Amelia Chapter Four
Day: 06 Week: 00
Sometime during the afternoon of my very pleasant and sunny Sunday morning, I felt a bit lonely and in need of a friendly and familiar voice. I decided to call Niall Horan, who was currently in Mullingar, Ireland, visiting his family. It struck me suddenly that I haven't really seen Harry's friends in a long time. We all used to hang out as one big group, more often than not accompanied by Perry, and Eleanor, who were the girlfriends of Zayn and Louis respectively. It was nice, like a big group of friends, and I remembered thinking life was rather perfect then.
Not wanting to delve too much into the nostalgia, I dialed Niall's number which I knew by heart and waited for an answer.
"Hello Amy!" A voice thick with an Irish accent greeted me on the other side. I smiled to myself, glad to hear his voice.
"Hello Niall," I replied cheerfully. "How are you?"
"I'm good! Nice to be with the family again, how are you holding up Amy?"
"Fine, not thrilled about going back to the university tomorrow. Kind of bored and a bit alone… " I replied, the last sentence more of a thought to myself than to Niall.
"I can imagine." Niall replied in a dejected and sad tone. I wondered why that was. "Listen, it's going to be okay, you'll pull through." I thought this was a bit much for feeling bored and alone, but I pushed it aside in favor of another question.
"Thanks. Hey, weird random question, but have you heard from Harry at all? I haven't seen him in about almost a week, except for a few times, and I'm getting worried."
There was silence on the other end, and I thought I heard Niall hold his breath.
"Are you all right, Amy?"
It was my turn to be silent. Why was it that every time I mentioned Harry everyone asked if I was okay? Were things not okay? Was there something wrong with Harry? With me? I told Niall this, to which he replied:
"Well it's tough to be in a relationship when you don't uh, see each other. I think we're just looking out for you, that's all." Niall replied, clearly distraught and fishing for words.
"Are you sure that's it?" I asked, still suspicious. He assured me that that was all. I calmed down a bit, trusting Niall's word. "Well how are the others?" I asked, in an attempt to change the subject.
"Um… Well we've kind of grown apart since—Yeah well Zayn is now working in a clothing store in London, seems to be a pretty top notch store. Louis got a part time job as a drama teacher, but he's not really into the job anymore. Liam is working in aviation with his dad, and I've got a small job at Nando's. Not really anything special, but we're getting by."
"That's good." I replied, catching Niall's stumble in the beginning. "Well I've got to go, I have school early tomorrow. Nice talking to you Niall, hopefully we can hang out soon!"
We exchanged our goodbyes and promises to hang out, and then I hung up, the suspicion from the phone call still lingering in the air.
Day: 07 Week: 01
Having just gotten home from school, I put my bag down on my bed, and turned on the computer, to get a head start on my homework. It was a habit for me to do homework immediately after school, that way I had time the rest of the day to do as I pleased. I wondered however, if Harry was on Skype. It seemed unlikely, but I was so desperate to see him and hear him that I was willing to try anything. I signed to Skype however, and saw him offline. I read his Skype status and smiled. "Amy is the most beautiful girl, that not even the stars hold a candle to how bright she shines," It said. I remembered clearly how that got there.
Harry and I were sitting on my bed one chilly November morning. He was watching me do my homework while he played with my hair, wearing a concentrated expression.
"It's nearly time Amy, sign into my Skype." He murmured while he pulled strands of my hair.
"Ouch, Harry." I replied as he pulled my hair.
"I'm so sorry!" Harry said quickly, his eyes looking like those of a wounded puppy, and I immediately melted on the inside. He kissed my forehead and eyed my laptop, to which I sighed and turned it on. At three O'clock he had a "Skype date" with one of his friends he had met in America, when he was an exchange student at the Manhattan School of Music.
"Oh look, you have nothing written on your status bar!" I said jokingly and teasingly, formulating a small plan in my head. "Let's change that, shall we?"
"Oh god what are you doing?" He replied, a bit busy undoing whatever he had done in my hair.
"Nothing." I replied coyly. I typed the sentence 'Amelia is the most beautiful girl.' Before Harry saw and began protesting.
"Don't make me look like a fluffy romantic!" He said, seeing what I was typing and pressing the backspace button. I quickly countered by attempting to remove his large hand from the button, but failed miserably. He still had that frat boy, player reputation back in America, and I suppose he intended on keeping it that way.
"Come on, Harry! Don't you wuv me?!" I said, giving him my best puppy dog pout face.
"Yes but—"
"Do you love me?"
"Yes I do but—"
"Then let me type it—"
"No I—"
"But Harry don't you love me?"
"Yes but—AHHHH FINE." Harry screamed in surrender, throwing his hands up in the air like a five year old. I laughed and typed out the rest of my sentence.
Suddenly there were hands on either sides of my ribs and I erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, fighting for breath. I squirmed to try and get away from Harry's grip but he was too strong. He straddled me and continued to tickle me until I feebly told him I couldn't breathe any more. As an apology for his violent tickling, he gave me a small kiss, and moved off of me. Out of breath, I stuck my tongue out at him, swearing to get revenge.
I couldn't look at that status anymore. I sighed, and signed off Skype, feeling like a piece of me was missing.
Day: 08 Week: 01
"I'm glad you decided to come with me, because this is the only sunny day this week and I plan to take full advantage of it." My best friend from the university, Ellen Hoffman, said to me the moment we stepped out doors. It was a chilly morning, and I felt glad I was wearing my pea coat and knitted scarf. When Ellen had asked to walk around the city of London with me, I was a bit reluctant. I wanted to stay at home, completely warm and surrounded by comfort. Once I stepped outside however, I realized it wasn't so bad.
"Where to?" I asked her, following her down the street.
"Where ever the wind takes us. Let's just figure it out as we go." Ellen replied. I smiled at her words. She was quite the free spirit, completely open to adventure and wonder. I often found myself wanting to be more like her, but I never quite had the courage.
I simply stayed quiet and followed her into town, walking past stores and restaurants, making conversation about our new professors, the classes we were taking, and the work load. Ellen wasn't as studious as I was by a long shot, but she took her studies seriously still. I noticed she wouldn't stop talking, not even allowing for a pause in the conversation. I felt as if she were trying to keep me busy by keeping the conversation alive.
"—And for my adult psychology class we have this professor, and he seems pretty boring, like, I don't know he talks in this monotone and I was just completely bored during the entire class, I don't know how I'm going to pass. Also, the material seems quite hard and there's a lot, and if you add that with the boring professor… Lia, I'm going to positively die! Do you think I should drop…." But I wasn't listening to the rest of her sentence. In fact, I had tuned her out completely, because I had caught sight of something. It was a store, called London Jewelers. I stopped mid stride and stood there, looking into the store window, catching sight of all the beautiful necklaces. Subconsciously, I grabbed my heart shaped necklace and toyed with it.
"All moved in!" Harry said with childish joy, raising both arms in celebration. I couldn't help but laugh. It took three days for me to get everything out of my suitcase and organize it, and another three days to buy small furniture that I would need to make myself feel at home. Harry had helped me out a lot, and he even got his friends that I had met during our first Skype session long ago to help. I felt very appreciative for his help.
"Thank you so much Harry." I said earnestly, walking over to him and hugging him briefly. During that brief hug I took in his warmth, and the way his large arms suddenly encircled me. I felt like something small, being protected by someone big and warm, and I felt happy there, if only for a brief moment.
"I still haven't shown you around town." Harry said in a suggestive tone, once we broke apart. I smiled at him, and ran toward my bedroom to put on a light jacket.
Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves at the heart of London, walking around shops. Harry pointed out the best shops, best places to eat, and his favorite places in that city. I walked with my hands out of my pockets in the hopes that he would hold them at some point. It didn't escape my attention that he never put his hands in his pockets either.
We had been walking around for about two hours, just touring the city, and taking pictures of really beautiful places that I liked. Eventually Harry suggested we get something to eat, and so we walked by his favorite casual Italian restaurant which was two blocks from where we were.
"This place is absolutely my favorite, they have really good food here." Harry said, holding the door open for me. I murmured a word of thanks. I wasn't used to guys doing that for me, and I wasn't sure how to react.
"I'll take your word for it." I said, looking around. The restaurant looked cozy, and it wasn't as packed with people as it looked.
A waiter immediately showed us to our table, which was a booth in the center of the restaurant, and took our drinks. He left, giving us a minute to take a look at the menu. After reading through the menu, and still ending up being completely undecided, Harry suggested I get the London ravioli, which I ordered once the waiter came back.
"So how do you like it so far?" Harry said after swallowing his calzone.
"It's really nice, but there are some things that I still haven't gotten used to, like the streets and just… being away from my family. It's cool yet, a bit frightening at the same time." I replied earnestly, tossing ravioli across my plate.
"I understand. When I was in America it wasn't easy for me to get used to it either. But I've pretty much been on my own since I was seventeen so the family thing wasn't as big of a deal. I'm glad you like it, though." Harry said. I felt his eyes on me and I didn't dare look up because I was unsure as to how to react. He was staring at me so intently. "So, what do you like? What are you into?" Harry added, sparking my interest. I finished chewing and opened my mouth to reply.
"I like… music, obviously. I play the piano, guitar, flute, and French horn. I like to write poetry and small stories… I like to travel, and… live." I said, adding in the last word awkwardly. Of course I liked to live… I felt so stupid saying such a think but it was already said, and I couldn't take it back. Harry smirked, however, clearly liking what I had said.
"What do you like about it?" He demanded simply.
I took a minute to think. I couldn't exactly explain my passion for something so easily.
"It's freeing. I don't know. It's something that I find interesting and relaxing. When I play music… I express my very feeling into the instrument and I get to hear how I am feeling. When I write… I create a whole new world. My very imagination becomes imprinted on paper and I can kind of play god. I can create and destroy whatever I please. It's empowering." I looked away from Harry in embarrassment. "It's really cheesy, I know." I added as an excuse.
"That's beautiful." He replied. I looked up in surprise. "You don't meet girls with as much passion for something anymore."
"What do you like to do?" I asked in turn curiously.
"I like to…" Harry paused, biting his lip in an adorable way which dictated he was searching for a means to explain himself. I waited patiently, watching him. "I'm really into the recording, remixing business. I like to help musicians with their work, make it better, and make it so that others can listen to it. I like to take their material and spread it." He said finally.
"And what do you like about it?" I asked, mimicking his earlier question. Harry realized this and gave me a mock-annoyed look but immediately smiled.
Harry thought for a while, stumped. His green eyes bounced around the restaurant, concentrating on the right words.
"I don't know. I guess I like to be part of the process in which someone else's music is listened to." Harry said. I nodded, pleased with his answer. We finished our plates in silence, enjoying each other's presence. I noticed that with Harry, silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was part of the conversation. I never felt the need to say anything unless I had to, which was nice. "So this is your last year of university?" Harry asked while we were waiting for the check. I affirmed. "Nice. Last year was mine. I'm actually now working in a record store which has a recording studio in it. My dad owns it, he'll be retiring soon, and when he does I can take over."
"That's awesome! It's really nice how you have your job set, hence your future. I still have to worry about finding a job after this." I replied.
"What were you going for again?"
"Music education." I informed him.
"Music teacher, huh. I don't know why, but it seems fitting for you. You'll find a job." The waiter had come, and handed his check to Harry. I began pulling out my wallet so I could help Harry out with the bill, but he held up a hand. I made a move to protest but he simply shushed me. "If you want to make it up to me, how about you play for me?" He said.
"Oh I don't know about that." I said, completely frightened and nervous about the idea of playing for Harry. It wasn't so much playing in front of people that bothered me, I was used to that. But what if my playing displeased Harry? I was too nervous.
"Think about it." Was all he said as we left the restaurant.
After we left the restaurant completely full, Harry decided to show me more stores, and perhaps get dessert on the way. We walked about four blocks, talking about what we liked, music we listened to, our friends, family, and any topic that we happened to cross. I was surprised at how easy he was to talk to, and despite being the cool frat boy back in America, I found Harry quite cheesy, his jokes especially.
"This… this is the best jewelry store in town!" Harry said in a very tour guide-like voice, in front of a store called London Jewelers. It looked very impressive and expensive, I had to admit. "My aunt's cousin owns this store… I often get discounts." He said, looking at me very smugly. I was beginning to think Harry really did have all the connections. I tore my attention from Harry and paused to look inside the store window for a while, admiring all the silver and gold necklaces and rings, emerald earrings, diamond rings, and sapphire necklaces. My eyes happened to fall upon a very simple, yet elegant silver heart shaped necklace. It was quite beautiful. The heart itself was outlined by small diamonds which commanded attention yet did not draw one immediately to them. Harry must have caught my lustful stare toward the necklace because I heard him say:
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"It really is!" I said, simply commenting. To my surprise, Harry left my side and entered the store, talking to the cashier, and pointing to me. In pure shock, I tried to get Harry's attention, in order to tell him not to buy me the necklace. This was already too much! However, two minutes later, Harry came out with a small box, and handed it to me.
"No, Harry, I couldn't possibly! Why did you do this, I didn't ask—"
"Stop it was nothing! Look I even got it for free—"
"That doesn't matter! I didn't ask for a necklace, I—"
"Yeah but you like it?"
"Yeah but—"
"So here." Harry said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"I can't this is too much, really thanks but—"
"A beautiful necklace for a beautiful girl?" Harry pleaded. I felt myself blush and stumble over my words.
"That's flattering but—"
"Come on Harry I can't—"
"Please?!"
"But why—"
"Because I really fancy you."
My breath caught, and I stayed silent.
"You'll accept this if you fancy me too." Harry spoke, his deep voice filling every fiber of my being with excitement and joy.
Hesitantly, I took the necklace, feeling my face blush as I looked up at him with hooded eyes. The dimpled smile on his face was impossible to miss. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help smiling myself.
"I guess we just confessed our love for each other." Harry said offhandedly.
"Yeah, I guess so." I said, having really nothing to say. I wished very much to jump and squeal at that moment but I contained myself. "Thank you, Harry." I added in earnest, meeting my brown eyes with his, to which he nodded and muttered a 'you're welcome' in reply. He grabbed the box from me and took out the necklace, and I instinctively moved my hair from around my neck, allowing him to put the necklace on for me. The metal felt cold against my skin, but I welcomed it, because it came with the warm, soft, and tender touch from Harry's long fingers.
"Come on, Amelia." Ellen said, her voice snapping me out of my wonderful memory. Her voice had been soft and sad, and a tad regretful. I found myself nodding as I turned away from the jewelry store, Ellen's hand rubbing my back consolingly as we walked away.