it's not living if it's not with you | harry lewis/wroetoshaw

chapter eight

19th November

Stella tucked the blanket under her feet, as Lux opened the balcony door and slid out. 

It had been two days since Cal's birthday, and two since Harry and Stella had their awkward tumble. He hadn't mentioned it, and wasn't acting embarrassed at all, so perhaps he had forgotten since he was drunk at the time.

But now, Stella was at the Cal's and Harry's flat, once again. This time, a few others were there, namely Ethan, Tobi, and Sarah. Despite it getting fairly late, most of them were still sticking around, and currently Stella and Ethan were in the middle of a card game.

"You're shit at this, Behz." 

"Nah, I'm not." He protested.

"Then how come you're losing?"

Not long after, Ethan had unsurprisingly lost, throwing his cards down on the table in defeat. 

"And on that note," He sighed. "I should probably head back to mine." And sure enough, Tobi an Ethan left to go back to their flat, and Sarah and Lux had gone to bed. Cal, still up, was heading to the shops to buy some more beer.

"You want anything, Bog?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Stella?" Cal asked, turning to her.

"No thanks."

Stella curled up on the couch, tucking her feet underneath her, still covered by the blanket. She leant her head back on the arm rest as she stretched out slightly, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Not falling asleep on us, are you Stella?" Harry voiced from the kitchen.

"No," She responded, propping herself up to avoid actually falling asleep. "Can't have a repeat of sleeping here, again. People might think I'm weird."

"Why?" He chuckled, resting his hands on the surface of the table, looking at her.

"Because," Stella turned her head to face him. "I shouldn't be sleeping here, I have my own flat."

"True," He nodded. "You want a drink or something?"

"Hot chocolate?"

"Of course."

Stella rested her head back on the arm rest and gaze out of the window, now just realising how dark it actually was. Soon enough, Harry came over and passed her the hot chocolate, and sat beside her, holding his own cup.

"Thanks, Bog." She smiled, sitting up.

The two sat in peace for a while, sipping on their drinks, before Harry spoke up. 

"How has Uni been?" 

Stella groaned in protest, screwing her face up. "The work itself is okay, but don't get me started on some of the people." 

He cocked his head at her. "A few dickheads?" 

"You could say that." She huffed, placing her cup down on the table. "I'm just glad that it's going to be over soon enough and I never have to see some of them again."

Harry let her rant for a little longer, noticing how stressed she seemed, before she abruptly stopped. "Sorry," She cringed. "I'm getting a little overly frustrated." 

"No, it's fine, let it out if you need." Harry protested, moving his arm around the back of the couch, only a few inches away from Stella's head.

Stella shook her head, laughing softly. 

"Anyway, is there any mention of the France trip?" He asked, curiously.

Stella picked at her nail polish, distractedly, before she looked up at him. "Well, people have been mentioning a lot recently," She admitted. "But I don't know if I should go, I mean, I don't even speak French!"