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I throw a couple packets of chips into my little basket full of groceries. I actually have barely bought any food since I got here, but after not eating any dinner yesterday, I'm starving and in need of food.
I focus my mind on getting all the essentials, and try to swerve it from him.
It's really very convenient, having this little mini mart so close by. Now I know, God forbid I'm in need of a new job... I can apply here.
"Well well well!" I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around to see Chloes righteous, smug face.
"Oh, hi Chloe." I force my smile. "How are you?"
"Great, just peachy." She has no food or groceries in her hands, just a little, square, golden foil packet... Oh. "Catch you later Ellen." She gives me a wink and walks off.
I roll my eyes and grab a bottle of wine, before heading to the check out. I feel like, if the rest of my week goes anything like yesterday, I'll definitely need that wine.
The check out guy is more than friendly, actually injecting a little positivity into my day.
"Ma'am, you're not going out in that, are you?" He jogs after me as I approach the door.
I give him a questioning stare and glance out the window. Oh for gods sake. The rain is pouring down in sheets of water, and people look as if they're literally being blown away, not to mention the thick, heavy grey clouds hovering low in the sky.
"You can take my umbrella, or I can call you a cab?" He offers sweetly. He has almost jet black hair and very cute grey eyes. His name tag reads 'Seth'.
"No honestly, it's fine. I'm not far from home." I assure him with a smile.
"Are you sure? How far?" He pushes. A worrying thought crosses my mind but I brush it away.
"Not very." I remain vague, just incase. "Thanks for your offer." I smile. I pull my coat up over my head, making sure I have a firm grip on my bags and dart across the street towards my newfound home.
By the time I'm inside the lobby of the apartment building, I'm soaked to the skin. Freezing, and probably looking like a drowned rat, I make the conscious decision to take the stairs, incase the power cuts and I'm locked in an elevator.
With shaky hands, I turn the key in my door and empty my hands of the heavy grocery bags.
I decide to change out of my saturated clothes before unpacking the food. I literally have to peel my jeans from my skin and scrape my shirt off my body. I'm soaking.
I grab a towel and pat dry my dampened self. I throw an outfit together with zero consideration whatsoever. Black leggings, my thickest and fluffiest socks, along with a plain white t-shirt that's way too big for me.
Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that shirt is my brother Charlie's. Oh well, he obviously isn't missing it.
I towel off my hair and pad into the kitchen. After putting away all the food I bought, I stick on the tv and listen to the weather forecast.
"Once again, a yellow weather warning has been increased to an amber warning which is issued for parts of Seattle, mainly in places such as here, and here." The weatherman says will pointing to exactly where I am. "Gale force winds are expected to die down by tomorrow morning, but for the time being, it's being encouraged to only travel is necessary and secure loose fixtures outside your home."
"Christ." I sigh, biting into a chocolate bar.
My phone begins ringing beside me. It's my mother. I swear she's the only person that ever calls me.
"Ellen, hi! Have you seen the weather forecast?!" She pipes up. I smile to myself.
"Momma, I'm living it." I laugh and pull at the fluff on my socks.
"Are you ok? Is everything alright. I just wanted to know you're safe and inside."
"It's just a storm momma, nothing to fret over." I calm her nerves and I hear her sigh.
"I know baby, I'm just being a mom."
"I know that." I chuckle at her. "How's things at home? Have you heard from Charlie?" I ask.
"Everything's good. Charlie, he's still off backpacking somewhere in the middle of who-knows-where-ville." She laughs. "I did get a letter the other day, he says him and the boys are fine. And he wishes us all well, and that he'll be home for Christmas! Isn't that great!" She exclaims.
Charlie? Home for Christmas? That's exactly the kind of news I need to hear.
"That's incredible oh my god! Finally, right!?" I giggle.
"I know! Listen honey, I've gotta run. I'm meeting your grandparents for dinner this evening!"
"Sounds nice, bye momma!"
I hang up the phone and snuggle into the couch, letting the wind and rain soothe me to sleep.
••••
"Ellen!?... Ellen!... Dammit Ellen, I'll bust this damn door down!.."
I snap my eyes open and run to the door, stubbing my toe on the table in an attempt to run in the dark. "Fuck!" I hiss and unhinge the lock.
"What!?" I snap at him. "What could you possibly want!?" I shout.
He edges back, looking shocked at my response.
"T-the... Uhm, the power went out and I wanted to know if you were...ok." He frowns.
It's only now that I'm noticing the darkness of the hallways and the lack of lighting in my own home, not to mention he's using his phone as a torch.
"Why wouldn't I be ok?" I scoff, barely able to look at him, yet still enchanted by his appearance in the dim lighting.
"Because... I.. You weren't the last time I saw you and I've.. Been-"
"Been what? Worried? Please, don't make me laugh. I'm fine. You can leave. I don't need your help Harry, and I certainly don't need you checking in on me." I snap at him and shut the door. You know, for a second, I could've almost believed he looked a little guilty, but that's impossible. He's incapable of feeling anything other than vanity.
I know I'm being harsh but I'm also being brutally honest.
Crap. I have to find my flashlight. I stumble over to the set of drawers, my path lit only by few lights still working outside.
Eventually I find it and click it on, illuminating my living room. I make my way back to the sofa and sit, alone, and cold too.
Harrys POV
I'll never admit it. But I'm worried about her. She's alone, in her apartment in the middle of a blackout and a storm. And she won't let me help her. She certainly won't let me stay with her. And I have no one to blame but myself.
Not to mention, what sort of danger I could bring to her on account of my meeting. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned her in the terms.
But anyway, I'll have that sorted before anything bad happens. Right now, I just wish I could force her to listen to my apology. I've been rehearsing it since she told me leave yesterday.
I should go over there, and demand she let me in. But what's the use?
She's obviously not interested, I tell myself. After the way she shut that door in my face, it's clear she doesn't care.
And if she doesn't care, I don't care.
Ellen's POV
The wind and hail hit against the window with so much force I fear the glass will shatter. The power is still out, and I'm too cold to move to put the heating on.
So I sit in darkness, waiting for the electricity to return when all of a sudden, I get a text message.
From: Harry
Are you ok?
I roll my eyes and pick up my phone to text him back.
Yes.
I place it beside me but quickly have to pick it back up again.
Apparently some apartments have flooded. A pipe's leaking in the roof of the floor above us.
Flooding? Wow.
Great.
I keep my replies short and emotionless. Why is he texting me to asking if I'm ok? As if he cares. He really is a riddle of a human being.
Call me if you need anything.
I think for a moment before responding once more.
I won't.
I really need to put the heating on. It's freezing in here and who knows how long this power outage will last for.
I feel my way to the wardrobe where the heating tank lives. Second lever on the left, I repeat in my head. But my directions are useless. I have no idea what I'm pulling and pressing.
I hear a thudding above me and immediately undo whatever I just did, but the thudding continues.
"No no no!" I groan. Of course. It's like the universe is laughing at my attempt at distancing myself from him.
I hear the dripping of water and feel some of it splash on my face. The pipe has burst.
"Goddamit!" I try keeping my temper down by whisper yelling and kicking the nearest object to hand... Or foot.
I stumble back to the sofa and scramble around, looking for my phone. I sigh whilst typing, feeling as though I've failed myself.
My piping isn't working, there's water spewing from the ceiling. What do I do?
I keep it in the question form, so I'm not really asking for help... Just advice. Right?
Come over here right now.
I sigh and weigh up my options. Stay here, freeze to death and have to face a flooded floor. OR. Go over to him, sit in awkwardness and try not to smack him.
There's only one choice. Only one sensible choice.
I take my blanket from the sofa and wrap it round my shoulders. I then take my phone, my torch and tiptoe round the wet ground in search of my keys.
Easier said than done, let me tell you.
I point the flashlight to the ground as I walk the short distance down the hall to Harrys.
He answers the door immediately, looking a little shocked to see me. I notice his apartment is dimly lit with candles and torches. It looks like a scene from a satanic cult movie... Or a romantic one...
"Sit down. Are you alright?" He asks. He's wearing a black right tshirt and grey sweatpants, I haven't seen him wear sweatpants before. They look nice, hanging low on his hips. I snap myself from my trance and sit on his sofa.
"I'm fine. And I'm leaving as soon as the electricity is back. Then I'll be calling a plumber and I'll be out of your way." I say quietly, unable to fully see his face in the poor lighting.
"You want to get a plumber? In this weather? Who in their right mind would come out to a call in the middle of the city to fix a pipe?" He scoffs. I knew I shouldn't have came here.
"I'm just gonna go." I sigh, motioning to move.
"No. I'm sorry, I'm just teasing." He says and sits beside me, a little too close.
"I bet you prayed for my piping to burst." I mumble, feeling a tiny smile form on my face.
"I did. I prayed really hard." He chuckles deeply, filling the room with his laugh. I almost laugh with him, till I remember what he said.
"I'm sorry." He sighs, patting his knees with his hands. "I meant nothing I said."
"Why did you say it then?" I ask, not letting myself believe him for a moment.
"I don't know... all I know is I did and I'm sorry." I feel him move towards me and then he stretches his arm around me and pulls me towards him.
"You can't just hug me and expect everything to be fine." I sigh, scooting away. "You were such a dick."
"I am a dick. But I was trying not to be." He sighs. "If you want to know the truth..." He looks toward the floor and sucks in a breath. "I didn't like Louis buying you flowers and shit."
He was jealous? You've got to be joking. "That doesn't make it ok!" I say sharply.
"I'm not using it as an excuse. It's just the reason. Please believe me, I meant nothing of it." He frowns under the gentle orange glow of the candles.
"Oh." Is all I can manage to say. I pull my blanket around my freezing body further, attempting to conserve some heat.
"Jesus, you're shaking." He says and pulls me over to him again, running his hands up and down my arms to generate heat.
"Smooth. Use my coldness against me." I smile.
"Shut up, Ellen." He smiles back.
He leans in and gives me a warm kiss on the forehead. It makes my heart flip, and the skin where he touched feels warm and amazing.
"What are we?" I ask, dreading the answer. This is something that's been on my mind for ages.
"Humans, Ellen. We're humans." He jokes and i give him disproving look. His face turns stiff. "I don't know. But I like it." He says softly, testing the ground of my reaction.
I nod. Somehow that feels like a good enough answer to me.
I rest my head on his shoulder and let the sound of the far away thunder drown out my thoughts for a little while, as I nap against him.
When I wake up from my hour long power nap, I feel pretty good. It's still dark and the candles are all still lit, so the power must still be out.
I notice Harry sitting on the window seat, looking out at the rain.
"Do you ever sleep?" I ask him jokingly.
"Insomniac." He replies, still looking out the window. Well, I wasn't expecting that.
"Really? Do you you take m-"
"Medication? No. It doesn't help, plus the side affects are dyer." He says cooly. I can tell he doesn't want to talk about this so I bury the topic.
"I love storms." I sigh, following a raindrops path down the window with my finger tip.
"Really?" He asks, "I'm more of a sunshine kinda guy."
"No I love storms, the chaos and the calm. How they can tear things up and how they can fix things too. They're great."
"Maybe that's why you like me." He says softly. "I love sunshine. Maybe that's why I like you."
This is v long innit. So yeah. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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