From The Dining Table [H.S]

Chapter 54:

I walk back into the house, dripping wet. "What happened?" asked Tyler when I went into the living room, to go into my room.

Everyone was together and relaxing, having a couple drinks. The day was over and just time to relax.

"Nothing" I say, obviously lying and I walked by them and into my room.

I get into the bathroom and turn on the shower. The sea water was great but now my hair felt sticky and gross. And my skin wasn't feeling soft like normal.

I step in the water and let the warm water cover my body. I stand there with my head down for a few minutes when I hear a knock on the door.

"I'm showering" I mumble.

I hear the door open anyways. I lift my head and drag my fingers over my eyes and open them. Through the glass walls of the shower I see Mitch standing there.

"That's obvious" he says with a slight chuckle. I sigh and turn my back to the water, running my fingers through my hair as I put my head under the water.

As I take my head out I look at Mitch again, "What do you want, mate?" I ask, a bit annoyed at his intrusiveness.

I pour some shampoo in my hands and rub the cold liquid together as it bubbles up before scrubbing it into my hair.

"Is everything alright?" he asks and I can tell he feels a little awkward and uncomfortable.

"I'm fine" I say, avoiding eye contact from him.

"It's not, Harry" he says, "Man I know you. Not long but I know you. I've spent the past few weeks with you all day every day. I know when you're fine. And you're not."

He got me there, but I think it was obvious to anyone I wasn't fine.

"It's Nikki isn't it?" he asks.

I look over at him and he is looking at the ground. "How'd you know?" I ask him, shocked. I put my head under the water again, running my fingers through my hair to rinse the shampoo out.

"Fucking Jeff told me that's who was on the phone. And then you walked off, went for a late night swim and came in angry and wet" he says, and he was correct. "What happened?"

As I'm sure the shampoo was all out of my hair by now, I grab the bar of soap and get it wet and rub it between my hands, getting suds to form. I rub the bar over my chest and arms.

"Nikki is pissed at me because I'm here" I tell him, a little annoyed with the situation myself.

"Why? She knows you're here to record an album. What's the difference from being away on tour?" He asks and that's the whole point. She didn't know.

I remain silent and finish shaping up my body before rinsing off under the water.

"Harry" says Mitch impatiently. He wants me to continue to talk but I don't really know what else to say.

"Wait a second" he says as I shut off the water. I open the door and grab the towel hanging on the rack by the shower door. "You never told her you were here, did you?" he finished.

I rub the towel over my head and bring it down and look at him. Our eyes meet and I shake my head no. He shakes his head too in disapproval with an eye roll.

"We hadn't talked for a while and this all just happened so quick! What the hell was I supposed to do?" I ask him, my annoyance showing it's self in a bit of a yell.

"Text her" he says simply.

"Yeah, thanks captain obvious" I say, drying off the rest of my body. I hang the towel on the rack again and walk past Mitch and into my room.

"Don't need to get hostile with me, man" he says, and he was right. I needed to calm down.

"Sorry" I say, softly, "I just-"

"What?" he asks, wanting me to continue as he follows me into my room.

I go to a drawer and pull out some boxers and pull them up my legs, "I just don't know why I was so stupid to not just mention it" I tell him honestly, "I seriously don't think I know what was going through my mind."

"Obviously not her" he says and he sits on my bed.

"But that's the thing, Mitch" I say as I go through another drawer and grab some shorts, "Nikki is literally always on my mind."

He just shrugs while I pull up the shorts and grab a tee shirt from the same drawer and pull that over my head. I sit next to him on the bed, our legs touching.

"Maybe she's not the one?" he says softly. I shake my head. I didn't want to think that but now that he is saying it, it makes sense.

"I think I've had that in the back of my mind but I never wanted to admit it to myself" I say after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear" he said. And I nod. It wasn't what I wanted to hear. But its what I needed to hear. 

"So what? Just break it off with her?"

He shrugs, "I mean you got to do what you think is best. But I think you need to talk to her. In person. And sort everything out" he tells me, "And if after you two talk you still feel you love her enough to get married, don't call it off. But if you don't feel like it'll work out, you should call it."

I sigh, and I feel a hot tear come from my eye and drip down my cheek.

"It wouldn't be right to keep her tied up while you're having doubts. If you ever had feelings for her or if you still have some feeling for her you'd at least let her have another chance at love" he says and I hate to say it but he makes a lot of sense.

I nod, and he slowly lays back on the bed, "I think that you're smart enough to make a good decision about things" he says.

I look down at him and nod, wiping away a stray tear. We sit there staring at each other for a moment before I slowly lean down towards him.

I didn't know what I was doing but I felt the need to kiss him. As my face neared his, he pushed my shoulders up and he quickly got to his feet, "Woah, Harry" he says, a bit shocked and I see his face redden.

"Sorry I-"

"Dude, I'm not gay" he says, shaking his head, "Sorry if coming in while you showered and laying down on your bed gave you the wrong idea" he says, obviously a bit scared by the idea.

I shake my head, "I know I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what got into me" I say and he slowly nods, "Can you just... just not tell anyone."

He nods again but smiles, "Don't worry man. Just don't try to kiss me again" he laughs and I crack a smile too, "Just go talk to her. Figure it out."