Palas 3

11 - "I know you hate girls that spit."

"Dinner?" He wonders out loud. "The two of us, or with someone else?"

"The two of us," I say, surprising myself. 

I could have said that Ava and Louis would join us. I haven't seen them for a while, but for some reason I feel okay with spending some time alone with Harry. It's as if realizing that he's lonely too makes him my equal instead of someone I fear. "It seems only fair since we celebrated your last day here, that we should celebrate your first one back as well."

"We never went to dinner, if I recall correctly," he says and my eyes flash to his shirt with the rip on the back. 

"It was a different kind of celebration yeah," I mumble. "So, what do you say?"

"Okay," he answers. "I'll wait with you."

It doesn't take long for it to turn six o'clock and my stomach is already rumbling from starvation. We walk back to the tower where Thomas is chilling in a chair with a magazine in his hands. 

"You're still here, Harry?" He asks with a frown when he sees him behind me. 

"Needed some practise," he answers and Thomas nods. 

"Sure, well do you have anything special for me Lex?" Thomas turns himself to me. He looks like a professor the way he sits and asks me. I can tell that he's trying to act as if he's fine, but I know him well enough. The boy behind me is someone he hates. He's only acting this way because of me.

"Nope, quiet day."

"Great," he says, sighing a bit as he turns himself away from us. "I wouldn't go to Italy's. Ava's in some kind of mood today," he adds, and it almost feels like a blessing, as if he's giving me the okay to go to dinner with Harry. 

"Thanks for the heads up. See you tomorrow." 

We all say our goodbye's and I am surprised how well both men behaved and that I handled it like a professional. Almost no awkwardness and I feel on top of the world as Harry and I walk to the strip. Now that Thomas mentioned Ava, I do want to see her and ask what's up, but she'll never stop bugging me if she sees me with Harry. 

"Where do you want to go?" I ask Harry and he looks around the strip as if the answer will hit him in the face.

"Well, Little Italy is out of order. Ava 'in some kind of mood' is not what I'm looking forward too."

"I think it is hormones. It wouldn't surprise me."

"What? That's she's pregnant?"

"Yeah," I say. "What else?"

"I don't know. Honestly, Ava is always in a mood isn't she?"

"You're right."

"But you think they're trying for kids?"

"Oh yeah, I am sure. She told me a while ago, but she won't really talk to me about it."

"Why not? You're still friends, right?"

"Yes, we are," I answer him. We keep walking the strip where other couples and groups of friend stroll to find a nice place to eat as well. We pass Little Italy that is crowded like always. "It's just that she doesn't want to bother me with stuff like that. I guess she feels sorry for me, that I'm nowhere near the baby-making part of life. I don't care though. I wish her all the best. And a cry-baby of course."

"You're evil," he laughs. "But wouldn't you have want to have children by now?"

"God, no. The thought of having to put someone else's needs first all the time. No."