18 Going On 30 || h.s. au

seventeen

i LOVE this chapter. so much. i think you might love it too... enjoy ;)

MADDIE'S POV

ONE MONTH LATER

"For the tenth time, get your damn feet off my desk."

"Can I have your pickle?"

"Feet off and I'll consider it."

Harry and I are eating a late lunch in my office and he's creating scuff marks on my nice desk.

"Pickle?" He says as he does what I ask.

"Fine."

It's been a month since Dad's accident, and his first session of physical therapy is today, in about half an hour. Harry said it would be a good idea to schedule the first appointment later in the day when the office is mostly empty so my dad can get most of the attention, since his process is a bit different than someone with an ankle injury.

That's been the biggest thing this last month, just updates on Dad. Other than my regular work schedule, June has been a relatively tame month. No unexpected reunions or crazy accidents, thank god. It's been quiet, which is just what all of us needed.

Dad could've started therapy the second he got out of the hospital, but the doctor said he had to wait until he was healed from surgery. The temporary paralyzation obviously deemed him bed or couch ridden, so he's eager to get to work on getting back on his feet.

Figuring out how to do the whole distance thing was kind of rough, but Dad insisted on making it work. He and mum are driving up for his first appointment and staying the night with Greyson in his spare bedroom. They'll do this twice a week as his sessions are starting out at a slow pace to ease him into it, and on off days he'll be able to do any exercises at home that Harry gives him, or if he's not feeling up for the drive. The doctor said it's flexible because it's a slow process, but we know the effects will be so worthwhile.

I can't even begin to think of how I'll need to thank Harry for all he's going to do.

Speaking of Harry, after last month, something shifted between us. Our dynamic. I guess it's something about a family member almost dying that just brings two people together.

But really, it's like something a switch flipped. It went from that kind of subtle-awkward phase of questioning the behavior of each other and making sure we did everything in our power to make them comfortable and not make a complete fool of ourselves- basically the beginning stages of a friendship you actually want to keep- to...I don't even know how to describe it other than, it's basically like we're eighteen again. Feels like nothing has changed. But everything has changed at the same time.

We've had lunch together almost every day our schedules have allowed us to in the last month. It's basically the only time during the weekdays we're able to hang out, with the exception of a few weeknights, but usually we prefer for our friends and siblings to tag along and they're usually not available, which is fine. So, we opt for lunch, usually in here because Harry always comes skipping in five minutes before the time we set.

He makes a clear effort to talk about my day so far and tell me about his, always with stories about patients, and always checks in with how my dad is doing. That 'care' that he was talking about is so obvious, and I hate myself for ever questioning if it was genuine or not. It's clear that it is.

James? Not so much. Ever since our little fight, if you would even call it that, it's been tense. He asks how Dad is once in a blue moon and I doubt he even remembers what happened. He started leaving for work and coming home later and I eventually stopped asking him why. I truly don't know if I did anything to make him mad, or if the only reason he's acting like this is because of Harry.