𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 I I 𝙃.𝙎.

f o u r t e e n

Sometimes, I think you get the worst of me.

"Can I take a photo of you?"

Avery turns her head to look at Harry. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the green sofa with Oliver in his lap, his camera clutched in his hands.

"I always look so sick in photos." Her head falls back on the cushion as she closes her eyes, momentarily resting them. She thinks back to the dream she had a couple of nights ago, the scenes playing in her head like her own personal movie. The scenes playing before her closed eyes were better ones, happier things were happening. She was glad that she got a small break from what they usually entailed.

Soon, the sound of a camera shutter breaks her peaceful daze. The streetlamps illuminated the ceiling, giving it a soft, yellow glow. Avery wasn't sure that she had ever really looked at the pattern on her ceiling until now, though countless nights were spent exactly like this. "We should go to the beach."

The ceiling is divided into squares with thick edges, and with the glow from the streetlamps, it almost looked like a cloudy night sky. "We can't just go to the beach."

"Why not?" Harry questions, the shutter click echoing through the apartment again. "Me and my mom used to drive down to East Sussex." Third click. "Camber Sands is down there. If we left now, we would be there by the time the sun rises."

"I'm tired Harry, and that's got to be at least a two and a half-hour drive."

"Everything is different by the sea, Ave. Have you ever been?"

"No..."

"Then it's settled. Let's go." The fourth time the camera goes off makes her turn around, but Harry is already quick on his feet, scaring Oliver in the process. He makes a quick escape through the open balcony window.

"I don't know..."

"I'll buy you ice cream. Three scoops."

"Four."

"Deal." He puts on his boots and retrieves his keys from the counter while Avery watches him from her spot on the sofa.

"Are you serious?" She giggles as Harry puts his camera around his neck, waiting for her to follow him.

"Life is to be lived, Ave."

'So she grabs another hoodie, a blanket, and a bottle of water before making her way towards him. As they descended down the stairs, for the first time she could see the different colors around her. She had always been able to see them, but this time it was different. Everything seems so much more vibrant

She saw different shades of yellow and green, even a little bit of red. It wasn't just blue, blue, blue. Avery runs after Harry, after the colors because the further away he is, the darker it gets. She picks up her pace, trying to catch up with him.

"Thought I'd leave without you?" He grins, holding the passenger door of the car open for her.

"No." She lies with a smile, trying to just enjoy this moment. This moment is now, and she doesn't want to be stuck in the past any longer.

~

"My sister used to take this car a lot, so there's got to be a hair tie somewhere," Harry says, his eyes moving back and forth between the dark street in front of them and the interior of the car. "Take a look in the glove compartment."

He's right. Under numerous papers that had been shoved inside the small space was a leopard print scrunchie. "Found one!" Avery cheers, putting her hair in a low ponytail. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, her name is Gemma, she lives abroad." He explains. "In a way, her job reminds me a lot of Chandler Bing, because I've honestly no clue what she really does, but she travels a lot for it."

"That must be difficult, I don't know if I could do that. Pack up my life every six months."

"It's quite perfect for her, I think she would go crazy if she had to stay in a single place for longer than a year or two. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"No," She says quietly. "And, if I'm honest, I didn't want any."

"Isn't a sibling something everyone wants?"

"I guess I just... they don't deserve that... no one does..."

He stays quiet for a while after that. Did I say too much? The air suddenly felt colder, so many unanswered questions flying about. Harry couldn't find the right one to ask, so he just went with the basics. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Ha! That's the color of my eyes, does that mean you fancy me?" a childish grin plastered onto his face.

"What? Your eyes are not green. Look at me!" She knew they were green, it was hard not to notice. But, she wanted to feed into his antics for a bit. It seemed to be lifting the tension.

"I'm driving, Ave. That's not gonna work." He laughs, focusing his gaze back on the road as more cars started to make their way onto the once quiet street.

"Harry?''

"Hm?"

"Who is your roommate? At your party I had accidentally stumbled into a bedroom, thinking it was the bathroom. There was a guy in there by himself." She had never told him about the strange encounter she had that night, thinking that Harry would have asked her about it at some point. After not being brought up for some time, she figured he wasn't going to and left it at that.

"Oh, you mean Francis... you met? He didn't mention anything."

"He had told me that several other people had walked into his room instead of the bathroom, so that's probably why... he's your friend?"

"Yeah... we've known each other for ages, since about kindergarten I believe." There is something in his voice that doesn't seem right. He seemed saddened by the sudden mention of his friend, almost like he hadn't fully prepared for the topic to be brought up.

"Francis is probably the kindest, most generous person I know. He is much better than me, and I honestly don't know why he has stuck with me for this long. You should meet him. He's not fond of meeting new people, but nevertheless, he would be nothing but nice to you."

"I'd love that." Avery smiles. The smile doesn't leave her face while Harry continues on about Francis.

"We should have taken him with us."

"He is with his parents at the moment."

"Oh, well maybe next time."

"Yeah," Harry murmurs. "Next time."

These next couple of updates I am the most exited for, I cannot wait for you guys to read them♥️✨🦋