Wonder ❄️ | h.s. |

Chapter Seven

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," Harry half-sings while giddily walking down the street. "Everywhere you go!"

He's been like this all morning. Following my promise last night that I'd take him out shopping, he's been buzzing. It's a little annoying, but it's better than him being miserable and rude so I'm putting up with it. And I guess it is kinda precious to see him so excited, even if it gives him more energy than a child hopped up on sugar.

"You're in a good mood," I chuckle at his cheery disposition.

Harry turns around and grins at me, his dimples on full display. "I'm finally getting some real clothes, how could I not be?"

I shake my head, amused, as he practically skips down the side walk. I swear, if he could, he'd start flying. His silly performance gets a little overambitious, however, and he slips on a little bit of melting snow. Harry manages to regain his balance, only after flapping his arms around like a bird, but the ordeal doesn't even falter his smile.

"Slow down there Kiddo," I say, brushing past his display.

"I'm not a kid," he mutters, before catching up to me.

When he acts like this, it's easy to forget that he was once the man plastered across my roommate's walls. He used to seem so unreachable. But up close, he's pretty normal. Don't get me wrong, he's an arrogant asshole, but at the bottom of it he's just a person. It's weird that Harry's been living with me for over a week. It simultaneously feels like it's been forever and no time at all.

Peeking over at him, I see him with his hands deep in his pockets and a whisper of a smile on his lips. He has the slightest bounce to his walk, as if there's music playing in his head and he's doing his best not to dance along.

Harry's nothing like what I thought he'd be. Originally, I thought he'd be the absolute picture of chivalry, although I quickly found out that wasn't true. But he has these moments where he breaks through his entitled attitude. It's as if he's just used to getting his way and has just come to expect it rather than thinking he's better than other people. He actually seems really to like other people: whether it's entertaining them or just chatting. He just hates being told what to do. He's both stubborn like that.

I also imagined Harry would have some indescribable aura around him—like he'd literally glow gold. But he doesn't. He may be incredibly charming, but he doesn't have any godlike power. In fact, he's actually a pretty big goofball a lot of the time.

It's remarkable how quickly he switches from acting like an innocent 10-year-old to a spoiled pop star. I haven't fully figured him out yet. Every time we get close to getting along, he turns around and ruins it.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

I roll my eyes as I look away from him; there's the Harry I've come to know.

As we turn onto a new street, our destination comes into view: Still a Good Cause Thrift Store. This is where I do a lot of my clothes shopping, so I knew Harry would get the best bang for his buck here. After all, he needs to get an entire wardrobe on a weekend's worth of pay.

Harry seemed apprehensive to the idea of a thrift store when I first brought it up, but he eventually warmed up to the idea. I think it helped that I told him the only other clothing store in town that was semi-affordable was Marden's, which is essentially a Walmart but made even more rustic.

He almost certainly doesn't know what he's in for. I know thrifting has become a bit of a cultural trend so he has to be familiar with the concept, but I imagine he's expecting to find second-hand vintage and designer items. That's what thrifting looks like online. But that's only when you're in fancy neighborhoods and cities. And Sullivan is certainly not that.