AN: Merry late Christmas you guys. I promise I will answer back to all your sweet wishes and comments you left on my message board when I leave the Philippines on Tuesday. Right now I just want to spend as much time as I can with my relatives here because Idk when I'll see them again.
(btw if you don't celebrate Christmas than happy monday!)
I can't go online unless I have wifi so I try to squeeze in some writing and getting a chapter done whenever I'm in a car on my notes in my cell and then after a long day with family I come back to the hotel at about midnight and post what I have for you guys.
Just trying to balance my time with my family and my internet fam lmao. Love you!
By gosh was I furious.
Oooh I was going to do bad things to Harry if I saw him again- like step on the back of his shoes while he's walking, or purposely bump into him without saying sorry.
I know, I'll reach out and mess up his brown hair and he'll get annoyed but I wouldn't care.
He deserved messed up hair.
After all he had no right- I mean I just couldn't come up with any explanation as to why Harry would tranquilize my friends and I don't even want to think about how the most skilled and dangerous assassin in our agency knew where I'd be.
"The big bad wolf made Red Riding Hood trust him, promising her friendship when all he wanted to do was gobble her and her poor grandma up." I told the audience of kids who watched me with wide eyes as I brought my arms up, my hands forming into claws like a monster before I subtly smiled at their intrigued expressions, readjusting my red hood.
Waiting for a moment, I cleared my throat when Edgar didn't come out to play his role as the wolf while the children waited with expectant looks on their round faces.
"Big bad wolf." I repeated under my breath, shifting my gaze from the kids to the storage shed near me where he last was before sending my audience a small smile as I slowly inched closer to the door, wondering why he wasn't following his cue.
"Psst, Edgar." Keeping my voice to a low whisper I cracked the door open to check up on him, only for someone much taller, and much broader than my fellow actor to stop me as Harry appeared at the door, dressed in the big bad wolf attire with the scruffy side burns that seemed to go perfectly with his brown pushed up hair, wolf ears, all black clothes and an abundance of fake fur over his hands and arms.
I was absolutely right.
Harry did look cute with little furry wolf ears on his head.
Darn him.
There was nothing I could do but gawk up at him like a fish out of water, opening and closing my mouth with so much to say yet no words coming out as I held my ground.
It was when I heard muffled screaming from behind Harry that I finally noticed Edgar naked in only his boxers tied with a bunch of rope and tape over his mouth on the floor as he silently pleaded for help with his wide, frightened eyes.
"Edgar," I gasped in shock before snapping my gaze back to Harry and narrowing my eyes at him as he kept his menacingly collected expression, stopping me from advancing towards Edgar.
"Careful little red," Harry warned, lowering his head as my shoulders went rigid at his close proximity.
"Wouldn't want to break character and scare off the kids." He reminded me in a deep, even, voice making me glare
at him in response before I took a quick glance back at the children who were staring at me with wide curious eyes, the door blocking Harry from their vision.
Before I could figure out what to do next Harry moved forward, catching me off guard and causing me to stumble back a bit as he closed the shed door, revealing himself to our little audience as their eyes widened at the sight of him.
"The big bad wolf got bigger!" One boy pointed out.
"And better looking!" Another little girl clapped in excitement as I heard Edgar's muffled screaming increase slightly in volume inside the shed at the children's statements.
"I did." Harry acknowledged with a smooth voice, nearing the kids as I furrowed my brows at him, wondering what in the world this man was up to.
"Who would like to know the real truth about little red here?" He suddenly asked the intrigued children who all erupted in loud, eager shouts of "me's" and "I do's" as they raised their small chubby hands, jumping in their seats.
I grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him away and closer to me to lock my eyes with his.
"What are you doing." I demanded under my breath, his hard gaze flickering down to where my hand was around his arm and letting out a small scoff.
He pulled back from my grasp as he began to slowly circle me, like a sinister predator zeroing in on its prey while I followed his movements.
"Little Red Riding Hood was a very lonely girl," Harry began, maintaining his straight face and peering at the children for a moment before he reached out and quickly yanked my picnic basket prop right out of my hands as my jaw dropped at his action.
The audacity.
"Give it back." I protested in frustration, going on my tip toes to retrieve my basket when he casually raised it above my head without any effort, tossing it around and keeping his attention on the audience as I struggled with every fiber of my being to get my prop back.
"Until one day she decided to befriend the Big Bad Wolf." Harry emphasized, swinging the bag around with a straight expression, circling around me while I persistently tried to reach out for it with gritted teeth.
Do not do anything violent in front of children Malu.
"The wolf of course, at first, thought that this just had to be the dumbest," He continued, innocently flicking up the hem of my red dress with his fingertips as he passed by, making me gasp before I quickly brought it down with a scowl.
"Most naive," He drawled out, giving my face a patronizing pinch only for him to grab my red hood, tugging it down and covering my eyes making me go blind momentarily as I let out a huff of anger, pushing him away with all my strength before readjusting my costume.
"Most annoying little snack he'd ever met." Harry finished, his voice low and raspy now that he was behind me as his lips brushed against the shell of my ear, the cool metal of his piercing tickling my skin making me adruptly turn my head away in irritation as he dangled the basket in front of me in a taunting manner.
I yanked the basket out of his hand as he let me take it, his menacing green eyes observing me while I gripped tightly onto the handle and glared at him.
"So the wolf uses her right?" One kid asked with a raise of his hand, catching both Harry and I's attention.
I opened my mouth to say yes only for Harry to slap his large, furry palm over my lips.
"No, the little girl uses the wolf." He claimed, making my eyes widen before I shoved his hand away in protest.
"She did not." I defended in a solid voice as he sent me a hostile look.
"Oh but she did piccola rossa. (little red)." Harry countered in a vexed growl, locking his intense gaze with mine as I straightened at his accusation while he turned his attention back to our audience.
"Just as the wolf started to actually enjoy the girl's company, finding her annoying perkiness almost endearing and maybe even cute, in the end she leads the wolf on only to replace him when she finds other friends." He claimed, keeping his dark brooding eyes trained on me as I furrowed my brows at his accusation while the children gasped in shock.
"Little red never liked the Big Bad Wolf as a friend. She liked the idea of having a friend. She liked the idea of not being alone. And when she found two fluffier, more approachable twin bunnies to be her friends, she ditched the wolf." Harry ranted, keeping his collected and controlled demeanor despite the slight edge in his bitter voice as I watched him approach the kids, his back facing me.
"Red Riding Hood never cared-"
Harry never finished his sentence as the snowball I had thrown hit him right in the back of his head, his brown hair specked with white powder as the chunks of ice slowly fell off him while his broad shoulders were stiff and scrunched up at the impact.
"How dare you..." I breathed out in a low tone, my voice shaking with anger while my chest rose and fell heavily as Harry turned around to face me in a slow, almost eery manner, his green eyes ablaze with pent up rage while he ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and stared at me.
"Tell me I'm childish all you want because I know I am." I continued, all my frustrations just pouring out of me like a broken dam as I crouched down to retrieve more snow in my hand, Harry watching my movements with a tight jaw as I formed the snow into a ball.
"Tell me I'm naive, because yes, I may be." I panted, seeing red for a moment with how absolutely furious I was as I grit my teeth while he stared back at me with an even expression, the cold biting the palms of my hands as I dropped my basket to the white ground.
"But don't you dare ever tell me that I never cared for you because that is all I did." I told him and with my frustrated voice still hanging in the air I threw my second snowball, only for Harry to catch it in his palm and throw it back at me, making me yelp and jump back when it hit my dress.
"So the little girl wants to bite back now does she." Harry chuckled in a sinister, humorless tone before he reached down and started to make a snowball in his large hand, making my eyes widen in alarm until I quickly followed suit and did the same.
"I'm tired to playing your game!" I yelled, throwing another snowball that hit his leg right as he threw his own at me, almost hitting my face while we became enthralled in a dangerous snowball fight.
"My game," Harry echoed with an irritated expression, eyeing me while we circled each other, dodging and throwing snow at one another as we argued.
"You're the one who called off our Christmas together to go and play with those idiotas." He pointed his finger at me as I let out a small noise of disbelief from my parted lips.
"You, you...." I fumbled out in uncontrolled rage, finding myself at my wits end and practically paralyzed with anger as I paced around him, trying to come up with an insult that would convey just how much I had had it with him.
I had to tuck a sleeping Bryan and Ryan into bed and leave them an 'I'm sorry' sticky note on their headboard, drive to the nearest store and get them a muffin basket to bring back to their place before going to the hotel and dressing up for the play.
"Go ahead neonata. Call me the dirtiest name your little heart desires." Harry taunted in a low rasp, a challenging look in his eyes as I brought my lips inward with frustration.
"You, are a bully." I claimed in a defiant tone, watching him raise a pierced brow at the name I had chosen for him before I angrily threw another snowball at him, hitting his calf not even making him flinch.
"You're the one who never cared, no matter what I did. No matter how hard I tried." I accused with a breathless voice as Harry simply watched me with a creased brow.
"Then you go and hurt Bryan and Ryan when you know they're my friends-"
"I thought I was your friend!" Harry suddenly snapped at me, cutting me off and breaking his silence as I paused at the small tinge of pain in his deep booming voice, his teeth gritted together and his hands balled into tight fists at his sides while I looked at him.
None of us said anything for a moment, we just stared at eachother as I dropped the snowball I had made to the floor at his words.
"You were my friend Harry, you were always my friend." I told him in a soft voice, feeling sad all of a sudden as I looked him in the eyes, slightly confused as to why he looked so hurt when he said it himself that he didn't care.
"Then why did you leave me." He breathed, the strong emotion in his voice momentarily stunning me before I quickly collected myself.
"Because even though you were my friend, I was never yours."
**
After ending a play for a bunch of confused kids who kept wondering how their Red Riding Hood show turned into a lifetime drama, I sent them back into the hotel lobby for free hot cocoa, went back to the shed past a brooding Harry to untie Edgar and then left.
I quickly packed my things, already planning to leave the keys to my car for Harry to drive back home while I take the bus to leave Reno.
I had already said my goodbyes and exchanged numbers with Bryan and Ryan, treated all of the kids to hot cocoa, and left a bunch of lime green 'thank you' sticky notes over my hotelroom for the employees to find, making sure to add 'p.s not to Harry' at the bottom of each one just in case Harry saw it first which he probably would.
Closing my suitcase with one last zip I moved to the door, opening it only to come face to face with Liza, her fist still raised up mid-knock as both of our eyes widened at the sight of each other.
"Oh hey," She greeted with an awkward smile as I took in a small breath before replying.
"Hi.." I trailed off, not expecting her to be there and not knowing why as well before an tense silence fell upon us, me rocking on my heels and her shifting on her feet.
"So I see you're all packed and ready to leave huh." Liza began.
I glanced down at my luggage.
"Mhm." I nodded.
Another moment of silence.
"I was the first to get out of the kitchen and I happened to find this- I didn't show Harry cause I didn't know if maybe you would want to give it to him yourself." She suddenly spoke up, raising my dancing snowmen wrapped present for Harry with a knowing smile, bringing attention to the pink bag she was holding in her other hand.
"Oh, no um, you can have it. I don't think Harry would have much use of it anyways." I told her with a reassuring tone, dismissing it with a wave of my hand as I let out a nervous laugh at the sight of the perfectly wrapped box before she glanced down at it.
"Hm.. really." She noted with a thoughtful tone.
"Thanks, oh here, this is for you." Liza remembered, bringing out the pastel pink bag out to me as my eyes widened at the offer.
"I know we've just met and everything but you saved my life so... here, happy early Christmas and stuff." She smiled, handing me the bag as I blinked at her in surprise, fumbling with the gift for a moment before quickly wrapping my fingers firmly around the white strings that formed the handle.
"Oh wow, thank you." I beamed at her, making her casually shrug, knowing I'd be happier if this hadn't come from Liza which thoroughly bothered me at how I unconsciously felt about this sweet girl.
"Ah it's nothing really. Just promise you won't open it till you get back home alright?" She advised as I nodded my head.
"Kay." I followed, giving her one last smile before she side stepped out of my way, my feet carrying me out of my hotel room and out into the hallway with her before I stopped, looking over my shoulder at her.
"Liza, I'm sorry." I apologized, feeling the guilt eat up at my heart as she sent me a questioning look.
"For what?" She asked, a confused expression on her face as I pursed my lips, tilting my head to the side a bit as I stared at her.
"Well everytime I see you I think of you and Harry and then that makes me think of bashing your head into the nearest wall or running you over with a truck." I admitted in a conversational tone, as if I had just told her the sky was blue before the look of surprise and horror washed over her features.
Liza swallowed, blinking at me momentarily before she recollected herself.
"Oh."
"Yeah." I said with an ashamed frown.
"I don't know why I would feel such hostility to you. You haven't done anything bad to me and I'm not one to go around and think like that about innocent people but I believe... I believe I'm jealous of you Liza." I confessed in a soft voice, looking down at my feet in thought before I snapped my head back up to her, causing her to flinch back from me a little at the sudden attention on her.
"I'm sorry for mentally dropping a piano on you multiple times in my head." I apologized, watching her plaster a frightened smile before she choked out a nervous laugh.
"I-it's fine...." She trailed off with a shake of her head, making me smile before I went over and hugged her.
A true, genuine, happy hug.
She stiffened and I almost thought she was going to scream before I felt her stiffly pat my shoulder awkwardly after a few moments, making me pull back and send her one last grin before I left.