PRECIPICE [h.s.]

Chapter Forty Three

CW: talks of date rape drugs and the usage of them. conversation surrounding terminal illness and palliative/end of life care. 

If you need to skip this chapter for any reason, I will include a small recap at the start of the next chapter. Sorry it's heavy. But hey! Last Winter chapter. 

☾☾☾

And I hate to make this all about me

But who am I supposed to talk to?

What am I supposed to do

If there's no you?

☾☾☾

December 25th 1997

Harry's P.O.V.

My whole world came to a grinding halt thirty seconds ago when a velvet ring box was placed in my hand. I heard this saying once, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. And here he is, laughing in stupid face. I've never claimed to know the future. Any vision or idea I had of what my future looked like went out the window when I met Jaime. I knew in my drunken, crying haze, that even if I only spoke to her that one night, nothing was ever going to be the same.

I stopped imagining my future the day I left the shore, because to even think of a life without those people seemed fundamentally wrong. Time is passing. Memories are growing distant. Still, my future seems hazy.

Until now. My mom looks at me expectantly but I can't take my eyes off the box. I'm terrified of opening it, because if what is inside is what I think it is, my future will become crystal clear. And it's not one I want.

Gathering all my courage, I finally ask, "What's this?"

"Currently it's a box but maybe if you open it, there will be something inside it." She looks out of place in my apartment, like she's got one foot out of the door. She doesn't understand why I would want to live here when I can have a bedroom at home that is bigger than my entire place here.

I run the risk and open it. If nothing else, it will get her out of here sooner. The box contains exactly what I feared. Blinding me as it reflects the sun, "this is a ring."

"I can't believe I ever doubted your intelligence," she scoffs.

"Why did you hand me this giant sparkling ring?" I don't even know why I'm asking. It's like I can hear Jaime in my head say, ask stupid questions, get stupid answers.

In a predictable moment from my mother, she answers my question with another question. "You don't recognize it?"

It looks slightly familiar, but I can't place it. "Should I?"

Done with our game of questions, she finally gives an inch of information. "It was your grandmother's. She wanted you to have it."

I try to stay on my toes around her, but this has completely rocked me. "Me? Even though I have two older sisters that would have loved this ring and have already gotten married, you're giving this ring to me, your single youngest born son. Wait - grandma's not even dead."

She pinches the pressure points above her nose. "Please don't remind me that you're still single. Yes, Harry. I'm giving it to you."

I can't deal with her non answers. "Again, I ask, why?"