I. L'instant [H.S]

X

"I'm telling you, I think he's dating her."

Eric shakes his head, laughing while I attempt to ease some of the strange sensation it comes from having to talk about Harry's relationship status. I don't know why it feels so unsettling but thinking about him with somebody else just makes me want to erase the thought altogether.

"What about this one?" Eric points to a high-end store across the street. "We can look there."

"I know I said I want to look good but I'm not planning on spending more than two hundred-"

"Just shut up and walk with me." Eric wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me across the busy street.

I don't care what he says, I'm not buying if it's too expensive. Two hours later we're done and I've finally got the dress I think could be good enough for tomorrow's party. It's a deep emerald green dress with a draped cowl neck and a long full fishtail skirt, there's a slit on the right side but it only reaches right by the middle of my thigh. The cami straps are adjustable and I really liked how it looked on me at the store.

"Where is it again?" Eric asks as we make our way to the tube.

"Gibson Hall." I answer looking down at my phone which has yet another message from Harry.

"Thinking about getting a brew at Three Crowns, wanna come?"

"..so you could've spent a bit more on it but there's no one as stubborn as you, Emilia." Eric chuckles amusedly but soon realises I've ignored most of his rant. "What?"

"Do you wanna go to the pub? Harry's asking." I explain holding my phone up.

Eric looks at me like I've grown an extra set of arms. "Did he ask both of us?"

I smile sideways which only makes him laugh. "You can come with me, he's probably gonna take his girlfriend anyway."

The thought alone makes me want to tell him no altogether but then I haven't seen him since that day outside my house when I had to practically pull the words out of him though we've been texting a lot. This could be the first time we hang out without me wanting to throw a drink on his face, it'd be like old times.

"So you do think he's dating the model? Sophia told me she's a bit of a busybody.." Eric says with amusement. "What did she do?"

"She asked too many question, but then Harry says that doesn't mean she's bad." I explain with a sigh. "That's why I'm telling you, I think he's dating her already."

Eric looks surprised but then nods. "Well, lemme call Mike, maybe he'll want to come too?"

"Sure, sounds good." I nod and start writing a reply to Harry.

But my phone rings with his name flashing on the screen. "Hey," I say perhaps too lowly.

"What are you doing?" he asks, his tone sort of commanding.

"I'm with Eric, I actually-"

"I want us to go out, just you and I." he cuts me off, clearly knowing my intentions before I even tell him about them.

I don't know how to answer to that, "Oh.. okay, but lemme just talk to him because I already-"

"Of course you did." he chuckles. "Tell him I changed my mind -better yet, I'll tell him. Just give him the phone, Lia."

"Stop being bossy." I half laugh, finding his mix of authoritative and playful behaviour amusing. "I'll tell him."

"Alright. I'll pick you up in an hour." he says right before hanging up.