"You'll never get this done, you know?" The satisfaction was evident in his voice.
"You could leave me alone so I can actually get this finished. Or pick up a brush." I gestured to the abundance of supplies I had purchased.
"Mmm, no thanks. Don't re...
"Jo. Jo, I'm sorry. You need to wake up because I don't want to hurt you."
My eyes opened and it took me a few moments to register where I was. The only light I could see was the interior car light due to the opened door. The rain was still lightly drizzling down the windscreen and the cold air from my open door was causing it to fog up.
I looked at the open door beside me and found Harry crouching on the ground beside my seat, my seatbelt unclipped and in his hand. He had a gentle smile on his face and his cheeks were flushed red. The rain was coming down directly on him but he didn't seem to mind as he patiently waited for me to find my bearings and step out of the car.
I didn't really observe where we were or what the house looked like, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. There must have been a step up to his front door, because I missed it and stumbled slightly. His hands shot out to grab my hips and stop me from falling forward and I immediately moaned in pain.
"Shit. I'm sorry. Fuck, I didn't want you to fall over. Are you ok?" He was nervous rambling, why was he nervous?
"I'm fine, Harry. Seriously, chill out. I'll tell you if I'm not fine, ok." I don't know why I was reassuring him when I was the one here battered and bruised, but I guess that's just how I am.
He nodded and followed me up the step to the front door, fumbling with his keys.
"Sorry about the mess, but I live pretty much alone and obviously wasn't expecting guests."
"I just want to sleep, Harry. I don't care how messy the house is. Just point me in the direction of your couch and I'll look nowhere else, I promise." Yawns broke up my speech but I think he got the idea when he finally pushed the door open.
I kept my promise and just looked at his back as he led me down a hallway. We passed four doors before stopping at the fifth. I took hardly any notice of the room as we walked in, my eyes locked on the bed in the centre of the room.
"This is my spare bedroom, I probably have a spare phone charger somewhere if you wanted one. Did you need anything, like water or?"
"No, it's fine. The only person who ever contacts me on my phone is Will. So if it dies, it dies. Maybe water would be good, my throat is on fire." I sat on the edge of the mattress. It was so comfy I could have squealed in excitement.
He spun on his heel and disappeared into the dark hallway for a few minutes before returning with a glass of water in hand. I accepted it gratefully and downed the whole thing straight away. It eased some of the pain in my throat but not all, it would do.
"Alright, the bathroom's just next door. If you need me, my rooms right down the hallway at the front of the house. I won't wake you up tomorrow morning, so please rest. I can arrange a fill in for your class." I nodded in understanding and placed the cup on the bedside table.
I made my way under the covers, I only had the clothes I was in so that would do for tonight. I could get more tomorrow. My eyes closed on their own and I heard the footsteps heading towards the hallway once again.
"Harry," the footsteps stopped, "thankyou, or whatever." The recycled words felt almost calming and I heard him chuckle.
"Goodnight, Jo." The door closed shortly after and the darkness triggered a deep sleep I didn't know I was capable of.
The curtains were the first thing I saw when I woke up this morning. They were a delicate white lace material and a harsh contrast to the curtains I had grown accustomed to at Will's house. I had no idea how long I had slept for, so when I reached for my phone and it showed 12:52pm, I was not surprised.
Without even moving, I knew how much pain I would be in today. So I stayed in the comfortable position my body had found overnight and simply observed the room.
The walls, roof and floor were made of white wooden paneling. The bed I slept in also gowned white sheets with a green throw blanket I had kicked to the foot of the bed. The room was quite plain but if it was his spare bedroom, that would make sense. There was one bedside table that held a lamp, a small pot of flowers and a gorgeous mirror. I didn't dare look in the mirror just yet, I knew by the way Harry looked at me last night that it wasn't pretty.
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It felt weird knowing I was alone in my boss' house without even knowing my way around it, but the sleep I got last night was 100 times better than the sleep I would have got on the staff room couches, or Will's bathroom floor.
After laying there, stuck in my head for a while, it was probably time I got out of bed and did something about the state of me. The second I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the pain became more prominent. It was nothing I hadn't experienced before, but it still wasn't absolutely bearable.
The bedroom door swung smoothly on its hinges and the hallway was lit with simple downlights. The floor changed from the white panelling to a brown wooden floor and on the brown floor boards right outside the bedroom door was a piece of paper.
Jo, Bathroom is directly to the left - towels are on the toilet seat and I stuck a sheet over the mirror. Kitchen is the first door after the front door - there's lasagne in the freezer. Please eat. I cleaned up this morning so feel free to look around. Got Kimberly to fill in for the rest of the week so try and rest today. Call if you need anything.
Below was his number and a little sketch of his house floor plan with things like the bathroom, kitchen and apple tree labeled.
'Your room' was also scribbled down in the space that I had slept last night.
