witness || h.s.|| ON HOLD

eighteen || a blast from the past

the song for this chapter is Everybody's Watching Me (Uh Oh) by The Neighbourhood

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I told you I would tell you everything you want to know
You want me to tell you now
You pressure me to shout it
Then to hear about it
To think that I would count you out

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Tate

   Harry and I were sat at his kitchen counter, both of us eating some oatmeal that he had made. Other than the clattering of our spoons, it was quiet, a typical circumstance between the two of us. 

   I felt like if I swallowed too loudly, Harry would be pissed, and that if he raised his glass of water too quickly, I would flinch. I had never been too keen on alcohol, but I swear, Harry's mood swings were about to drive me to drink.

One minute he was yelling in my face that I was a liar, the next he was making smartass remarks. He would go from cracking jokes to firing threats. He would be gently wiping away my tears and telling me that he didn't want to hurt me, and then, he would go into his most common state of all.

Ignoring me.

Honestly, at this point, I would be okay with the sarcastic little comments and rude humor as opposed to the awkward silence we were sat in. The quietness seemed to only make me more nervous, as I didn't know what was going through his mind. He just sat there, not making a sound, while frowning at something on his phone. 

   I had finished my food about five minutes ago, but Harry was too wrapped up in whatever was on his phone to notice. His oatmeal was growing colder, and the silence was at a painful volume.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"So...," I spoke, although I wasn't really sure where I was going with this. I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear, and lightly swung my legs back and forth on the barstool.

He turned towards me with a sour expression on his face, making me regret that I had opened my mouth.

"So...what?" He asked, giving me a weird look.

"So...what are we going to do today?" I asked, thinking that was a good place to start. I'm sure once he got started talking about work, I wouldn't be able to get him to shut up.

"Oh my gosh! Do you wanna go shopping or something?" He squealed in a fake girly voice, although as soon as he was done speaking he went back to the same serious expression he had been wearing before.

Ah, there's that sarcastic humor I had been hoping for.

"I'm serious," I huffed, staring him down.

"Well, princess, if you must know, the goal is to crack that first riddle you and Abel uncovered," He answered, pushing away his bowl of now cold oatmeal.

He seemed extra tense today, and I couldn't help but ask my next question.

"You only have a limited amount of time to get these answers, don't you?"

He looked shocked at my words, and dare I say, mildly impressed.

"Two months," he replied, nodding his head.

I reached for my glass of water, bringing it to my lips and tilting it back, finishing off its contents, before pushing my chair back and standing up.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's get started," I stated, once again shocking him with my bold tone.

I walked into the living room area, plopping down on the big leather couch and curling my legs up behind me. I heard Harry washing the dishes, and a few minutes later the opening and shutting of cabinets, before he walked in to join me.