model call || h.s

32.

"Gemma...she's passive aggressive all the time and she doesn't realize that she's acting that way"

"It seems pretty well-thought out to me."

"Nora, I will talk to her, alright? I will."

"I want to stay." He cups her face and pulls her closer, pressing his lips against her chilled forehead.

"Come inside, please." His expression says everything she needed to know.

"Tell me to stay." Her lip quivers while he shakes his head, "Harry!"

"I need to deal with...with everything alone. I need to explain things to her without you, as hard as that may seem or as shitty as it makes me feel." She quickly wipes her tears away and sniffles. "Nora, I love you. I love you so much."

"Okay." She forces herself to get it together and she slams herself shut, temporarily keeping him far away. As she walks back towards the house, he follows her.

"You're mad at me, I know—"

"You've hit the nail on the fucking head."

"I don't want to fight with you, please..."

"You're choosing Evelyn, Harry. You should know what the fuck you're signing up for." Upon entering the house, she goes immediately to her suitcase and throws her loose things inside.

"What are you doing?" He asks, quietly.

"I'm booking my ticket and I'm leaving."

"Nora—"

"I need you to stop talking to me, right now." He shuts up and sits on the couch.

"Harry, darling!" Anne calls from the other room, "I need you to vacuum downstairs, please!" As he gets up, Nora takes this time to open her laptop and book a ticket. Luckily, Manchester's international airport had a red-eye at eleven and it was only twenty or so minutes away from Holmes Chapel. Nora secured it without thinking twice, and then she called for a car. Once she knew her plan, and that the car would be arriving within thirty minutes, she went to find Anne.

"Hi, petal..." She greets her, warmly.

"Hey..." Nora walks into the office where Anne is sitting.

"Sit, sit...talk to me. What's on your mind?" Nora sits beside the incredibly kind and welcoming woman.

"I'm leaving..."

"Why?" She asks, eyes wide.

"Harry...we had a disagreement, and...well, I think it's just better. There are some things he needs to do and I really shouldn't be here while he's doing them." She holds both of Nora's hands in hers.

"Does this have something to do with Evelyn coming tomorrow?" Her silence gives the smart woman her answer. "Nora, I love my son with every bit of my heart, I mean, I really love that boy...but he can be a bit daft at times."

"He doesn't want me to be here, and I have to respect that." Anne nods.

"He loves you, darling. I know that much is certain."

"And I love him, I really do...I'm angry at him—angrier than I've ever been at him, but I know that he has his own reasoning. I have to respect that."

"That's very big of you, petal." she leans forward and kisses Nora's head. "So, how long do we have you for?"

"I have a car coming pretty soon...I'm flying out of Manchester later tonight."

"Oh my..." Nora frowns with her. "That is too soon."

"I know..." She hugs Anne tightly. "Thank you so much, thank you for letting me stay here and thank you for being so kind."

"You are so very welcome."

"And thank you for raising him the way you did."

"I want you to know, our door is always open. We may be an ocean away but you will always be welcome here." They hug once more before walking out, arm in arm. Harry stops in the doorway to the kitchen and he and Nora make eye contact. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. Nora, I have to run out to the market, but I hope you have a safe flight home. It was such a pleasure meeting you, my sweet girl."

"It was an absolute pleasure, Anne. Thank you again." Suddenly, she's gone and it's just the two of them. "I have car coming in a few minutes, I'm flying out of Ringway tonight."

"You didn't have to get a car, I could have driven you."

"I don't want you to drive me." She sighs, "I'm so angry with you. You've hurt me for reasons that are so unbelievably unclear..." He tries to get a word in but she stops him. "But, I'm not going to leave without you knowing how much I love you." He closes his eyes. "I really, really love you, so...I'm trusting you." Her voice cracks, "Promise me that I can trust you..."

"Nora, I can't explain...I can't tell you how much I love you because I honestly can't even fathom it myself. I know that you're the love of my life, that is so clear to me. I promise—I swear on my mum's life, you can trust me." Nora nods and rubs her makeup-less face. Her phone lights up with a notification saying that her driver is arriving.

"My ride is here." Harry follows her into the living room and he picks her suitcase up. "I don't remember if I left anything at your place in London, or here...but if you find it—"

"I'll bring it home with me." She's comforted by him referring to New York as home. "I'll be back after the funeral, okay?" They walk to the front door and he helps her into her coat, then they head outside and he puts her suitcase in the trunk of the black Escalade. Before Nora climbs in, she pulls his face down and kisses the corner of his mouth.

"I'm not over this." He nods.

"I know. We'll talk when I get home." He closes the door for her and the driver pulls away. As his body shrinks with the distance, her heart hurts. She never wanted to leave him. He wanted this—he drove her to this. She was left wondering what the outcome would be. What would happen when they were both back in the city?