The Only Exception | W2S

THIRTEEN.

Ever since he'd picked me up from home just over a week ago, he'd messaged daily, asking how I was. It was slightly endearing, if not overbearing, but it was appreciated.

He didn't push me for any information, and hadn't explicitly mentioned anything from that day. Instead, we shared a mutual understanding that benefitted us both.

"I'm going outside for a smoke. We've got twenty minutes before the next shoot starts," Harry says, after knocking on the door of the room I was currently inhabiting.

"I don't know how you guys do this several times a week. Are you not exhausted?" I laugh lightly, grabbing my bag and walking over to him.

"You kinda get used to it. It doesn't feel exhausting when you're with your friends," he replies, holding the door for me as I followed him out.

"I suppose. I think it's just been a long week," I say casually, and we meet each other's eyes, and I feel like I'm being searched, so I look away.

He doesn't say anything, and leaves us in a comfortable silence as he leads me through the building, and out into a small courtyard area.

"We haven't been here before," I comment, looking around and spotting a table with an ashtray on it.

"It's a well guarded secret," he smiles, taking a seat at one of the chairs.

I sit opposite him, as he passes me a cigarette.

"I'll only ask this once, I promise. Do you want to talk about last week? I know you said not today when I drove you home, but —"

I shake my head. "Not here. But —" I say, noticing the defeated look on his face, regardless of how he tried to hide it. "You could come to mine, after the shoot, I mean, and we could talk about it then?"

He looks up abruptly, as if he was trying to work out if I was joking. "I — yeah, okay. That sounds good. We should be done here by about four."

"Okay, then. We'll table it until later."

Another round of silence fell over us.

"Did they tell you what the travel video is going to be?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.

"What, the one in June? No, I haven't heard anything," I reply. It had only just been added to my calendar.

"Neither. I think we're all having a meeting for it in a few weeks. It's supposed to be a really big video. I think they're splitting it across two videos, if I've heard correctly," he explains to me.

"Sounds exciting, though someone is going to have to give me a mild sedative to actually get me on a plane, if there is one."

He scratches his head. "Ah, yes. I forgot you are a nervous flyer. If it makes you feel better, Kirsty is a nervous flyer, too. Talking to her might help," he offers.

"Best case scenario I'll fall asleep before we take off, otherwise you'll all witness me cry. It's inevitable. Every time I flew to the states I was —" I start, stopping myself before I got into dangerous territory.

He just nods his head slowly, accepting the end of the conversation. "Well, we should probably head back in soon. They'll wanna start soon," he says gently, putting out his cigarette, and waiting for me.

I do the same, and follow him back into the building, where a few more hours of filming was yet to come.

"Your meal deal is absolutely outrageous," I scold Harry, unlocking the door to my apartment, letting him follow me through.

"I like the egg pot! What's wrong with that?" He asks back, his food in his hand.

"I'm not even going to justify that with an answer," I laugh, dumping my things on the countertop.