Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 24

"What if..." I was laying on my stomach on my bed, watching Harry move around the room. "Now, give it some thought before you answer..."

Harry looked up at me, a shirt in one hand, expectant.

"You didn't leave."

He chuckled, which was the reaction I'd hoped for, but started folding the shirt in his hands, "Don't tempt me."

"Are you kidding?" I asked, "That's exactly what I want to do."

Harry met my eye again, grinning, but it was a sad grin somehow, a knowing grin. Nothing either of us did or said would change the fact that he was leaving. That he had to go. That we had absolutely no choice.

"There are only a few more dates for the tour. And then my time will free up some more."

"I thought you said you'd have promotional stuff for the album?"

Harry placed another folded shirt in his duffel bag. "Yeah, but that won't really pick up until the start of November."

I blinked. "It's already almost October."

Harry paused for a moment, and met my eye, toying with the jeans in his hands, "I know. Hopefully I'll be able to get here at some point between now and then."

I didn't say what I was thinking. Didn't ask him if it would be possible for me to spend some time with him out in L.A. — or anywhere, really. I had school anyway. And work. I couldn't take that much time away from either. And I told myself that he'd already considered it. That he'd already come to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be able to make it out on any of the tour dates or to L.A. for those reasons, and those reasons alone.

That's why he didn't ask.

"I hope so, too," I said, sitting up and reaching for one of the shirts he had yet to fold.

"I'll be going back home to England for the promo tour, too. I told you that, right?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah, that'll be the very end of October into November. And then we'll be back here right before the album drops for all the TV shows and stuff."

"Okay," I said, handing him the folded t-shirt.

"We'll be doing the Today Show," he said, eyeing me as he placed the shirt into his bag with the rest.

I tried to smile. But this was the night I'd been dreading since he'd arrived. The night I'd pretended wouldn't come if I could just ignore it long enough. And the mention of him coming back, in about a month, for only one day to do an early morning television show, only seemed to hurt more.

"I'll make sure I have time to spend with you," Harry said, stuffing a pair of shorts on the top of his now full bag. "Maybe you could even meet the boys."

This smile was genuine, "Yeah. Maybe."

Harry sat then, his bag still open on the bed, a few t-shirts still thrown about my room, but he looked right at me, took my hand, and played with my fingers between his own.

"I've been thinking..." he started.

I grinned at him — at the cute way his lips pressed together, at the way he seemed suddenly shy, or nervous, at the way he pulled my fingers to his mouth and kissed them.

"A dangerous past time..." I joked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know," he responded in song.

"Catching my obscure Disney references," I said, "If you weren't a keeper before..."