Heartbeat

Realization; Towels

Song of the chapter-

Autumn Leaves by Ed Sheeran



Alex-



By the time we are downstairs Gemma has set her bags down at the front door, her eyes searching for her brother that she hasn't seen since a while.

"Ah, there he is!"

Her arms are wrapped around him in an instant, engulfing him as she speaks.

"And who's this girl here?" She asks this as she pulls away from Harry, her eyes curious. The eyes that are the same color as Harrys, I realize.

"This is Alex, Gem." Harry says, his voice holding a hint of warning towards her.

"Oh I see, you're girlfriend?"

When she waggles her eyebrows and then pulls me into her for a hug, I decided that I like Gemma. She is nice.

"Why would such a pretty girl like you be with my idiot brother?" She asks me with a smile.

I laugh at this and shrug my shoulders. Harry was quick to help her upstairs with her bags, and I'm guessing so he could talk to her. To tell her that I don't talk much. I was at a loss for where to go, so I decide to maybe explore the small house a little. There is only three rooms, Harry and Gemma's old bedrooms, and his mothers. I discover that there are two bathrooms, one downstairs and one upstairs where Harry and I are staying. The living room is cozy looking and I don't bother on going in the kitchen since I've already been in there. I haven't spotted Harrys mother anywhere so I guess she is in her room.

There's a large oak table in the dining room adjacent to the living room, pretty Christmas plates in front of each wooden chair. This room has nice painting on the walls and a nice rug. And then I see a grand piano sitting in the corner of this room, the biggest room of the whole house. Before I know it my hand is running over the smooth surface of the top of the covered keys. I have the urge to lift it up by the little knobs to maybe press a few keys, but I don't. Instead I admire, fingers trailing across the smooth, brown wood.

"Whatcya doing in here?"

Harrys voice is heard from across the room, and I turn to see his emerald eyes set on me, a small smile on his lips. I shrug my shoulders and let my touch fall from the piano, walking over to him.

"You like the piano?" He asks me.

"It's pretty." I murmur.

"My dad bought it for my mom when they got married. She doesn't play much anymore."

I wind my arm around his back, leaning my cheek against his shoulder.

"I told my sister not to be an ass." He chuckles.

That makes me giggle, and I'm sure he told her some other things too, but I decide not to think about that. I don't think Gemma would've been an ass to me anyways, she seems to sweet to do that.

"Would you play something for me? Do you remember anything?" He voice is gentle as he asks me this, my eyes flickering to the piano.

I shrug my shoulder immediately, and take his large hand to lead us away from the room. He doesn't say anything else about it.

*****

Gemma talked alot. Like Eleanor, so that made it all the more better to be with her. As for Harrys mother, she was quiet as she cooked dinner in the kitchen. Harry and I sit at the island with Gemma as she talks about college, informing Harry on everything that has happened since he last saw her.

"Jeremy is nice, Harry. You'd love him." Gemmas voice is soft and adoring as she speaks about her new boyfriend, making me smile.

"Sure I will." Harry rolls his eyes as he takes a bite of bread, fresh from the oven that his mother had just put at the table.

"Harry never likes any of my boyfriends." Gemma slaps her hand against the table as she leans around Harry to look to me.

"Because they are all skinny and wimpy! They need to be able to take care of you Gem, not the other way around." He laughs.

"Jeremy is not wimpy!" Gemma exclaims.

"Well I'll have to see for myself." Harry chuckles.

"And you will, because he's coming to the Christmas Eve party. Right Mum?" Gemma turns to her mother.

"That's right. I told her to invite him." She smiles.

"He is a great guy Harry. He's got the best personality that there could be. Very sweet." His mother informs him.

And that's when I thought, does she even think that way about me? I see Harrys eyes flash over to me, but decide to ignore it. He doesn't answer his mother as he sits back in his chair, taking a bite of his bread. I feel his hand rest on my leg, but it didn't help me feel any better at that moment.

They began to talk of things they needed to do before the party they are throwing in a few days. Talk of decorations and party favors, and what kind of punch there should be.

"Mum, do you remember my old friend Chelsea?" I hear Gemma speak to her Mum, my eyes flicking up at the mention of the name.

Could it get anymore awkward or tense for me right now?

"I always think about her when you make this meal around Christmas. It was her favorite. I remember because she would come over when you made it, just so she could eat it."

That's when I begin to pay attention a little more. My sister love mashed potatoes and pot roast, and that's what Anne is making right this minute.

"Isn't it crazy that I still miss her after this long?"

"She was a nice girl Gem, I liked that girl." Anne speaks.

That's when I feel it. My heart rate picking up in speed. My hands becoming sweaty in my lap.

"I remember her, the one that was over here all the time?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, that was her." Gemma laughs.

"We're talking about one of my old best friends Alex, she passed away in a car crash years ago." Gemma says this to fill me in on what they are talking about, not wanting to leave me out of the loop.

But she didn't have to. Because I already knew they were talking about my sister. I didn't notice I wasn't breathing until I had to take a sharp intake of breath, slipping out of my chair and almost stumbling, but catching myself on the edge of the table in enough time to stable myself.

"Alex?"

Harrys voice was just a buzz in the back of my mind. All I knew is that I wanted to get out of this kitchen. I didn't notice Harry getting out of his chair and his mother and sister asking what's going on as I hurried out of the kitchen.

"Alex, what's going on? What happened?"

His voice was like an echo in my mind as I force myself up the stairs, clammy hands gripping the wooden railing tightly as I hauled myself up them.

By the time I'm sitting at the edge of Harrys old bed, his body knelt before me to try and catch my eyes as I held my head in my hands, I was crying and struggling to breath.

"Baby, tell me." Large palms urge my head out of my hands, tear stained cheeks coming into his view.

"My sister." Shaky hands reach up to rub over my cheeks.

"Chelsea was your sister?" His voice is quiet now.

I nod my head, my lungs burning from lack of air. He doesn't say anything. Instead, he gently puts a hand in my hair, guiding me to lean my head onto his shoulder as he is still knelt beneath me.

"I'm sorry Alex."

I feel his lips press to my shoulder, a steady breath being taken into my lungs at his touch.


Harry-


The look in her eyes was back for the rest of that day. The look that told me she was scared. The look that told me she didn't know what to do anymore. The one that I actually hadn't seen in a while. We ate dinner with my mother and sister, and she picked at her food and forced smiles and laughs. They didn't ask why she'd ran out, and I was glad of that.

They spoke of a Christmas party that they are going to tomorrow, and asked if we'd like to go along with them. I told her I don't know, because I don't know my mothers friends, and I don't know if Alex would even enjoy that. But I appreciate they asked. We helped clean the kitchen, Gemma and Alex doing the dishes while me and my mother cleaned the counters. I keep sneaking glances over at my sister and Alex just to make sure Gemma is in check, and catch a glimpse of Alex laughing along with Gemma as she dries dishes.

I have a wet rag in my hand from wiping down counters, and a mischievous smile grows on my face as I whip Gemma with my rag, her hand hitting my chest as she whips around with an irritated scowl on her face.

"Don't you idiot."

She snaps me with her own drying towel, getting me good on my side.

"You're such a nugget Gemma!" I shout, chuckling as I take her in a headlock, her nose being shoved in my armpit as I scruff up her hair a bit.

"You're the nugget!" She shouts as she tries to free herself.

I see Alex laughing in front of us, her towel in her hands as she laughs.

"Maybe you should use deodorant Harry! And stop saying nugget, you saiid like a five year old!"

Her voice is muffled as she talks into my armpit, my mother shaking her head with a small smile as she walks around us as I inform Gem that she had also just called me a nugget herself. At that moment I forgot I was angry with my mother.

"Get her Alex." I laugh, seeing she has the perfect position to whack her since Gemmas back is to her.

She shakes her head with a laugh, and I yell as she reaches around us to whip me right in the bum.

"You trader!"

And at that moment Gemma freed herself by pinching me, her hair a mess from me scruffing it.

"Hey, I like you."

I smile as Gem nudges Alex with her elbow while saying that, referring to whipping me instead of her, Alex's cheeks growing a little pink at the compliment.

"And I like you guys."

I wind my arms around both of them, squishing them together against me.

"My two nuggets."

I got the laughs I wanted out of them as they push themselves off of me, Alex smiling up at me softly.



Hope you enjoyed:)