Just a Flicker of Hope

Chapter 3- A Twist in Fate

Felicity refused to hand over the keys to Harry, although he swore up and down that he was okay to drive. Instead, she drove him to the nearest hotel and even helped him to his room. She felt as if she were losing her mind. Never had she gone to such great lengths to help out any of her customers before.

'What could have been so different about this man?' She wondered, as she helped him through his hotel door.

Harry was almost completely out of it, by the time his head hit the pillow. Shaking her head, she removed his shoes and covered him up. After much consideration, she decided to leave him a note explaining things.

Harry,

You were rather out of it, when I finally got you to your hotel room.

I didn't think you would remember so I just wanted to let you know that your keys are with the valet. I also made a request on your behalf to room service.

Someone should be along in the morning with some orange juice and Advil for the hangover you're sure to have.

Felicity

After another moment of deliberation, she added- bartender at Hope's Bar by her name. Harry had been so completely out of it that she doubted he would remember anything that had happened that night much less her name.

Looking at his sleeping form one last time, she sighed. He looked rather peaceful in this state of mind. You could hardly tell he was the same heartbroken mess she had spent the better part of her night with.

She fought the urge to reach out and swipe the hair away that had fallen into his eyes. Instead, she took a deep breath and turned around. Her emotions had been all over the place, and she couldn't explain why.

She made her way out of the hotel and into the cool night sky. Looking at her phone, she noticed it was already almost 3 in the morning. She was beyond exhausted and couldn't wait to get home. She was in desperate need of a hot shower.

She walked the two long blocks to her small apartment complex. Her neighborhood wasn't the grandest nor was it the safest. Hurriedly, she opened her door and rushed in. Quickly, she shut the door back and made sure all four locks were secured.

Setting all her things down, she let out a long breath. Her muscles were aching and her body felt heavy. Starting the shower, she got her clothes ready. She felt relieved as soon as the hot cascading water hit her aching body. Spending more time than usual under the steaming flow she began to relax.

After much time, she reluctantly turned off the stream and got out. Tiredly she slowly dried off and put her clean pajamas on. She was way to exhausted to worry about making herself something to eat. Instead, she climbed into her big comfy bed and relaxed under the covers. She was fast asleep, as soon as her head hit the pillows.

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Harry's POV

Harry awoke with a massive headache. Looking around, he took in the room. He wasn't quite sure on where he was or how he had gotten there. His head was fuzzy and he felt sick to his stomach. He had definitely drunk to much last night.

He could vaguely remember being at the bar and talking with one of the bartenders. Bits and pieces of their conversation started to come back to him.

He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket. Fumbling for it, he was finally able to retrieve it. Squinting, he took a look at the bright screen.

Courtney's picture flashed across the screen and Harry groaned. "Wonderful," he said out loud.

Hitting decline, he switched his phone off. Looking around the small hotel room he noticed a note on the nightstand. Sitting up slowly, he grabbed it. He read over it carefully.

'Felicity,' he thought. The name sounded oddly familiar. A flash of her face came flooding into his mind.

His could remember his first thought of her, as he watched her behind the bar. He thought she was rather beautiful, even in her understated attire. He could remember watching her for a while, not entirely sure as to why. She seemed to take his mind off of Courtney and her betrayal, if only for a minute.

He read over her note once more. Her thoughtfulness made him smile. Not many people would take time out of their day to care for a stranger the way that she had done.

He took a look at the clock on the table, it was just past 9 in the morning. A knock on hotel room door brought him back to reality.

Groaning, he slowly got out of bed. Looking down, he noticed he was still in the same clothes he was wearing the day before. They were wrinkled and smelled of pure alcohol. He turned his nose up in disgust, as he stumbled to the door.

He opened the door to a man in formal attire. He was holding a tray in front of him and had a big smile on his face.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. He held out the tray he was holding for Harry to take.

"Thank you," he told the man politely.

"Have a good one!" He called out, turning around and heading down the hall.

Harry took the tray inside his room and shut the door back. Taking a look, he saw a cup of orange juice. Along with the juice was a plate of food and two pills on the side.

Harry shook his head and smiled slightly to himself. He still could not believe how thoughtful and caring Felicity was. He was in utter awe.

Downing the pills, he chugged the juice. He was feeling a bit better already. Although his stomach was still turning, he forced himself to eat some of the eggs and toast on his plate.

Laying back in the bed, he contemplated his life and what had happened in the last 24 hours.

As hard as he tried, he could not get the imagine of Courtney and Mark together out of his head. It seemed to be on a never ending loop, playing in his brain. He wanted to rid himself of the torturous imagine, but he was not sure of how to do it.

He had thought that drowning himself in alcohol would have been the trick, however, it didn't seem to help all to much. Although, it did seem to numb him enough to where he didn't feel the pain quite as bad.

Giving it some though, he decided to send some flowers to the bar. It was the least he could do to thank Felicity for the kindness she had shown him.

Reluctantly he gathered his few belongings and headed out of the hotel. The sun was extremely bright and hurt his already pounding head even more.

He waited for the valet to bring his car around and tipped him once he did. Harry knee what he had to do, although every bone in his body opposed the idea.

He headed back to his home. Up until yesterday, he had always been rather fond of this house. Now, he couldn't stand to even look at it.

Quickly, he enter the house in his and raced to his room. Without so much as a glance at his bed, he headed to his closet. Grabbing a duffel bag, he pack him some extra clothes in it.

Although he hated being in this house any longer than he had to, he decided to take a quick shower and put on fresh clothing. He had never been one to be able to go without bathing. He couldn't stand being dirty nor did he enjoy reeking.

He was in and out of the house in record time. He had spent less than an hour getting together his essential ideas and taking a fast shower.

Taking one final look at the house, he thought of a plan. Although the idea might seem insane to others, he decided he would put this house up for sale. He knew that he would never be able to sleep in that bed again. Nor would he ever be able to enter the house without picturing his ex and her lover naked.

As he got back into his car, he grabbed his phone and called his realtor. He explained his situation in a rush and informed the man of what he wanted.

Larry has been more than eager to help. He could smell a quick and rather expensive sale headed his way. Thanking him, Harry had to make one more call.

Calling a local locksmith, he made arrangements to have his locks to the house replace. He informed the man that he would have his assistant drop buy with the keys. He wanted this done as soon as possible, in order to keep Courtney out of the house entirely.

Feeling a little better now that he had things squared away, Harry switched his phone back off. He knew that Courtney would continue to harass him, and he would rather not deal with her. She had never been one to give up, when it came to something she wanted. It was something that he had once admired her for.

Putting his car into drive he headed in the direction of the bar. It was only a little past 1 now, but he didn't care. He needed a drink to numb the pain. He still felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

Pulling up outside of Hope's, he took in a deep breath. He wondered if Felicity would be working today, part of him really hoped that she was.

Walking into the dimly lit bar, he took a look around. To his utter disappointment, she was no where in site. Sighing he walked to the back of the room and took a seat in the corner booth.

Ordering his drink of choice, whiskey, he leaned back in the booth and closed his eyes.

"Felicity!! Thank God!!" He heard, causing his head to snap up.

Walking through the glass doors, she smiled brightly at the girl behind the counter. Through sober eyes, she looked even more radiate then Harry could remember.

She was wearing tight blue skinny jeans that showed off her curvy legs. She was also wearing a navy blue blouse and had her dark hair up in a high ponytail. As far as he could tell, she wasn't wearing any makeup. He loved that. He had always preferred natural beauty, and she was most definitely a looker.