Afterlife: Reincarnation

19

June 10

HARRY

I stretched an arm over my head, tucking my hand beneath me, my fingers wrapping around my hair in frustration. I huffed, annoyed, my lip pulled between my teeth. I crossed my leg over the other, my ankle against my thigh as I lay back on my couch, my eyes intently skimming the text of the manuscript in my hand.

I was completely enthralled, enveloped, wrapped up and immersed in this fucking story, and it was only the fifth damn chapter. What the actual fuck?

It was currently my fifth review, and hands down, it was the best. I couldn't even think of the last time I was this in to a story before, even from published, well circulated authors. I had almost an entire page of praise and notes scribbled on the pad on the coffee table, several others written in the margins of the manuscript itself. Other than an annoying name for their main character, it was absolutely incredible.

None of this jubilant, puffy, flowery shit. Just straight forward, enticing, strong story telling. This was more my story, and much more how I wanted to focus. I had been too wrapped up in all the damn love stories they had been giving me lately, and had no doubt that it contributed to my own sappy emotions as of late.

It was after eleven in the afternoon, and I was determined to at least get to chapter ten before breaking for lunch. Once I threw myself into a story, if it held me, I could read for hours without thought of food or even having to pee. Thankfully, neither call of nature had bothered me since sitting down and starting, and I was able to lose myself in the story line without distraction.

Just as I turned the page, anxiously waiting to see where it would go next, my phone vibrated on the table. I frowned, annoyed that my concentration and escape into fiction had been interrupted. If it was Niall with some story about a girl he hooked up with the night before, I was going to be bloody pissed.

Picking it up, I tried to keep my voice even.

"Hello?"

"Hi," her voice echoed, my heart stuttering.

My annoyance faded in an instant, a smile coming to my face.

Fuck, I hated how easily she got to me. Just one word and I was back to being a sappy marshmallow.

"Hi," I grinned, setting my book on the table as I pushed myself up into a seated position.

"What are you doing?"

"Just reading. Started my fifth manuscript this morning."

"Any good?"

"Quite good, actually," I admitted with a laugh. "I've been biting my lip for the last ten minutes."

She giggled, the sound rippling through me. "You said you wanted me to call, so here I am."

I grinned, relieved that she had done as I asked, until the preceding comments of my email flashed through my head. My sappy marshmallow shit. Fuck. She had read that. God, I had sounded like such a fucking sentimental dumbass. The memory made me cringe.

"If you're busy, though..."

"NO!" I all but shouted. "No, its fine."

She paused for a moment, and the silence made me nervous.

"Did you want to Skype?" she asked, her voice suddenly uncertain.

"Yeah, of course." Reaching forward, I opened my laptop, restarting it from its earlier, less than gentle treatment after sending my email. Once the Skype application was open, I told her I was all set.