Artwork [h.s]

sixty-two

I woke up to the insisting ringing of my alarm clock and I quickly turned around to turn it off, the warm pressure of a body against mine reminding me of Harry's presence in my bed.

The sound must'd woken him up as well, or maybe it was my quick movement, because a couple of seconds after I felt him shift to lie on his back as he rubbed one of his eyes with his index before opening them and glance at the ceiling, his view unfocused as he blinked a few times trying to get used to the different light that was peeking through the curtain. He sighed and turned his head to look at me just then, a frown forming on his face when the daze of the sleep faded away, leaving him with the remembrance of the events of the day before. "What time is it?" He asked, his voice low and slightly shaky because it hadn't be used in some hours.

I resisted the urge to look away when his gaze met mine, and it only took me a quick glance to the dark, almost black circles under his tired green eyes to decide that we shouldn't have gone to class that day. "You can go back to sleep" I told him quietly, and he didn't need to be told twice, because he put his head on the pillow again and turned around, his back to me.

I carefully got off the bed, knowing that if I'd jostled him too much he surely would've woken up for good, and I gave him a quick glance, making sure he wasn't looking, before crossing the room and opening the first drawer of the dresser next to the couch, taking out a pair of underwear and something to change into. I exited the room, deciding not to lock the door, hoping that my mum would've had enough common sense not to enter the room while I wasn't in there.

I went into the bathroom and had a quick shower, getting out and wrapping a towel around my body when I was done. I dried myself up and got dressed before drying my hair with the hairdryer, not wanting to leave it to air-dry because it always ended up messy when I did. I exited the bathroom just as quickly and went back into my bedroom to check on Harry.

He was almost completely hiding under the duvet, curled up on the side of the bed, the soft sound of his rhythmic breathing being the only thing breaking the silence of the room. I walked to my window and closed the curtain better, making the little sliver of light that had managed to come in disappear.

I got out again and I went downstairs, finding my mother in the kitchen. I quietly greeted her while I went to make myself a cup of tea, hoping that would've been it, but realising it wouldn't have been that easy when she turned around after unplugging her phone from the charger.

"He stayed here the whole night, didn't he?" She asked, and I froze.

I turned around slowly, not being able to do anything but nod as I waited for her to say something about it.

"I'm not about to kill you, Sierra. You're eighteen, you're allowed to have a boy in your room" she commented as if it wasn't a big deal, shocking me even further. I would've expected her not to be that pleased about it, but apparently that wasn't it. "Your father would've freaked, but I'm not like him. I've been your age too and I perfectly know that telling you not to do something will make doing it even more thrilling."

I nodded again, knowing how right she was, but that not doing much to ease my confusion.

She grabbed her black coat from the chair, putting it on. "That being said, I'd like to know when there's someone else under my roof the next time."

"Sure" I said, and she nodded, saying goodbye and leaving through the front door, leaving me alone in the house with Harry.

I turned around and got a hold of my cup of tea before starting to slowly walk upstairs, careful not to spill any of it on the floor. I reached my studio and I turned down the handle, smiling to myself when I realised that, as I'd hoped, the door was already open. I crossed the room and I attentively put the cup of tea down on the desk, before turning around and walking out.