Facade [h.s]

twenty-seven

I turned my head quickly when I heard a sudden sound coming from behind me, letting out a relieved sigh when I realised it was just Harry - which wasn't surprising, considering that I was in his house.

It'd been almost a week since Indigo had come to his house, and I still hadn't found it in myself to go back home. I couldn't tell why, considering that I had a feeling Joel wouldn't have tried to hurt me directly, so I didn't think I was in any immediate danger. Another part of me, though, was almost sure that something bad would've happened if I'd gone back home. How could I be sure that Joel wouldn't have come looking for me? Or even worse, how could I know Joel wouldn't have found a way to get to Harry while he was alone?

It did seem ridiculous for me to be worried about him, especially considering that Harry himself didn't seem to be as worried as I was, but I couldn't help it. I would've never forgiven myself if something had happened to Harry because of me. He didn't deserve any of the shit that whole situation was putting him through, and I couldn't help but feel guilty about it, even though it definitely wasn't my fault. They were my friends after all and maybe, if I'd understood what was going on earlier, Indigo would've never decided to bring him into that mess as well.

"I made tea" Harry said, handing me a cup, and I nodded, taking it from him while simultaneously trying not to burn my hands because of how hot it was.

"That's a very British thing to do" I commented, and he let out a chuckle, sipping his own warm drink.

In the days I'd spent at his house I'd noticed a lot of his little hobbies and quirks, that somehow made him even more interesting.

He drank tea at least once every couple of days, mostly while he was sitting at his desk reviewing the notes he'd taken in class. He studied a lot, but he didn't have a particular interest in being first of his class - but it made sense, considering his tuition issue.

He often read before going to sleep, even if he only had time for a couple of pages, some books about psychology that I didn't even know where he'd managed to find, insisting that they would've helped him to understand his classes better. His eyesight wasn't the best after all the nights spent studying, but it also wasn't bad enough for him to wear glasses, so he always squinted a bit while reading.

In the morning, coffee was a priority for him. He could've been late for his classes and he still wouldn't have left the apartment before drinking his cup of coffee. If for some reason he hadn't gotten to drink it at home, he would've surely got one at a café before going to class.

He sucked at cooking pasta, but he could make a great carbonara sauce - for some reason I couldn't understand, since it basically made no sense. He was close to his mother and texted or called her almost every day, but he rarely got to go to her house, even though they lived in the same city.

If he could help it, he always showered in the morning. He didn't like to go to sleep with his hair wet - he said it ruined his curls to lie in the same position for too long while it dried up.

There were a lot of things about him that somehow managed to make him even more captivating than he already was. If some months before someone had told me that the rude boy I'd just met was the kind of person that liked to spend his evenings fixing his notes while sipping tea, I wouldn't have believed them. It would've made sense though, considering that back then he'd seemed to have made a hobby out of sleeping with people, instead of staying at home by himself.

"You're silent" he stated when he was done drinking. I was looking at the white sky out of the window, but I could feel his eyes on me anyway.

I shrugged, not looking at him. "I just have a bad feeling about this" I stated, sighing. "Hiding away, everything. I just think it won't be good in the end. But Joel also scares me, so I really don't know what I should do or think right now." I sighed. "I just want to hide from him forever, because the thought of him actually knowing where we all are is terrifying, you know?" I turned my head to glance at him, and I realised only in that moment what he was already looking at me attentively.