Aurora | H.S.

21. playing games

"You too," I reply. Quinn rushes in behind him, quickly coming around the island to greet Harry and I, but mostly me. I crouch down to be face-to-face with the golden-doodle. I really only know the breed because my parent's neighbors have the same dog. "Hi cutie," I brush back her fur from her eyes, although she can't seem to stop licking my arms.

"Quinn," Harry groans playfully, "c'mon now."

Quinn looks up at him then rushes out of the room, a moment later I hear the sound of squeaky toy. Avery chuckles, "she loves that toy so much. It's probably all we'll hear during dinner."

Harry sniggers, glancing over at me. "She loves to play with it outside my room at night."

I pout, "she's innocent."

He rolls his eyes as I wrap my arm around his. Suddenly, I just want him close. I wouldn't mind skipping dinner and going up to his room to make endless love. The thought lingers as Liam talk to him about work. Supposedly there was a bad accident on the freeway right outside of town last night.

The small talk brings us to dinner where we talk about endless topics ranging from politics to work, flowers and the weather, to Liam and Avery's wedding plans. There's never really a lull in conversation, as Avery and Liam are both talkative. Harry seems quieter than usual, taking part in listening rather than adding to the conversation.

With our plates empty now and wine barely buzzing in my veins, Harry's sitting back in his chair with his hand on my thigh as Avery tells me what she wants to do for her floral arrangements, which she said she would obviously get them from my mom's shop.

"So," Liam begins, looking over at me with soft eyes, "do you think when your mom retires from the shop, you'll take over?"

"Maybe," I say nervously, "I mean, it's been in the family for decades. I couldn't image her ever selling it."

"Is it what you want to do?" he asks, a wariness in his voice that I can't quite place.

"Liam," Harry erupts finally, clearly having noticed his tone too.

"I'm just asking," he states, glaring at Harry. "It's a valid question—if it's what you want to do, Diana, then more power to you. I wasn't sure if you had other plans." Avery shifts in her seat, furrowing her brows at her fiancé before looking at me. Clearly I'm not the only one confused by his questions.

I clear my throat a little, shaking my head. "I'm a simple person," I admit. "Faycoast has everything I need."

"So, you'd never want to move to the city? That'll make it a little hard for you and Harry—"

Harry sharply interjects, "Liam, that's enough."

Avery, with more confusion in her eyes looks to Harry instead of Liam, and suddenly I'm afraid they all know something I don't. When I look over at Harry his dark eyes are settled on his best friend across the table. Taking his hand from his lap, I lace our fingers together in hopes to relieve some of the tension. "Is everything okay?"

"You haven't told her?" Avery almost whispers.

"Tell me what?" I try to laugh, but it falls flat. Harry looks over at me now and for the first time since I've met him, I see something new: despair. It causes my heart to swell into this empty balloon, my stomach churning. The silence in the room is nauseating in itself, but as I pull my hand from Harry's, he speaks up.

"It's complicated and I was going to tell you," he breathes. "Can we do this outside?"

Hesitantly, I nod. I always expect the worst, it's what my pessimistic heart as grown to know. I follow him out of the dining room and through the kitchen and foyer to the porch. The sky is speckled with a million stars all staring down at us, making me feel so small. I turn back to Harry as he closes the front door, stepping towards me, but still keeping a noticeable distance. 

"I—I wanted to tell you when I got back," he stutters his words, his voice low. He runs his hands over his face and through his hair. I stand here, waiting for the inevitable blow. "I accepted the job in the city."

For some reason, my surprise isn't processing properly. He steps towards me, but I finally move to step back. "You accepted a job that you didn't want," I say with a trembling voice.

"I never said I didn't want it—"

"You inferred it," I interject. "You told me over and over again that you didn't want to turn into your dad, that you hated how he treated you, but you're taking an offer to work with him?"

"Diana," Harry sighs.

Three years ago the ground beneath my feet was shifting, today it feels like it's crumbling into dust. All the work I've done to fix myself has proven invalid by a man I swore would be the light at the end of a dark, lonely tunnel. The sharp pains in my chest cause me to exhale painfully, the tears swelling in my eyes shamelessly falling down my cold cheeks. It's like the warmth was just sucked from my entire body and soul.

My feet carry me back into the house, my carelessness causing me to warp Harry's voice out of my head as he calls for me. I grab my bag from the small table in the foyer, along with my keys, and rush back outside. He's following me—I can practically sense it. I quickly jump into my car, seeing him running towards the car. Turning on the car, I look up and see him standing in front of my car, only inches from the front bumper.

"Diana, please," he begs, his voice muffled by the engine. "We need to talk about this, angel. Come on, don't do this—talk to me!"

I put the car in reverse and manage my way out of the driveway and onto the road through my rumbling sobs and blurry vision. The whole drive home all I can do is sob, eventually pulling up to the apartment building only to put the car in park then rest my head against the steering wheel. I sit here for a while until my crying dies down, turning into compulsive sniffles.

In my apartment, I toss my keys and bag onto the kitchen counter and kick off my sandals. A minute later, my mom is walking into the room, her eyes softening. The last thing I need right now is an I told you so, so I walk around her and walk down the hallway to Eliana's bedroom. She's sitting on the ground, playing with her plushy stuffed animals. I sit beside her, brushing back her hair. My heart jolts when she smiles up at me, her innocence astounding despite having the same eyes as the man who abandoned us both.

"Mommy loves you," I whisper.

"I love you," she sings back, her cheeks bright pink.

I tuck some hair behind her ear and watch her play, occasionally voicing one of the stuffed animals to make her giggle. We spend the rest of the night together, like always.

* * *
Hello lovelies! Again, I apologize for the lack of updates. I'm writing my butt off to get two chapters up this weekend, so here's number 1! After this chapter, there are only FIVE chapters left until the epilogue. Keep an eye out on your notifications Xx Don't forget to comment + vote.

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