Chapter 10

Amanda

I dragged my feet all the way downstairs into the kitchen, my heavy backpack hanging on my shoulders. I feel so tired. We got home around 12am. I slept around 1am and had to wake up again for school by 4am.

Tyler was leaning over the kitchen sink facing the window. He had his phone pressed tightly against his ear.

"Hey buddy it’s me... Wait you already knew that. I was drunk and angry at the fact that you get all the girls... That was no excuse but... Please call me when you get this. I'm sorry... Again''

"Harry's not picking up, is he?"

He turned around to face me

"No he's not"

"Can you blame him?"

He sighed

"No I can't"

"You said some really awful things last night"

"I know. Now I feel really bad. It was the alcohol talking"

I began to think. What could be the one thing that can make Harry happy right now?

"How bout we go see him today?" I suggested

"We?"

"Yeah as in you and me"

"I have work. You have school"

"So? Come on it'll be fun"

"You're going to ditch school to see Harry?"

Yes

"No... I just wanna see how he's doing especially after what happened last night. Jeremy picked a fight with him"

"Harry and Jeremy had a fight?"

"Not physically... you know what I mean" I waved him off

"Wow"

"Please? It'll be fun to rebel once in a while. I ditch school, you ditch work. What do you say?"

"You know this is all levels of wrong right and as your older brother I'm supposed to disagree"

"I know but please. I really wanna see Harry"

He looked at me for a moment

"Okay"

I squealed loudly

-

When we arrived at Harry's room, he was sitting with his back against the wall reading a book

"Hey man" said Tyler

Harry looked at us then got up

"Hey bro... Amanda?"

"Hi Harry" I waved

"Hi. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Yeah, I came to see you"

He smiled at me

"Thanks"

I smiled back at him on impulse. What can I say? His smile is pretty contagious. He's so cute I can't deal

"Look I'm sorry for yesterday" Tyler apologized "I don't... "

Harry held up his hand in the air signalling for him to stop talking

"No need to apologize. Shit happens" Harry said "it was a long night. We were all drunk, you saw me with a girl you fancied, and you said some bad words. It’s alright"

I had to refrain myself from hanging my mouth open in shock. Did he just say what I think he said? He's gonna let Tyler off the hook that easy? After all the embarrassment he went through last night. If it were me I'd throw a fit. Period.

"We cool?" Tyler asked him

"More than cool. We've been friends for over thirteen years despite the distance. You think a girl's gonna ruin our friendship? Come here"

Harry stretched out his right hand for Tyler to shake then they did that handshake that guys do which includes the bumping of shoulders thingy.

Tyler looked like a kid who just opened his presents on Christmas day

Aww. A smile was plastered on my face. I haven't seen my brother this happy in a long time

Tyler's phone rang loudly interrupting us. He checked the screen

"Sorry I gotta take this" he said before walking out if the room "hello?"

Harry and I were alone in the room and boy was it awkward. What am I supposed to say to him?

He looked like he was about to say something until my phone rang. Dammit! This is not a good time

As you can guess, it was Jeremy. I picked up and answered

"Hey babe" he said

"Hi" I replied dryly

"You mad at me or something?"

Yes I am. I'm still angry at him for what he did yesterday. He didn't have to be rude to Harry.

"No. Whats up?"

"You aren't in school"

"Yeah I uh.. I'm not feeling too well"

"Sorry. Want me to come over later?"

"No thanks. I'd rather be alone"

"Aright. Love you"

"You too"

Harry arranged his clothes into a wardrobe. This would be the perfect opportunity to apologize for Jeremy's behaviour last night

"I'm sorry about what Jeremy did last night" I said

"Its fine"

"No its not. I don't know why he's such.... "

"A dick?"

"No. An overprotective boyfriend"

"I don't blame him for being overprotective. He shouldn't talk to you like he owns you or something"

"He doesn't talk to me like he owns me"

Harry gave me a look that said "really? You're trying to defend him?"

I rolled my eyes

"Fine, yes he does talk to me like he owns me" I admitted

"Why do you put up with that?

Because we've been together for more than three years and he's the perfect guy in my parents' eyes

"Its complicated"

"That's what I thought"

He grabbed the book he was previously reading from the floor and entered inside his tent

I stood outside not knowing what to tell him or what to do. This is awkward

"You aren't gonna come in?" He said

I thought you'd never ask

"Oh okay"

I crawled into the tent and sat beside him. It was quite small on the inside, just enough for three people to sit and talk.

Oh my days, I almost forgot I brought something for him. I brought out a flash drive from my pocket

"This is for you" I handed him the flash drive "it has all my favourite songs in it. Maybe you can find your taste there"

He examined the flash drive closely. He didn't say a word. Oh no. He doesn't like it.

"You don't like it, do you?" I mumbled

"Hell no.. No... I mean yeah I do. It’s just... Thank you"

That's a relief

"You're welcome"

"This is the first gift I'm receiving from a girl. It’s very thoughtful of you to do this. Thanks"

I grinned. Thank God he likes it. I was about to die from embarrassment ten seconds ago

It was then that I realized how close to each other we were seated

"I'm glad to be your first" I whispered

"I'm glad you are my first"

He scooted a little bit closer to me or is it my imagination? We got closer until....

"Hey guys" Tyler's voice sounded from the hallway

I quickly got out of the tent before he entered the room. I don't want him to think Harry and I were doing anything wrong. He is my older brother after all. He'd kill us both

"Yo Harry. Wanna grab a quick bite? I'm starving" he said as he came in

Harry came out of the tent. His lips were in a straight line. Is he angry?

"Sure"

"How are we gonna get there?" He questioned "you wanna take a taxi?"

"Your dad took your car again bro?" Harry asked

"Ye... Ah"

"You do know he's doing this on purpose right"

"I know man"

What are they talking about? What's my dad doing on purpose?

"What's all this about?" I asked Tyler

"I went to see Harry on Sunday evening and dad found out. He took my cars from me to make it difficult to move around. I think he blocked my uber access too"

"In other words, you're grounded?"

"Exactly" Harry said

This makes no sense. My dad seized my brother's three cars because he went to see Harry? How did I not know about this?

"For seeing your friend?" I asked him

"Yes"

"You're 22!"

"Tell that to dad"

"There's more to what we know Ty" Harry said "it makes no sense"

Hell no it doesn't

"You can't let dad control you like this!" I exclaimed

Yes my dad has extreme control issues but I never knew he'd take it this far. Tyler is an adult for crying out loud.

He controls us from what we eat to what we wear down to our future careers. I always wanted to be a writer but he said writers don't get paid well so he forced me to go in the line of Law to become a Lawyer

I think Harry's right. There is more to this than we know

"What am I supposed to do?" Tyler argued

"Move the fuck out" Harry shouted "you've got enough money. Get yourself a condo and a new job"

"Remember what my dad did to you? He'd do the same fucking thing to me. He'd block every single opportunity for me to make me miserable just so he can prove a point"

"Dad won't do that" I spoke

They looked at me with dead straight faces. My heart almost leaped with fear

"Okay maybe he would" I admitted

"Look I can't talk about this on an empty stomach. Let's go eat"

"How are we gonna get there?" I asked again

-

In thirty minutes I was at the back of Harry's black motorcycle holding tightly onto his waist.

Tyler rode on his skate board beside us.

How stereotypical of a bad boy like Harry to have a bike. He told me that was the first thing he bought when he arrived in Denver.

"I've never been on one of these before" I shouted over the noise of the breeze so that Harry could hear me

"I guessed"

I loved the feeling of the breeze in my natural hair. I couldn't help but giggle

"You're having a great time, huh?" Harry laughed

"Hell yeah"

I pressed my cheek against his back and held onto him tightly. His body felt so soft and warm

There's so much more to Harry that I don't know and I'm gonna find out even if it kills me. He has such an intriguing demeanour which makes me curious.

What's behind his bad boy attitude and ridiculously good looks?

I laid my head back and enjoyed myself putting my hands in the air

"Whoo hoo" I screamed

"Feels great, yeah?" Tyler asked me

"Yeah"

"Stick with me angel and your life could change" Harry told me

I blushed when I remembered my moment with him in the tent. We were so close

For a second I thought he was going to kiss me. Would that be so bad? I mean, I've heard about people having sex with someone they don't even know.

Janet told me she lost her virginity to a boy she met at a party that night.

The fact that harry would have kissed me isn't what scared me. What scared me is the fact that I might have actually let him