Not Just Another Cinderella Story

9. Tumbling Through Tumblr

"Chinese food. Your Chinese food is amazing," he mumbled. "Almost as good as your moms." I rolled my eyes as I grabbed things out of bags and into the fridge. I decided to make chow mien and a stir fry and placed the two dishes on the table. We all crowded around and grabbed platefuls of food before returning to the couch. I picked up the remote and started channel surfing. Dylan asked me to stop on a hockey game.

"No, you got the choice last time. It's my turn now," I said, skipping past it. I kept surfing until Sherlock's face popped up. I squealed excitedly.

"Yay! Sherlock!" Dylan groaned and Tyler sighed.

"I hate taking turns."

"Same." I ignored their remarks and settled in to watch another mystery being solved.  

***

After spending the evening watching Sherlock and setting up camera gear, the three of us went our separate ways. I was currently getting dressed. I threw on a pair of high-waisted shorts seeing as it was nice out, a white t-shirt, and my coral blazer. I slipped on a few thin bangles and a thin silver necklace with a camera attached before grabbing my bag and heading out. I didn't tell Louis I was coming over, but he didn't say he was going anywhere, so I assumed it would be fine. I knocked quietly on the hotel door not wanting to wake anyone up, seeing as it was still rather early.

"Louis?" a quiet voice asked from the other side.

"No... Um, it's Chelsea." It was silent for a minute, and I thought Harry wouldn't open the door, but he did. He was wearing his boxers and a wrinkly t-shirt. His eyes were slightly puffy and red as he took me in.

"I..." Without warning, he crushed me in a hug and started crying quietly on my shoulder. I wrapped one arm around him gently and used the other to close the door. We stood embracing in the hallways for a few minutes before he pulled away. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking down. I dropped my bag on the floor.

"It's fine. Um... Is Louis here?" My words seemed to trigger something as he started crying again.

"No... He- he left, he's staying with Eleanor." Harry rubbed at his eyes.

"Oh... Um, I guess, I'll go then?" I said, grabbing my bag off the ground. Harry grabbed my wrist before I could leave though. 

"No... Please don't go," he whispered. "Stay with me." I bit my lip, remembering what Louis had told me. But Harry was so... broken. He was falling apart, and there was currently no one to hold him together. I nodded silently and dropped my bag, once again, apologizing for everything inside it as I dragged Harry over to the plushy couch in the middle of the room. I disappeared for a second to grab a blanket off his bed, and draped it over him.

"So... are you hungry?" I asked. He shook his head. "Thirsty?" He shook it again, making his hair bounce wildly. "If you need something, I guess I'll be ov-"

"Stay with me," he whispered again, moving over to make a spot for me. I nodded quickly and left to grab my phone out of my bag. When I returned, he was staring dejectedly at the wall. I must have scared him when I sat down because he jumped slightly. "I thought you left," he said, tearing up.

"I just went to grab my phone." I lifted the covers and let him rest his head on my shoulder. I spent a while playing with his hair, pulling apart clumps of curls and making them spring back into shape. "How are you feeling?"

"I... don't know." I nodded, wishing I knew what to say. Deciding he needed some cheering up, I unlocked my phone and started playing Drunk by Ed Sheeran. Not too sad, but not too loud or upbeat either. Then, I decided to introduce him to Tumblr.