"Trust dies but mistrust blossoms."
- Sophocles
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"No, no, no!" Lisa shouted, her acute voice ringing through my ears and echoing in my mind.
"Liss, please," I begged, one step away from falling on my knees, even though she couldn't see it through the phone.
"Why would you think I'd tag along?" She asked, incredibility lacing her voice.
I sighed, slumping my shoulders. "I thought you loved me."
"I do, but... Like... I just... No," she stuttered, clearly at a loss for words.
I stopped pacing when I had a perfect view of the kitchen. Harry's back was to me, but I could make out what he was doing. After he had discovered that his cupcakes had, in fact, burned to the point of no return, he was determined to make new ones.
Since I was banned from the kitchen for 'being a distraction,' I had called up Lisa to ask her if she wanted to join Harry, Amelie and me on our little get-together later today.
Yes, it was definitely against my will. Bile had risen in my esophagus when he had suggested it again, indicating that the first mention was actually serious, and not a joke like I had originally presumed.
But, in a huge movement of understanding and acceptance, I had oppressed my jealousy to agree. I had acted as if it hadn't bothered me, but after our last fight, I had promised I would give Amelie a chance.
Doubts evaded my thoughts when he had called her. Yep, they had already exchanged numbers. My only reaction was a small nonchalant smile. Harry had exhaled in relief, glad I wasn't mad.
Personally, I thought I should call my old drama teacher again and demand an A for my acting. He said I didn't have it in me, but the opposite was true.
My saving grace was my best friend. Or at least, she was supposed to be my savor.
"Lisa, you have to come along. I'm gonna jump off a bridge if I'm left alone with them. And what if Harry excuses himself to use the bathroom, wanting us to spend some minutes alone? Fuck, I won't survive that shit!" I told her, keeping my voice low so Harry wouldn't hear.
Lisa sighed into the phone and I could basically hear her thinking about it.
"When and where?" She finally asked.
"Gosh, Lisa, you're the best!" I cheered, happily jumping up and down. My little show didn't go by unnoticed, but I waved Harry off. Shrugging, he returned his attention to the cupcakes.
"Hang on," she stopped my celebration, "I didn't say I'd come along."
"4pm, Starbucks," I reluctantly answered her questions, ignoring her comment.
"Starbucks? Are you serious?"
"It wasn't my idea, obviously. Besides, they serve cake," I told her.
"Didn't Harry just make cupcakes?"
"If you honestly think I'd invite Amelie to my house, you're crazy," I laughed, rolling my eyes at the thought.
"I'll only agree because I love you," Lisa mumbled incoherently. "Yes, my dearest Zoey, I will join you, your lovely dickhead-boyfriend and a strange bitch that I surely won't like any time soon on a little get-together of which I will hate every single second."
"Thank you," I breathed out, a heavy weight falling off my chest. "You're the best."
"I know. See you later," Lisa said and immediately hang up, not waiting for my reply.
I did a little victory dance that didn't go by unnoticed either. "If you want me to apply you for America's Got Talent, just let me know," Harry commented from the kitchen, stopping with the iron sheet of freshly made cupcakes in his hands.
"Oh, go away," I flipped him off. "Actually, no, wait. I want a cupcake."
"No way." Harry shook his head when I took a few steps into the kitchen. "They need to cool off and the frosting still needs to be made."
I gave him a weird look. "I think we have some chocolate frosting in the fridge."
His mouth plopped open as if I had just insulted him. "I'm not making my famous cupcakes with some cheap frosting out of the supermarket!"
"Okay, diva, as you wish."
This time, he flipped me off and immaturely stuck his tongue out.
I was tempted to lock him into the kitchen, but it was the only place with food in this house so he would actually be the winner.
"We're leaving at 3:40," Harry called after me.
"Can't wait," I sarcastically yelled back, already walking down the hallway to my room.
I texted Lisa to come over at 3, wanting to tell her to be nice to Amelie. Knowing my best friend, I was aware that this would be a difficult task.
An impossible task, actually.
Right after I had put the phone away, Harry walked into my room. "Zoey." His face was serious and I was about 162.37% sure I had done something wrong.
"Y-yeah?" I stuttered, suddenly intimidated. It wasn't helping that I was lying on my bed and looking up at him, his enormous height now double as scary.
His eyes hardened for a moment, but then he suddenly pouted. "I want to cuddle."
Time froze for a few seconds, my laughter the first thing breaking the silence. "Gosh, damn it, you idiot. You scared me there for a second!"
"Sorry," he whispered, timidly biting his lips.
He looked absolutely adorable, basically forcing me to open my arms and motion for him to plop down on the bed next to me.
Within a second, the bed dipped down under his weight and his arms wound their way around my upper body, pulling me into his chest.
I inhaled his scent, immediately relaxing in his warm and safe embrace. If I had my way, I would stay like this forever.
Somehow Harry managed to shift us until we fell back on our backs, still hugging each other tightly and entangling our legs into a position that didn't allow us to move any more.
We couldn't stay like this forever due to the fact that my arms felt like they would fall off any minute. After some more shifting, Harry was lying on his back and I was half on top of him and half beside him, with my head on his chest and my arms wrapped around his torso while his arms were holding me close to him.
I could feel his steady heartbeat against my cheek, soothing my running thoughts. At this moment, nothing else mattered, only that Harry was in my arms.
"Zoey?" He spoke up after a few comfortable minutes of silence.
"Hmm?" I hummed, debating whether to lift my head up to look at him or stay like this. The latter one won.
"I've been wondering..." He trailed off, as if not sure how to say what he was about to say.
"You've been wondering...?" I pushed, patiently waiting for him to continue.
When silence engulfed us once more, I lifted my head to look into his eyes. My hand unconsciously reached out to push a few unruly strands out of his eyes.
"You know, well, we try to spend as much time as possible together and we're constantly seeing each other when we're not at work, so I've just been wondering if you, uh, would like to move in with me?" Harry ranted with one breath, a nervous smile tugging at the edge of his lips once he finished.
My mouth fell open, but no sound escaped. I wasn't sure how to answer to his question, it surely had caught me off guard.
"You don't have to answer right now, just think about it." His hands rubbed small circles up and down my back, trying to ease my mind.
"I would love to," I answered his previous question, a wide grin erupting on my face.
His eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
Was I? Moving in together was a huge step in a relationship, especially this early. Although I felt more than comfortable around Harry, we only had been together for a few months, with various fights already threatening to endanger our relationship.
But in the end, we were the winners. It only made us stronger and pushed us closer together. There was no denying that I could see myself at his side ten years from now, maybe even with a kid running in circles around us.
My parents would be happy for me, I knew it. They loved Harry to pieces – probably even more than their own daughters. When Phoebe had raised the matter of moving in with Adrian once, my parents had explained that they would support her financially, surely this was the case for me as well.
But then again, I didn't even need it. For now, Harry's apartment was more than enough. It had full furniture and the rent wasn't even that high. With my income that I would get soon – because I didn't waste money on college anymore and actually got my own with my soon-to-be job – I could take part in all the expenses.
And there was also the fact that I practically lived at his place anyway. His stays at my parents' house were rare; I preferred the silence at his apartment.
I would miss having Phoebe around. Hell, maybe even Adrian. But they weren't out of the world, it was only a few minutes' drive.
So, hell yes, I was sure.
With the happiest smile I could manage, I nodded my head. "I am."
Harry let out an enthusiastic laugh. "I can't wait. We're not gonna get any plants or pets though."
The doorbell saved me from starting an argument that I could, in fact, take care of plants and pets. Really.
A sideway glance to my alarm clock told me it was 2:50, so my best friend was most likely waiting for someone to open.
"Your house, you'll open," Harry whispered in my ear, pushing me off him.
Any protest was cut off when he held his index finger to my lips and hushed me. I flipped him off once again and weaseled to the door, revealing Lisa in a cute blue summer dress and flats, somehow managing her legs to not look like trunks.
"You have to wear something super-hot to remind Harry what he'd be missing if he ever were to choose Amelie." Lisa threw the words at me and walked right in, ignoring my open arms for a hug.
"Well, hello to you, too," I remarked, rolling my eyes.
"I'm serious. If I already have to poke along, I might as well set up some rules." Lisa held up one finger, "No matter what, you're the one." Second finger, "She got nothing on you." Third finger, "If Harry just as much as looks at her, I'll punch him square in the face."
"Lisa, I don't-" I started, only to be cut off.
"I won't let anyone play with my bestie's heart." She placed her hands on her hips and looked into the living room. "Where is he?"
"Bedroom," I answered cautiously.
Without another word, she buzzed off. I heard the faint sound of a slamming door and immediately panicked.
Sprinting down the hallway, I stopped right in front of my room and listened.
Lisa's voice rang out to my ears. "You tell me what's going on between you and Amelie. Now."
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me." Lisa's voice was hard and cold.
"I'm not lying."
"Good." The door swung open and Lisa smiled at me. "Let's get you ready, we're going to have so much fun!"
Surprisingly, we got ready in time. Even more surprising, Lisa stopped with her death threats and acted as if nothing had ever happened.
On the way to Harry's car, she whispered "I'll be nice, I promise. You know, two can play a game..." for only me to hear.
I smiled gratefully at her, glad that I had someone teaming up with me. But maybe Amelie really wasn't that bad.
One thing was for sure: she wasn't late.
When we arrived at Starbucks only a few minutes later, Amelie waved us over to her table. "Harry, Zoey, hi! You must be Lisa," she said, throwing her arms around her.
Lisa looked taken aback but quickly recovered to return the hug. "Hi Amelie, nice to see you again."
She hugged each of us, holding onto Harry for longer than I would have liked. Even Lisa shot daggers at her back and hauled her finger along her throat as if cutting it.
To my complete shock, Harry offered to get up and order our drinks and some cake. "Lisa, would you mind coming along?" He added, smiling hopefully at her.
Lisa's eyes flickered to mine for a moment and I immediately knew what she was thinking: if she said yes, she would leave me alone with Amelie. If she said no, either she would be left alone with Amelie or Harry would leave with the other woman. The first option was – sadly – the best, so with a joyful smile, she nodded and got up from her seat.
When the two were out of earshot, I returned my focus on Amelie. Her hair was styled to perfection and there was not one single make-up stain on her face. "Where's your boyfriend?"
"Oh, he has to work," she sighed, picking at her finger nails.
"What's his profession, may I ask?" I put just the right hint of curiosity in my voice.
"A surgeon. He's always so busy." She grimaced, showing how much she hated it.
I honestly thought she was lying, but didn't say so. I had to put the past behind me and focus on the right now. If Harry said she wasn't as bad as I made her out to be, then maybe she really wasn't. The least I could do was giving her a chance.
"But that's great! He saves lives," I smiled, my mind drifting off to the job that I would start in only a few weeks. I couldn't wait to get back to the hospital.
"Yes," Amelie agreed, a proud smile on her face, "but he's too hard on himself."
"How?"
"He always thinks it's his fault when he can't, you know, save someone's life. It's hard to fully understand what's going on inside him. I mean, it's just faith, you know? Sometimes God wants some angels back, there is nothing he can do about it," she explained, a frown on her face.
I was unsure of what to answer, her religious aspects clearly colliding with mine, but I didn't say so. It was beyond the point right now. "Maybe it will get easier gradually," was all I managed to say.
"I hope so." She pursued her lips for a moment, but then faced me again with a smile. "Enough about him. Harry told me you just dropped out of college?"
I nodded, glad we were moving on. "I'll be working as a kid's nurse soon. Well, I'll be trained to be one."
"That's really great. Do you like kids?"
Again, I nodded. "Definitely. Whereas Lisa likes to mind them."
Amelie laughed out loud, causing me to join in. "I don't understand how some people cannot like kids. We all have been one once, right?"
I followed her train of thoughts, again nodding along. "Exactly. It's just the joy kids bring to you and the way they see life. It's..." I trailed off for a moment, "Oh gosh, I'm starting to sound like Harry."
Amelie looked over to the counter where Harry and Lisa were just accepting the plates and cups of coffee from the barista. Harry had no trouble carrying two plates and two cups in his hands, but Lisa had to put everything down and then place the cups on the plates to be able to carry them.
"Is he working with kids as well?"
My attention snapped back to Amelie, pondering over her question for a moment. She knew some things about us, but clearly not too much. "Yes, he's a prep school teacher."
"Oh, lovely!" She bellowed, not catching the raised eyebrow Lisa shot at her.
Lisa and Harry put the coffees and cakes down in front of us, earning a 'thank you' from each of us. Silently relishing the taste of chocolate, conversation was put behind us for a moment.
At least until Amelie focused her attention on Lisa. "Are you still in college?"
Lisa swallowed the piece of cake she was currently munching to answer. "Yes, and in the evening I work part-time at a strip club."
It took everything in me to not spit out my cake and burst out laughing. Somehow, I managed to remain a somewhat neutral face, eating my cake as if nothing had happened.
Amelie looked kind of surprised but kept every other emotion off her face whereas Harry chocked on his cake and coughed, tears welling up in his eyes.
The three of us looked helplessly at him, waiting until he had calmed down enough. "Sorry," he forced himself to say, not elaborating on his weird behavior.
"That's nice," Amelie slowly said, without making it sound like she was judging Lisa.
"Yeah, I make a lot of money and get good s-" Lisa said nonchalantly until Harry interrupted her.
"Dancing has always been one of Lisa's favorite hobbies, ever since she was little," he explained.
Both Lisa and I raised an eyebrow at his statement.
"Oh, so you know each other since you were little kids?" Amelie asked with an interested shimmer in her eyes.
"No, no, only Lisa and I. It wasn't until a few months ago that she trusted me enough to introduce me to her best friend," Harry laughed, the lie easily slipping off his tongue.
"I knew he would try to hit on her as soon as he saw her, he had always been into the type of girl Zoey is," Lisa said hesitantly, not clearly saying what she was talking about.
Looking at Amelie, I noticed some identical traits we had: brown eyes, long brown hair, ... Okay, that was pretty much it.
"This is amazing," Amelie cheered, a happy smile on her lips.
"How did you meet your fiancé? And what's his name?" I asked, trying to get some more information out of her.
"Oh, his name is Nick. I thought I already told you, I'm sorry. He can't wait to meet you," Amelie said. "Our story is pretty unspectacular. We were in the same class in high school and then started to date."
How boring.
Before any of us could ask any more questions, Amelie diverted the attention to Lisa. "Are you in a relationship?"
"Yes," Lisa smiled brightly. Harry and I exchanged a confused look, but neither of us dared to interrupt her. "His name is Mason. I'm sure you want to meet him, eh?"
I kicked Lisa under the table, silently telling her to be nice. "Mason is such a great guy and a really caring boyfriend, Lisa is so in love," I dreamily added.
"This is so amazing, I fancy love stories!" Amelie excitedly clapped her hands, to which Lisa rolled her eyes without the brunette noticing. "And he's alright with you working at the strip club?"
"Yeah, he watches me every evening. Sometimes we have a threesome with another stripper," Lisa shrugged her shoulders and sipped at her coffee.
"Cool," Amelie faked a smile, clearly uncomfortable. "I think the four of us should go out one day with Nick and Mason coming along."
"Definitely," I quickly chimed in.
Amelie ate the last bit of her cake, then put down her fork and looked up at Harry. He was unaware of her stare, his gaze fixed on the cup in his hands. "Harry, you've been quiet the whole time. Is something bothering you?"
Harry met her eyes and laughed. "No, I'm just wondering if I watered the flowers."
Lisa started to laugh but quickly covered it up with a coughing fit. I shook my head at the chaos in front of me. What had I gotten myself into?
"What are you doing for a living?" Lisa asked Amelie. Harry continued gazing at his cup, not participating in the conversation.
I was kind of mad at him for basically forcing me to meet up with Amelie and then not trying to make things any less awkward. But then again, maybe he was mad at me for dragging Lisa along.
Even though she had promised me to be nice, Lisa knew just all the wrong things to say. Right now I mentally applauded her question though.
"I just finished college and am now working at a company in the department of international management. It just runs in the family," Amelie vaguely answered.
"Do you like it?" I asked, filling the silence that threatened to swallow us.
"Yes, it's nice. I get to work with a lot of different people, I really like it."
With that being said, silence did finally overcome us. I helplessly looked at Lisa, waiting for her to tell a story or ask another question.
"Do you ever fart and blame someone else for it?" She suddenly asked.
I groaned, not believing her. Only Lisa could come up with the weirdest things.
Not leaving us a chance to answer, Lisa continued speaking. "Because I did last week when I was at Mason's with his parents and I still feel guilty about it."
"Send him a text and apologize," I suggested.
After that, not even Lisa knew what to say. Harry was somewhere else with his mind, not even noticing the uncomfortable silence confining us.
Starbucks was surprisingly empty for a Saturday afternoon, not giving us the chance to talk about other people.
Before the awkwardness grew too uncomfortable, Amelie's phone rang in her purse that was put down on the floor between us. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She retrieved it from her bag and threw a quick glance on it, seeing who was calling her. "Excuse me, I have to answer this call."
Once she was out of earshot, Harry grabbed my hand under the table. "And, what do you think?"
I grinned up at him. "Hate to say it but you were right: she's a lovely woman."
I was glad when Lisa didn't comment on it, but I knew she had a thing or two to say about my opinion on Amelie.
"See? She's no peril to you. Not that any woman ever could be," Harry whispered in my ear.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Amelie coming back.
"Guys, I'm sorry," she said as soon as she reached our table again. "That was Nick. His mom fell at home and is now at the hospital and he wants me to pack an overnight bag for her."
"Oh gosh, is she alright?" Harry asked with concern in his voice.
"She'll be fine, the doctor just wants to keep her for the night. I'll call you up, okay?" Her words were directed at no one in particular, but we all nodded, wished a 'Get well soon' for Nick's mom and threw some parting words her way.
Not much later after that, Lisa got up. "Well, we should head back, too."
The car ride home was filled with some old stories about our favorite teacher, Mr. Sanderson, and Harry's laughter. Lisa complained more than once that now she would have no partner in crime anymore, but I ensured her that Theresa could take up my spot in college.
"She's a straight A student, she doesn't even break a smile at my facts," Lisa deadpanned.
"You'll manage," I soothed her.
Harry was just pulling into the driveway when Lisa told us she had to go home. Hugging her goodbye, he walked inside and left the door open a crack.
Once he was definitely out of earshot, Lisa started speaking, still keeping her voice low. "I can't tell how much you were faking today, but be careful. I don't trust that bitch at all."
"I think she's quite nice. Harry called her 'a woman with too many problems' and it kind of suits her. I don't think she means any harm, Liss."
"Trust no bitch," Lisa insisted.
"We'll see. Oh hey, is there anything going on between you and Mason that I should know of?"
Sticking out her tongue, she shook her head. "Of course not, butthead."
"Go to hell," I laughed, hugging her.
Lisa got into her car and started the engine. But before she drove off, she rolled down her window and gave me some words of wisdom. "No matter what Harry told you and what Amelie made you believe: there's something going on that we're not aware of. Don't trust her and don't leave Harry alone in her presence. Just be careful, I really don't think she's clean."
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