Memories in the Moonlight

Chapter 5

Harlow's bed was so nice and warm. The blankets were an inviting nest, the mattress an inescapable sinkhole. She had not left her bed all morning, and time rolled over into the early afternoon before she started to wake.

The girl rolled over towards the edge of the bed, an anguished groan escaping her lips. Her head was splitting, stomach churning and nauseous. Harlow cracked an eye open and promptly shut it when she noticed the amount of light flooding in.

"Holy shit, I hate everything." She muttered, forcing herself to slowly open her eyes again. She knew she was in her bedroom, but wasn't quite sure how she even got home from the club last night. Or maybe this morning.

This was a monster hangover, her body and head punishing her for her fun. As she lay in silence a wave of nausea rolled over her, causing her to spring up and bolt to the bathroom. Harlow flung open the toilet in the nick of time. After a long while she flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth before popping her toothbrush in to scrub away the taste. There were few things Harlow had experienced that were worse than this hangover. While brushing her teeth Harlow heard a rhythmic tapping noise coming from somewhere nearby.

Tap, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, tap, Pause.

She spat her toothpaste into the sink, swiping at her mouth the with back of a hand. Her toothbrush made a clanging sound as she tossed it into the holder near the sink. The repetitive noise of the tapping was bothering her head enough that she popped a couple of ibuprofen tablets before leaving the bathroom.

Harlow trudged into the main living area of her apartment, pausing to listen again. Her head was pounding, convinced that someone most definitely had left a hatchet embedded into her skull.

Tap, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, tap, Pause.

The sound was coming from her front door. "What the bell?" She muttered, slowly stepping up towards the door. The tapping continued at the same pattern without fail no matter how long she stood there, trying to keep her breathing quiet. It felt like hours before Harlow built up the courage to look through the peep hole.

Her eyes met a moving shadow. It seemed to come towards her and pause at the same intervals as the tapping on her door, though she couldn't make out who — or what — it was. Harlow leaned away from the door and took a deep breath in. Once her nerves were as steady as they were going to get, she flipped the lock on the door to open.

All at once the sound stopped and she stood in silence. The only noise she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding in her head. The girl swallowed a lump growing in her throat  Harlow grabbed hold of the doorknob and pulled it open, her mouth opening in surprise.

Standing before her was Kiran, hair a mess and bags under his eyes. He had a small, circular red mark near the top of his cheekbone. He looked just as surprised as Harlow did, taking a step back. Neither of them moved or spoke for a long while, stood awkwardly in the doorway just staring at one another.

Kiran broke the heavy layer of silence first. "Nice pyjamas." His accented voice was raspier than usual.

Harlow took a moment to peer down at herself before feeling heat creep up her cheeks. She donned a pair of watermelon printed pyjama shorts and a Bowfield University t-shirt. "Thanks.." She muttered, face falling into a frown.

The pair didn't move, falling into silence again. This time it was Harlow that spoke. "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?" She asked in an accusatory tone. Instantly on the defensive, she placed a hand on the edge of the door to slam it if need be.

Kiran raised his hands up in surrender, not bothering to move from where he stood. "You gave me your address last night and told me to come by at one. I've been knocking for twenty minutes."