Cliché || H.S.

Chapter 24

A/N: This is the song referenced later in the chapter! Great song 10/10

"How much stuff do you need?" Harry asks, looking at all the bags I have laid out in the foyer. We have nearly a five hour drive ahead of us to get to Northern Arizona, and although we had planned to leave thirty minutes ago to get there by dinner time, I'm still sorting to make sure I have everything we might need.

"Well I have clothes for the week which are in that bag there," I point to the duffle bag which is completely stuffed, "and my mom put me in charge of dinner one night and any snack we want so food is in that bag. No wifi so I have a couple books, a board game, and DVDs which aren't animated in that bag there."

Harry looks down at his measly bag and back up at me, "Well at least one of us came prepared."

Celeste sighs from her spot on the stairs where she's been perched, watching us go through everything, "If you want you can bail on the cabin trip and come rescue me from spending the week with my parents."

"If you can pack a bag in the time it takes us to load the car then you can come with. I told you that you could, my mom would love to see you," I say as I hand Harry the largest bag to carry out to the car. He grunts as he throws it over his shoulder but doesn't complain as he walks out the front door.

"Nah I should really go see my family. I'll let you guys have your time. Are you nervous? I never thought the day you come where my little Lilian would bring a boy home," Celeste taunts, a smile on her face. I roll my eyes but let out a laugh.

"I didn't think I'd see the day either. But I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. I can't imagine anyone not liking Harry," I turn over my shoulder to make sure he's still outside, "I really like him... I- I think I'm excited for them to meet him. I think they'll like him a lot," I say honestly.

Celeste gets up and squeezes me into a tight hug, "now just set me up with one of his friends. I don't think I can date a doctor, especially knowing that's what my parents would want."

"I'll get on right on it. See you in a week?" Celeste nods her head and grabs a bag to help me carry the rest out to the car.

Harry and I spend the first half of the car ride singing along to songs at the top of our lungs and playing license plate games, but before I know it he's passed out in the passenger seat next to me. His head is resting against the window, his arms tucked under his chin. He looks young and vulnerable like this, and I can almost picture what he must have looked like as a kid. I think he would have been a happy kid, the kind who is friends with everyone in their class and tells their mom they love her, even though it's not cool to like your mom anymore.

It's amazing to me that when I first met him I thought his personality was a fraud, a way to get what he wanted. But now I know that it's just who he is. The whole world is wrapped around his pinky, and though I once thought they were putting him on a pedestal, it all makes sense now. He deserves every bit of love he receives from the world.

I take my phone from his lap and open Spotify, choosing one of my favorite Indie playlists. I turn the volume up slightly, but not loud enough to wake him. While I speed down the freeway I appreciate the way the scenery changes from city to desert almost the instant we cross over to Arizona. The cacti and dust quickly turn into pine trees, and I can see the temperature declining in the corner of my dash.

A new song begins and I begin to sing along to the familiar lyrics. I had never thought much about what the words meant, but with Harry in the seat next to me I almost laugh at the accuracy, "You've got me giving up control... so hold on to, don't let it go".

I've given up control almost entirely since I met Harry. I used to be obsessed with having a grip on every aspect of my life, including the way I felt. But everything that happened with him was out of my control, and being with him is a constant reminder that being out of control is okay.