Across the Pond (Prince Harry #2)

Chapter Eighty-Nine

With a bottle of vodka for both of them, Kyra and Meredith lied on the floor of Kyra's apartment in River Falls, Wisconsin. The two girls stared up at the ceiling while listening to Harry Styles. After a boring night out in River Falls for Kyra's twenty-second birthday, the two girls returned to Kyra's dormitory room.

"Is he going to be at your wedding?" Kyra asked.

"I thought you were more of a Louis Tomlison fan."

"I am, but Harry is better."

"At what?"

"Sex."

Meredith laughed. "And how would you know that?"

"I can just guess."

"He's better with birth control too," Meredith said. "How many kids does Louis Tomlison have?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Kyra said numbly.

Rolling her eyes, Meredith took another drink from her butterscotch vodka. Tonight had been a bust, but she hadn't expected much from River Falls. Meredith had offered up the Twin Cities, but Kyra wasn't interested. Admitting, Meredith didn't want to go to the Twin Cities either. Paparazzi were still around, and it was probably bad to be seen drunk. Surprisingly, Meredith hadn't been seen publicly drunk, which happened often enough when fire alarms occurred in Superior.

"You're almost free," Kyra said.

Meredith shrugged. "It doesn't feel like it."

"Because you're going somewhere with more rules."

"Wow. You're positive."

"You know what I mean." Kyra took a sip from her bottle. "I have two more years left. This is what happens when you change your major."

"You're following your dreams."

"I'm following the money," Kyra took another drink, "which is what you did by almost marrying someone rich."

"Kyra, be careful of what you say next," Meredith warned her best friend.

"That's not what I meant, Mere. I'm sorry." Flipping over, Kyra popped her head to the music. Her hair today had a ginger hue. Kyra didn't like it, but it was better than the time she changed her hair to black or bleach blonde. For how many times Kyra had changed her hair color, she liked the change, but she always hated the color she chose. "Why did I decide to do this with my life?"

"You want to be a doctor." Meredith laughed. "You're ruining your liver."

"You too."

"I'll have the money to pay for a new one," Meredith mocked.

Kyra playfully hit at her friend, and Meredith dodged out of the way. It wasn't helpful when Kyra managed to get her friend's boob. Meredith let out a yelp. Kyra flopped back against the ground, almost losing her shit with laughter. Either the alcohol had finally hit her or Kyra finally broke. However, knowing Kyra well enough, it was just her normal personality to uncontrollably laugh.

"You sound like you're dying," Meredith said.

"Just all the time." Kyra sat up and took deep breaths. It didn't work. She collapsed back into giggles, rolling all over the floor. She banged her hands and feet down.

"Your neighbors are going to think we're having sex."

"At least someone is."

"So I guess Whatever-His-Name and you didn't work out."

"He was crap. And he was a terrible kisser. And he smelt like cheese-- I hate cheese."

"I know. I used to eat it for you."

Kyra smiled. "Those were the days." Lying on her back again, the two girls fell into silence while staring at the ceiling. "Do you think Harry is going to propose soon?"

Meredith sighed. "Everyone seems to think so."

"What do you think?"

"It's going to happen. I know. We've talked about it. It'll probably be soon, but I don't know when. I don't know how. Perhaps the media will figure that out before I do-- maybe it'll be an actual surprise," Meredith said. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax. Her residents this year were shit, while last year had been quiet. Her first year as an RA-- her residents then were shit too. "I don't know what's going on."

"But you're going to London?"

"Even if Harry and I weren't anything, I would still go to London." Ever since Meredith was young, she loved the idea of London. While it had taken time to get used to London when she was there, she did enjoy her time. There was something about the city that made her feet alive. "That's the first start of our future."

"You're living with him. It's serious."

"I won't be able to escape."

"You can always come back to Wisconsin or Minnesota."

"No, I won't." While Minnesota was always going to be home, there wasn't a way to return. After living in such a large city, it was hard to come back to somewhere so normal and quiet. She needed another big city after London, maybe Berlin or maybe Edinburgh would do. Plus, Meredith was done having to drive in a lot of snow. She quit.

"No, probably not." Kyra sighed. "You were always meant for something bigger."

Meredith laughed. "You only say that because I'm doing something."

"While I did think you were going to save the world, but you decided to settle."

Meredith knew her friend joked, but there were other things. "I try to think what my life would be like if I never met Harry."

"You'd be bored out of your mind," Kyra shrugged, "or you would've already slept with someone famous."

"I would have no idea what I would be doing."

"No. You plan too much, and you're too good. You would probably have publishers lining up to fight for your books. No-- you'd be fine." At least Kyra had confidence in Meredith. "I think you'd probably be going for a few more degrees if you didn't know Harry, like other minors. You might finally get that geology minor."

"Yeah, mix it: Writing major, with minors of German, English, political science and... geology."

"That last one throws it all off."

"Can't be too humanities," Meredith joked. "Science majors look down on us."

Kyra laughed. "I am one of those science people now."

"Barely."

Kyra swung at her friend again, and Meredith rolled away. This time no contact was made. Standing up, Meredith towered her friend, and Kyra didn't like it. Standing too, Kyra took another swig.

"Well, if this is our last night together while there's no ring on your finger, might as well have fun." Kyra turned up the music and started dancing. "Let's let the neighbors think we're having a rav."

"They're going to call the cops."

"Let's get arrested!"

Shrugging, Meredith downed the rest of her vodka and started dancing with her friend. If the neighbors complained, the coppers never came. The dancing continued, or the movement because it could not be called dancing, until both fell down as the sun began to rise.