Effortless (h.s.)

Chapter THIRTY FOUR - the right

I sniffed and slung my sac back onto my shoulder. California wreaked of smoke from all the fires in the surrounding areas.

I hadn't been back to the apartment complex since I moved out, it surprised me to find it still standing. Nearly all the buildings around had either burnt down or fallen out of business.

The memories in this part of California haunted me. Since living with Dylan we were doing something almost every second of every day if I wasn't in the cafe. Coming back to the place I met Harry felt like I was returning to a dream I had woken up from.

I pushed my lips together and anxiously gnawed at the dead skin.

Maybe Harry's idea of "Meet me at the moon." was somewhere else.

My stomach eased at the thought of postponing or altogether skipping this soon to be uncomfortable interaction.

To my demise, gravel shifted a few yards away. I tensed up my shoulders and wildly darted my eyes to the end of the road to see a dark shadow entering the alleyway. Their hands tucked into pockets, shoulders hunched, while their long legs kicked outward to slowly approach where I stood. My pupils dilated and adjusted to the darkness, I could make out the white of his eyes.

I straightened my posture, gripping the handle of one of my bags to strengthen my statue.

Harry's hair glistened in the light given off by a nearby street lamp. He came to an altogether halt about three feet away, his last step into the direct moonlight.

The moon beam went through his eyes to enhanced their green color.

"Evenin'," the word rolled off my tongue and interrupted the natural sounds echoing around us.

Harry squinted his eyes slightly, he glanced down and took in my appearance. 

I wore the clothes I had worn all day at work. A pair of black straight legged jeans with an orange button up tucked in. My feet curled up when his gaze met my dirty white non-slip sneakers I bought from the closest supermarket.

I didn't bother wasting any money I earned over the past six months of working at Beachwood. Dylan refused to accept any form of pay I offered him for letting me live with him, I spent at most fifteen dollars a week to sustain myself. The last thing I ever thought about was going out and buying new clothes.

When Harry and I first met, my brown hair was almost entirely covered with blonde highlights. It was long enough to put into a high pony tail. I had cut almost all of my hair off in Dylan's bathroom two months ago to get rid of any trace of blonde left. Some days, if I was lucky, it wouldn't fall out of my low pony at work. Today wasn't one of those days.

My ash brown hair just barely tickled my shoulders.

"Say something," My posture fell, his judgmental stare wearing me down.

Harry quickly met his eyes with mine and pursed his lips, "I'm sorry I sent them all to the cafe."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding onto. It seemed as though Harry did too, his expression lessened it's intensity within moments.

The anxiety of it all started to fade, I was reminded of our friendly past. This wasn't a meeting to fight, it was something to potentially end us off on a good note. Heaviness followed me in everything I did. I wasn't ready to move on and still carry that baggage along with.

Through the moons light I was able to visualize Harry's bright outfit. A yellow corduroy jacket covered a graphic tee that was tucked loosely into flared out denim jeans. My eyes traced down to his hands covered with the same rings I grew fond of when we were close.