Worth a shot

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Harry finished the search in the last file. It was awfully quiet in the apartment. The Anastasia he knew, could not stand this silence. It would drive her crazy. There was something wrong.

The kitchen was empty and so was the living room. Only one more place to check. There she was looking at something in her hands. He got closer and closer, but still could not sight what she was looking at. The wooden floor cracked and Anastasia panicked and shut on of the drawers.

"Harry, you scared the living soul out of me." Her hands were placed on her chest. Her heart beating hard and fast.

He was standing just in front of the old table, directly in front of Anastasia.

"What was so interesting that you were silent and did not go bananas?" Harry indicated that she was holding something in her hand.

Something lit up in her eyes. With her left hand she opened the drawer and placed a picture on the table, facing Harry. It was the picture with Sally and Harry and the strange man in the back ground.

"You two looked very happy on that picture. Did you notice that man in the back?" She pointed at the face.

He took it and looked at it carefully, triggering his mind to remember that face. Nothing. The man was some stranger that happened to photobomb their picture.

"Sally is gone and probably not coming back any time soon. Can we just pretend that she does not exist?" He asked.

"If that is what you really want then, sure! Sally, who?" She smiled.

"Thank you, wanna grab a glass of wine?" He winked.

"White wine? Nothing could be better!" Her voice was a few octaves higher every time she was excited.

"I have just for you, in case you ever came by." He laughed.

"I am here." She stood up, her hands held up high.

"Let's go to the living room. And do me a favor, put the picture back in the drawer. I don't need to be reminded every day I walk in here that we were once happy." Harry walked out of the room.

Anastasia nodded and opened the first drawer and put the picture back. Before she stepped away from the table, she slid the third drawer open and closed the wooden lash and then the drawer.

Harry was in the living room holding two wineglasses half full with sparkling white wine. Smiling he handed her one of the glasses. After they clanged their glasses together, they went to the balcony. There was a hanging chair, which Anastasia climbed on first. Near the high glass, that was meant to protect a person from walking of the balcony, there was a round glass table with 4 glass chairs. Harry pulled out his cigarette packet and let Anastasia take one first. With the cigarette between his teeth, her lit her cigarette and next his. A deep inhale and the end of the cigarette was glowing red.

"What have we become?" Anastasia broke the silence.

"What do you mean?" Harry was confused.

"Look at us, we are sitting here inhaling a cancer stick, single and drinking alcohol." she looked to the bottom of her glass.

"There are many people like us, out there." Harry tried to comfort her.

"Yes, but I promised to myself that I would not end up like this. Max left me for some princess that helped him look after the children in Africa."

"So what if he fell in love with another woman. That is life. At least you know why the person left you. I am stuck here questioning everything that we had. All the memories, if they were even real or if it was all just a illusion."

"That is her loss. What ever her reason is, she will tell you. And even if she doesn't, then at least you know that you are not meant to be together. There will be that woman you are meant to be with. You will find her either way."

"And that is different for you?"

"No, but like. Never mind."

"Let's not get depressed over our failed relationships. We are still young. If it happens to be so that we are still single at 50, then we can just marry each other."

"What? Hahahaha, if you say so." She laughed to herself.

Their conversation faded into silence. They enjoyed another cigarette and looked at the blue sky.

Harry could not shake the feeling that he was supposed to ask Anastasia a question. He did not know what question his gut had in mind, but it was urgent.

"Remember the first day we met?" Anastasia disturbed his thinking.

"You mean the party or the bar?" The odd feeling disappeared.

"I mean the bar. Do you ever think about what would have happened to us, if you had not walked up to me?" Anastasia's eye looking at him.

"Do I? Almost every day. I would spent minutes staring at my phone, wondering if you were going to call me. Maybe you had forgotten about me."

"Why did you never call me? Why would I have to make the first move?"

"I don't know why. I was afraid you would just ignore all my calls and ignore me. After all I left you alone on New Years just to go party with my friends in Las Vegas."

"You told me you were going to visit you family!" Anastasia was furious, all this time she had believed he was out there celebrating with his family, leaving her behind partying with the the people of her old dorm room. And that was one of her possible worst nights of her life.

"You did not know? Charlie threatened me that she will tell you the truth."

"Charlie? Charlie did not talk to me anymore after I had to tell her that I was not into girls. She then started dating Cassy, who I thought was my best friend, but actually just wanted to hook up with Charlie."

"What? She did not tell me that."

"Do you think she would? She saw you as a threat."

"A threat? What do you mean?"

"Well turns out I had a huge crush on you for the first 3 years, but after you dated Bailey, I changed my mind."

"Bailey? Why her?"

"Maybe because she was the reason I almost died that night at the party, where you promised to look after me, but instead you went to have sex with her."

"It was as good as the other people had said it was. She knows her way around a man."

"Ugh, can you not."

"You had a crush on me?" His eyes were big in disbelieve, his brain still processing the whole conversation. 

"Yes, I told you that already." She rolled her eyes. He really did not know all these years. 

"Why did you not tell me about this? We promised to tell each other everything." He lit another cigarette, which was very well needed. 

"Do you think it is easy to tell your best friend, that you have a big crush on them? No, it is not. I did not want to risk our friendship, just because of those stupid feelings."

"Stupid? They are not stupid? OH MY GOD."

"What?" she sighed.

"You should have told me. Maybe then we would not be single right now. I would have not been left alone at the altar and Max would have never broken your heart." Harry walked around nervously. 

"What are you saying?" Anastasia sat up strait. She was not sure if she had just heard me say those words. 

"I was sickly in love with you, Anastasia!" He stopped right in front of her. 

A/N: Hope you are having a great day! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote and leave a comment. xx

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