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I spent my life learning to feel less
"I have to greet some other people that have shown up, but there are drinks and snacks in the kitchen, okay? Everyone here is nice, so just talk to people." Hary explains as he steps back from the hug.
She can't tell him that just talking to people is a lot easier said than done, so Avery simply nods as Harry smiles at her one last time before disappearing into the ever-expanding crowd. She takes a look around his flat. It was very spacious, with big windows. The kitchen was rather small but big enough for one person, and the brick wall littered with guitars made it seem cozy. There was also a fireplace in the living room, but she doubted it was a real one.
Her gaze moves through the room and she suddenly misses having the present in her hand. Instead of following Harry's advice, she decided to just sort out her thoughts in the bathroom for a bit. She did that a lot when her mind was troubling her. Avoiding social interaction was far easier than trying to engage in them.
The hallway of the flat wasn't very long, there were only three doors to choose from. She thought about starting with the last door and working her way to the front when the first door opened and a girl emerged.
Assuming that the first door leads to the bathroom she reaches for the handle, opens the door, and closes it behind herself. However, she quickly realizes that this room was not the bathroom, it was a bedroom. The room was rather dark, furniture, and color-wise. There wasn't half as much light flooding into here as there was anywhere else in the flat, the windows were covered in some sort of cloth. An array of books and magazines were spread across the bed, some falling onto the floor.
"I'm guessing you are also looking for the bathroom and not about to give me a blow job." A sudden voice appears to her right and Avery jumps in fright. Her hands immediately go to her beating heart as the guy looks up at her. His comfortable clothes are weirdly monochrome in a dark green tone.
"I'm so sorry," She murmurs, her heart still beating wildly in her chest. "I thought this was the bathroom... The other girl she- she came out of here so I thought.."
"Well let me tell you, she thought the same thing." He goes to the other side of the room, somehow managing to not trip over anything on the floor. He stops in front of a small bookshelf beside the window. Avery doesn't move.
"This is the moment when you mutter another sorry and then leave," He says, his gaze not once moving away from the shelf.
"Oh..." She mumbles. "Oh, okay... I'm sorry. Have a good night." He doesn't reply so she simply leaves the room, carefully and quietly closing the door behind her. Back in the hallway, she goes to try at the second door, behind lies the actual bathroom. It's very small and everything is painted an odd shade of lime green. Several dying plants sat on a nearby windowsill. Avery takes a look into the mirror, getting her hair away from her face before taking several deep breaths. The music outside isn't completely drowned out by the bathroom door, making it hard for her to think straight.
"Have some fun, Avery." She whispers, looking at her reflection directly in the eyes. "Just try to have some fun" Taking one more deep breath, she fills up a cup sitting by the sink with water from the faucet, pouring it into the plant pots nearby. As she opened the door to make her exit, there was already another girl hurriedly pushing past her and slamming the door closed.
"Avery! I Was looking for you." Harry suddenly appears in front of her, taking her by the arm without saying another word and dragging her into the living room. She ignores her speeding heart, trying to catch up. They stop in front of a few people, one girl and one boy that she had seen earlier.
"Everyone, this is Avery," Harry announces with a smile. "I met her while eating fish and chips, and she is going to be a journalist."
She ignores his lie. Avery was too nervous to correct him and found herself occupied enough with four pairs of eyes staring back at her. "Hello." She says back at them, putting on a polite smile. Her fingers fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, she could feel the stress start to pile up on her chest.
"You want something to drink?" One of the guys asks, nodding in her direction with a red solo cup. "Uhm... do you have tea?"
The boy and the others chuckle and so does Harry. "I'm sorry I'm just always-"
"Don't worry, I'll make you a cup. Come on." Avery follows Harry back to the kitchen, feeling stares that she knows are nonexistent. She didn't want to be here any longer.
"So, how have you been?" He leans against the counter after filling the kettle with water and turning it on.
"Fine. You dropped the letter off one flat above me."
"Really? Damn, I was so close. Thank you again for the present, I love it."
She manages a genuine smile. This was the first gift she had brought to anyone in years. "I'm glad you like it, I picked it because you said that you are a Rockstar, and one of the song titles reminded me of you," Avery explains, almost embarrassed at all the words coming out of her mouth.
"Great thinking," He grins at her before taking two mugs out of the cupboard. "What tea do you fancy?"
"Do you have mint?"
"Sure do." He reaches for the paper box and puts a tea bag into each cup before pouring the hot water over the top.
Harry scourers the kitchen cupboards until he locates a bottle of honey. He holds it up to her, silently asking if she wants any in her tea. She gives him a small nod.
"Are you really?"
"Am I really what?"
"A Rockstar." She adds
"Well, tels say that most of the time I feel like a rockstar, but am I one? No. I'm a photographer for fashion."
"What makes you feel like a rockstar?' Avery takes the cup he holds out to her and keeps it held close to her body, feeling cozy from its radiating heat.
"What makes me feel like a Rockstar? Fighting in the alley behind a bar, and eating fish and chips too early in the morning with overly tired girls."
"That doesn't sound like a Rockstar life," she mumbles with a frown, but she can't keep a small smile at bay much longer.
"What do you know about a Rockstar's life?" Harry questions with the same smile on his face.
