How Long?

Louise stepped out of her car with only one thing on her mind this morning; she had to talk to Harry. He needed to know what was going on in her twisted head. Playing with her chain absent mindedly Louise made her way inside Highgrove. She was not even two steps inside when Charles stopped her.

“Louise, it’s so nice to see you. What bought you here today?” Charles said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

He seemed to be in a hurry. He was all dressed up and was just about to head out when he bummed into her.

“I am here to meet Harry, Uncle Charles” Louise said.

He nodded his head. “Of course, if it’s not much trouble, Can I ask you a favor Louise?”

“Certainly” She said still playing with her pendant.

He walked to his office and came back with a bunch of papers “Here are some college forms that I want
Harry to go through. I have pulled some strings and gotten him some interviews. As you be aware of he is being rather difficult these days but he listens to you. If you could just talk to him”

“I…” Louise hesitated she didn’t wanted to get in middle of father son feud.

Charles sensing her hesitation, “Please Louise, I have exhausted every ounce reason with that boy and
he just doesn’t listen to me. Please try and talk to him” Charles pleaded with her.

“I will try my best” She said giving him a weak smile.

“Thank you very much. That’s all I need” Charles said giving a little pat on the arm.

---

With every ounce of strength Louise knocked on Harry’s door. When she heard his voice telling to come in she nearly ran the other way. Pushing the door open she entered his room. He stood near the bed, his back to her. He was randomly shoving things in a travel bag.

“Hey” She said weakly.

He stopped, his muscles tensing up for a second but then he resumed the task at hand. “Hey” he replied.

“Are you going somewhere?” She asked looking at the bags.

He slightly turned around. His jaw clenched.

“I am being shipped off to Argentina with your brothers, helping them to setup the new polo club”

Confused Louise scratched her neck. “I had no idea. When this did happen? Mark nor Luke told me before they left”

He continued to shove things. “Apparently I am too much of nuisance for my father these days. He just wants to get rid of me before I get into any more trouble”

“Why? What happened?” She asked not getting what he was referring to.

He threw last of the clothing articles in the bag and turned around looking her straight in eye.

“What do you mean?” He asked anger visible on his face. “You have no idea what has been going on, do you?” He asked with an accusing gaze.

Louise blushed. She had been in hibernation since her birthday. She hadn’t left her room let alone talked to someone except for Mark, “I have been sick. What’s going on?”

He gave her a disappointed weak smile. “Doesn’t matter, I am off to Argentina for a month till things die down here. Chelsy is joining me there, just so you know” He said knowing how it would hurt her.

Louise flinched at Chelsy’s mention.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Harry asked with an icy and distant expression.

“I…I wanted to talk to you” Louise said.

“About what?” He asked nonchalantly.

“It’s…I…want…” Louise tried to form sentences but words were failing her now.

“Come on, I don’t have all day” He said snapping his fingers.

“I wanted to….” Her eyes looked around; she realized she still had forms that Charles gave her in her hand. “I wanted to show you these” She said giving him the forms.

After scanning the papers Harry let out a nasty laugh, with a horrible tone. “After all that has happened this week, after all the press I am getting, after me missing your birthday, after you…” He stopped shaking his head trying to calm his anger. “You came here for this. For doing my father’s bidding” He said with a disgusted look before throwing the papers in the trash bin.

“That’s not all that I came for… I..”

“Let me guess” Harry said raising his hand, cutting her off. “Is it about my nasty smoking habit that you disapprove off or how much of a complete loser I am in your eyes or what a shitty friend I have been to you lately or do you have something else to make me feel bad about myself because that’s all you have been doing for some time now” Harry said in a acidy tone.

“Harry..”

“You know what; I don’t even want to hear it. I don’t want to hear anything from you”

“Harry, I didn’t know you felt that way. I never intended to hurt you”

“Well, you did” He said raising his voice.

“I am sorry that was not my intention in any way. I just wanted to help. I want you do the best you can do...”

“God” He groaned. “You don’t stop do you? You want to talk about this? Fine, let’s fucking talk about
this. Look around Lou; do you think I need your fucking help? I am a fucking prince, third in line to the throne; I could snap my fingers and get whatever I want. I don’t do it because I don’t want to do it. Which for some reason your fat brain doesn’t want to register and you have the audacity to make me feel crappy about myself” He moved so that he was facing her now, placing his body inches from her “You know what Louise, I don’t need that. I never asked you to fix anything. I have told you a thousand times that I want to join the military forces but what do you do? You keep shoving college applications my way” He ran his hands through his hair as he continued to unleash. “You can’t change me. I am not your pet project. Do you get that? You are not my mother or my girlfriend or family for that matter. You are JUST a friend and it’s better if you stay out of my business”

His words cut deeply. “That’s not fair” Louise could feel herself breathing hard as she tried to deal with his anger and his disgust.

“IT IS FAIR! You know why? Because it’s my fucking life!”

“I know that. I was just worried about you. I…I” Louise knew her lip that was trembling now, but she was not going to cry in front of Harry.

“You think you are so much better than me with your scholarships and Cambridge tour and whatnots. Guess what you are not? You got that tour because your father is loaded not because you deserved it and then you have the nerve to tell me what I need fixing in my life. You have no fucking right. I am done with your constant nagging. I will do what I want to when I want to do” He was still screaming.

“Then do it” She said trying to sound confident but her voice still came out as a whisper.

“What?” He asked.

“Then do it goddammit! You say you want to join the military. Who the fuck is stopping you? Why don’t you just do that?” Now she was the one screaming. “Everyone thinks you’re a fuck up, guess what? They don’t. They just think you are fucking lazy to do anything. You rather party till three am than work. You hate it when people compare you to Will, when they think he is better than you. Why don’t you do anything to change their minds then? People want to respect you Harry, you just don’t let them. You use your father and his past mistakes as an excuse to do nothing except get wasted and go on exotic holidays with your girlfriend”

“Don’t you dare bring her in this” He said walking back and forth. “You have no idea what you are talking about”

“No? I think I do. You know I do. Commit to something for god sakes. Get your fucking act together. You are going to be twenty in a month’s time Harry. Do you think you’re the only one who lost their mother, guess what so did I and so did Will! We do what we do so that wherever they might be at least they will be proud of us; can you honestly say your mother would be proud of the man her son is becoming?” She exploded. She knew it was a cheap shot but she was saying anything that would get through to him.

“Shut up! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” He yelled. “My life is none of your business. Don’t you fucking get it? How many times do I have to say it”

She looked helplessly at Harry. He was barely holding it together. The anger was seeping through every part of his body. He was shaking with rage.

“Ok, Ok. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything about your mother. I just… I just wanted to help. I shouldn’t have” She was quieter now.

“Get out” He said in a whisper.

She stood there confused for a second.

“I said get the fuck out of my room” He said in a low menacing voice. In two paces he was right next to her. “GET. THE.FUCK.OUT.OF.MY. ROOM” He said enunciating every work while grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to the door. Opening the door he pushed her rather roughly out of his room.

“AND.GET.THE.FUCK.OUT.OF.MY.LIFE. I am DONE!” with that he banged the door on her face.

Frozen, Louise could not move from her spot in the hall. She could barely breathe. What had just happened? How could Harry have said all those things? Did he really mean them?

Maybe she was to blame. She had been pushy, nosy and should have kept her mouth shut. But, she was just trying to help him, she never really meant to hurt him in anyway but right now he has just done just that to her. He had hurt her. He had physically removed her and told her to get out of his life.

Eventually she found herself coming down the stairs. She was still in a daze and her brain was still not working at a normal pace. Her emotions were on overload, and Harry’s awful words echoed in her head.

Will stood in garden when he saw Louise coming out of the main entrance towards her car. She looked dreadful. It looked like she was walking in a trance not really knowing where she was headed.

“Louise, are you okay?” Will asked but there was no response from her.

“Louise, what’s going on?” Will asked again placing his hand on her shoulder.

She felt someone’s hand on her shoulder and looked up. Will stood there with worry in his eyes. He was speaking; she would see his lips move but couldn’t understand a single word.

“Will” She said. “I need to go” She said.

“Lou, what happened?” William asked softly this time.

“I really have to go now. I can’t stay. He doesn’t want me here” She said as finally a tear rolled down on her cheek.

“Who? Harry? What did he do?” He asked. His jaw was clenched with anger.

“I am sorry. I need to go” She said slipping in the back seat of her car.

---

After banging the door, Harry leaned against the wall and crossed his arms while he began to come undone in his own way. Never had he been this angry with anyone. Her words cut through to him. Like always she had seen right through him, said things that he didn’t wanted to hear or believe. Cursing under his breath he went back to his bags. While packing he thought about everything he had said to her. He was so angry with her for everything. He couldn’t even look at her; the images of her being with Jake made his blood boil.

He thought for a while, sorting things through in his head, the things he yelled at Louise. Replaying everything he had said in anger. Saying she was just his friend and not family was cruel. She was so much more than that to him. Oh god, what had he done?

But she was wrong too. She pushed. God, she pushed so hard. It felt in the last couple of years she disapproved of so much about him, but he could see that wasn’t the truth. She loved him, but she also saw all of his shortcomings that he was already aware of. He didn’t want to hear it coming from her, never coming from her.

Harry was jolted back when his door busted open. William entered with rage in his eyes. He took Harry by collar pushing him against the wall.

“What did you do?” William asked with his eyes glaring down at his brother. “What did you do to that poor girl?” His eyes bore to Harry as he spoke low and fierce.

“It is none of your god damn business” Harry said pushing William, getting out of his grasp.

“It is my business when I witness her leave our house with tears in her eyes”

“Why is everyone intending to lecture me today? Isn’t dad enough?” Harry said walking away from William.

“I don’t know why are you so keen to isolate everyone that loves you, Harry” William said sighing.

“That girl has been nothing but a good friend to you since you were children”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Maybe I don’t want her friendship anymore; maybe I have grown out of it”
“You can’t possibly mean that” William said shaking his head.

Harry zipped his bags lifting them he turned around, “If you could excuse me, I have a flight to catch” Harry said walking passed William.

“Harry, fix it before it’s too late. I mean it” He heard William say as he exited the room.

----

Louise found herself in her bedroom, lying on top of her still made bed, unable to sleep. She felt emotionally exhausted and lonely. But Harry awful words still echoed in her head. They were like a broken record, playing on an endless loop. She checked her clock. It was almost four in the morning. She had been crying for hours now. Whenever she thought she didn’t have any more tears left in her a new batched formed. She kept glancing at her phone urging it to ring. Thinking maybe he didn’t mean all the awful things he said. But the phone didn’t ring.

After another hour of anxiety-ridden attempts to sleep, she gave up. She checked her phone once again; disappointed she opened her computer checking emails. She was doing anything to take her mind off him. But her heart ached. She was hurt; beyond hurt she was quite simply devastated. It’s not every day your best whom you’re secretly pinning for tells you to get the fuck out of their life.
When she was sure sleep was not going to come. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The sun was already out and she felt exhausted. She had barely eaten anything in the past twenty four hours. The house was quite. Luke, Mark and her father had left for Argentina yesterday morning. Entering the kitchen she opened the refrigerator taking out the juice carton. Pouring her a glass of juice she made her way to the library. She planned to drown herself in a good book.

She felt a sense of purpose as she entered the library. She loved reading; it was one of the few things that she and her mother had shared. It was their own little girls club with no men allowed. She had a lot of her mother’s personal copies in this library and she love flipping through them, looking at her notes in the margins. She sat on her father chair when she saw yesterday’s newspaper was still sitting on the centre table, exactly as he left it. She was in such a hurry to see Harry that she hadn’t even properly said goodbye to her father and brothers yesterday morning. She picked up the paper and a couple of envelope fell on to the ground. She picked them up. Most of them were addressed to her father but then her eye caught a large envelope with her name on it, it had a UCLA seal on it.