Effortless (h.s.)

Chapter FIFTEEN - drunk actions

I finally got back to the apartment after what felt like hours upon hours of calling different ubers and lyfts to come get me from the club.

Each second was a struggle for me, the slightest movement from walking made me sick to my stomach.

I could feel how drunk I was, when I opened the front door to the apartment complex it took multiple tries. When I got to the blue carpet staircase I wanted to give up, but I knew I needed to make it to my apartment.

I focused on each step, counting them in my head and trying to get the entire platform of my foot on them before shifting my weight to move up them. Everything went black though and I ended back at the bottom of the stairs. I stared up at the popcorn ceilings and the small chandelier above me, how did I get on the ground?

My eyes opened wide in shock, I must've fallen but I already couldn't remember it.

I shut my eyes temporarily and stood back up to make my way up the stairs once more.

"Lennon, what the hell was that?" My neck snapped up and at the top of the stairs was Harry, his face was scrunched up like he had eaten something foul.

I swung my hand out to signal to him to brush it off, it was no big deal, but lost my balance once more and slammed my arm into the wall next to me. I didn't feel anything but the echoing of the bang rang in my ears over and over again.

"Oopsie!! Haha..." I giggled, my eyes drifted close and I relaxed my head against the wall. It was so comfortable... why don't I stand here more often?

A hand found it's way on my lower back, I opened my eyes to reveal Harry standing awfully close to me. I laughed at his face and let my head fall onto his chest instead of the wall, "So comfortable... Harry why don't we stand here more often? The wall, it's so- uh nice," I spurted out in small fragments.

"We can stand here tomorrow, promise, let's go stand upstairs right now though, come ed'," his voice was scratchy and low like he had just woken up. I pulled back from him to see what he was wearing quickly and fell back into the wall, my neck snapped forward from the impact.

"Lennon, stop," he demanded, harshly grabbing at my shoulders to pull be back into him.

"I want to see you..." I moaned, trying to pull away again. Harry let me lean back a little but didn't let go of my shoulders, I didn't bother looking at his face but saw he was wearing a white see-through shirt and some mustard yellow cotton shorts. A little smile crept onto my lips and I shut my eyes again, going back into his grasp and hugging him tightly.

"What are you on?" He laughed, trying to push me away but to no avail, I refused to let go, "You never want to see me."

I yanked away from him and dropped my jaw in shock, "I always want to see you, are you kidding?"

Harry shrugged and took a hold of my hand, guiding me up the stairs. They were so steep right now. Had they redone these after I left? One hand was on the railing while the other was tightly wrapped around Harry's, he held it up in the air to help me balance.

After getting to the top of the stairs, I started to pat myself down to find my keys.

"No need, you're spending the night at mine," Harry wrapped his arm around my shoulders and directed me to the door of his apartment.

My hand went up to his chest and I started to shake my head, "I'm always here, I feel bad-"

"I like you here," Harry pushed the door open but stayed in the hall, I glared at him slightly but he continued guiding me into the apartment and shutting the door behind me. I turned around as he shut the door and watched him with a silly grin on my face.

Good thing I fell down those stairs, now I can spend more time with him.

When Harry finished locking the door, he turned to walk into the apartment but stopped when he saw me staring at him. He paused temporarily and rubbed his eyes, the smile on his face not fading when he looked at me again. I stumbled back but regained my stance, causing him to laugh and kick his heals out over to me.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He questioned, as he got closer to me I didn't back up like I usually would. Instead, I would start to giggle louder and harder. Harry tilted his head down to reach eye level with me, but I would hardly make it because of my laughter.

I snapped out of my laughter when Harry placed both of his hands on either sides of my hips, instantly the giggling stopped and he studied my face with a half smirk, "I think you're nice," I slurred out.

"I think you're drunk," he mocked, taking his hands off of me.

Before he could get far, I grabbed each of his hands in my own. Harry flipped his head to watch what I was doing, his face being shocked was an understatement.

"I kissed a guy tonight," I blurted out, changing the subject. I held onto his hands tighter when I felt him try to pull away, I didn't let him let go.

Harry's face fell and his shoulders dropped but he looked me directly in the eyes and asked, "You enjoy it?"

I looked off into space and blinked a couple of times, "Yeah, but all I thought about was you," I peered back over to him and his eyes were dark and his body language was unreadable.

Harry stood there for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but drunk me didn't care much. I didn't think about how I had to work with him in a few hours, or how this would impact our friendship.

He pulled me into another hug by gripping one of my hands and reeling me in, resting his chin on top of my head, "You're so drunk right now, love. I'm going to pretend like you didn't just say that," he leaned down and kissed the top of my forehead before going back to holding me tightly in his arms.

"I'm not lying, I promise. I-"

"I know," Harry started to sway the two of us back and forth, "But maybe you shouldn't say anything until you're ready to."

"I-"

"Sober, Len. You should be sober before you say anything else," Harry pressed his mouth into my hair and I felt his lips gently give my head a kiss. He breathed in heavily and then pulled away, showing me a sad smile.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at the floor, why wouldn't he let me tell him how I feel? He was constantly nagging me to express my feelings and now that I was, he was shutting me down, "Did I do something wrong?" I asked, still swaying in his arms.

"No, no, no, nothing is wrong. I'm just tired, in the morning you can tell me what's on your mind," He pushed a stray piece of hair out of my face and gripped my chin between two fingers. I still refused to look up, "Nothing's wrong, I promise."

"Can I sleep in my own bed?" I groaned, "I want to be alone."

Harry tensed up and hummed, thinking out loud, "No, you've had a lot to drink Lennon. I'm worried and I think it's best if you stay here, you can go home in the morning if you really want to. You not going to have to work tomorrow, you need sleep."

I sighed loudly and fell out of his grasp, mumbling words that I couldn't even make out myself.

"What's wrong now?" Harry tried to get me into his arms again but I ducked, wobbling around on my own two feet.

"What excuse do I have to come over then?" I bantered with him, throwing my arms down as if I was a child about to have a tantrum. My eyes rolled dramatically and Harry cracked a smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess I'll have to take you out then," he suggested like it was no big deal, "A late lunch or early dinner, because I have a strong feeling you're not going to wake up for a while."

Even with the alcohol still rushing around in my veins, the fluttering in my chest that he would give me whenever I was sober still pushed through my current numbness, "Okay," I whispered with a small smile.

"Yeah?" He questioned, pulling me back into a tight hug. His fingertips hardly grazed my back, but they moved in circular motions that were soothing to the touch.

I pressed my face up into his soft shirt and squeezed him tightly, "Yeah."