Rose Grove - (H.S.)

06

"Let me order an uber, neither of us can drive," I say as we reach the sidewalk and I begin fishing my phone from the bottom of my purse. The glossy look in Harry's eyes has yet to go away, and the empath in me can't help but feel for him. I barely know him and I know nothing about Winter besides the fact that she passed away in a car accident, but I have an overwhelming urge to help him or fix this situation somehow.

"No need. My apartment is only two blocks away." He says as he points down the road and sniffles a little, clearly trying to keep his emotions at bay for the time being. Already I can tell he puts on a hard exterior when it comes to emotions, the moment he started crying in the bar I could tell how he intentionally tried to hide it. I have a feeling that may be because he feels like he has to always be strong for Autumn since she lost someone so important to the both of them.

I want to show him that it's okay to not be okay sometimes, especially when you're grieving. I just don't know how to with the limited information I have about him and his life. Maybe that's just my savior complex talking, though.

"Even better." I say as I slide my phone back into my purse and he begins leading us in the direction of his apartment "So, Winter was her name?" I ask even though context clues alone make that pretty obvious.

He nods and continues looking ahead "Winter June." He replies with a small smile "I always teased her because her first and middle name didn't go together. June is summer." He shakes his head with a small laugh as he looks down at his feet as we walk along the concrete.

"Is that why Autie's name is Autumn Mae?" I ask quietly, hoping my questions that are out of genuine curiosity don't cross any boundaries.

He looks over at me with a sad smile and nods "When Autie was born there were many complications, they didn't think Winter was going to survive. They, uh, had me fill out all the paperwork while she was on life support." He sucks in a large breath and shakes his head "We didn't talk much about names, we just wanted to go with what felt right when she was born. I thought if Winter didn't survive, at least our daughter would always have a piece of her. So, Autumn Mae." He explains, most likely only telling me all of this because he's intoxicated.

My eyes fill with tears as I listen to the heartbreaking yet sweet story "That's beautiful, Harry. I'm sure Autie will be so proud of her name once she's old enough to really understand all of this." I compliment as I place my hand on his shoulder to provide some sort of comfort.

He nods "What about you?" He questions vaguely.

I furrow my brows at him "What about me?" I ask, not understanding what he meant by that.

He sighs and shrugs "What's a depressing life story of yours? Since apparently, we're having a late-night therapy session." He teases with a small smirk, continuing to mask his true emotions.

I chew on the insides of my cheeks trying to think of what I could tell him. I could explain my emotionally abusive childhood but that feels a little premature, or I could tell him about my dysfunctional ass relationship but we're not on that level yet whatsoever. So forgetting those two options, there's really only one left "I'm infertile." I say quietly, shooting him a sad smile so he knows I'm not looking to be pitied by admitting that to him.

His eyebrows shoot up for a second but he quickly calms his facial expressions so he doesn't offend me or make me uncomfortable "I'm so sorry. Is that why you work with children?" He questions further. Part of me wants to curl into a ball and not talk about it any further, but I asked questions about his late girlfriend so it's only fair that he can ask about this.

I shake my head no "I had planned to be a teacher for younger kids prior to finding out. It helps, though. I get a little taste of motherhood through teaching." I explain as I look out onto the street and follow the passing cars with my eyes.