Winter Air [H.S.]

Thirty

A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner! I've been super sick this past week and still fighting off this dang cough. But alas, here is an update! I even made it extra long. The song for this chapter: Wicked Game - James Vincent McMorrow -- Please take a listen. I think it explains the situation completely. 

The rain that pounded against her windowpane matched perfectly in sync with the salty tears that streamed down her face. She walked home that night, trying to clear her thoughts and mind from what she saw. Ava had never seen Harry so shaken up  like that. He was unrecognizable. 

Her heart broke that night in his living room. The shattered pieces were scattered against the floorboards of his melancholy flat. 

She sat in the middle of her cold bedroom with only a single sheet hanging around her bent shoulders. The wind that came through the crack of her window stung her bloodshot eyes. She shivered mildly unable to bring her blanket closer. All she could think about was the rage that flooded his eyes when he woke up. His painstaking yells screaming for her to leave him alone. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that came with the slip of "Delaine" that faltered from his lips. 

She was dead. Was she not? Ava racked her mind of all the stories that he told her of his past love. As she tried to remember what he told her, she realized that he barely went into detail about their relationship. She knew that Delaine was troubled and that Harry witnessed her murder, but that was where her limited information ended. She didn't know why she was troubled or how Harry and her met. She knew next to nothing of their beleaguered yet fervent love affair. 

It was then, at four in the morning, alone in her almost-frozen bedroom that Ava decided - no, determined- to discover more of this Delaine. It was because of this woman that the love of her life was being defeated by a bottle of Jack and a sliver of nicotine. 

Without realizing it, Ava fell into a troubled sleep. Her mind settled for a few hours giving her a wanted, yet completely rough, sleep. At nine her alarm began to go off. She struggled to get up. Her heart was broken and her mind was fizzled. 

She slowly walked to her bathroom and looked at her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was a matted mess. She shivered at the sight. How was she beaming one moment but completely defeated the next? Was this what love did? Break you a part piece by piece so you are completely nothing? Perhaps that was why Harry was so against it in the first place. 

The hot water of her shower burned her fragile body. She wasn't sure how long how she stood under the steam. It wasn't until the water began to cool down that Ava was snapped out of her thoughts. Everything seemed to be a daze. She was confused. She was hurt. But mostly, she was determined. She was determined to get answers. She wasn't going to lose Harry without a fight. 

The city was a rainy mess. It took Ava longer than she had anticipated to reach Rose's apartment. When she got inside, Rose opened the door with open arms. 

"Ave, it has been too long." She enveloped her in a much needed hug. It was as if she could sense the need Ava possessed for some form of affection. "Come on in. Want some tea? Freshly brewed?" 

"Sure." 

They walked into her tiny kitchen. Her bright yellow cabinets bringing a sense of peace to her anxious body. "Here, just like how my mum makes it." Ava wrapped her fingers around the large mug and took a sip. Her body automatically warmed up. 

She looked over at her friend. It had been a while since they both sat and talked. She soon realized her change of hair colour. Her once long lilac hair was chopped off into a gorgeous ombre cut. "Oh! Your hair!" Rose broke out into a fit of girlish giggles. A blush creeped up onto her cheeks. She tried to hide it with a pillow but failed completely.