The incessant, repetitive chiming of Harry's cell phone was what pulled Harry out of the comforts of his slumber before he was ready to leave. The sun was bright in his room as Saturday morning commenced, Winnie's snout puffing hot breath on his face from where she laid, still fast asleep. He grumbled, curling in on himself when the room fell peacefully quiet, much to his delight, before his phone went off again for what felt like the hundredth time in just the few short moments he'd been awake.
Frustrated, his arm slapped against the mattress and he blindly patted the surface in search for the device, finding it mere millimeters from toppling over the edge onto the floor. He wiped at his bleary eyes as he looked at the screen, wanting nothing more than to turn the phone off so he could get more sleep. He saw he had several messages, each of them sent by the same unsaved number in his phone.
"Harry, are you awake?" He received at 10 A.M., followed by multiple messages that said nothing more than, "Wake up." Another one came in while he held the phone, vibrating in his palm.
Harry typed back that he was awake, just to stop the messages from pouring in. He dropped the phone onto the sheets as soon as he hit send, stretching out underneath the covers with a long yawn.
As he swallowed, he noticed a slight ache in his throat and realized he wanted some water, but was far too comfortable to get some for himself. His phone lit up with another message from the unknown number. "Great :) Wanna go for a walk with me? You can take Winnie."
It was obvious to him that he was speaking to Aubry, no other person messaged him early in the morning or late at night. That was exclusive to her, and her only. He sighed. Truthfully, the last thing he wanted was to take a walk. "I literally just woke up like 2 minutes ago."
"Right, I forgot you're a lazy ass," she replied back.
Harry wasted minutes staring at the ceiling, contemplating if he really wanted to bother getting out of bed before noon. Well aware he was home alone, mother out shopping like she always was on Saturday mornings, and father at work, he really wanted to squeeze as much sleep as he possibly could before he was inevitably forced out of bed. Maybe Aubry was right about him being lazy, but she was wrong if she was under the impression that he cared. In the end, he picked up his phone to reply, "Can we go in a little while? I need a shower."
Even after she confirmed she'd wait for him, he still didn't budge. The sheets of his bed were too soft and warm to leave, and having Winnie to curl up next to while she slept didn't sway his decision to stay in bed even longer. Getting Harry out of bed was the second hardest thing in the morning. He'd rather not talk about the first.
Fifteen extra minutes passed before he bothered to move from his spot, lazily sliding out from the covers and strolling out of the room in his underwear to get a drink from the kitchen. He stared out the window over the sink as he slowly sipped from his glass, the sun shining brightly on the leaves of the maple tree in the yard. The squirrel Winnie always tried her absolute hardest to catch was running along the top of the fence carrying what appeared to be a piece of bread in it's mouth, big, fluffy tail gracefully following along behind him. He zoned out as he watched the animal hop from the fence, to the tree to climb up to it's home, until he felt the cold, wet nose of Winnie brush against his bare thigh.
She stamped her front paws on the wooden floor happily when he glanced down at her, tail wagging rapidly before she walked away, wanting him to follow. She was asking to be let outside, Harry knew, and he opened the door for her. The squirrel was hidden away by the thick veil of leaves before she'd even gotten a chance to see it, but Socks was enjoying the sun from the chair placed on the porch. Eyes squinting in relaxation, he hardly noticed Harry in the doorway as Winnie raced by to run in the open grass. Harry didn't say hi to him like he usually did, instead he decided not to disturb the lounging cat any more than the bug flying around his twitching ears already was.
He left Winnie outside in the yard while he returned upstairs to take the shower he was supposed to have taken what felt like forever ago. He made things quick, and peaked out the window to check on her as soon as he stepped out, dripping wet. She'd found a ball and laid in the shade to play.
His phone began to ring the second he entered into his bedroom to get dressed, the device laying on top of his messy bed sheets where he'd left it. Harry picked it up and stared at the screen for several moments, Liam's name showing on the caller ID. Harry did not want to talk to him. Not after what had happened the night before.
So he didn't. He dropped the phone back onto the bed and let the call go unanswered as he crossed the room to find clothes to wear, the ringtone never ceasing until Liam decided to hang up. He wasn't mad at Liam, he had no reason to be. He was more embarrassed than anything, and wasn't really in the mood to be questioned about what Harry wanted to keep private.
As he finished dressing himself, he ruffled a hand through his hair and shook it out to let it air dry before heading back downstairs to let Winnie inside. He wasted more time making himself a bowl of cereal to eat, and even more styling his hair when he deemed it dry enough to work with. He received an impatient text message from Aubry an hour after he said he only needed a shower. "That's a mighty long shower you're taking. Save some water for the rest of us."
He chuckled when he read it, toothbrush hanging from his mouth as he typed back, "Almost ready."
Harry set the phone aside while he finished brushing his teeth, spitting into the sink and rinsing his mouth out with water before he whistled for Winnie. He heard her paws stamping on the floor as she hurried over to him, her body pushing into his while he walked toward the front door and reached for her leash. More excited than ever, her body wriggled uncontrollably as he fastened her into her harness and sent Aubry a message to tell her he was on his way out.
The dog rushed outside as soon as Harry opened up the door, tugging Harry out right behind her and causing him to stumble. In order to close the door behind him he had to force her to stand still, but she made it difficult when she began jumping and pulling on the leash, his fingers getting pinched uncomfortably as he tried to hold on. "Winnie, calm down!"
She whimpered the longer he made her wait, and as soon as he was finished locking the door she took off, pulling him once again until he nearly face planted at the bottom of the steps. Frustrated, he yanked back on the leash, ordering her to stop sternly, but there was a reason Winnie was acting out and Harry realized that when he looked up. Aubry was walking on the sidewalk, and the dog was excited to see her.
"Having trouble again, I see," she called wisely, the sound of her voice causing Winnie to dart forward to get to her. Harry trailed behind, walking far faster than he would've liked over to Aubry where Winnie greeted her just as ecstatic as she always did. Aubry squatted down to get on the dog's level, getting licked on the cheek as she raised her voice in a chirpy tone to speak to her, "Hi, girl!"
Harry stood back and observed the exchange, slightly amused. "I swear she likes you more than she likes me."
"I like her more than I like you too," Aubry joked, and Harry narrowed his eyes.
"Rude."
Aubry laughed, giving Winnie one last pat on top of the head before she stood to her full height, the dress she wore flowing in the slight breeze. "Don't take it personally, I like all dogs more than people." The frown Harry wore on his face made Aubry giggle, the hurt he felt clearly shown. Her hand gently brushed against the skin of his arm, so delicately it left goosebumps in its wake. "I'm kidding."
Harry tried to act as if he were tough by mumbling, "Better be." The smirk he wore on his face gave away the fact that he wasn't serious, though he fought to keep his face straight but to no avail. She elbowed him, and he laughed shortly until Winnie pulled on the leash again.
Socks had caught her attention as he lazily strolled across the front lawn toward the neighbor's house. "I haven't seen him in days," Aubry said, and had Harry not known any better, he would've never guessed that was her cat. He seemed completely disinterested in her presence, and payed no mind as he crossed the street only feet away.
Winnie grew impatient waiting around, and Harry had no choice but to begin walking her. Aubry followed along as Harry spoke, "He's been sleeping on the back porch a lot."
"He usually comes home to eat at night and sleeps in my room, but he hasn't." She glanced back at the cat as he disappeared behind the corner of a house, out of view. "Maybe he finally got a girlfriend or something."
"I thought he doesn't like anyone," Harry recalled.
"Oh, he doesn't. He only likes food and warm spots to sleep in." Aubry paused for a moment, before she chuckled, "Similar to me, actually."
"They say pets tend to develop personality traits to match their owner." Aubry looked to Harry, waiting for him to elaborate. "I'm not sure who they are, but Winnie is shy like me."
Aubry scoffed, "Winnie is hardly shy."
"Not with you, but most of the time she is," Harry explained, realizing he had that in common with the dog also. "Like me, I'm not shy with you."
Aubry disagreed. "Yes you are."
He shook his head, denying it. "No I'm not."
She chuckled, "Whatever you say. We've gone over this before, all I have to do is call you cute and you get all red faced and smiley."
It was true, and even just the insinuation had Harry glancing at the ground to hide his grin, "Shut up."
He felt a poke at his ribs from Aubry as she teased, "Told you so."
The hardest part for him about being with Aubry was trying to keep himself acting like a complete dork in front of her, not letting the fact that he was completely head over heels interfere with the fact that he still felt the need to impress. She was an easy person to be around, aside from his own feelings toward her always getting the way. The way he felt scared him, he'd ran from it more than once, but still, the gentle touch of her hand on his arm felt better than anything else. Not his mother, his father, Sophie, or anybody could change that.
Walking beside her throughout the neighborhood was nice, the air was just the perfect temperature, not too hot, nor too cold, and conversation flowed easily between the two. Particularly when they stopped by the local ice cream stand near the train tracks.
"Mint chocolate chip please, and can I get an extra cone?" Harry ordered, aware of the dog sitting on the ground at his feet.
The young girl working the stand peered down at Winnie, panting from the long walk. "Would you like a bowl of water too?"
Harry agreed with a smile, "Yes, please." He turned to Aubry, "What kind do you want?"
Her eyes scanned over the board that listed all the flavors available, everything from classic vanilla, to blueberry, to birthday cake. One stuck out to her, written in neon pink writing on the black board. "Cotton Candy."
When it came to paying, Harry removed his wallet from his pocket to hand over the cash, but Aubry stopped him. "Nuh-uh, I'm paying."
Harry shook his head as he took a ten dollar bill, "Nope, too late." Too late for him, because Aubry snatched the money out of his hand before he could give it to the girl who took their order. "Hey!"
"We'll split it," she compromised. "I'm the one who said we should get ice cream in the first place."
Harry narrowed his eyes, "Oh, so you're one of those girls."
She simply reached into the small bag that hung over her shoulder and fiddled around inside for a few dollars to give, and handed the money over. "Yes, I am one of those girls. And you're one of those boys."
"What does that mean?" Harry inquired, hand outstretched awaiting the change he knew he'd be getting back.
The coins he received clinked together as they fell into his palm. "The kind that has to pay."
"Isn't that just chivalrous?"
"This isn't the 1950's," Aubry deadpanned. "Does letting a girl pay make you feel emasculated?"
"No," he lied. Eye contact lingered between her and himself for several more seconds before he gave in. "Okay, slightly."
He looked away to place the change he had left into his wallet and slide it back into his pocket while Aubry continued, "Girls can pay for themselves."
"I never said they couldn't," he defended. "But I think it's nice to buy people things, and some girls think you're cheap if you make them pay for themselves."
Aubry shrugged. He was right. "Point taken. But to be clear, I'm not one of those high maintenance girls that need all things materialistic to be happy."
"Then tell me," he leaned back against the post that held the overhanging roof up, "what does it take for you to be happy?"
She thought for a moment. There really wasn't much to her, she was simple and easy to please. "Not much," Aubry answered. "I like mid-day naps and movie marathons. Chicken nuggets and french fries. Food in general, actually. Anything that's not big, fancy dinners with white candle sticks and rose pedals."
"So if someone took you out on a romantic dinner date, you wouldn't be happy?"
Aubry's head tilted to the side, her shoulder lifting with the movement. "I would, I'd just rather do something else."
"Like what?" he pressed. "Tell me what your ideal date would be like."
"Really putting me on the spot now, aren't you?" Aubry joked, and Harry chuckled.
"Just curious."
The girl slid open the window and held out a cone filled with bright blue ice cream, "Cotton candy." A second cone was held in her other hand, "And Mint Chocolate Chip."
Harry stepped forward to take the two cones from her hands, "Thank you." He passed Aubry's ice cream over as he took a lick of his own, Winnie standing up off the ground when she realized there was food.
The extra cone Harry had asked for, for the dog was given to him, along with a little plastic bowl filled with water for her. "If you want it refilled just come ask."
Harry struggled not to dump it all over himself as he politely grinned to her, "Okay, thanks." Aubry reached over to take the extra ice cream cone from him so he could hold the bowl of water more securely in his hand, saving him from having to walk home with wet clothes because he dumped it on himself. He took another taste of his ice cream as they stepped away, "So, ideal date."
Following the lead of Harry, she found her place at a picnic table hidden from the sun beneath tall pines. Harry set the bowl of water down for Winnie, which didn't keep her interest very long after she gave it a few laps with her tongue and returned her attention back to the food he held. She gave the ice cream cone he'd ordered for her back, which he was pleasantly surprised to discover was filled with animal crackers, as she spoke, "I dunno, I don't really date."
"But if you did," he pushed. "If you liked a guy a whole bunch and he asked you out, what would you want to do?"
"Any particular reason you ask?" she asked, a suggestive look on her face. "Not trying to bust any moves on me, are you?
"Please, we both know I'm not clever enough to plan that out," Harry stated. "I'm just making conversation."
Aubry shrugged, taking a moment to think. She'd never been in a situation like that before, so she wasn't really sure of the answer to his question. "What would you want?"
He ordered the dog to sit before he gave her one single animal cracker. "I asked you first."
"But I don't know the answer." It wasn't something she'd ever given much thought, but one thing was for certain. She wasn't into mushy love poems and bouquets of flowers. "Maybe something that doesn't really feel like a date. I'd rather just hang out without the pressure of having to make things feel romantic and special."
Harry nodded in understanding, picking the cherry off the top of his ice cream to eat. "Interesting."
"Hardly," Aubry disagreed, plucking the cherry off her own ice cream to offer it to him. "Want mine? I hate them."
Harry nodded, and Aubry held on to dangle it in front of his lips as his teeth sunk into the fruit, she gently tugged to pop it from the stem. He grinned at her as he chewed, "Can you tie the stem with your tongue?"
She shrugged, "Never tried. Can you?" Harry nodded, causing her to grin. "Prove it."
He did with ease. Placing the stem from his cherry into his mouth, he fiddled around with it between his teeth to hold it in the correct position that allowed him to tie a knot. Within a few moments, his tongue poked out of his mouth to show the same stem he'd just taken into his mouth, only it adorned a small loop in the center.
"Show off."
Harry chuckled, discarding the stem onto the ground. "Maybe."
"Talented tongue you got there," she observed with a smirk. "You know what that means."
"No," Harry replied. "But the look on the face tells me I don't want to know, either."
She laughed, her hand falling to rest on his thigh, "You're probably right."
The way her nose crinkled as she laughed always made his heart swell. He observed her fondly in the shade that the trees provided, only flecks of sun managing to shine through the leaves. One coincidentally shined on her like a spotlight from God, causing her hair to shine in the light. "Have I ever told you I like your hair?"
Her fingertips brushed the strands draped over her shoulder, loose from the messy ponytail she wore. "No?"
"Well I do." He was tempted to reach out and touch the wavy locks, but refrained himself. "It's, like, red, but not."
"Most say I'm a ginger with no soul or call me a fire crotch," Aubry joked, "but thanks."
Harry shook his head in disagreement, "No, you're blonde too, not a ginger... or, you know, the other thing."
"Fire crotch?" she chuckled.
"Yeah, that." Harry quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. Though, just any other time he got uncomfortable, he began to say too much. "I mean, not that I would know if you are or not, because I've never seen... Not that I want to, I'm just saying I don't think you are. Not that I think about it, just," He slapped himself on the forehead with a frustrated groan, "Dear lord, I'm rambling."
Aubry always found it amusing when he began to over-explain himself. The struggle he put himself through was somewhat endearing, and she giggled fondly. "Yes, you are. Always so smooth with your words, Harry."
He peeked a single eye out from behind his fingers, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry."
Her hand was gently placed on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, I don't have pubes anyway."
Too much information. Way, way too much information. He closed his eyes and turned away, reopening to stare out at the trees of the surrounding area. "Thanks for sharing."
He heard the sound of her biting into her cone before she mumbled, "Sharing is caring. You show me yours, I'll show you mine."
"Aubry," he muttered.
He looked back to her to see her grinning, "You're so easy to get to, it's fun."
"Oh, yes," Harry jested. "So fun to tease the crap out of me."
Aubry nudged his arm with her knuckles, chuckling so lightly it was hardy audible. "It's just banter."
He knew and he didn't mind because the more she joked around with him, the more she smiled. Her giggles always made Harry think about how much he liked her. So much. So, so much. In the pastel pink dress she wore that fell to just above her knees, the irresistible smile that adorned her face, and the way she always teased him made his heart clench. Beautifully charming, she was, but in ways no one else seemed to understand. He felt sympathy for those who didn't get the chance to know her, or simply enjoy her presence how he did. More importantly, he was grateful he wasn't one of them.
>< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< ><
I didn't update last week because I ran out of prewritten chapters and I have writers block so bad. This took 2 weeks to write because nothing was coming to mind. Oh gosh. There's a chance I may not update again next Saturday, I'm sorry 😰 I really don't even know how I ran out of chapters, I was 20 chapters ahead at one point. Where did they all go???? How have I already posted all of them????
Anyway, thanks for being patient and thanks for reading. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too dreadful lol