Odds || H.S.

VI

It has been weeks since our night out with Harry and we are all thriving at our respective summer internships. Addy is working at CNN, Jon is working at NY city council, and I secured an internship at the United Nations. Although we are all doing to brunt work, it is satisfying to take the subway home at 5 pm with the rest of the working class. That's the best part of the city; it is filled with hardworking people with big dreams and when I walk down the street I can feel the energy all around. It's either ambition or anxiety, maybe a little bit of both- if you live in Manhattan and can afford a therapist there is a 100% chance you have one.

Today is my 21st birthday, but it is also a Sunday so we are going to hold off on celebrating. We haven't gone clubbing since the *incident* and I am still a little shaken. All I want is a nice quiet night at home with my two best friends and maybe a cake.

I was coming home from the gym and when I opened my apartment door I was greeted by a tall brunette.

"Hey, Lila! Happy 21st!!" Chris said from our living room couch with a tub of MY Ben & Jerry's in his lap. "Thanks," I mumbled as I beelined to my room.

Why is he always here? The man is like a fly that just won't go away. I'm happy that he makes Addy happy, but Addy isn't even home yet. I just hope he is gone before my mini-celebration starts. I took a shower and threw on my favorite sweatshirt with a pair of leggings.

 I sat on my bed and scrolling through Instagram when suddenly my door burst open and Jon, Addy, Chris, and Alex came into my room singing happy birthday with a cake that was too small for the number of candles stuck in it. I smiled and they all cheered as I blew out my candles.

"What did you wish for?" I familiar British voice said. It was only then that I realized that Addy had Harry on facetime.  

I beamed, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."

Despite my tinge of annoyance that Alex and Chris were at my celebration, Harry's virtual presence made up for it. It is so nice to know that he values our friendship enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit with us on facetime. After we finished our slices of cake, we said our goodbyes to Chris, Alex, and ended our call with Harry. We ended our night by eating popcorn while watching Shrek. 

Towards the end of the movie, I got a text from Harry.

H: Happy Birthday Lila! There is an envelope on your doorstep <3

I hopped off the couch, rushed to the front door, and ripped open the envelope. 

I turned to Jon and Lila grinning from ear to ear, "We're going to LA bitches!"

~~~~

The summer was coming to an end and our internships were over. Luckily Harry timed our trip perfectly so we had a week between the end of our internships and the start of classes. Right now, Jon, Addy, and I are on a first-class flight to visit Harry in Los Angles. Thank God Harry's generosity did not extend to Alex and Chris because we definitely need this time to reconnect. 

After collecting our luggage in the arrival terminal we saw a chauffeur holding a sign with all of our names and we followed him to a black SUV as per Harry's instructions. After what seemed like hours in traffic, we finally entered a gated area and we stared out the window in awe of the mansions of Hollywood Hills. Even when we couldn't see the homes, the ornate gates were indicators of the grandiose homes they guarded.  

"Can you imagine living in any of these" Jon said gaping at a house that the driver later mentioned belonged to Ariana Grande. 

"I guess we will find out what it is like for the next few days," Addy breathed out as she too gazed at the homes in wonder.