SOFT SPOT// h.s

0.6 ~ Friends?

I didn't even attempt to pull away from Harry when he wrapped me in his arms and patted my back soothingly as I soaked his black T-shirt with my tears.

We stood a short distance away from the car which had sunk into the ground along with a bundle of memories and essential supplies. Our small amount of food, clothes, money and 'Ellie products' that we had managed to save from the wreckage, lay on the ground around our feet.

"Sorry I'm such a mess," I mumbled into his chest. "I'm just so stressed about getting back in time for my wedding and I- I feel like such a bad parent and I look like a piece of crap and I j- just don't know," I babbled, choking on the sobs that were wracking my shoulders.

I felt Harry rest his chin on my head as I tried to restrain my overwhelming emotions and a small hand was placed on the lower leg of my jeans. "Mommy ok?" I heard Ellie ask in a quiet voice. Harry broke away from me and knelt down to look at my daughter.

"She's just a bit tired, but she'll be alright. Do you want to walk or do you need carried?" He asked her kindly and his gentle tone as he talked to her shocked me. I knew he was only being nice out of pity, but it was reassuring to know he wasn't a completely awful person.

Ellie decided she was too tired to walk, even though it was only 11:30am. She clambered onto Harry's back, clasping her little arms around his neck as he held her hesitantly, but after a few minutes he seemed to be in a comfortable position.

I wiped my dirty hand across my face, no doubt leaving a smudgy mark, and pulled myself together. I needed to stay strong for my own good and my daughter.

The sun was high in the sky around noon and as we walked along the barely used road, I could feel the scorching heat burning through the thin t-shirt of Harry's that I had changed into, which made me concerned for Ellie's fair skin. We had no sun cream, and she burned easily. I informed Harry of this and he bit his lip worriedly.

"We should maybe sit down in the shade for a while, get out of the direct sun," he suggested and when I agreed, he began heading towards the cluster of tall trees, sitting down under the shade of a large oak.

"This ok?" He asked, gesturing around him. I decided it was the best we could do and plopped down beside him and Ellie, who rested her head on his lap and closed her eyes.

"How long do you think it'll be until we reach a town? We're going to need to hire a car," I said, watching my daughter fall into her midday nap.

"I'm guessing if we keep following the trail and head east, we'll get to some sort of civilised place in under an hour," Harry replied, his fingers subconsciously toying with the soft strands of Ellie's chestnut curls. I had gotten a feeling that he was beginning to just slightly warm up to her.

I nodded in reply and looked around me, soaking in the view of the Arizona mountains, feeling the dry grass beneath my fingers and wishing that a non-existent breeze would cool me down. I reached in my handbag that I had managed to save and produced the last bottle of water. I cracked it open and took a few sips before Harry spoke again.

"Why do you think that I hate you?" He asked me, out of the blue. I could tell by the look in his eye that it was something he had been thinking about for a while.

I laughed humorously. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Why wouldn't I ask you that?"

"Because so far during this trip until the car got sucked into a freaking hole of sinking sand, you have been nothing but a rude and arrogant bastard," I pointed out.

"Maybe if you weren't such an uptight bitch, you would make it a little easier to get along with you!" he said, raising his voice.

"Ellie is asleep, shut up would you?!" I hissed, glaring at him.

Harry leant his head back against the bark of the tree trunk and inhaled deeply as if trying to bite his tongue.

"I don't hate you Clary," he said after a lifetime of silence.

"Oh. Why not?" I replied stupidly. I had not been expecting his confession.

"I think that maybe if you weren't such an annoying, bossy control-freak, you might actually be okay," he said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Despite his words being a little harsh, I knew that coming from Harry, this was a compliment.

"Gee, thanks," I replied teasingly, nudging his arm with my elbow. "I guess if you weren't such a cocky and pretentious asshole, maybe you wouldn't be too bad either."

He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Whatever, you weren't saying that when I was fucking you in the back of my car, were you?"

"Harry!" I gasped, covering his mouth with my hand to stop his crude words. "That is so inappropriate!"

"It's true though," he said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up."

The silence fell between us once again, the only sound being Ellie's soft snores.

"Maybe we could try being friends?" I suggested, giving him a hopeful smile.

He glanced down at my outstretched hand and chuckled. "I don't know, being friends with you might be a lot of hard work."

I glared at him, recoiling my hand and crossing my arms.

"I was kidding Clary. Friends it is then. But I don't do hand shakes and all that crap," he said jokingly, and for the first time so far on this wretched trip, his forest green eyes sparkled, and I felt a glimmer of hope inside me as I flashed him a cheesy grin, sealing our new-found friendship.

"You should take a nap. You didn't sleep last night," I said, studying the tell-tale bags under his eyes and his pale complexion.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I'm not tired anyway." I shot him a sceptical look and he knew I wasn't buying his excuse.

"Harry, not getting enough sleep is really bad for you," I said to him, trying my best not to push it.

"Just drop it," he snapped and I shrank away from him, feeling little hurt.

But when I thought that we were back to being enemies he spoke. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"It's fine," I replied, and we sat peacefully in the silence of the Arizona sun.

**********

Song is: I've got this friend-the civil wars

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