COUNTING STARS

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Ariel’s P.O.V
I was out of the hospital within a few days; I got my discharge papers and was on my way. Now I was relaxing in the comfort of my home trying to heal to full recovery before going back to school and facing the judgmental stares and snarky comments. “Do you need anything else sweetie?” I shook my head, mom bent down placing a soft kiss on my forehead. “Okay, I’ll be downstairs” She tucked the covers tightly around my body. “I’ll check on you every hour” Then she walked out the room cracking the door open just a bit. I retched over onto the table to grab my remote and clicked the power button instantly the T.V lit up with actors and actresses.

I flipped through the channels and mom came in checking on me every hour like it was her ambition, her goal in life. After about three hours of check up’s and repositioning my pillow a knock came echoing onto the door. “Mom? I’m literally okay” There was no answer and automatically I knew who it was partially hiding his body behind the door, peeking his head off around the corner. “Hi” I shook my head. “No….” He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. “How did you get in here?” I whispered. He shoved his hands in his front pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “I snuck I guess….” He grabbed the chair by my dresser and scoot it up beside the bed. “So what are you watching?” I couldn’t stop staring at him with

disbelieve. “Harry….” “Hum” He was listening but his eyes were glued to the T.V. “Did you forget what happened yesterday?” He dropped his eyes from the screen just for a split second then returned them. “Yeah so….”I sat up a little straighter. “You were supposed to leave me alone, let me go, take care of your baby and wife” “Ex-wife” He searched around on the remote typing in the number of a channel. “We’re getting a divorce…..” He said it as if it was nothing, as if he didn’t think about how this poor innocent baby has to grow up with parents who don’t love each other. “What about the baby?” He dropped the remote once he was satisfied with his choice of channel. “I will gladly take of my baby girl” I dropped the conversation and looked at the T.V. He seem different he hasn’t talked about us or the fact that we can’t be together he just….showed

up and practically hung out with me. This went on for a few days, everyday around 4 o’clock he would come over either with movies or food and would sit down in the exact same spot and watch T.V with me. 2 weeks passed and I couldn’t help keeping this question inside, I needed to know why he’s here and why hasn’t he made a move yet. “Harry….” He just shoved a fry into his mouth. “Why are you here?” He shoved another fry into his mouth. “Because I can be…..” He grabbed his soda taking a sip from it and placing it back down. “No…why are you actually here?” The question hung in the air; he swallowed the soda and grabbed the remote turning off the T.V. “It’s not going to happen……” I leaned a little bit closer my ribs throbbed sorely with

misery. “What?” He shifted in his seat to look at me. “I’m not letting this happen to you again, they’re never going to touch you” I furrowed my forehead. “They? Do you know who did this Harry?” His fingers tightened into a fist, and his eyes his complete thought went somewhere else to another place. “It was Jack’s guy’s…..they did this” He was getting more mad by the second. “Hey…” I grabbed his hand and his fist unraveled slowly he looked down at our hands touching. “It’s not your fault that this happened, just thank god that I’m alive and well” He looked up at me and I put on a tight ‘everything’s going to be alright’ smile. Then he grabbed my hand slowly entwining his fingers around mine till we were palm to palm; inseparable of each other.

I gasped lightly; he looked at our hands then back at me. Without permission he came forcefully on to me grabbing my jaw line he guided his lips onto mine. So much anticipation and wanting that it was so hard to let it all out at once. He knelt onto the bed getting a better position, I grabbed onto his shirt bringing him even closer to my body then I wrapped my arms around his neck trapping him in the force field of my body. His lips were slightly cold but soft as butter and his tongue once in a while would tag my tongue. “Ariel? Are you okay?” Mom’s soft footsteps were getting closer towards my door. Harry sadly removed his lips and quickly darted over to my closet falling in he closed the doors behind him. Mom came in right after rolling her eyes around the room. “Were you talking to somebody?” I shook my head. Her eyes ran over to the fries on my side desk. “Who’s are these?” “Barney’s um she…..she came over earlier” Mom

did her one eyebrow raise as if she was on to me. “Okay…” She took one more 360 around my room then walked outside the door. “Um can you close the door?” She nodded and closed the door. Soon as it closed Harry came falling out of the closet and he quickly walked back over to the bed and knelt down and gave me a nonchalant kiss. “That’s my queue to go” He grabbed his fries off the side desk shoving a couple in his mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow” He gave waved two fingers in the air and began his way out the door. It took me till then to realize that I badly wanted to yell out those three little words that meant so much to him.

Notes