Yellow || hs au

|24|

Tw
—

  Exchanging gifts has always been something incredibly awkward for me and my family. I never ask for anything, even when I was younger. I never wanted the Barbie dream house or American girl dolls. I usually asked for art supplies or coloring books or crayons.

  This year was different. I didn't ask for anything. My parents had gotten me a new set of paints and the rest being money, as well as the payment on my apartment. Which is fine by me, I didn't expect anything at all this year.

  Christmas was exactly as I expected it would be. Quiet and quick. We opened the few gifts we had gotten each other, my father had gotten my mother a vacation to Bora Bora in January. She got him a new wallet that probably costed as much as the vacation.

  None of us argued which was good, so the holiday was peaceful. My mother didn't say anything about the gifts but she seemed to be pleased with my reaction. I was grateful. I always am.

  It's now the twenty seventh, I stayed an extra day due to the highways and interstates being closed from a blizzard. I spent the day cooped up in my shed painting and wondering what the fuck I'm going to do with the portrait of Harry.

I'm not going to keep it, obviously and I sure as hell will not be showing it to him. I may just paint over it or throw it away entirely. But every time I look at it, I realize how good it is. It's so detailed and painted so well. It's art and I can't imagine throwing good art away.

"Remember to drive safe, Lucky." My father tells me, his voice slightly stern. I nod my head as I push on my shoes, glancing at my parents who are stood beside one another in front of me.

"Call when you're at your apartment." My mother says this time. I simply nod my head again. It's already almost two o'clock, the roads only just opened back up again after being salted, and I'd like to be close to New York by the time it's dark.

"I will." I mutter. I share quick and slightly awkward goodbyes with my mom and dad before I'm quickly walking to my car that has been started, the heat kicked on high.

I'm eager to finally go home. I contemplated driving to Boston to see Cora but I decided against it. We still haven't spoken and the guilt is only building up more and more in my stomach. And I can't decide if that's wrong or not.

I sigh, trying not to overthink everything as I continue driving. I'm hoping it'll go by somewhat fast, it's only a few hours but that's no including the traffic that I may or may not end up in.

The rest of my drive is smooth sailing, pretty much going with the flow of traffic that wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be.

The podcast playing over the speakers on my phone pauses, my phone vibrating in the cup holder causing me to feel around until I find it, my eyebrows furrowing at Harry's contact name flashing on the screen.

"Harry?" I question, hearing the sound of static and muffled noise on the other end causing me to shake my head, maybe he didn't mean to call me.

"Clover?" Harry's voice is rough and shaky causing me to sit up in my seat, my eyebrows deeply furrowed. "I know I shouldn't— I shouldn't have called you but— fuck." His words are slow and spaced out from one another, but not like usual. Something is wrong.