You Only Want Me When I'm Taken

Chapter 45

 I didn’t do much that afternoon. After the fight with Harry over the phone, I tried finishing my essay and working on my art workbook, but it was no use. I tried finishing the book I was currently reading, but I got bored in the middle of it and tossed it away. I tried calling Jasmine and Scarlett to hang out, but they were also busy with homework and essays, something I should be working on right now. Finally, I grabbed my art piece trying to finish it. I moved the brush slowly against the easel trying to get the perfect shade of beige, but it was no use. I grabbed my iPhone, checking for any messages or calls from Harry, but there weren’t any. I groaned, grabbing my Macbook since it’s been ages since I’ve last used the internet. I logged onto Facebook to find the same old notifications; boring. I logged onto Twitter next; hate hate hate. I’ve kind of gotten used to it by now so it didn’t bother me much. Lastly, I logged onto my sanctuary; Tumblr. No one knew my Tumblr users’ name, so I could post whatever I wanted to without being judged or criticized. I was laughing with amusement at a GIF of a cat doing the Thriller dance when a video request from Harry popped up on the screen. I could literally feel my heart thumping against my chest.

  I jumped off the kitchen stool, fixing my hair on the nearest mirror, and answered the Skype call trying to look as composed as possible. I felt a flush of happiness as soon as I saw Harry’s face on my laptop screen. I’d almost forgotten that stupid fight we had a couple of hours earlier. It’s like nothing even mattered when I saw him.

  “Hi, babe” Harry said, and I could hear him gulping his throat.

  “Hi” I answered a bit awkwardly. We just stared at each other with silence.

  “About earlier” Harry quickly stammered “I’m sorry, I overreacted”

  “Don’t apologize” I quickly replied “I should’ve told you that I was having coffee with some guy” I could tell that we both wanted to get over what had happened earlier as soon as possible but didn’t know how to approach it. The fight seemed utterly silly right now. There were a few minutes of awkward silence before Harry grinned cheekily.

  “You know I couldn’t stand not talking to you” Harry finally said, smiling widely which was reassuring.

  “Me either” I said, leaning onto the table giggling “I’d miss you too much”

  “I already miss you loads! How’s school going?”

  “Same old, same old, but I have an exhibition coming up in December! You’d be here by then, won’t you?”

  “Of course” he said “I wouldn’t miss it for the world! You know what else is coming up in December?”

  “Hm, I’m not quite sure I remember” I said sarcastically, smiling like an idiot.

  “I’ve already started buying your birthday presents!” he beamed.

  “You don’t have to get me anything, really” I told him “Just having you here with me is enough”

  “Don’t be silly” Harry huffed “Everyone likes presents” We spent another two hours like this; just joking around and having a good time. We’d also happened to completely forget about what had happened last night which was an improvement. Soon enough, Harry had to go since he had rehearsal.

  “I love you” he said, grinning softly at the screen.

  “Love you too” I replied before he gave me one last smile and hung up. I stared at the blank screen for a couple of minutes after. I closed the laptop screen and decided to get some work done, so I grabbed my art piece and continued working on it. The house felt so empty and so desolated. Usually, Amanda and I never complained about the 3 story house, but now with her gone it felt so bare and empty. What with Harry in the USA, Jasmine and Scarlett doing their own thing in college, Amanda starting her new life with her boyfriend, my mum in Paris living her dream, and my dad caught up in work (as always), I felt truly and utterly alone. I had to admit, I wasn’t used to this so it was hard adapting to the new change.

*

 Before I even knew it, December was here. December was my absolute favorite month of the year; Christmas, New Years, my birthday, and just the coziness of it was lovable. Also, Harry was going to be back in London for a really long time in a few days. My exhibition was also tomorrow, so that was a bit nerve wrecking, but exciting.

  It was currently 11 PM and I was still at the studio with a couple of my new friends from college finishing up a couple of pieces. Music blasted through our ears to keep us wide awake as we added final touches to our pieces.

  “DANCE PARTY!” a girl named Maddison yelled as she jumped around the studio crazily. It was a deal between us; whenever someone got slightly tired he or she had to bust into random dance moves to remain wide awake, and it worked for us. I laughed at the sight of her when I felt my phone vibrating. I looked at the screen and felt a flush of happiness when I saw Harry’s face. I wiped the paint off my hands and answered Harry hurriedly, turning the volume of the music down.

  “Hi, baby” I answered, walking away to a more secluded corner.

  “Hey” he beamed “How are you?”

  “I’m great, a bit nervous but great” I replied “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! I also can’t wait for you to see the pieces I’ve been working on, and I have a surprise for you!”

  “About that” Harry began, and I knew that this conversation was going downhill immediately from the sound of his voice “I don’t think I can make it tomorrow.”

  “What?” I automatically said, feeling my heart drop in an instant with disappointment.

  “Management wants to extend our stay here in the US”

  “They’ve already extended it twice” I snapped bitchily.

  “I know, but what can I do about it?” he sighed. There were a few minutes of silence. It was as if he was waiting for me to tell him that it was fine and that I didn’t mind, but I did mind…a lot. It’s been almost 4 months since I’ve last seen Harry “I know you’ll do great though” he finally said.

  “How would you know? You’re not coming” I huffed. I knew I was being immature, but I couldn’t control what I was saying when I was upset.

  “What do you want me to do, Emily? I can’t stop the whole world for your art exhibition”

  “You know what, Harry? Just save it for someone who cares. It’s not about the art exhibition and you know it. It’s like I shouldn’t expect you to be here for anything anymore. Louis flew in before Eleanor’s exams to help her out with studying. Niall flew to London for half a day to spend it with Jasmine. Liam flew in to see Danielle’s recital, so why is it so hard for you?”

  “You never asked me to come to London!”

  “That’s just it” I almost yelled “I don’t need to ASK you!”

  “Do you realize how selfish you’re being right now?” he yelled back.

  “Just forget it” I finally said “I need to go finish my last piece”

  “Emily, I’m trying” he said desperately. I bit my lip trying to hold back the tears. Hearing Harry’s voice like this always got to me.

  “It’s too hard, Haz” I said, letting a couple of tears slide down my cheek as I slid down to the ground “I know that you’re trying and I appreciate that, but this way harder than we both thought it would be”

  “I want to be there tomorrow, I really do—”

  “I have to go” I interrupted him, sniffling my tears away “I’ll call you as soon as I’m free tomorrow. Good night” I hung up the phone and went back in after I’d dried my tears. No one said anything, which was good because I hated it when people saw me crying. They all just continued working on their pieces as did I. A girl named Mariam with fiery red hair just stood beside me and squeezed my hand.