the brave ones // h.s.

item eleven

*yes this is item eleven, no you haven't clicked on the wrong part, and no i haven't published the wrong chapter. just keep reading :)*

"So," Harry begins casually. Eden unstitches her attention from the game of Mahjong she's playing on her phone and looks at him expectantly. "How long will we be driving until we stop again?"

Eden chews on the inside of her cheek. "I know we aren't on a schedule but I feel like we need to make up for not going anywhere the last two days. I don't want to stop again until we're in New York state."

He raises an eyebrow.

"It's closer than it seems," she says. "The city is like six hours from Richmond."

Harry rolls his lips together before speaking again. "Follow-up question."

Eden can't help the giggle that bubbles up. "You don't have to tell me you have a question, just ask it. Dork."

He eyes her sternly, though a ghost of a smile appears on his lips, before he says, "I just can't help but noticing that we're only up to Item Nine on your lovely little list. When are you going to complete number ten?"

"Actually, about that," Eden says slowly. "I'll be skipping over ten and going to eleven next."

"Don't you think you're getting your numbers mixed up?" Harry asks with a playful grin.

Eden rolls her eyes. "It's my list, I can follow it in any order I like. It just so happens that everything has occurred in order up until now."

She hops off the dryer and saunters away from him. "Figure it's time I switch things up a little. Can't let you get too comfortable, you know?"

"What are you on about?" he chuckles, pulling his clothes from the dryer and tossing them on top of the table in a pile.

Eden ignores his question. "Are you almost finished? I got a roadtrip to go on."

Harry chuckles. "Miss America, if I recall correctly I'm washing both our clothes here. So you may want to brush up on your patience."

She flashes him a facetious smile as he begins folding the first shirt on the top of the pile. He rolls his eyes and suppresses a grin. "I'm almost done, don't worry. You could come help me, you know."

Eden skips back over to him and nudges him with her hip as she stops beside him. "I know," she simpers. She plucks a pair of her shorts from the pile and folds them neatly.

"Going back to earlier," Harry begins casually. "What is number eleven?"

"Get a tattoo," Eden says, unable to contain the excitement in her voice. "I'm very nervous but it's something I've always wanted."

He makes a popping noise with his lips and says, "I have a follow-up, follow-up question."

Eden turns to chide him once more but sucks in her words when she notices the waiting smirk on his lips. She arches her brow in a look that says Go on, ask it then.

"What's Item Ten?"

Caught off guard, she stiffens at the table, hands clutches tightly to the fabric in her grip as she freezes mid-fold. Her pulse turns hot and heavy inside her veins. Part of her dares to say something on the offense and finally accuse him aloud of her worst fear. Another, smaller piece of her fights to subdue the flare of irritation that rises in her chest. The best she can manage in her split-second struggle is to keep the bitter thoughts inside her head, though the words are threatening to jump from her tongue.

Why bother asking? You already know that, don't you?

"That's private," she answers in a strained voice. She wills her hands to move again and finish folding, but Harry's already noticed her reaction to his question; from the corner of her vision, she sees his own movements falter. His state burns heavily through her but she can't make herself meet it.

"Have I said something wrong?" he asks, sounding wounded. Her stomach flutters at the knowledge that she's the one who pulled the hurt into his voice.

But that isn't enough to suppress her newfound irritation. She snatches her bag off the ground by her feet and dumps her clothes inside, both folded and unfolded, in a rather unceremonious manner. Harry watches on silently, taking his turn to stand still as a rock.

"I'll be in the car," she mutters, pushing past him and tromping outside before he can say two words to stop her.

~~~

uh oh.

short part! gearing up for the next big event. keep your seatbelts tightly fastened and hands inside the ride at all times ;)

also i published this from my phone so sorry if the spacing is trash