"Carly?" I hear Jackie, my head lifting to look at her.
"Can I...can I ask you something?" she wonders, sitting beside me on my bed. I shut my laptop and nod, her hand running through her hair.
"Will you explain to me what you're doing with that boy?" she asks, my eyebrows furrowing together.
"What do you mean?" I wonder, not knowing where she's going with this. Harry's my friend, and I want to try to get him to experience life a little more.
"I mean...you spend almost every day with him," she says, my shoulders shrugging. It's true, but only because I want Harry to get used to someone being there.
"I just like to talk to him. He's extremely smart and he's helped me, and I've helped him. I'm his friend," I say, looking up at her.
She just sighs and I frown. "What?" Her reaction wasn't expected and she just presses her lips together, then looks at me closely.
"I've heard a lot a shit about you two. Apparently everyone thinks you guys are a thing because of how he looks at you," she says, my body standing up.
"What? I just...Harry looks intense. It's who he is, but he needs that reassurance in order to talk. He needs eye contact," I recall, knowing Harry's tendencies. I know, deep down, Harry is stable. He's in need of a push and I want to help him.
"I'm just saying, Carly. He is a little different. I've never seen him talk to anyone and I just still need to wrap my head around that," she explains, my lips pressing together.
"I get it, Jackie, but I want him to be my friend," I reiterate for what feels like the millionth time, her head only nodding.
"Anyway, I have to go. He invited me to dinner," I say, grabbing my shower bag. She lets me go and I shower, then walk back to my dorm. I change into a dress and put a denim jacket on, grabbing my keys and phone.
I walk to the house and I smile when I see all the flowers and the swing on the tree branch, my hand knocking on the door. The rumble on the other side of the house has me believing Harry just ran down the stairs. The door swings open and he smiles, reaching out. I grab his hand, welcoming me into his house.
"Welcome. Please...make yourself at home," he rushes, my lips curving. I squeeze his hand, telling him to relax. He nods and we walk further, but I hear more running.
"Harry, is she here?" I hear a girl yell, and we turn. Harry's nerves grow and he tightens his hand on mine. A little girl stands in front of us and I can tell immediately she's his sister. The brown curls fly and her dimples are prominent; the looks in this family astonishing.
"Oh my gosh, you're tall too," she grins, walking up to me. She grabs my hand and Harry looks skeptical before letting mine go, the little girl signaling for me to come closer.
She cups my ear and I crouch as best as I can, her breath felt on my skin. "Does he treat you good?" she whispers, my lips curving as I nod. She leans back to whisper more. "He doesn't talk to girls. Never. It's weird."
I smile and she lets me go, looking up at Harry. "I'm happy you have a girl, Harry," she tells him, making Harry blush as he smiles at the floor. Then Anne walks into the room and smiles, telling me it's nice to see me. I say the same and hug her, then let her go only to have Harry grab my hand. I squeeze it, soothing his nerves as he tugs me over to the living room. He sits and I sit beside him, his hand staying in mine.
"Just relax. Everything's okay," I whisper, his head only nodding. His mother comes and sits by us, and his sister does as well.
"Her name's Harper," Harry whispers in my ear, my lips curving. The little girl is reading now, her fingers flipping the pages of a book just like Harry.
"Harper, how old are you?" I ask, her big eyes looking at me.
"I'm nine. Harry's twenty two. Old," she giggles, Harry just blushing. It makes me laugh and their mother joins, my eyes looking up at him. His dimples are on show and he looks genuinely happy.
"Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you tell us about yourself, Carly," his mom says, my head nodding.
"I'm twenty one and I'm studying to be an English and journalism major because I love to read. Just like Harry. I wanted to be friends with him because of all the reading," I beam, looking up at Harry to ease his nerves. He blushes embarrassedly and I move my arm beneath his to lean into him. I want to give him a sense that I'm comfortable with him, just as I want him to be around me. He just smiles and Harper stands up, coming to sit beside me. She shows me the chapter she's reading and she starts telling me all about the plot, something Harry has done with me when we do homework. The two are so similar, just the age difference is extremely present.
"Harry come help set the table, please," his mother says, Harry glancing to me. I just nod, urging him to go as I stay to talk with Harper. He gets up and I talk with Harper, her excitement over her book cute.
"I've read three books this week already. I was so happy, but I want to beat Harry," she says, my eyebrows rising.
"And how many books is that?" I wonder, curious to how much he actually reads.
"He read nineteen books in one week once. How cool is that?" she grins, happy at the accomplishment. I knew Harry loved his books, but he averaged almost three a day. That's crazy.
"So you want to read more than him?" I ask, her head nodding.
"But I don't think I can do it. Harry loves books, but with you here, you're all he talks about now. No more...characters. Just Carly," she tells me, my heart racing. I look up, glancing at Harry in the kitchen. He seems so relaxed and steady right now, and I know he's much more comfortable in his own home. This is a safe place, and seeing him in his element is so fascinated. He's laughing with his mom and I find myself smiling, distracted by his happiness.
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