Awkward Beat [H.S]

Chapter 24

In which Harry begins to crack.

Chapter 24

It was another long walk from some unknown house in the student village to our flat, but I resolved not to complain about walking home alone in the freezing dark after being dropped off by Muffy and Mr. Styles. After all, it was Harry's birthday. We'd ambushed him at the beginning of a new week with a fancy dinner. And even though Mr. Styles announced that his joint birthday/graduation present would be, upon his graduation, a car – a car! – Harry looked anything but pleased throughout the entire evening.

As I walked into the flat, shivering from the cold, I was determined to find out why.

Harry was nowhere in sight as I removed my coat and boots, but there was a steaming mug of tea sitting alone on the counter, a jug of milk and a spoon placed carefully beside it. A quick glance down the hallway confirmed that Harry's bedroom door was closed, so I had to assume that the mug was for me.

After preparing my tea, I took it with me down the hallway and knocked softly on Harry's door.

"Yeah?" I heard him say on in the inside.

I took that as permission to enter. Harry had a mug of his own and was seated at his desk, waiting for his laptop to launch as he flipped through one of his textbooks.

Because he didn't even spare me a glance, I began with a gentle, "Hi."

"Hey," he answered, eyes trained to his laptop as he set his textbook on his lap while he typed his login password.

I paused, giving him a moment, but he was apparently intent on ignoring me. "Okay," I said, breaking the silence. "Well, just wanted to thank you for the tea... and, you know, let you know that I arrived home safely after that long, frozen walk in the dark, eerily silent night."

"All right," Harry replied, entirely unconcerned.

If he didn't already know that the easiest way to annoy me was to ignore me, then he was about to learn it.

"And I wanted to check in on you. You were quiet during dinner."

While it was true that Harry hadn't said much, it was also fair to mention that none of us had said much... except Muffy, who prattled on and on about the wedding. Guests, centerpieces, appetizers and main courses – there was nothing I didn't know about the sodding event.

"We were just trying to do something nice for you," I continued. "And I'm sorry we surprised you, but—"

"We?"

"Muffy and me," I answered without thinking.

"Misty," Harry corrected under his breath before turning back to his laptop.

"It's been all about the wedding lately. That's not fair to you, especially from the way it was sprung on you, which was why we thought we should have a night that was all for you.

And... well, I know the car was extravagant, but it was actually all Muffy's idea and she got your dad on board. It's practical, when you think about it, because when you graduate, you'll get a job and need a way back and forth... we thought you'd like it."

"We?" Harry repeated, his voice stronger. "What's all this 'we'?"

I took a step back, freezing in the doorway, lips parted with the ghost of my next thought on my tongue.

"I just... you were the one who asked me to go dress shopping with her, but if I knew how much it was bothering you—"

"No, I get it," he interrupted, raising his brows as he began to type. "You two are great friends, just as I apparently requested. Why would that bother me?"