Gone by Dawn | Harry Styles

Blame It On Me

1311

Saturday, 21st June 2014

"Private Crosby?" I glance up from my seat to the man that stands before me. I scrunch my face up as I try and avoid the sun from blinding me. I place my hand up to my brows to offer some closure from the sun. My exposed skin sizzles in the 36-degree heatwave.

"Yes, that's me," I say. He hands a letter to me and waltzes off. I flip the letter over to the back. It is stamped with an Australian Defence Force stamp initiating authority. My heart races as anxiety and panic fills my body. I stammer to tear the envelope open. The letter was neatly folded into thirds and the words were neatly typed. As my eyes read between the lines my brows furrow. I stand from my seat and tread towards where Harry was having a cigarette.

"What's the letter?" Janice asks as I storm past her, I don't acknowledge what she said and continued on the path to Harry. As I come near, he looks up to me, he stands up from leaning against the chipping wall and smiles as the smoke drags from his lips.

"He-"

"What is this?" I cut him off. I lift my sunglasses up and rest them on my head. I pass Harry the letter. It was difficult to read his reaction as his face gave away no hints as to what he is thinking.

"When did this come?" He asks, looking up from the letter.

"Is that the only thing you have to say? You said he wouldn't do anything and that, and I quote, 'He's all bark and no bite.'"

"In the years I have known him, he has done jack shit," Harry lets out a laugh, probably out of disbelief. "You should be happy you're getting sent back home."

"What am I going to tell my family when I arrive out of no where after being deployed? 'Hey mum, yeah I'm back because my superior thinks I'm messing around with my commanding officer.' Yeah because she'll be really proud of me. Left my boyfriend behind to then be 'caught sleeping' with some boy," I gesture quotation marks around the idea of sleeping with Harry as it's a far fetch idea however, Lieutenant Slate would say otherwise. Calling Harry 'some boy' was a low blow but he wasn't listening to me. Harry butts his cigarette out on the ground and pushes past me, hitting my shoulder as he walks past.

"Harry," I call out to him. Trailing behind him as he walks into his quarters. He sits down in a chair as I walk into the room behind him.

"Harry, I'm-"

"It's not my fault," He says as he rubs his face with his hands out of frustration, "It takes two to tango."

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm just very fucking annoyed that I let myself do this," I sit in the chair opposite to Harry.

"Do what? We're young, Olivia, fuck'em. This doesn't define you as a person. People do stupid shit all the time," I let what he says sink in, "You're going to go home to your family in one piece and you'll be stationed with a new company." I don't say anything back to him.

"Pack your things," I look up from the ground to Harry. He wouldn't. My eyes brim with tears that I refuse to let flow as I try to understand what he's saying.

"Wha-"

"Pack your things, Private Crosby. You're going home."

***

1032

Wednesday, 25th June 2014

I didn't go straight to my mum's house as I didn't have a good enough lie to tell them as to why I am back so early. I worked up the courage to finally visit my family and today is the day. I ring the door bell, hearing footsteps approach from the other side of the door makes me anxious.