How Long?

Louise’s phone alarm went on at five. She was momentarily disoriented but then remains of yesterday came flooding back. She had learnt about the seven stages of grieving in her physic class and was pretty sure somewhere along the game yesterday she had gone from denial to anger. It felt good to be out of bed, to be out of the house. She needed that. She needed to interact with humans and most importantly she needed to start working on her paper. So, even after coming home after hours she put an alarm to wake up early to go for a run. She needed that, she needed a fucking routine. Running had always made her feel alive and coming from scorching Californian summer she sure was looking forward for a run in London’s cold weather.

She got up from bed. Got dressed, brushed her hair into a ponytail and avoided looking towards the bed because every fiber in her body was telling her to crawl back in. She was in the kitchen trying not to make a sound when Harry’s bedroom door opened.

“What are you doing?” He asked his fiery red hair was standing in every direction possible.

“I am going for a run” Louise said grabbing a water bottle.

He blinked a couple of times then smiled. “Wait, I’ll come with you”

He came out a minute later dressed in shorts and sweatshirt. As they make their way outside Louise noticed a few girls standing in a cluster on the other side.

“Shouldn’t Bertie or someone be with you?”

He shrugged “We’ll be fine. I have my disguise on”

“What? This cap you’re talking about?”

“Oi! Don’t insult my disguises they have proven every effective in the past”

“I am sure they have” She said smiling at her silly friend.

“You run everyday” Harry asked.

“Yeah, I am too lazy to go the gym and have a hard time remembering to do sit up or do crunches every now and then. I can’t do aerobics because I am a horrible dancer”

“I have seen you dance; I don’t think you’re a horrible dancer”

A warm blush crept through her thinking he might have observed her dance.

“Dancing classes are different. Well…I can’t explain they are disastrous”

“I think you’re exaggerating a little bit” He said with a little laugh.

Harry took her on a trail which was secluded at this time in the morning. They ran for a couple of blocks as the sun starts emerging behind them.

“Thanks for letting me come with you. I’ve been lacking some exercise since my training started” Harry
said giving her a smile.

She couldn’t help but smile back as they match each other’s pace.

They were not that far away from the apartment but still far enough that when glanced back they couldn’t see it.

“Are you okay though? I don’t have to drag you from stadiums or players?” Harry asked grinning down
at her.

Louise went red as she estimated how embarrassed she should be for her behavior at yesterday’s game.

Seeing her reaction he softly laughed again.

Narrowing her eyes at him she hissed “Shut up”

He moved behind her briefly as so give space to an elderly couple walking by.

“When do you have to go to the NSPCC center?” He asked as he fell back beside her.

“Tomorrow afternoon” She said.

“We should head back. The sun is coming up…”

“And someone might recognize your pretty face”

“At least you agree it’s pretty” He said with a grin.

----

Once Louise had a hot shower she went to grab some juice that’s when her eyes landed on today’s edition of The Daily Mail. The cover had Harry on it. There were numerous pictures of them from yesterday’s game but there was one in particular in the center, of her feeding Harry chips while he was smiling back at her. The caption said “Who’s that girl?”. Louise groaned just thinking about the conversation she was about to have with Max regarding this. She buried her face in her hands.

“What you reading?” Harry said picking up the tabloid. “That’s a nice photo” He said.

She gave him with death glare.

“What?”

“Why the hell am I on the front of the paper?” She said harshly.

“Because they are low life assholes who don’t care about anything other than making money” Harry said
with a shrug.

“God Harry would you ever take anything seriously!” She said practically yelling at him.

“Why are you getting angry at me? I didn’t tell them to put it there” He said raising his own voice.

“I know that!” She shouted.

“Then stop fucking yelling at me!” He said.

---

It was almost evening when Louise came out of her room. She had been busy working on her paper
the entire day. She looked around the apartment which was eerie quiet. The door of Harry’s room was afar so she popped her head in; Harry was lying on the bed reading something with immense concentration. There were a lot of books spread around his bed. He had a pen in his mouth. He looked incredibly cute scrunching up his nose trying to understand the words he was reading.

Louise stood and admired him for a couple of seconds before she cleared her throat. He looked up at her.

“Did you tell Jane to cook dinner already?” Louise asked him.

“No, I thought we would go out” Harry said.

Louise shook her head “I can’t, I still have a lot to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting with Mrs. Headley at the NSPCC center”

Harry nodded “You can tell her then whatever ya fancy eating” He said going back to his papers.

Louise lingered at the door a moment longer shifting from one leg to another.

“Do you need something else, Lou?” He asked without bothering to look up from the book.

“I…I just wanted to apologize for yelling at ya in the morning” She said.

He peered at her from the book. “That’s alright. I shouldn’t have lost my cool”

“I didn’t mean to lash out on you. I was just surprised is all; you know how the press manipulates everything…”

“I know. I’ve been living with it all my life”

“I didn’t mean it in that way… I… anyway we are okay?”

“We are fine”

“Good” She said turning on her heals. Then the curiosity got the better of her and she turned back
around. “What are you reading?”

He looked up at her again scratching his one day stubble “I have an exam once I come back from
Africa. Trying to study if ya can believe that” He said giving her a smile.

“Oh I can totally believe that” She said sarcasm dripping from her every word.

“Oh just fuck off” He said throwing a pillow at her.

---

After hitting a wall with the paper Louise was procrastinating lazing around the couch watching the latest episode of America’s Next Top Model while painting her toes hot pink which she would never be caught dead wearing.

“Tom called, he wants to go out clubbing” Harry announced as he entered the living room.

“You go, I am busy” Louise said not taking her eyes off the task at hand.

“You are painting your fucking nails” Harry said taking a seat next to her. He placed a binder on the coffee table.

“No, I am taking a break right now. What’s that?” She said.

“Nothing, Jack dropped it by in the afternoon” Harry said mentioning his and William’s secretary.

Louise picked up the binder from the table. “Harry, you have events planned up till September” She looked at him with total amazement.

“Yeah”

“That’s just crazy” She said shaking her head. She obviously knew he was involved with a lot of charities and did a lot of work but seeing it in writing how his next four to five months were planned was a reminder that she really didn’t know that side of him. It was such a departure from the university life she was use to where nobody knew what they were doing tomorrow let alone four months from now.

“Come on, don’t make me go alone. Tom will flirt with girls all night and I will be fucking bored” He
said snapping her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head vehemently.

“I will be stuck between the Jake and Zoe or I have to interact with Astrid”

At the mention of Astrid’s name Louise made a face like she was sinking her teeth into a lemon wedge.

“I might have gone before but I am definitely not going if that bimbo is going to be there”

“God! Not that again” Harry said banging his head on the couch.

“Oh yes that again”

“Come on, Lou. Please Lou. My sweet, Lou. Please Lou” He said nudging Louise with his shoulder.

“Knock it off Harry, you’re going to screw up my paint” She said elbowing him. “Why don’t you take
your girlfriend?” She asked.

“Because I don’t have one” He said picking up the binder and randomly filliping through it.

Louise thought she heard it wrong the first time. So she asked again and he replied the same answer.

She blinked at him for some time trying to wrap her head around the news. Harry didn’t have a girlfriend. Harry and Chelsy broke up? When? Why didn’t she know?

“When did that happen?” She asked trying to sound like it was not a big deal.

“Back in February”

“In February!?!? Why didn’t ya tell me?” She had obviously read rumors about their break up in tabloids
but those were unreliable sources and Harry never said anything so she just assumed things were well between the two.

“There was nothing to tell. It was a mutual thing” He said.

“It is not nothing when you break up with your long term girlfriend, Harry”

“It was really not that big of a deal, Lou. She didn’t want to be in press for someone who hardly had any time for her and whatever I did was never enough. We just couldn’t do it anymore” He said with a slight shrug.

“I am really sorry, Harry. I know how much you loved her. She was… nice” Louise said placing a hand on his knee and giving a squeeze.

He burst out laughing. “Nice? Really? You never liked her Lou”

“That’s not true. She was nice. I liked her, maybe not all the time but enough”

“If you say so” He picked up the remote and started flipping the channels.

“Hey I was watching that!” She said snatching the remote from his hands.

She fell back onto the couch to get away from him and he followed her to get the remote. He tickled her to get it back. Once he got it he leaned back and held it out of her reach. She unknowingly pressed herself against him as she attempted to get the remote back. He enjoyed her feeling so close to him, way more than he should. They were laughing like they were twelve years old again, back when my life was simple and feelings were not complicated.

During the struggle for the remote and tickling, Harry had somehow managed to pin her down on the couch. He held her arms above her head by her wrists and once she realized that she was good and captured she stilled beneath him. Her breathing was hard and deep as she smiled innocently up at him. He wasn’t sure if it was the playful fighting or the fact that he was lying on top of her, but his breath quickened as well.

They were so close he could feel her heart beating against his chest. He moved in and rested his forehead against hers while he breathed her in. Daisies she always smelled so fucking good. This close, she looked even more beautiful if that was even possible. He felt the sudden need to touch her. He released one of her wrists and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

As soon as he touched her, Louise snapped out of it. She pushed him gently off her. Her breath was still hard and deep and she looked everywhere but at him. She looked down at her toes and the paint was all smudged.

“Awww man, Harry you ruined my toes” She said wiggling them in front of him.

He laughed “I am sorry but I needed the remote and you were not co-operating” He said waving the remote in victory.

“I will get you for that” She muttered under her breath.

They stayed there for a while. He watched telly while she re-did her toes. Both tried avoiding having eye contact. Both were still trying to understand what had happened moments ago but both pretending it was nothing major.

“God I am so knackered. This exam is going to be the death of me” Harry finally said breaking the silence.

“How is the studying coming along?” She asked.

“I suck at it. Always have, always will”

“I will make you flash cards. I make them all the time they really help”

“Thanks” He said closing his eyes. “I am going to take a little nap before I get ready. You sure you
don’t wanna come along?”

“I am sure”

Soon his breath slowed down and he was sleeping like a baby.

Louise finished painting her toes and then moved to her hands and after she finished with that she was still in no mood to get back to the paper. As awful as it sounded she was happy about Harry’s break up and was still getting a tingling feeling in her toes from their closeness earlier. She looked at Harry sleeping next to her and the devil inside of her laughed in her head. With an evil smile she got down to work.

----

“I said shut the fuck up” Harry snapped at Tom while they grabbed drinks at the bar.

Tom wiped the tears off his cheeks as he struggled to stop laughing. He failed miserably and had to take support of a bar stool when he could no longer stand on his own.

“Stop!”

“I can’t….I can’t….believe….she….painted….your nails!” Tom said between gasps and laughter.

And toes Harry thought but didn’t say because thankfully those were covered.

“When did you realize you had pink nails?” Tom asked still trying to control his laughter.

Harry shot him a glare. “I don’t know why you find this so funny. You’re supposed to be my best mate.
This should outrage you that someone would take advantage of me like that while I was sleeping”

Tom abruptly stopped laughing and arched a brow. “You hired two strippers to give me a Brazilian bikini wax when I was passed out in Maui. I remember it, Haz”

Harry chuckled at the memory. Tom had being scratching his balls for weeks.

“Haz, payback is a bitch. I am going to thank Lou for this. She is my personal hero”

“Oh, don’t you worry she will pay for it. If I ever decide to talk to her”

“Yeah right” Tom said.

“What does that suppose to mean?” Harry demanded as they passed some girls checking them out.

“The day you go without talking to her you are cranky and just plain annoying to be around. So, I
think you not talking to her is not going to happen”

“Obviously I will talk to her. She is my mate”

“She is a very hot mate if I might add that”

“So, she is good to look at. I need that after looking at your ugly mug all the time. It wouldn’t kill you
to pretty yourself up if you’re going to be in my presence”

“Yes, your royal highness. I will get on that right away”

“See that you do”

They sipped their drinks in silence while scanning the crowds.

After a few minutes Tom asks “So, is there anything going on between you and Louise?”

“No, I told you before I don’t see her like that”

“Uh huh.”

“I don’t.”

“Sure.”

Harry put the glass down on the counter. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? She has a boyfriend for god sakes”

“And if she didn’t?”

Harry hesitated, of course he had thought about that. Maybe too many times to even count. If Louise didn’t have been with Max would Harry ask her out? Would he and Louise be together? He had imagined them being a couple and it always warmed his heart but it was hard to admit especially in front of Tome.

He shook his head coming back to reality “She does and that’s what matters. I don’t know why you keep bringing this up?”

“Because I notice how you look at her sometimes”

“Oh really? Enlighten me. How do I look at her?”

Tom looked down at his glass and then looked up at Harry. “Like you want to devour her”

Harry snorted “No, I don’t. She is not a piece of cake and I mean it. Both literally and figuratively”

“Believe it or not you do”

“I don’t and it’s all in your head”

“Whatever you say” Tom said with a shrug which pissed him off even more.

Tom phone beeped. He took it out “Oh, it’s from the object of your desire. Do you want to say something to her like maybe how pretty she makes you feel?” Tom asked putting the phone on his ear.

“Shut up!”

---

It was 2 am when Harry returned and was surprised to find William and Kate on the living room couch watching a horror movie.

“Nice color princess” William commented on Harry’s nails. Kate giggled.

“Don’t you start now. I am embarrassed enough for the night. I am pretty sure it’s going to be in the
papers tomorrow” Harry said shoving his hand in the pocket.

“I don’t know why you are embarrassed. Pink definitely suits ya” William said with a smirk.

“Fuck off” Harry said and went into the kitchen to get some water. He was ridiculed enough for the
night.

Louise worked on the papers for hours straight after Harry left. Then when William and Kate showed
up she spent some time with them and now she was just about to retire for the day but she needed her late night snack. She was making herself a sandwich when Harry entered the kitchen. Their eyes met and she knew she was in big trouble.

He lurched at her; she squealed and stared running around the counter.

“You better stop running or you would be running all night” Harry said warning her.

“I can’t believe you’re still sulking over it” She said as they circled the counter.

“You know who noticed it first, Bertie. He and Richard couldn’t stop laughing when they realized I had
no idea what they were talking about”

Louise giggled “It’s not my fault you didn’t notice it before ya left”

“I was in a hurry!”

“I think you saw it and like it too much”

“Oh absolutely, I loved it so much that I had to keep my hand in my pocket for most of the night
making people wonder what the hell was I doing”

She burst into laughter.

“It’s not funny” he snapped. That only seemed to make her laugh harder.

“Come on, it’s funny” She said.

“No, it’s not” He said as they still continued to walk around the kitchen counter.

“It’s a little funny”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face “Maybe, a little”

“Let’s just burry the hatched shall we? I offer you this egg mayo sandwich as a peace offering”

Harry eyed her and then the sandwich. He was a little hungry and the sandwich looked very tempting.

“Alright” He said grabbing the plate. “But I demand an apology as well” He said taking a bite of the
sandwich.

“I am so sorry, Harry” She said innocently. Then her eyes looked longingly towards the sandwich he was eating.

“Here take it” He said handing her half the sandwich.

“You’re the best” She said taking it too eagerly.

“I know” He said rolling his eyes.

As they made their way to their rooms Harry glanced at her. She was smiling like a maniac.

“You are not sorry at all are you?” He asked.

“Of course I am sorry” She said.

“Really? You don’t look sorry” He said as they approached their rooms.

“I am. I am really sorry I didn’t have the time to do your other hand” She said with a wicked grin on
her face.

Before he could respond she ran laughing to her room and closed the door. He could still hear her
giggle as he made his way into his room.