SHE (bk 1)

TWENTY-FOUR

Spit caught in Clementine's throat and a loud series of coughs followed as her cheeks blazed in fire. Move in with him?

"No no not in a weird way...I just...I want you to have a safe place where you can actually relax with no strings attached," he tells her while rubbing the back of his neck in anxiousness.

The doors to the ambulance open and Clementine blows out a large breath of relief, tumbling from the car and into the persons arms. "Wow there ma'am....you have glass in your feet we need to bring you in on the stretcher," he makes her sit down on the edge while they get it down from the ambulance. 

Harry trailed behind them into the hospital with a woeful expression covering his face, her reaction to his question not being what he wanted. He thought she would be jumping for joy at the thought of having somewhere to stay where Max didn't know, somewhere safe for her. Even so she would at least be with him so they would both not be so lonely, it was a win for both of them in his eyes. 

The doctor that was waiting at the doors takes them into a trauma room where Clementine will have the glass pulled from her foot and a couple stitches in her leg. Leaving the two of them in silence while they gathered supplies Harry immediately burst as soon as the door closed. 

"Do you not want to stay with me? I mean that's fine but that window is broken in your apartment and also Max knows where that place is, so with me it's safer," he tries to explain his reasoning while Clementine looked on with a humorous expression. 

She understood why he was asking her to stay with him but it all seemed a little too fast, now this wasn't a romantic moving in but it was staying with a man. A very handsome man. 

Clementine had only ever lived with her mother so the thought of having Harry around 24/7 was throwing her off, what if they hated living with each other and it ruined their friendship?

The doctor pops into the room once again and gives Clementine some shots in her feet while they pull out the many shards of glass stuck in them. It was a good time to really think over the offer Harry had put on the table, since it was silent beside the clinking of the glass on the medical tray. 

Harry's apartment was closer to the diner and it was a very nice place to stay, Max couldn't get up to his apartment even if he tried. But Harry's place was cold and uninviting with little color or decoration, while elegant looking it just didn't feel like a home to her. 

Everything was untouched and completely white, a little boring for her taste but in Hollywood white was elegant and expensive looking. Wait what if he has girls over?

The thought turns Clementine's stomach and she looks over at Harry under her eyelashes, his gaze already on her. He had been staring at her the entire time she was debating with herself, every thought thrown into the expressions changing on her face. He sends her a small smirk and a blush breaks out onto her cheeks before she nods her head. 

He sits forward immediately, "Are you nodding yes to my question?," he asks a little too loudly, the doctor jumping at the sudden noise which made Clementine wince. Harry apologizes and anxiously waits for her reply. 

Clementine takes in a breath before nodding, "You make a very compelling argument," she smiles slightly but quickly recovers, "But on one condition," his face straightens and frequent nodding makes him look like a bobble head. 

"We are going to paint."

________

"So this can be your room...we'll get your stuff tomorrow but for now i'll get you some clothes to wear," Harry shows her into the guest room she had stayed before, the sheets now washed and rest in perfect folds. White of course. 

Leaving the room, Clementine looks around while she waits for him, her feet aching with every step she takes. The doctor told her to take pain medication and stay off of her feet as much as possible for the next week or so. But that wouldn't work out so well. 

Clementine already began to stress about the diner and who would be taking care of what she couldn't, Claire. She would have to give Claire a call first thing in the morning to let her know what was going on and that she would have to be in charge for a bit. She trusted the older woman since she was running the place when her mother was sick and until Clementine could take over. 

"Clem?," The blonde jumped when she noticed Harry had been stood in front of her for about a minute with a pile of clothes outstretched to her. She gave him a slim smile before taking the clothes, disappearing into the bathroom where she changed carefully. 

She looked at herself as she stood in a shirt that had Harry's last album cover on it, a small smile biting at her lips. Rolling her eyes she limps into the room where he was already laughing at the fact his face was plastered onto her. "Really? You have a shirt with your own face on it?," she places her hands on her hips.

He wanted to make her happy after the day she had, a smile lit up her pale face and eyes warmed slightly as she looked at him. All he had wanted was a small glimpse of the sunshiny grin she always had and here it was, staring back at him in all its glory. Clementine was extraordinary. 

It was amazing that even just her smile was enough to uplift his whole mood within seconds, it was a super power of hers. She had a hold on him that he couldn't explain because he had never experienced it before, she was so different than the rest. 

"Well you can sleep well now, i'm a room away but also i'm right here," he pokes her stomach where the picture of him lies and she bites her bottom lip. He was so incredibly sweet. "Get some rest Clementine, I will see you tomorrow."

She nodded before watching him walk toward the door, "Wait," just as Harry turned around again her small body crashed into his causing him to stumble back. He barely registered her hug before she let go and looked up at him, "Thank you for everything...good night."

As Harry closed the door he leaned his back against it, he felt like he was walking in the clouds.