Space They Cannot Touch

18.

You alternated between squatting and standing, your hips popping every time you bent down. Harry watched you, his mouth turned up in amusement.

"How do you do that?" he asked quietly.

"Do what?"

"Bend that way"

You laughed at him, covering your mouth to not disturb the other passengers. It was 3am on the flight over to LA and you were with Nicola, Sam and Harry. Nicola and Sam were fast asleep, you and Harry unable to get comfortable on the long flight, despite flying in business class.

"I don't know. I think women are naturally more flexible than men" you offered, standing upright before squatting down again, trying to relieve the tension building in your lower back.

Harry went back to editing on his laptop, his camera hanging around his neck. He looked a little like Tom when he frowned, and you felt a flutter of butterflies in your gut knowing that in a few more hours you would be reunited.

You shuffled past Harry, sitting back in your seat, your back instantly seizing up despite the stretching you'd just done. You squirmed until you found a semi-comfortable position, sliding open the window blind to peek out. The sky was a deep inky blue, the bottom of the window framed in frost. The frost was fractured like small snowflakes, and you studied their shapes and patterns.

CLICK

You turned and saw Harry had his camera pointed at you. He looked at the image and sighed.

"Aperture setting still isn't right" he muttered, fiddling with the camera.

You unconsciously moved your hair so that it covered your face a little. Old habits die hard. "Can you ask next time?" you murmured quietly.

Harry looked up at you, his face confused. "Why?"

"Well Baz, unlike your brother I'm not too crash hot on having my photo taken"

"Why?" he asked again, his brows knitting together.

"I...just don't like it" you mumbled, wishing you hadn't said anything. Harry looked at you, giving you a funny look. "What?" you asked.

"When will you tell us what happened with Jack? It's been more than two years and you haven't even told Tom. How do you think that makes him feel?" Harry asked, his voice serious. You felt your gut twist with guilt, and you returned to examining the frost patterns, tracing them with your finger.

"Some things are better left in the past Baz" you muttered. Harry poked you in the side, hard. You jerked in your seat, head hitting the side of the plane. "OW!" you grumbled, managing to keep your voice quiet, rubbing your head. "Why did you do that?!" you hissed, slapping his shoulder.

"You know Tom's mad about you, right? And that we all love you too?" he murmured earnestly, his brown eyes fixed on yours.

"Baz -"

"You know that, right?" he reiterated. You nodded, a little uncomfortable as Harry stared at you intently.  "So, why won't you tell us what happened with Jack?"

"Because I've spent a long time burying it so that I don't have to talk about it"

"Well, shits gonna get real soon as Lou officially becomes his wife" Harry stated. You glared at him. "You know I'm right".

"FINE! You're right. But poke me again and you won't be able to photograph anything for a month" you growled.

"Whatever you say Y/N" he smirked, returning his attention to his laptop.