For Fair Love
sixteen
“What do you mean you don’t know where she went!?” Karen hisses through her teeth.
Her cell phone buzzes in her hand without ceasing. Harry nervously tosses his hands in his hair. He can’t stand when Karen’s angry. No one can stand Karen when she’s angry. He stares makes it difficult to breathe.
“We got into a spat and she just walked off,” Harry explains, sighing heavily.
“You chatting isn’t helping!” Karen yells, shutting Harry up. “We have to fid her before the paparazzi does!”
“Calm down, Karen. It’s not like she’s gone far. She’s not familiar with London, so I doubt she’s even two blocks away.”
“Then why didn’t you find her? Why didn’t you bring her back?”
“I’m not going to chase after her,” Harry shrugs.
“Harry, are you stupid?” Karen says, hysteric. “You are going to find her. You are responsible. If the magazines print something I don’t like in the morning—it’s going to be your head.”
Harry doesn’t even wait for Karen to say the last word. He turns out of her office. He wasn’t going to chase after her…
“It’s usually nippy. But, I actually don’t mind,” Jack says after sipping his coffee.
The sky drizzles rain down against the bay window of the coffee shop. We’ve been talking for a while. I look at the people trying to cover their heads outside.
“That’s easy for you to say. You have on a coat,” I tell him.
“I guess,” Jack pauses and eyes me. “You never really told me what you were doing in London.”
I meet his gaze.
“It’s a coincidence, really.”
“Are you still playing football?” he asks.
“Um, sort of,” I draw my fingers in my hair.
He sighs. I know I’m giving him a hard time.
“I suppose you won’t tell me anything. I understand. Is it all right if we stay friends, Chas? I really did miss you. I was beginning to think you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. But why?”
“Why what?” he looks up.
“Why did you miss me so much?”
His odd smile makes me feel embarrassed for asking such a question.
“I don’t know. I just did.”
Then suddenly, his hands travel over the table and grasp my hands softly. It feels weird.
“It was nice seeing you again,” Jack says, keeping his hands over mine. “I hope we can do this again sometime.”
I nod and smile, strange feeling all over.
“Yeah,” I say.
Jack finally lets go and slowly walks out the shop and into the pouring rain. I stick my hands under the table, completely embarrassed. I wonder how red my face is.
After a long hour of walking around alone, I finally find Harry’s place. Soaking I walk in the elevator. I tumble down the hall and knock on his door. He opens it, not amused.
“I know you’re not in light spirits, but can you forgive me?” I say after the minute of silence and staring.
“Karen nearly ate my head off because of you. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re in a different world now. Things can’t always go your way,” Harry lectures me, folding his arms over his broad chest.
“I realize that… I’m terribly sorry for earlier,” I give him my puppy eyes.
Then I watch Harry’s face transform from angry to a big smirk. He looks me up and down and leans on the doorframe. I shiver from the cold, or Harry’s stare. I don’t know.
“What?”
“What?” he repeats.
“What?”
He shrugs, “What?”
“A-are you going to let me in?”
“I’ll have to think about it,” he says, letting his eyes run all over me.
I look down to myself. Yes, I’m soaked from the rain, but I don’t know what he’s looking at. I look back at him, as his eyes are soaring me.
“What?” I feel my cheeks heat up.
“Nothing,” he answers, his smirk growing. Now, he’s got me feeling self conscious and uncomfortable. “Where were you all this time?”
“Nowhere,” I answer, shifting side to side on my exhausted and blistered feet. “I walked around is all.”
“What took you so long to get here?”
“I got lost,” I say.
It takes me a while to notice him taking a step closer.
“Really?” he asks, sceptical.
“Y-yes,” I back up in the wall.
“You should have called me.”
“I-I-I…” I stutter.
He squishes me in his chest, locking me.
“You what?”
I feel his warm breath on my nose.
“I’m sorry.”
He grins at me, “Apologizing, huh? You’re too much of a good girl.”
He finally backs away and walk into his house. I take a deep breathe of relief and walk in after him.
Her cell phone buzzes in her hand without ceasing. Harry nervously tosses his hands in his hair. He can’t stand when Karen’s angry. No one can stand Karen when she’s angry. He stares makes it difficult to breathe.
“We got into a spat and she just walked off,” Harry explains, sighing heavily.
“You chatting isn’t helping!” Karen yells, shutting Harry up. “We have to fid her before the paparazzi does!”
“Calm down, Karen. It’s not like she’s gone far. She’s not familiar with London, so I doubt she’s even two blocks away.”
“Then why didn’t you find her? Why didn’t you bring her back?”
“I’m not going to chase after her,” Harry shrugs.
“Harry, are you stupid?” Karen says, hysteric. “You are going to find her. You are responsible. If the magazines print something I don’t like in the morning—it’s going to be your head.”
Harry doesn’t even wait for Karen to say the last word. He turns out of her office. He wasn’t going to chase after her…
“It’s usually nippy. But, I actually don’t mind,” Jack says after sipping his coffee.
The sky drizzles rain down against the bay window of the coffee shop. We’ve been talking for a while. I look at the people trying to cover their heads outside.
“That’s easy for you to say. You have on a coat,” I tell him.
“I guess,” Jack pauses and eyes me. “You never really told me what you were doing in London.”
I meet his gaze.
“It’s a coincidence, really.”
“Are you still playing football?” he asks.
“Um, sort of,” I draw my fingers in my hair.
He sighs. I know I’m giving him a hard time.
“I suppose you won’t tell me anything. I understand. Is it all right if we stay friends, Chas? I really did miss you. I was beginning to think you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. But why?”
“Why what?” he looks up.
“Why did you miss me so much?”
His odd smile makes me feel embarrassed for asking such a question.
“I don’t know. I just did.”
Then suddenly, his hands travel over the table and grasp my hands softly. It feels weird.
“It was nice seeing you again,” Jack says, keeping his hands over mine. “I hope we can do this again sometime.”
I nod and smile, strange feeling all over.
“Yeah,” I say.
Jack finally lets go and slowly walks out the shop and into the pouring rain. I stick my hands under the table, completely embarrassed. I wonder how red my face is.
After a long hour of walking around alone, I finally find Harry’s place. Soaking I walk in the elevator. I tumble down the hall and knock on his door. He opens it, not amused.
“I know you’re not in light spirits, but can you forgive me?” I say after the minute of silence and staring.
“Karen nearly ate my head off because of you. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re in a different world now. Things can’t always go your way,” Harry lectures me, folding his arms over his broad chest.
“I realize that… I’m terribly sorry for earlier,” I give him my puppy eyes.
Then I watch Harry’s face transform from angry to a big smirk. He looks me up and down and leans on the doorframe. I shiver from the cold, or Harry’s stare. I don’t know.
“What?”
“What?” he repeats.
“What?”
He shrugs, “What?”
“A-are you going to let me in?”
“I’ll have to think about it,” he says, letting his eyes run all over me.
I look down to myself. Yes, I’m soaked from the rain, but I don’t know what he’s looking at. I look back at him, as his eyes are soaring me.
“What?” I feel my cheeks heat up.
“Nothing,” he answers, his smirk growing. Now, he’s got me feeling self conscious and uncomfortable. “Where were you all this time?”
“Nowhere,” I answer, shifting side to side on my exhausted and blistered feet. “I walked around is all.”
“What took you so long to get here?”
“I got lost,” I say.
It takes me a while to notice him taking a step closer.
“Really?” he asks, sceptical.
“Y-yes,” I back up in the wall.
“You should have called me.”
“I-I-I…” I stutter.
He squishes me in his chest, locking me.
“You what?”
I feel his warm breath on my nose.
“I’m sorry.”
He grins at me, “Apologizing, huh? You’re too much of a good girl.”
He finally backs away and walk into his house. I take a deep breathe of relief and walk in after him.