Vicky West
I woke up by the sound of running water. I glanced at the window and saw the sun entering the room slightly. As I turned around, I noticed I missed the man who was previously lying next to me. I rubbed into my eyes, and yawned effortlessly. I sat up and pressed by back against the headboard. I pulled the sheets closer to me, and wrapped myself in the soft material. I peeked above the sheets when I saw Harry walking inside the bedroom in casual attire.
He grabbed his hair and made a quick bun. His sunglasses were settled on top of his head. ''Good morning, babe,'' he said while he grabbed some belongings out of the drawers. ''Did I wake you up?'' He asked me worriedly.
''No, not at all.'' I mumbled. ''God, what did I sleep amazing.'' I stated the obvious. It felt like my body was entirely awake and reborn. Harry gave me a generous smile, and walked over to me. He took a seat on the side of the bed.
''That doesn't surprise me since it is almost 4 PM,'' Harry mentioned and cracked a smile.
''What?!'' I panicked.
''You were very tired, Vicks. It doesn't surprise me you slept for such a long time. But you are feeling good now?'' He wondered while putting some tendrils out of my face. I nodded swiftly. ''That's what matters.'' Harry breathed out satisfyingly. ''I have a meeting while having dinner, so I got to go now. I called Red and Marcel and they will pick you up in an hour.''
''You did?'' I questioned for confirmation. The corners of my mouth lifted up.
''Yes,'' He broke in a smile. ''You don't mind, do you?''
''No!'' I assured him in a hurry. ''Thank you. I cannot wait to chat a bit with both of them.''
''Great,'' Harry said. ''I'll call you when I am done. Have fun, Vicks.'' His lips touched mine perfectly. My hand was pressed against his beautiful cheek and I pressed my lips harder against his. I had to wait for his next kiss a couple of hours, so I needed to make the best out of this one.
Our lips parted with hardly any ease. ''Good luck,''
''Everything will be going well.'' Harry assured before he stood up, waved me goodbye, and left the house. I could hear him pulling out of the garage with the car, and I started to get out of bed.
It was a very kind gesture of Harry to call Marcel and Red, and let them take me out for dinner. I hadn't seen them since all the happenings yesterday, and I wondered if they experienced the whole scenario in the same way as I did. I didn't know what had happened entirely in the booth, but I heard from Marcel and Red it had been pretty dramatic.
Somehow, I managed to get out of the warm bed. I longed to lay down for an extended time with Harry, but he had to attend a meeting this evening. The corners of my mouth curled up when I noticed some clothes neatly folded on the chair, next to the dresser, in the room. As I made my way to the fresh pieces of clothing I heard a horn going off from a car.
I turned around and rushed to the front of the hallway - where there was a massive window which showed you clearly what happened on the porch - I rolled my eyes instantly when I saw Marcel's car parked awfully close to the house. Red noticed me and waved incredibly content at me. I hastily made my way downstairs to open the door for them. Marcel ran to me and hugged me incredibly tightly.
''I thought you two would come around in an hour,'' I said rather confusingly.
''I thought so too,'' Marcel spoke. ''But I had to save Red from whatever happened back at her apartment. And since I don't want her to spill hot chocolate on my white carpet for the fourth time, I decided to drive to your boy's house.'' He kissed me on the cheek before walking into the house like he already owned the place.
Red heard the entire conversation that I had with Marcel, and this huge grin was on her face. ''I also spilled some on his white pants, but he hasn't found out about that. . .yet.''
I laughed and hugged her friendly. ''I won't tell,'' I assured her.
''Perfect,'' She breathed out and entered the house.
We were all located in the kitchen and while Red was searching in the refrigerator for something to eat, Marcel sat on the kitchen counter pouring himself a drink while talking to me.
''Last night was pretty mind-blowing,'' Marcel huffed.
''Tell me about it,'' Red spoke.
''In some way I feel sorry for Carmen, and I don't get that.'' I confessed.
Marcel handed me a glass with Lipton Ice-Tea in it. Red finally joined us with a bowl of strawberry yoghurt. ''I get what you mean, Vicks. Carmen and William both were reckless with whatever they did and ninety-nine percent of what they did has backfired them now. However, I rather feel bad for Carmen than for William. Firstly, he is a massive arse, and secondly, love made her blind.''
''She really cared for him. . .'' Red stated seriously, but yoghurt was covering her mouth.
''How would you feel if this happened to you?'' I wondered while I rested my face onto the palm of my hand.
''Shattered, honestly,'' Marcel answered me and he shrugged nonchalantly. ''But I think they'll both get over it. It's better, because now they have received a reality check.''
''It's-'' Red wanted to say something but she noticed that talking and yoghurt didn't go well. She quickly swallowed it and cleared her throat. ''What I was going to say; It's always terrible to find out about what your partner does behind your back. But – let's just use Zayn as an example – I was rather smitten with him yet seeing how he really was made it much better for me. I rather be faced with what is happening sooner than later.''
''William is no good. . . for no one.'' Marcel commented. ''Now we are done with whatever is going on between the two of them.''
''Would they ever do it again?'' I asked them.
Red looked at Marcel, hoping he might have the answer to my question. ''You never know with people who have those kind of souls.''
It was silent for a couple of minutes. The three of us were definitely thinking about the entire scenario which took place not so long ago. I just kept thinking about the fact that I could be her and Harry could've been William. I knew Harry had changed for the better, but back in the days he was like him. I was thankful for the fact that Harry was capable of changing. But it's never nice to lose someone you are devoted to. Perhaps one day they will find each other back, since they were – clearly – head over heels.
''Why don't we order some pizza and head to Harry's wine cellar to pick out something?'' I suggested. I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic to leave his house.
Marcel and Red both agreed on staying in, and we made ourselves comfortable. I ran upstairs to grab some simple clothes of Harry and got back in the matching Calvin Klein pyjama he once bought for us. But this time I was wearing his instead of mine.
I re-entered the living room and they already put on the television. Red had ordered four pizza's, since she was sure the delivery guy could be some nice material and spend the evening with us. Marcel claimed to flirt with him if this would be the case. Even so, I doubted he owned the guts to even enter this house or question us if he could stay around.
''I always wonder what you are doing, Marcel.'' I spoke as I laid on the couch.
''I am reading a magazine, darling.'' He answered kindly as he flipped the page.
''No, she doesn't mean what you are doing now.'' Red cleared up judgementally.
''Hush, Red. I didn't invite you to enter Vick's and mine conversation.'' He flipped her off. Obviously Red cursed at him, but he was already used to it since day one. ''What do you mean then?''
''Like, your love life..'' I proclaimed. ''You know everything about Red and I, but we don't know everything about yours. Regarding your previous relationships.''
He closed his magazine. ''It's not that mesmerizing..'' His voice of speaking was rather monotone.
''How come?'' Red wondered curiously.
''Because it didn't end how I wanted it to be.''
''What happened?''
''God, am I really going to tell this?'' Marcel asked himself aloud. ''I was around the age of eighteen when I met this guy and he was everything I ever wanted. I hadn't come out yet, and my parents were insanely strict. Being gay was just a no-go at my home. So I did what every teenager was doing; sneaking out of the house to see the guy I was infatuated with.''
''It sounds romantic.'' Red beamed excitedly.
''It was romantic for years, trust me. But I always struggled with the secret. My parents noticed changes in me, and I knew I had to tell them one day. I talked with Toby – that is his name – and he encouraged me to tell the truth. A few days after I turned twenty-one, I revealed the secret to my parents.''
''What did they say?'' I wondered kindly.
''They weren't thrilled, obviously. Both of them were ashamed of me, and they asked me every hour of the day if I, perchance, was able to change myself. But I wasn't. They were overwhelmed that people like me existed and that being gay was something that belonged to me.''
''What did you do?''
Marcel snickered shortly. ''That's when I started to see Toby even more. We never really dated for those years I was silent, but after I told my parents about the fact that I was gay, we grew closer to one another. Not only romantically, but we became the biggest friends. I remember this one time we were at his house and celebrated Christmas with the entire family. I never felt so blessed and in love.''
''That sounds so adorable,'' Red sighed hopelessly.
''Well,'' Marcel muttered a bit. ''A few days after new year's eve he insisted on leaving our hometown and moving to Los Angeles. He told me to chase my dream, because I was busy on a daily basis with creating dresses and thinking about make-up for Moulin Rouge dancers. I don't know how many times I informed him that he was nuts for telling me to do what I longed for.''
''Eventually you did..'' Red stated.
''Yes, but-'' Marcel bit on the inside of his cheek as he stared at the glass he was holding. The cherry wine moved around in the glass. The atmosphere in the room changed drastically, but not positively. The chirpy Marcel I continuously saw disappeared within an instant. His lips were pressed in a thin line as it seemed he went over and over on the words he wanted to say aloud; would we get it what he kept for himself?
''Marcel?'' Red spoke, nicely. Her voice was tender as she called out for him. His gaze, still on the glass, made us wonder what was happening in his mind. ''If you don't want to tell us what happened, it's fine.'' She assured him, and I nodded in agreement.
''It's not that I don't want to,'' He said with a trembled voice.
''You just don't know how to say it,'' I muttered.
''Exactly,'' He mentioned.
I placed my hand on his and stroked with my fingers on his skin. ''Love isn't beautiful; it's a mixture of utter sadness and bliss. Every new relationship we start with, is like a new world or a new beginning. We meet new people, experience everything differently and it will always be like that. And we will take the cracked paths now and then, we will crave the desire to end it all and stop loving someone. But we are rendered incapable of doing such thing. No matter how many times you've tried to push everything aside, all the things you've been through left a mark. You cannot let them disappear even if you wanted to.''
Marcel stared at me admirably. ''Then comes the time when you accept everything, because you realise it made you into the person you are today and will be tomorrow. Even if you hate what has happened, even if you don't, talking about it is hard yet the best thing you can possibly do. It's just that feeling you get when you share your stories with your closest friends; they will stand by your side to help you through it. To overcome the fear you have or perhaps laugh at what was a ridiculous mistake. But they will not judge you, because they know life isn't flawless and that every heart gets broken once in a while.'' I breathed out. ''At the end we will listen, help and give you all we can offer.''
''And you've been that kind of friend to us,'' Red concluded.
''Perhaps even more than that,'' I added instantly with a proud grin.
''That's why we are here for you too,'' She said meaningfully.
A smile appeared on Marcel's face and he squeezed my hand. ''I'm so thankful for both of you,'' He breathed out.
I glanced over at Red, and she nodded with her head; encouraging me to continue. ''We both get you are afraid to say what happened, but it might be better.'' It was beautiful to see that Marcel agreed with our views and that sharing more of his life with us wouldn't be a bad thing. ''Just share when you are ready.'' I told him.
''I don't think I'll ever be completely ready, so I better continue where I left off.''
''You sure?'' I asked him before he would open up entirely.
''I am,'' He assured weakly.
He took a deep breath.
''We moved to Los Angeles and we lived in this apartment near the Moulin Rouge. We weren't incredibly rich, so we couldn't afford much. Yet, it was perfect for the two of us. Two years passed by wonderfully and we lived life how we wanted to live it. Eventually I woke and the other side of the bed was painfully empty. He had started with showing unusual behaviour, but I couldn't make out what was exactly happening.'' He gulped down the last bit of the tasty wine. ''Apparently Toby suffered from a very serious drug addiction which summed up why he acted like this. He lost his job a few months after we moved to Los Angeles, and he didn't want to disappoint me by saying he couldn't pay the bills anymore.''
''Cops found him on the streets sleeping. I was furious at him, and I decided – after talking with many people – he needed help. With the help of his parents we managed to get him into a clinic.'' He tapped with his fingers nervously onto his lap. His bottom lip started to tremble uncontrollably and I shoved myself closer to Marcel. Red also noticed his change of behaviour and we saw tears started to roll down his cheeks. ''H-He never wanted to see me again.'' And his voice cracked within a second.''
One of the worst things in life is seeing one of your great friends cry. I could just feel the ache that was in Marcel. I knew, he would feel it much more than I did. Even so, I was capable of feeling the pain. The way he explained everything – even though it wasn't in much detail – showed me how much he cared for Toby. Marcel always made fun of having bedpartners and basically life in general. But he had been through so much pain.
Such a good soul was shattered intensely.
''Love,'' Red said as she pulled Marcel closer to her. ''We feel horrible that you've been through all of this.'' She told him. Red's eyes were closed when she pressed herself against Marcel to comfort him.
''It broke my heart to see him like that,'' Marcel muttered. ''But I couldn't bear the feeling not to send him away.'' He held Red stronger, and I moved with my hand on his back.
''You acted wisely, Marcel,'' I told him. ''Really.''
...
My body was lying in bed again. Now and then, I glanced at the alarm on the nightstand. I heard Harry's snores entering my ears, and I sealed my eyes again. I reminded myself of what Marcel had been through for a long period of time. After he said goodbye to the person who meant the most to him, he was alone for years and years. Working at the Moulin Rouge was a struggle, because it always reminded him of Toby who encouraged him to chase his dream. In some way, Marcel blamed himself for Toby's departure and that he ended like this because Marcel was insanely selfish to agree with his idea to move to Los Angeles.
As I laid here, I thought about the things I had been through. They weren't amazing either and I knew my experiences were different compared to Marcel's. I just prayed I'd never witness them again.
My thoughts got interrupted by Harry pulling me closer to him.
''Why are you still awake?'' He mumbled into the crook of my neck.
''Just thinking,'' I wandered off.
''About what?'' He breathed out against my sensitive skin.
''A friend,'' I answered.
Harry wrapped our legs together and he snuggled closer to me. ''What is wrong with your friend?''
''Some personal issues,'' I answered sleepy Harry.
''Mmmm..'' He said. ''Should I worry about it?''
I pressed my lips lightly against his forehead. ''You don't have to, Harry.''
''But I know it consumes your thoughts, so it also consumes mine.''
''Why?''
''Because I am your other half.''
''Really?''
''Mmm, I am.'' He told me. ''What time is it?''
''3 AM,''
''Let's get up at 11 and drive to a place for lunch then we will start packing.'' He informed me and this was definitely the business side of him. He planned everything so well constantly. I said I agreed with his words, and I felt by the way he kissed my neck he was satisfied with my decision. ''Whatever is keeping you awake, you cannot undo it clearly.'' He mouthed.
''How come you know that?'' I whispered softly.
''I've laid awake plenty of times stressing out by cause of current or previous affairs.'' Harry said. His fingers made patterns on my exposed legs. ''Not allowing yourself to sleep won't change it, perhaps it never will. But you have to sleep good in order to think clearly.''
I felt myself agreeing with him, and my mind wandered off.
''I don't want to lose you,'' I begged sleepily.
''You won't,'' Harry told me.
But, somehow, his words didn't satisfy me as much as they normally would.
...
geheh drama is coming.
oh vote please & comment (random comments are also highly appreciated)
I've published a book with Harry Styles' short stories.
much lufffff,
Lay