Perfect

HARRY
“Harry,” Niall says again. “Will you please just stop drinking?”
The bottle is still on my lips when Niall comes and grabs it from my hand. “You fuck,” I yell. “Get out of my room!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he says, hiding the bottle behind his back so I can’t reach it.
“You actually think I won’t kick your ass to get my hands on that thing?” I growl.
“Will you kick my ass too?” A female’s voice speaks instead of Niall.
When I turn to see who it is, I see Jamie standing by the threshold. “What’re you doing here?”
“That’s not very polite,” Jamie says and Niall leaves the room without a word and hands her the bottle, which she places on the coffee table.
“Well, I don’t feel very polite.”
“Harry, I’m sorry about the way I acted before.”
“You shouldn’t be,” I say. “You were right. You can’t trust me. No one does.”
I realize that I’m giving up a lot more than I should but I don’t care anymore. I’m at a point where everything is already fucked up. But instead of backing away she walks up to me. “Harry,” she says. “That’s not true. I trust you.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she says. “You’ve never given me a reason not to.”
“So what’re you saying, Jamie?” I say. “That you don’t care about what that website says anymore?”
“I’m saying I’m willing to give us a chance. That is if you’re still up for it.”
“And what do I have to do?”
“For starters,” she says. “You have to quit drinking.”
“Quit drinking?”
“I don’t mean you can’t have the occasional drink or go to your favorite bar once in a while,” she says. “But I don’t want to see you like this. Ever.”
“I suppose that can be arranged.”
She smiles. “Good.”
“So, I really don’t know what to do here.”
“Well,” she says. “Let’s take it slow. Like we agreed. Let’s go out on a date, see how it goes. We’ll take it from there.”
“I guess that’s not such a bad idea.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
She starts to leave and I try to stop her. “Jamie!”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not doing you some favor, Harry.”
“Yes you are. You’re trusting me.”
“Well,” she says. “If it means that much to you, then don’t give me reason to regret it.”
“I won’t.”
She leaves.
The room is empty but I’m not.
Tomorrow is a new day.
I can get sober, clean up my act and try to be loyal to this girl who I know cares about me like no one else. I can make this work. Everything I felt today, wasn’t in my head, she felt it too. I could tell by the way she was looking at me.
I will not give her reason to hate me.
No matter what it takes.

Notes