Tokyo Drift || HS

8 || American Friend (Part 2)

I'M ONLY TWO DRINKS in and I can already feel it.

Mitch is on four and I don't know how he's still conscious.

It's been a couple hours since I first walked in the door to Harry's place, and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. Mitch immediately started me telling stories about Harry and different nights on tour. My abs have been aching ever since.

Apparently, there was one time when they finished a concert and stayed up all night afterward watching rom-coms just because they were "in a mood". Another night, the band wanted to mess with Harry, so they covered his whole dressing room with different zoomed-up paparazzi pictures of his face while he was sleeping. Mitch shared about a party where Harry made him carry him around on his back for several hours just because "two is better than one".

Harry was unfazed by any of it. It's hard to reconcile the stone-faced, solemn man I've come to know with the stories from his closest friend. But the longer I spend time with Harry and Mitch, the more I see sparks of it break through.

"Indi, did you ever listen to One Direction." Mitch slurs. "Be honest, no lying."

I laugh at his drunken candor. Mitch most recently moved on to a series of questions formatted in what feels like a mock interview.

"Of course, you would have had to live under a rock to not." I smile. Harry sits on the ground. His back leans against the wall while he thumbs a glass in his hand.

"I wouldn't know any of the songs if Harry didn't still belt them all out on the treadmill like he's singing at an arena show..." Mitch says with a hint of exasperation.

"You can't shame me." Harry laughs, breaking his silence.

"What about the new stuff. Did you like that?" Mitch slurs again.

"The solo stuff?"

"Yea. Be honest, no lying – I'll know." Mitch leans his elbows against the coffee table we've centered around. His cheeks flushed with the flowing liquor. He appears giddy and completely unaware of the position he's putting me in. I glance over to Harry who allows a small smirk to form at the corner of his lips.

"Yea, I really liked it." I answer genuinely. "It was unexpected. I'm glad you started experimenting with different sounds. People at work played the album a lot."

Harry smiles while Mitch leans over to pat his leg. "'Atta boy." He affirms.

"Of course, that's why I'm here." Mitch continues as he sits himself back up from the hard floor. "We had to finish up some stuff for the second album!"

Silence fills the room for a moment. Harry tenses slightly then rolls his eyes. "Which is supposed to be secret..." 

"Yea, the secret new album." Mitch nods, completely oblivious to the mistake he just made.

"Don't worry." I glance from Mitch to Harry, meeting his gaze. "I won't say anything." 

His green eyes hold mine for a moment before I see a small release in the furrow of his brow.

I'm not sure why, but I think he believes me.

The sound of Mitch's body slumping onto the floor brings me back to reality.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Harry begins to stand up. "Mitch, don't say anything stupid while I'm gone."

Mitch gives what looks like a mini salute with his fingers as Harry walks past him up the stairs.

"So how's he been?" Mitch attempts to whisper to me once Harry is out of earshot. His voice ends up sounding more like a mix between a yell and someone who's got phlegm stuck in their throat.