The Waiting Game || Harry Styles

Chapter 24

Katies Pov 

I realise it's a mistake not wearing a coat as soon as I step out the flat. But, I'm too lazy to do anything about it, to lazy to walk back into my flat and grab something warmer to wear. Because the jeans, top and uni hoodie I'm wearing is not cutting it. I'm running slightly behind anyway so me practically running to class should hopefully warm me up. 

The streets are packed as always , filled with either business workers, locals and the obvious tourists. Every time I'm on my way to uni I always wonder why there are so many officer workers just walking a the streets at midday. Like surly they should be at work, and not taking up half the pavement slow walking, because they are too busy looking at their phone. 

so I blame them when I ultimately have to barge past them, in order not to be late.I probably bump into about twenty people on my manic walk. Only apologising swiftly to the ones who aren't at fault, before powering away again. 

I manage to get there in time and prop myself against the wall, waiting in anticipation for the current student to come out of their meeting with Nelly. I don't wait long though, as if perfect timing the wooden door to the class room, swings open and some familiar face walks out. They give me a polite smile and nod before walking down the hallway towards the open area. 

"Katie!" Nelly exclaims, beaming a toothy smile at me. 

"Hi" I smile back, but it's nowhere near as big as hers. 

She gestures towards a small wooden chair that's positioned opposite her desk. The desk is littered in paper work and stationary. And theres some souvenir mug, that has lipstick marks left from where she's drank from it. 

Nelly leans over to the side pulling out the three canvases I had painted. Placing them somehow on her messy desk in a line. 

"Honestly Katie, these are some of your best" She cracks a smile again, fixing her view back onto me. 

I can't help but give a cheesy grin back at her "Thank you Nelly, do you think I have a shot at getting them put up?" 

"If you don't, I'll be having words. Personally" She narrows her eyes, but I can tell it's all in jest. Giving out a laugh at her serious tone, but I know theres an underlying seriousness to what she says. But, that just makes me smile more. "If you don't mind me asking, what is the meaning behind them?" 

"I don't know, about those two really. I just painted." I glance over to my largest piece, a black outline of two people embracing one another. But it's laced with red, red lines brushed over the black paint. "They look happy, but they aren't." 

That piece was the last one I did. The one that has an actual personal meaning towards it. I had planned the other two works. Sketched them out and had draft, after draft. Using different styles, colours, backgrounds. But this one was different. I hadn't planned it, hadn't even sketched it. Just dipped a brush in a can of paint and put it to the canvas, and used that. I didn't even bother trying again, that was what it was. Raw. 

"Why did you paint that" She rests her head in the palm of one of her hands. I know she knows the answer, and though the question seems innocent to me its anything but. 

"I just did" My shoulders tighten. 

Her lips go inward and she gives a slow nod "Katie, do you feel like this is relevant to you?" 

I can feel the lump in my throat that I am struggling to swallow "No." 

"Okay... Did you feel this was relevant to you?" 

"No."

She takes a minute to talk again, thinking of what she should and shouldn't say. "Look Katie, I know you're an adult and I don't necessarily have a duty of care like your college and school teachers did.  But, that doesn't mean I don't care. And recently I have been seeing things, that I don't want you to hide."