Unchanging [h.s. au]

twenty-two

I was sniffling the whole time Harry led me down the sidewalks of the neighborhood. His arm was still firm around me but we were both silent. The hum of the insects accentuated the humid, balmy night.

After a few minutes, I recognized his house ahead of us and he quickly ushered me inside.

I immediately collapsed onto the nearest sofa and buried my head in the plush fabric. The dip of the cushions alerted me of Harry's presence as sat down next to me and gently placed his hand on my back.

"Why were you out late by yourself?" he quietly spoke.

"Urmpf," I groaned into the pillows. I knew he wasn't asking to be nosey but I wasn't keen on talking about what happened.

I slowly rolled over so I was laying on my back.

"My dad and I had a fight," I said simply.

Harry settled his arm on the back of the couch. "And you ran away,"

"Again," I didn't even try to argue otherwise.

"What did he say that made you want to leave this time?"

"A lot of things,"

"That's vague." Harry muttered.

"I don't feel like discussing all the details with you." I shot back.

What was I doing? Here Harry had saved me again and here I was being completely rude. Again. I knew I needed to be more polite.

"Thank you," I soberly said, looking down at the stitches of the couch. "For...for being there tonight."

"You're welcome," he simply replied.

"How is it that we never seem to run into each other in a normal way?" I joked in a bitter way.

Harry laughed and then said, "Clara, I think our relationship has completely passed the normal stage."

My mouth quirked up into a smile.

Harry's face turned serious. "Hey, I uh, I wanted to say sorry, too."

"For what?"

"For not telling you about who I really was."

"Oh," I looked down.

"So, I'll tell you everything you deserve to know."

He took a deep breath and unconsciously started playing with my hands as he spoke.

"My dad does own this club; he owns a few actually. He's an entrepreneur and spends almost all of his time working. My dad has tried several times to introduce me into the business world but I don't like it. All the business people are so competitive and unapologetic to get what they want, they're just so malicious sometimes."

His eyes never met mine as he continued on with his explanation. 

"I want to choose for myself what I want to do with my life but it's hard to only be known for my family status. Sometimes it feels like people don't even know the real Harry, they just see me as that one rich guy's son. And that's why I didn't tell you who I was right away."

Harry glanced up at me when he finished.

"I understand," I nodded.