-Harry
"And she didn't go home with you?"
"Didn't really expect her to." I shrug.
"Then why'd you..."
"Just wanted to see where her head was at."
"And?"
I pull the napkin Everly wrote on out of my shirt pocket, laying it on the table.
"What the f.uck is this?" Nate chuckles.
"She drew it, there was a line between us and then she erased it and..." I groan. "Never mind."
"I don't know how in the h.ell this is supposed to tell you where her heads at." Nate laughs. "But I know for sure it's not where you'd like it to be."
I raise an eyebrow at him as he grins. "That is... near your c.ock."
"Is truly amazing how you manage to get women into bed with you." I scrunch up my nose at him, shaking my head as I place the napkin back in my pocket.
"You carry that around with you?" Levi joins the conversation, causing me to roll my eyes.
"She has him totally f.ucked up man." Nate speaks up.
"I don't.. this is just the same shirt I had on last night."
"Sure." Nate laughs, Levi now joining in.
"It is, I was just... Why don't you both just sod off." I huff, folding my arms across my chest.
"Come on Haz, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Levi pats my back. "Whitney and I've been together for two years now and I'll happily admit she has me totally whipped."
"Lame." Nate scoffs.
"Shut up." Levi scowls at Nate, "You've no idea what it's like to find your someone. Will make you realize what a waste of time f.ucking all those random girls was."
"Are we in a tampax commercial?"
"Quiet, the adults are talking." Levi shushes him before turning to me. "Am proud of you. It's about time one of you settled down."
"He's not settling down with her. She's dating f.ucking Aiden Carter. No way she's breaking up with him, she's just messing with Harry's head."
"She's with someone?" Levi looks at me confused.
"It's not like that, she doesn't even fancy him. He's an a.sshole." I explain. "And no.. I've no bloody clue why she's still with him."
"Money." Nate quips.
"She doesn't give a shite about things like that." I defend. "Don't know what it is, but I'll find out."
"I'm a bit surprised you're interested in her. You're not one to go after women who are with someone else. Kind of one of your rules isn't it?" Levi questions.
"She's different."
"How so?"
"He means she's f.ucking hot." Nate messes with his phone before holding it out towards Levi. "Here, look."
"Holy s.hit." He grins. "Okay then."
I snatch the phone out of Nate's hand, finding a picture of Everly on the screen.
"You took a f.ucking picture of her?" My eyes narrow as I stare at the screen.
"Yeah?"
"Why?"
"Think it's apparent." He shrugs, smiling.
"Swear to god.. If you wank off to a picture of her I'll.."
"Relax man!" Nate cuts me off, laughing. "I don't use it to get off! I took it for research."
"Research?"
"Remember how I said she was the chick who was at the gym that night? Bribing Dorothy to let her back?"
"Yeah.."
"And how Everly told me I was wrong, that she wasn't there? Well I took this picture to show it to Dorothy to see if I was right."
"What does it matter?" Levi asks.
"Just seemed suspicious. Anyway I showed it to Dorothy this morning when I met you at the gym. She said it was her. I was right, Everly bribed her to get back to see you."
"She was probably just mistaken." I shake my head.
"She wasn't. Dorothy showed me the guest register. She'd written her name in it."
"What are you talking about?" Levi questions, looking back and forth between us.
"H here has a stalker!" Nate leans back in his seat, smiling.
I ignore his comment, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the table. "Her name was written in it?"
"Plain as day." Nate nods. "Everly Abbott."
"Wait, Everly Abbott?"
Nate and I both look at Levi as he sits up in his chair, grabbing Nate's phone to take a second look at Everly's picture.
"Yeah, why?" I raise an eyebrow at his sudden interest.
"I know her. Well, kind of. Whit has a class with her at NYU. They did a project together last year, she was at our apartment a couple times. She's had it rough man."
"What?" Nate and I share a glance.
"Arthur Abbott. Does that ring a bell?"
"Holy s.hit!" Nate's mouth drops open in shock.
"Who the h.ell is Arthur Abbott?" I rack my brain as the name rolls across my tongue.
"Everly's dad." Nate informs me. "He got killed, just a couple years ago."
"Rumor was he was CIA, working undercover in like China or Japan or someplace." Levi goes on. "They were never able to pin it on anyone. His body was just found in some alleyway or something. It was bad. She had to go over and identify him so they'd release his body so it could be buried back in the states."
"S.hit." I shake my head. "I had no idea."
"Whit said she never talked about it with anyone. It was all over campus though."
"And the news." Nate adds. "That was all before you moved over here. What I want to know is why she paid Dorothy three hundred dollars to go back and see you."
"Three hundred dollars?!" Levi's eyes widen.
"And she went back but H here never even saw her. They met what?.. The next night?" Nate looks at me questioningly.
"Yeah." I nod.
"Dorothy said she was back there almost twenty minutes. So what the f.uck was she doing?"
"Jackson?" Levi chuckles as I glare at him.
"They did go on a date." Nate adds.
"That she bailed on for me." I point out. "She doesn't give a shite about him."
"Why did she go on a date with him if she's dating Aiden Carter?" Levi takes a drink of his beer.
"It wasn't a date. Told me so herself."
"Date or no date, who cares." Nate sighs. "You've got to let this one go. There's four hundred thousand more women in this city then men, and you're stuck on one. A hot one yes, but she's already taken. Move on."
"Leave him alone." Levi defends me. "If it's the right one, then she's worth more then any of the rest of them altogether."
"Do you hear yourself?" Nate laughs. "You sound like a Nicholas Sparks movie."
"And you.." Nate points at me. "need to get back out there instead of sitting here pining over a girl who's f.ucking Aiden Carter every night."
My jaw clenches involuntarily as I feel my face heat up. Just the thought of Everly and him...
"You alright? Your face is getting a bit red there."
"Dude, knock it off." Levi warns.
"What? You really think she's not? She is, we all know it. And here you are, obsessed over this chick enough you've basically gone celibate. It's not healthy man. You want a real relationship like this one has..." He points at Levi. "..then find a girl who isn't calling you then turning around and f.ucking someone else. You deserve better then that s.hit."
I close my eyes as I run my hand through my hair, trying to clear my head.
It's full of her, same as it has been since the day we met. The day I met the beautiful mystery that is Everly Abbott.
A mystery I'm fairly sure I'll never solve.
Maybe Nate is right. Maybe I have become a bit obsessed over the idea of her. Maybe it isn't healthy...
Who the f.uck am I kidding? Of course it isn't healthy. I'm hung up on a girl who is with someone else, someone she's made clear she won't be breaking up with.
Yet she calls me to meet her. She writes on that bloody napkin. Always giving me these little clues that she's into me, but never actually saying it.
Because she can't. Because she's with Carter.
"You're right." I throw my hands up in surrender. "F.uck it. Let's go out and get proper p.issed."
"Now that's the Harry we all know and love!" Nate grins.
"You sure?" Levi frowns at me.
"Yes." I nod, lying my arse off.
How the h.ell am I supposed to be sure? I haven't been sure about anything since Everly walked into my life.
"Can we get to it already?" I ask, wanting to get this night over with.
"I know just the club." Nate jumps up. "I'll pay the tab then we can head out."
He heads across the small bar towards the cashier as Levi and I stand up.
"You coming with?" I question as he pulls a few bills out of his wallet.
"Am gonna have to pass. Whit's waiting for me." He frowns. "You know you don't have to prove anything right? To Nate or yourself."
"Yeah." I nod. "Am not trying to."
"There's nothing wrong with liking someone enough you don't want to f.uck around with anyone else."
"Changes things when she's not willing to do the same I think." I shrug, trying to sound like I'm not bothered by it.
"How do you know she's not?"
"Well she hasn't broken up with the prick has she?"
"Because one can just break up with Aiden Carter." Levi shakes his head. "Give me a break Haz, the guy is notorious for ruining people who don't do exactly what he wants. Take more into consideration then just what Nate is saying will ya?"
"Yeah..." I look down at my worn boots.
"Either way, try to have some fun tonight. Bout time you did."
I nod, saying goodbye to Levi before I meet Nate up front. His smile spread from one ear to the other, excitement written all over his face. It's been ages since we've had a proper bender.
Ever since we've become best mates we've went out several times a week. Getting right wasted and taking women home.
And I f.ucking loved it.
At least I thought I did. Now I'd take being sat on that wooden table overlooking Manhattan bridge next to Everly any day when compared to how my previous nights had been spent.
Just talking to her.
How can just talking with her be better then f.ucking someone else?
It can't. Not really. Could it?
I try to shake the thought from my head as we walk down 3rd avenue. I'm being f.ucking ridiculous and it has to stop.
It has to stop tonight.
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Btw Austin Butler plays Levi ;)