world and instead she's-" Samantha's sentence stopped abruptly while her face scrunched up with another bout of tears.

Harry watched as she crumbled. It was quite a sobering experience to watch someone who had been the pillar of strength and grace completely break down in front of you. She was shaking so hard he was sure she was going to be sore later.