Elena's eyes fluttered open when she heard Joey's scream echo down the hallway as well as through the baby monitor. Once she realized what it was, she was out of bed and out of her room in a shot. Harry must've had the same idea as he and Elena almost collided in the middle of the hallway.
They both stopped, awkwardly blinking at each other before Joey's scream shook them out of their moment. Elena was first in the room as she reached forward for her son. Joey's face was splotched red, his eyes pouring tears. Elena was alarmed, to say the least, the last time she'd heard Joey scream like that was when he'd been born.
Harry flipped the light on,
"Is he hot?"
Elena shook her head,
"No." She said as she bounced him lightly in her arms until he calmed a bit, "Nightmare maybe?"
Harry lifted his hand to rest on Joey's head,
"He doesn't feel hot."
Elena nodded,
"I just said that." She responded, a slight twinge of annoyance in her tone.
Harry sighed in defeat,
"I was just-"
"I'm gonna change him." She interrupted as she brushed past Harry and set Joey on the changing table, "I'll stay with him, you can go back to bed."
Harry stared at her back for a few moments,
"Len, I-"
"Harry I can handle him. There's no reason for both of us to be sleep deprived." She glanced over her shoulder, "Go to bed."
Harry's mouth closed as he finally nodded. He walked past her slowly, stopping once he'd rounded the doorway into the hallway.
So many things had changed in such a short period of time.
------------------
Harry felt like he was suffocating inside the heavy weight of emotion in the house. Elena was playing on the floor with Joey, barely even acknowledging when Harry said he was going out for a bit.
He hated this. He hated that they still hadn't discussed anything that had happened between them. He was tired of being polite.
Harry needed to breathe. He felt like he hadn't since he'd seen those pictures so many months ago.
Harry's initial destination was the gym, but once he'd made it to the highway he turned in the opposite direction and headed straight for Gemma's.
She was just finishing breakfast when he got to the front door,
"What's up?" She asked, "You sounded a little...weird on the phone."
Harry nodded as he closed the door. He was weird. He'd been weird for months now. Harry plopped down on her couch,
"Gem...was...am I-" He stopped, his eyes lifting to hers, "Was I ready for all of this?"
Gemma studied him for a few, munching on her final piece of bacon as she sat down across from him,
"Ready for all of what?"
Harry ran his hand over his face. He was going to have to admit what he'd done to Gemma and he was positive she would take it exactly the way Elena had. Harry had never felt more ashamed. He looked down at his clasped hands,
"I did something." He whispered.
Gemma pulled her eyebrows together in confusion,
"What'd you do?"
Harry licked his lips while his eyes refused to focus on hers,
"Elena and I were...arguing a lot. It was before Joey was born." Harry felt tears sting his nose, "And we were just...being so...antagonistic with each other." Harry's shoulders slumped, "So...I went to her house one day...and I told her I had consulted a lawyer to fight her for custody of Joey." When Gemma gasped, Harry stood up and turned away, "I know. I know." He hung his hand on the back of his neck, "I was just...so angry."
Harry turned back towards Gemma,
"But that's not the worst part."
Gemma's eyes were wide as she looked up at him. She could see that he was disoriented and anxious so she was trying to temper her reactions,
"What's the worst part?" She asked.
Harry felt like he was about to snap,
"I didn't."
"You didn't what?" Gemma asked, her body freezing as the realization came over her, "Harry?" She asked when he turned away, "Harry, did you go talk to a lawyer or didn't you?" When he finally turned around, she nodded, "You didn't. And you told her that just to upset her."
Harry nodded as he stepped towards Gemma,
"I would never hurt her on purpose. You know that." When Gemma shot him a look he sank back down into the couch, "But I did."
Gemma nodded. She wanted to rage at him. She wanted to tell him he was an idiot. A big one. But seeing how dejected he was there on her couch, stopped her dead in her tracks. Gemma plopped down next to Harry,
"Something tells me she didn't take the admission well."
Harry shook his head,
"How could she? I didn't even realize what I'd done until she said it." Harry looked over at Gemma, "I don't even know who I am anymore. Ever since I saw those pictures..." Harry paused, "It's like I can't let it go."
"Have the two of you even discussed it?"
"No." Harry replied, "We tip toe around it. Neither of us brings it up at all."
"How did this discussion start tonight then?"
Harry pulled back. That story wasn't any prettier than the lie about seeing a lawyer,
"She was uh...talking to someone?" Harry answered as he walked into Gemma's kitchen and started pouring himself a glass of water.
Gemma stood up to follow him,
"Who?" She asked.
Harry gulped down the water in almost one sip,
"Uh..." He said after swallowing, "My co-star Oliver."
Gemma folded her arms over her chest,
"Why would that bring you to a discussion about you not speaking to a lawyer?"
Harry looked down at the glass,
"I, uh, had a little, uh, issue."
"A little issue?" Gemma pushed, "As in you got jealous? And instead of discussing it like adults, you went at her with both guns blazing didn't you?"
Harry looked up at her, his eyes slightly rolling,
"Alright fine. Yes."
Gemma reached forward to take the glass from him,
"You're right. You weren't ready for any of this."
"She's moving out now. We're awkward again. And she can't even look at me."
"Do you blame her?"
"No. I don't." Harry answered.
Gemma set the glass down in the sink after she gave Harry a hard look,
"You have some apologizing to do, Little Brother. I suggest you get to it."
"How?" Harry asked, "She won't look at me. Her family is supposed to be here in a few days. Eric's gonna kill me."
Gemma giggled at the mention of Elena's very protective older brother,
"He's not gonna be too happy."
Harry leaned against the counter behind him,
"This whole time I've been so wrapped up in being right...I totally lost sight of everything else."
Gemma reached forward to put her hand on his shoulder,
"Fortunately for you...you're good at apologies."
------------------
Niall was well aware of the tension in the house about five minutes after he woke up. The chill in the house was definitely cold and it had nothing to do with the fact that the first snow was falling outside.
Niall let out a deep sigh as he rolled onto his back and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He lifted up his phone, trying desperately to focus on the screen as he tapped Randy's number.
Thought you could sense danger
He quickly checked his email while he waited for her to respond.
I can
Niall frowned as he responded.
Then you're aware this house is ice station zero at the moment?
That sounds like more of a furnace issue than anything else
They're fighting again
That would explain why he asked us to hang out today
He's gone? I really need to get better at the sounds in this house
Yeah. Called about an hour ago. Should be here any minute.
Alright then. Have fun. Get me the deets when you can
Did you just say "deets"?
I did. You're a bad influence
Niall let his phone drop to the bed as he pushed up and off the mattress. He quickly peed, ran a cold towel over his face and then walked out into the house on the search for Elena. He was happy to see when he walked into the kitchen she was sitting at the table with Joey in his bouncy chair.
She looked up at him and smiled,
"Morning."
Niall sat down at the table. He turned Joey towards him, his hands lifting up to play with Joey while the little boy giggled,
"So...where's Harry?"
Elena's smile faltered a bit but she tried her best not to let him see it. Niall watched as she got up to walk towards the coffee pot,
"He uh...had some things to do."
"Interesting. Considering I'm pretty sure he told me he was going to spend the next few days soaking up as much time with this little boy as he could."
Elena set down her coffee mug, her fingers toying with the ceramic. She refused to look at him,
"We uh...some things happened last night."
Niall nodded,
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really."
Niall went back to playing with Joey. Elena turned to him,
"He never went to see a lawyer. He just told me that." She blurted out suddenly, "He told me that specifically to hurt my feelings. And I'm so mad at him...I could really just...spit nails."
Niall quirked his brows,
"That would be a sight to see."
Elena leaned against the counter,
"I don't know how we got here. I don't know when it became ok for us to start hurting each other on purpose."
"Well," Niall said with a sigh, "All I can say is this...He's an idiot. For sure. Probably the biggest idiot I've ever been around. No doubt." Niall looked up at Elena, "But he's also one of the best people I know. And I would bet my guitar collection that he's beatin' himself up over the idea that he hurt anyone at all...much less you."
Elena frowned,
"I told him I was moving out."
"That what ya want?"
"He wants us to go back to being what we were before. I don't think we can do that. We're different people then we were before Joey."
Niall lifted Joey out of his chair. He cradled the little boy in his arms, smiling down at him as he stood up from the table,
"And maybe that's true." Niall said as he walked towards Elena, "This little man is quite the game changer." He handed Joey over to Elena, "But if ya were truly done...would ya be standin' here in the kitchen lookin' like ya have the weight of the world on your shoulders?"
Niall leaned down to kiss her cheek after a moment of silence between them,
"Gotta go shower. Talk t'ya in a bit."
Elena looked down at Joey. His arrival had opened her up to things she never knew possible. He'd also changed her entire view on Harry, their relationship, soccer and her entire life in general. She had been too scared to even think about any of it.
------------------
Since Harry had shown up to Randy's apartment, he'd been silent save for the lazy greeting when she'd opened the door. Based on Niall's text messages earlier as well as her own feeling she was well aware something was up. He accepted her offer of water before plopping down on her couch.
Randy sighed as she sat down next to him,
"Alright...we haven't seen each other since Joey was born...and now you're here looking like someone shot your dog..." When Harry lifted his eyes to hers she shrugged, "So that means you need to talk."
Harry's face fell. He had been so needy lately. Not just towards Elena but Randy and even Niall to a point. Harry couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd felt so completely hopeless,
"I'm sorry." He apologized, "I'm a terrible friend."
Randy leaned against the back of the couch, settling in for a long discussion given the look on his face,
"I wouldn't go that far. You are a new father so that gives you some passes for being selfish."
Harry scoffed,
"If only that were true."
Randy waited for him to find his words. He seemed out of sorts, much more so than any other time she'd seen him that way. Harry took a breath,
"I don't know if I can get her to forgive me. Or even if she should." Harry looked down at the palm of his hand, "I lied to her. I specifically tried to hurt her. And in all my attempts to get her to see..." Harry's breath caught in his throat, "How badly it hurt that she didn't come to me..." He blinked back tears, "I cannot deny that I don't see exactly why she did that." He finished in a whisper.
Randy blinked. It was all she could do. His admission floored her. Had she not been sitting down her knees probably would've given out.
Though Randy had supported Harry through all of this with Elena, she did think he'd been rash in his reaction. But she also knew that his reaction probably wasn't par for the course in his life. She looked down for a bit and then back up,
"Harry, you aren't the first person in the world to have a bad reaction to something that was completely out of their realm of possibility."
Harry shook his head immediately,
"I should have listened to her. I owed her that much." He stared down at the rug beneath his feet, "I do this thing...where I shut her out and I punish her by withholding myself from her when I'm angry." Harry's knuckles were almost white as he wrung his hands over and over, "I do it at the most...inopportune times."
Randy watched him intently, her eyes blinking a few times as she did,
"Why?" She asked.
Harry didn't answer right away. But when he did, he found that he didn't have one,
"I don't know." He said softly.
They both fell silent after that. Randy wasn't sure what to say or how to help and Harry was now preoccupied with figuring out why he was always so intent on punishing Elena whenever he got angry.
After quite a moment of silence, Randy put her hand on his shoulder,
"Now my next question..." Harry lifted his eyes to hers, "Why is it you find it so easy to talk to me about these things...but you can't talk to her?"
Harry stared back at her for a moment,
"I'm in love with her." He admitted. It felt good to say it out loud.
Randy smiled,
"I know."
------------------
Elena wasn't sure where Harry had gone or if she cared, but he'd been gone all day. So she decided to really take the opportunity to bond with Joey. At the moment, he was the only thing that made her feel calm and measured. Even soccer wasn't doing the trick anymore.
She smiled down at her little boy despite the heaviness in her heart. Harry was right, Joey's eyes had definitely turned green, making him an even more of a carbon copy of his father. Elena's smile faded as she pulled Joey's socks on,
"Guess mom and dad really screwed up huh?" She asked, "I really wanted to make every day shine for you, Sweetness. I'm sorry we've been so disappointing." She sighed, "Maybe we'll get it together."
Harry opened the front door slowly. He felt like he was going to drop at any moment. His whole body was heavy. He heard Elena's voice and he stopped while he listened to her speak to their son.
Elena turned back to grab her phone when it rang. She picked it up, not even bothering to see what the caller ID said,
"Hello?"
"Elena, hi! It's me, Oliver."
Elena raised her eyebrows,
"Oh hi Oliver. How are you?"
Harry resisted every impulse in his body to walk into the kitchen at that moment. He rested his hand on the doorframe and once again, he listened.
"I'm good." Oliver answered, "Just wanted to call and see how you're doing."
Elena furrowed her brow. Seemed an odd phone call, he could've just texted,
"I'm doing ok. Just playing around with Joey today."
"That's great. I bet he's enjoying a little one on one time with his mum."
Elena smiled as Joey squealed
"Apparently so."
Oliver took a breath,
"Well I don't want to keep you...I'm sure your time with him is precious. I was hoping to be able to see you again to do this...but a phone call will have to do." Elena stayed quiet while she listened, "I have tickets to a comedy show on Friday...was wondering if you'd like to go with me."
Elena lifted her eyes to the refrigerator across the room. She was stunned,
"A-a comedy show? On Friday?"
He nodded,
"Dinner beforehand of course."
Elena lifted Joey's toy for him to play with,
"Uh...like...a date?"
"We don't have to call it that if you're uncomfortable."
Elena felt her heart skip a beat,
"Oliver-"
"I know doing it over the phone is terrible...I just...I didn't want to wait."
Elena blushed slightly as she looked down.
Harry felt his hands clench into fists.
Elena took a breath,
"Thank you for asking. Really, it sounds like fun..." She started, "But I am just...not really interested in dating or anything right now."
Oliver was silent for a bit. Elena felt bad. He'd probably been spending days psyching himself up for this,
"Oh." He finally said, "Well yeah. You and Harry-"
"We still have things we need to figure out." Elena finished for him.
Oliver nodded,
"Sure. Sure you do. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to overstep."
"You didn't." Elena assured him, "This is probably my fault." She said softly.
Oliver took a breath,
"Again, I'm so sorry. I look forward to seeing you play soon. I hope this won't-"
"Don't worry." Elena interrupted, "It won't."
"I'll talk to you soon. Tell Harry I said hello."
Elena nodded as she pulled her phone away from her ear and tapped the hang up button. She set her phone down.
Harry had been right. Oliver did want to ask her out. Though she didn't think his motivations were nefarious in any way. He just didn't realize what he'd stepped into and that was hardly his fault.
On the other side of the wall, Harry felt his heart pound in his chest. He hardly expected to walk into hearing another man ask Elena out. But hearing that she'd said no filled him with hope he hadn't had before.
He walked back towards the front door, opening it silently and then closing it with a thud. He turned and walked back towards the kitchen.
Elena walked out just then, Joey in her arms.
Both of them stopped dead in their tracks. Elena blinked a few times,
"Hi." She finally said.
Harry shoved his hands into his pockets,
"Hi."
They both stood silent. The tension was so thick Elena felt like she was breathing through a blanket.
When Harry took a breath she felt her heart skip a beat,
"I think we need to talk." He said.
Elena's whole body stiffened. She knew what that meant. This wouldn't just be any talk. This was a talk they had needed to have for the last almost year.
She nodded,
"Ok."