Only the Finest Lines [h.s]

Chapter 5 - Paper Towels

It's finally here! Sorry for the wait! This one is a lot longer!

Eve's POV:

I feel someone crawl into my bed. I open my eyes to see Alice staring at me with laser eyes. "What do you want?" I ask, annoyed.

"Your boyfriend is on our couch. Care to explain?" she asks. "He's not my boyfriend, and if you haven't noticed, the power is out." I tell her as I try to turn on my lamp. "The traffic lights were out and the streets were crazy, so he stayed here."

"Isn't he mad at you?" she asks, pulling me out of bed. "He isn't mad. He's just...sad." I say as we enter the living room, looking at the boy on the couch. Then it hit me. I was wrong all along. He never hated me. Well maybe at first, but now he just hates the situation, and if I'm being honest, I can't blame him. We both made mistakes in the past and now everything is just difficult.

I gently shake him awake while Alice makes coffee. He opens his eyes, looking around to gain a sense of where he is. Once his eyes connect with mine, a weird energy forms between the two of us. It's like we don't know if we're supposed to like each other, hate each other, or just distance ourselves in general. We still have a lot to figure out.

We don't really say anything. He and I both know that he probably shouldn't have slept over, mainly because people could see him leaving my apartment and get the wrong idea, but also because it puts us in a weird spot. Do we trust each other? Are we able to work together and talk without going insane? I hope things are calming down between us because my jeans can't take all of this stress eating.

I make some eggs and toast, and we eat in silence, watching the news. When he's done, he puts his dishes in the sink, grabs his clothes from yesterday, gives Alice and I a nod, and walks out. Alice starts to burst out laughing.

"You guys are so awkward." she says between inhales. I roll my eyes at her. "Shut up, we're trying." I tell her as I wipe down the stove. I can tell that we really are trying, but I don't know where it's going to lead us.

I get ready and then drive over to Sam's place to pick her up. She gets in my car and immediately takes the aux cord, dismissing the music I was already playing. She turns on some of Harry's music and I look at her, her giving me a mischievous look back at me.

We pull up into a parking space at the mall and head inside, our excitement levels rising. We go through different shops and stores, putting clothes and other items into our baskets. We might've gone a little overboard, but you can never have too much shopping. We are taking a break at the food court when my mind is bombarded with a thought.

"What ever happened to Justin?" I ask Sam as she bites into a slice of pizza. She looks up and wipes the grease off her mouth. "No one has really heard from him. He got reassigned sometime last year. Heard he is producing for some other A-level singer." she tells me before taking another bite.

I get lost in my thoughts. I think back to last night, when Harry was singing the song he had written. He was, and still is, in so much pain and I don't know how to help him. I can't even begin to help until I find the source of the problem, and I have a scary feeling that I might be it.

"Stop thinking about him, Eve. If he wants to tell you what's up, he will." Sam tells me, balling up her napkin. "I guess you're right. Just can't help but worry about him." I tell her honestly. She gives me a nod and then throws both of our trash away. We continue shopping, getting stuff that we can't afford but 'have got to have' according to Sam.

It was a great day. It's been a while since I've gotten to go shopping with Sam, especially in La. But I have to be honest, after a day like that I can't help but want to be alone with my dog and watch a good show on Netflix. What I actually did was far from that.