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ALWAYS

Chapter 28

Bored. I sat around my house completely bored. The note I had left for Enola said that I was busy all day but I thought nearly an entire week spent with her already was starting to wear on her emotionally. I wanted to be with her at all hours of the day. I wanted to play with Darcy every moment I could. But being around Enola...it was hard not to fall back into the things we used to do. And every time we did, even just for a single moment, we were interrupted and Enola would shy away. It was so hard to just put Enola in her bed and then walk away. I wanted to climb into the bed with her and hold her, make her feel safe. But I knew that waking up beside her would just make things more difficult for her. I swore that I would take a step back and let her figure out her feelings toward me. I thought that it would be best to give her some space. Maybe I needed the space a little as well.
I glanced over at the clock. It was only one in the afternoon. It was going to be a long day if I was already bored enough to stare at a wall. I pulled out my phone, looking to call one of the boys to hang out. But as I opened my contacts, I saw a number that I hadn't even thought of using yet. I inhaled deeply and pressed the call button. I was going to regret it down the road probably but I was going out of my mind sitting alone. I tapped my finger against the arm of the sofa nervously as the phone rang.
"Hello?" A sweet voice came through.
"Hey, uh, is this Aubrey?" I asked still feeling anxious.
"Yeah." She sounded suspicious.
"It's Harry." I tried to sound happier than I was at the moment.
"Oh hey!" Aubrey was much more enthused now. "What's up?" Her voice was bright and bubbly like the night we met.
"Nothing." I replied casually. "I was just wondering if you were busy at all today?" I inquired, keeping my calm tone.
"Um. No. I'm not." Aubrey sounded extremely nervous now.
"Do you...would you like to hang out with me today?" I asked her. I knew what the answer was going to be. She seemed so eager at the movie theater.
"Yeah! Sure!" Aubrey shouted with excitement. I missed the times when Enola would get so excited to do something with me. "What did you have in mind?" She inquired shyly.
I laughed, "I have no idea. I'm sick of sitting around the house today." Aubrey giggled nervously. "When can you be ready?" I questioned.
"A half hour." She replied.
"Alright. Text me your address and I'll come pick you up at... quarter to?" I offered. Aubrey quickly agreed and we ended the call. I dropped my phone onto the sofa beside me and exhaled heavily. I was probably going to end up getting myself in trouble but I needed the entertainment.


I pulled up to Aubrey's house exactly when I said I would. I laughed a little when she came running out of the house before I could even remove my seat belt. I had planned on going to the door to get her, be a proper friend. I got out of the car to greet her. I rounded the car and wrapped her in friendly hug.
"Hi." Aubrey giggled squeezing me back.
"How are you?" I asked, trying not to think of what Enola would think of me hanging out with Aubrey.
"I'm alright. Happy to be doing something other than studying today." Aubrey smiled brightly as she backed out of the hug.
I frowned, "You needed to study today?"
Aubrey shrugged, "That's all I've been doing all week. I need to take a break. They say that rest is just as important as actually studying." I lifted my eyebrow at her. "Come on. I'm already a straight A student in my courses. I'll be fine." She laughed. I agreed and opened the car door for her. She happily climbed into my car. I closed the door gently after she was in.

Aubrey and I walked into a restaurant that she said she liked. I'd been there when I was younger but I didn't go anymore. I looked around and smiled. It was different from what I remembered but I thought of one person that would absolutely love it. I followed the hostess and Aubrey to a table near the back. I was thankful for it. I didn't really want to be seen today.
As I sat down across from Aubrey she asked, "Have you ever been here before? You look like a little kid." I blushed a bit when she started laughing.
"I have. It was a long time ago. They changed some things." I replied.
"What's with the kid in a candy store face then?" Aubrey giggled again.
My heart lit up thinking of her, "Darcy would love this place. All of the stuff on the walls and the colors. I'd have a hell of a time getting her to sit and eat but it'd be fun."
"Darcy?" Aubrey seemed confused for a moment. "Oh! The little girl you were with at the theater!" She exclaimed. I nodded, grinning brightly. "It must be nice for her mum that you like to babysit." Aubrey stated with a genuine happiness.
"Yeah. She's a great kid. Her mother has been wearing herself thin lately. I figure I should help out." I replied honestly.
Aubrey looked intrigued, "Why SHOULD you help out?"
"It's kind of my fault she's a single mother." I answered quietly. I did feel a little responsible for Enola being alone as a parent. Had I listened to her all the times she said that it would be better to stay apart until she filed divorce, she wouldn't have had to do it alone and Darcy would be mine.
"Why would it be your fault?" Aubrey seemed even more intrigued now.
I sighed heavily, "It's a very long and complicated story."
Aubrey leaned forward with a smile, "I've got all day." I scratched my head and chuckled nervously. "Harry." I gazed up at her. "I won't say a word...to anyone. You can tell me." I inhaled deeply and began to recount mine and Enola's torrid love affair and the miserable ending.
Aubrey stared at me shocked. I knew my face was bright red and I knew that I had some tears running down my cheeks. I quickly wiped away the tears and ran a hand through my hair. Aubrey leaned a little closer and took my hand in hers. She stroked my knuckles with her thumb. I smiled thinking of the way that Enola used to do it, the way she did it the day before.
"I'm sorry." Aubrey murmured gently.
"Nothing to be sorry about." I replied quickly. Aubrey frowned and squeezed my hand. "I'm the one that acted like a idiot."
"Well, yeah, dating a married woman? I don't see that ending well for anyone." Aubrey chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
I frowned, "That's not what I meant." I pulled my hands from hers and leaned back into my chair.
"Oh." Aubrey was obviously embarrassed by her statement. "I...uh..."
"I meant, acting the way I did at the benefit. Had I not..." I shrugged and sighed heavily. I laughed, "I don't know. Who knows what would've happened?"
"Well, wouldn't you be worried that she'd do that to you?" Aubrey asked.
I chuckled and shook my head, "No." Aubrey looked taken back. "You don't know her ex-husband. I know everything about her too. I met her step-mum. She told me everything about Darcy's mum. I know all that there is to know about her. I would never think she would do that to me." I stated with full conviction. Aubrey looked a bit upset. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?" I wanted off the topic. I called Aubrey to get my mind away from Enola. Aubrey shook her head a little. "Tell me about your school. What are you studying?" I asked. I didn't want to just talk about me. Chances were, she already knew about most of my life, like most fans did.
"I'm a math major. My dad sooo wanted me to be a history person but that's just so boring." Aubrey stated with a fair amount of sass. I rested my chin on my fist and listened to her talk about the beauty of numbers and their meaning. It was strange. She spoke about math the way Enola spoke of art and history. Enola could talk for hours and hours about the both of them. She loved every little bit of history and all of the art that documented it. I loved the way Enola's eyes would light up as she rambled on, sometimes almost incoherently. She would use her favorites artists first names and speak of their emotions as though she were the best of friends with them. As Aubrey spoke of her favorite mathematicians, I noticed that she didn't speak of them the way Enola spoke of her artists. Aubrey used full names and talked about research over and over. Nothing like Enola. Enola was a beautiful, emotional creature. Aubrey was seemed to be ruled by her head.

"So, what next?" I asked Aubrey as we climbed back into my car. She shrugged, gazing at me with a smile. "Can I show you something I like?" I inquired as I shoved my key into the ignition. Aubrey nodded quickly. I grinned, "Awesome." I pulled out of the parking space with ease. "Where I want to take you isn't that far from here. I hope you like it. There are only a few who know about how much this place means to me." I spoke with enthusiasm toward Aubrey. Suddenly, my phone began to ring. I dropped my eyes to the caller ID. ENOLA. I shook my head. It was probably Darcy as she was getting ready to take her nap. "Hello?" I answered as kindly as I could
"HARRY!" Darcy shouted into the phone. "Are you coming over tonight?"
"No babygirl, not tonight. Tomorrow." I replied in a chuckle. Aubrey looked at me confused. "I have plans tonight, remember? I am going to go work with Uncle Liam." I informed the now devastated three year old.
"But HARRY!" Darcy whined loudly. "Mummy got me a new book and I want you to read it to me!" I ran my hand over the steering wheel to ease my stress level. I hated when Darcy whined at me. I couldn't handle it.
"I will read it to you tomorrow, Darcy." I stated firmly. Darcy attempted to whine at me again. "Darcy, I'm not going to argue with you." She stopped whining at me. "Now. Would you please put Mummy on the phone?"
"Okay bye." Darcy whispered with sadness. I frowned. I hated when she did that. She knew that if she acted sad long enough I would give in. Enola used to do the same thing to me all the time.
I heard some shuffling and Darcy whining a bit before I heard Enola's voice, "Hello?"
"Hey." I smiled hearing her voice for the first time of the day. "Am I allowed to come over tomorrow? Darcy wants me to read the book you bought with her." I asked shyly.
Enola sighed heavily, "Of course you're allowed to come over, Harry. Stop being silly."
"Well, I just don't want to invade your privacy. I've been there everyday for the last week." I responded quickly.
"Harry, if I didn't want you here, you wouldn't have been here." Enola giggled. "And when has either of us wanted privacy from the other?" Enola was still laughing.
"Yeah well, that was before..." I muttered.
"You made that choice." Enola grunted softly. Instantly, I was mad at myself. She was right. If it were up to her, we never would've broken up. Even though I knew that, I still hated the statement. I glanced over at Aubrey; I could see that she was intrigued by the half conversation she heard.
"Noli, I don't want to fight." I murmured into the phone. I peeked at Aubrey again. Her eyebrow was lifted even though she was looking straight ahead.
"Then don't be ridiculous, Bear." Enola snipped at me. As much as I wanted to smile at the use of the nickname she gave me, I was annoyed and I couldn't.
"Okay. I refuse to do this. I am hanging up." I announced to Enola.
"Fine." She puffed at me.
"Fine." I pulled the phone from my ear and hit the "end call" button. I dropped my phone into the cup holder, agitated. I rested my elbow on the door then leaned my head against my fist.
"Everything okay, Harry?" Aubrey inquired quietly. She seemed genuinely concerned for me.
I smiled at her weakly, "Yeah. I'm fine." She nodded and stared out the window again. Guilt filled me now. I had made her uncomfortable. But even worse...I had forgotten she was with me. "Hey. We're here." I beamed at Aubrey, trying to make her, and myself, feel better.

I led Aubrey into the art gallery with a smile. She didn't seem to be too happy to be there. Normally, I would've taken the hint and asked her if she wanted to leave, but the almost argument with Enola made me need the gallery. I held Aubrey's hand gently as I dragged her away from the room with Enola's work. I didn't want her to see that. Instead, I took her to one of the artists I was familiar with and liked a lot.
"This is what you wanted to show me?" Aubrey inquired, pointing at the colour adorned canvas in front of her. I nodded with a smile. Aubrey made a face that showed how much she wasn't feeling my decision. Aubrey turned to the painting once again and tried to focus on it. It didn't last long. Aubrey glanced back at me, "What am I looking at?"
I laughed and shushed her, "Just focus on it. Take all of it in. Every corner. Every little bit of space." Aubrey returned her eyes to the canvas and stared into it. She was quiet for a long time. My eyes took in all of the color, the shapes, the spacing and the faces of the people in the painting. My anger with Enola had begun to fade. I smiled as I thought of how she taught me how to see the things that I found important in art. My eyes closed while I remembered the feel of Enola's arms around me, her thumb caressing my stomach as she stood behind me, telling me what to look for.


"Noli, I can't see straight when you're touching me like that." I muttered, a smirk obvious in my tone. Enola giggled and held me tighter. I could feel her breasts pressed to my back, starting the burn of desire. "I'm serious." I whispered harshly.
"Shut your mouth." Enola spoke in a teasing tone. "Just breathe it all in. Me, the room, the painting. It will mean something different to you than it does for me if you think about it all." She spoke just above a whisper against my shoulder. I nodded and tried to do everything she said.
"This is going to end in steamy love making again." I whispered back to Enola. I felt her smile against my arm and she gripped the hem of my shirt tightly. "Every time we do this. That's what happens when we get to the hotel." She laughed quietly and kissed my arm lightly.
"Tell me what you see, baby." Enola murmured.
I inhaled deeply and began, "Love." Enola nodded and urged me to keep talking. "Yes, there's more than just two people in the painting but the artist that painted it. He felt love for those that he was painting. Maybe not in the way that you and I are in love but...he loved the way they were leading their lives in that moment. He loved the way some were laughing and smiling. He loved the way she was hurting." I pointed to a saddened face within the painting. I gazed back at Enola, "Is that right?"
Enola grinned and ran her hand through my curls, "There is no right or wrong. It's what YOU see." Enola hugged me tighter still. "I think I fell in love with you all over again." She whispered in my ear.



"Harry, are you alright?" Aubrey's voice brought me out of my memory of Enola. I smiled and nodded. "What were you thinking about?" Aubrey asked; she seemed very curious.
"Painting." I pointed to it. She didn't need to know that I had been thinking of Enola. That in the last few hours all I'd done was compare her to Enola. It was nice and probably wasn't fair but I couldn't help myself. "So, what do you see?" I was trying to change the subject.
"People sitting in a park." Aubrey stated flatly. I couldn't help but frown. Aubrey's face dropped, "I'm sorry, Harry. I don't see things the way you do. I've spent the last twenty minutes staring at people in a park." Aubrey spoke with honesty. I nodded again.
"Do you wanna get out of here then?" I asked her, completely disappointed in the outcome of the venture. Aubrey agreed sadly. It was easy to tell that she felt bad for not seeing the things I wanted her to see.


I sat down on the studio sofa next to Niall. Liam and Louis were across the room working on something. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked to see if Enola had called or texted me. She hadn't. She must've still been mad at me. I dropped my phone to the sofa and began sulking. It'd been a terrible day. I knew that spending it with Darcy and Enola would've ended up so much better than the day I spent with Aubrey. Yes, Aubrey was nice and easy to speak to. And probably easy in other ways as well. But I was overwhelmingly disappointed by the way the gallery trip had worked out.
"Harry, what's with the sad face?" Niall asked, his eyes showed concern.
"Rough day." I replied quickly. I wasn't really in the mood to talk about it.
Louis' brow furrowed, "E said that you two got into a kind of argument." I grunted and ran my hand through my hair.
"Yeah. Kind of." I muttered under my breath.
"About what?" Louis inquired.
"You already know. I know that she told you. Why are you even asking me?" I snapped a bit.
Louis frowned, "Because you're my best mate and I wanna hear your side of it too." Suddenly, I felt bad for snapping at him. "Come on. I already know. What's the harm in telling me?" I nodded then ran through my side of the almost fight. "Well, you did the right thing hanging up before you both said things that probably wouldn't have been helpful."
"Yeah and I'm quite certain Aubrey would've loved to hear that. She's never met Enola but I can tell that she doesn't like her." I stated without thinking.
"Wait wait wait!" Niall stopped me as I opened my mouth again. "Who? And why doesn't she like Enola?"
"Aubrey. She is a friend. A new friend but...while I was on the phone with Enola, Aubrey and I were going somewhere. Before that we talked about Enola a little bit. She didn't say it directly but I know that she doesn't like Enola." I explained.
"Aubrey, as in the girl whose phone number you got at the theater with Darcy?" Louis seemed a bit mad. I looked at Niall and he appeared miffed as well. I rolled my eyes; I was in trouble. "What exactly did you tell her that would make her not like Enola?"
"The truth. We were talking about Darcy and I said somethings about being part of the reason Enola is a single mother. So Aubrey asked why I felt that way..." I began.
Niall groaned, "You did not tell her about how you and Enola met or anything after." I nodded slowly. Niall shook his head, "Harry, why would you tell her that? What happens when you and Enola get back together?"
"Niall, Aubrey is just my friend. I couldn't ever love her the way I love Enola. I can't even be with Aubrey because she's not Enola. She's not even like Enola in the slightest." I assured him.
Liam smirked a bit, "Today was a date to see how much like Enola she is?" I blushed and flipped my hair around to avoid speaking. All of the boys started laughing. "Harry, why don't you just tell Enola that you want to start over? Tell her that being friends isn't what you want. That you can't not love her the way you always have." Liam asked, still laughing at me.
"Because that's not what she wants. If that's what she wanted, she would've told me already." I snapped again.
"Harry. You're an idiot." Niall chuckled and stood from the sofa. He joined Louis and Liam at the other table. Why was I an idiot? What did I do?

Notes

Comments

@#104926
I’m so glad you do!

I love this

@Kammy.
I do. Very much so. Lol. ❤️

@morrison_hotel

You love me <3

Hell yes to a new story about Harry and Enola.