I. L'instant [H.S]

XXXVI

"What's gonna happen then?"

Michael's inquiring questions are annoying the fuck out of me, but I try to ignore him while I down what's left in the bottle. The day's been shit -well, most of this week has but I've got nothing else to think about other than my father and his constant demands, Jules' endless but pointless attempts at trying to make me act more like a decent boyfriend and my mates' unnecessary plans to throw me a birthday party.

"C'me on, Harry. We have to do it." Martin sings, throwing his arm over my shoulders.

"I don't want to." I shake my head, asking the tender for yet another. "I have work that day."

"Bullshit." Michael laughs. "You just want to stay in with that girlfriend of yours, don't you?"

I don't bother replying to that.

Part of the reason I don't even want to begin thinking about my birthday it's because of the stubborn and oh-so-fucking infuriating woman I haven't seen nor heard of in what feels like a damn eternity. I don't know what is it about her, she drives me insane and she clearly lied to my face about that asshole. The only thing that I'm actually happy about it's kicking his bloody ass. He deserved it.

I wonder if she kept the ring I left for her, though. Maybe she threw it away, knowing her she must've burn it or smash it to pieces. I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have just throw it like that. Fuck..

"Harry's just being a sour ass because he got into a fight with Emilia's ex." Matt chuckles the moment I attempt to drink from my beer.

He's been having this strange attitude lately and I don't know what to think of it, or even care for it but now he's stepping over a line I made pretty clear no one could cross. He knows everything that's happened in my life, from meeting Emilia to fucking up my own life and leave, coming back to this place and forcing myself to care about Jules the way I do about the headstrong woman I can't stop thinking about is something he knows no one should talk about, it's nobody's business after all.

"Fuck off, Matt." I spit, trying to ignore him.

But of course, it doesn't stop there. "What? Did you get into a fight with Joe?" Michael asks, his tone changing completely.

"He deserved it." I press, turning my chair around so I can face them all. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Yeah, right."

Martin gives Michael a weird look. "Does Emilia know?"

"Of course she knows." I blurt out, feeling just as mad as I did when she got angry at me for hurting that asshole. "She's not talking to me because of it."

"Mate, you two have the weirdest friendship." Martin says with a shake of his head, laughing as if it was actually funny.

"Friendship?" Matt chuckles, earning my middle finger on his face. "Alright, fine. What are we going to do about your birthday then? Stop sulking over already, mate. It's clear you won't-"

"Do you even know what that twat did?" I spit, feeling so incredibly fed up with everyone's assumption I'm going mad for Emilia, when the only thing that's fucking bothering me it's her goddamned obstinacy and clear lack of respect for herself.

Michael shakes his head, Martin waits for an answer while Matt just rolls his eyes at me as if I was just trying to make up a fucking excuse. A little voice inside my head it's telling me I shouldn't say shit about Emilia's personal problems but right now I couldn't care less if they know, it's better this way so they stop thinking I've got some sort of obsession with her or I'm just an jealous prick who beat the shit out of her ex just to make myself feel better. Because I'm not.