Anchor Grind (H.S. / A.U.)

Chapter 40

Niall POV

I pretended to be wiping the pizza grease off the counter but honestly much more invested in Harry's story than anything else. "And then?"

Harry shrugged while running a hand through his hair, a mess of brown curls that were starting to get too long. "Nothing. I stopped us because we were too drunk for that. Honestly, if I do that with Alanis I don't want it to be some stupid drunken mistake."

I wanted to click my heels and jump for joy. Poppy and I have spent the past few weeks trying everything in our powers to get Harry to stop being a jackass, and to get Alanis to make a move on the dumb guy.

We were so sick of Clarissa's hold on Harry, and it was evident that he was into Alanis. At this point it was a matter of time to just get them both to realize everything and make the right choice here.

"So instead, you two just made out or whatever and what... you asked her out?" Harry was quiet. Not the best sign because with Harry silence gives the answer away. "You didn't even ask her out dumbass? Where is your brain at Harry?"

Harry threw his cleaning gloves at me that he recently took off. "Well, her brother just died and we were technically at a funeral and I thought ehhh, better not?"

"Fair enough. I guess that actually makes total sense." I still wanted more details.

After telling me all about the moments they shared the night of the party and now the developments that occurred the other night at the celebration of life.... Harry and Alanis were actually on the right track for the first time ever. The weirder part? No surprise visits from the wicked witch of the west to ruin things.

Harry rolls his arms around in a fan motion, stretching out his tired limbs. I get it. I was exhausted and felt like shit today also. Poppy and I crashed at Harry's house, sharing the couch, meanwhile Louis slept on the floor, Harry was in the chair and we all left the park last night to watch movies and relax. Alanis was there for a short bit but eventually she asked Poppy and I to take her home to make sure her mom was okay.

I was surprised to find her mom and dad awake. Her dad was cooking some food and neither of them seemed upset at all that she was out. In fact, after Alanis shuffled off to bed her dad thanks Poppy and I for bringing the first bit of happiness back into her life, because it seemed like she was a little happier than she had been recently.

I was not going to tell her dad a large portion of that happiness was inspired by alcohol, because he didn't need to hear that right now.

I jut my head over towards the office, where the door was open. "Shit look at that." Harry glances over to see what I did, "it's Halloween tomorrow. None of us even realized it."

It's true.

We were all so focused on the other stuff happening that we must have not even realized how fast the month was passing by, a flash really. We didn't prepare and plan a party or anything. It didn't seem fitting this year. I instead try to think of something else, "there is a double feature of Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead at the drive in tomorrow. Wanna' take the girls and go?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders but I could see his face looking more contemplative into the idea. I wondered if Harry was only unsure because he didn't know how to ask Alanis out.

"I could have Poppy bring it up if you don't know -" but I couldn't finish my sentence before he shook his head and interrupted me, "I just don't want to push her too much too fast. Also, I don't want her to try to fill the space of missing someone she loves with someone else, like some dependency thing. I just feel like... I don't know. I think I did that with my family and Clarissa, and sometimes it seems like the only reason I stick around. Like, okay,"