meet me in the hallway |h.s|

44 | pretend

I know I'll alright, but I'm not tonight
I lost a friend, I lost a friend

• • •

   Everything that happened last night comes flooding like a fucking tsunami. The fight, the yelling and my crying. I still feel horrible for pushing him like that. It was all my fucking fault.

   I turn over to face him and frown instantly when I don't see him on his side of the bed. Then I sit up straight and look around the room, searching for him but nothing... he's nowhere in the room.

   Then I take my phone to check the time... eleven a.m. He should still be in bed... on a normal day.

   I bite my lower lip as I feel the tears coming back. I only wake up and I'm already about to cry, fucking fantastic.

   I sniffle and push the duvet aside to get out of bed. I grab the first pair of pants I see and put them on. They're a bit loose on my hips and then I realize those are Harry's. I take a deep breath, not caring about his sweatpants and exit the room, walking straight to the staircase to go downstairs, feeling my heart beat faster as my nerves try to crawl to the surface.

   Walking down the stairs, I hear the chatter. I recognize Harry's voice instantly and it feels like I haven't heard it in years. The other voice is a woman's... I've never heard it before but she sounds sweet.

   I take the last step and the first thing I see is Harry sitting on his couch along with a black-haired woman. I freeze in my spot when her eyes meet mine but as soon as she smiles, warmth washes over my body. She stands up as Harry only turns his body to face me.

   "You must be Vee," the woman says, walking towards me with her arms open.

   "Y-Yes." I stutter, not really knowing what I should say back. I know this is his mum, I can tell by the resemblance in her face and her smile — it looks just like Harry's.

   "I'm Anne," she says, pulling me in an unexpected hug.

   I hug her back automatically, looking at Harry since I'm the one facing him. When our eyes meet, he instantly looks down at his lap and the last night replays once more in my head. Is he regretting it? Or is he still mad at me? I hate it when I can't decipher what he's feeling, it makes me feel less in control.

   I pull back from Anne's embrace and smile at her the best I can, hiding everything I've been feeling lately.

   "Have you already eaten?" I ask, glancing between both of them.

   Anne opens her mouth to say something but Harry is faster. "No, she just arrived and I was waiting for you to wake up."

   Anne's arrival is the reason why he wasn't in bed with me... There's nothing to worry about.

   I inhale deeply, nodding my head at him. "Okay, then... I'll go to the kitchen to make breakfast," I tell him and then look at Anne. "It's nice to meet you... Ms St-"

   "Call me Anne, honey." She smiles again and the same warmth takes over my body once again. It's good to feel this despite my other feelings with everything that's happening at the moment.

   "It's nice to meet you, Anne," I speak again as she takes a seat on the couch and Harry stands up.

   I smile at both of them and walk past them to get to the kitchen. I hear footsteps — Harry's — following and then I hear his deep voice behind me.

   "I'm gonna help you."

   I get in the kitchen, Harry right behind me. He closes the door, and I turn around to face him.