london boy | wroetoshaw

eight

Friday night had come and gone and as much as Mia hated to admit it, she had no reason to have been as worried and as anxious as she was. When she reached the club with Harry, Ethan, and Lux, everyone was already waiting for them and it didn't even take 5 whole minutes for her to feel as if she had been part of the group for years. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, some a bit more than others. And by some, the first name that came to mind was JJ. Though in a friendly and joking manner, he had spent a majority of the night innocently flirting with her until he knew she was having fun and went off to find a girl he actually had a chance of taking home that night. 

His exact statement was actually "Unless you want to do it, I'm gonna have to go find someone who's gonna get me laid tonight. Later." Mia couldn't help but laugh at him, appreciating that he had spent some of his night making sure she felt like she belonged. 

By the time everyone had agreed it was time to go home, they all stumbled out of the club absolutely battered. Mia couldn't tell left from right, up from down, but most importantly ubers from the cars of innocent people. 

If it hadn't been for Harry, who miraculously was in fact able to tell the difference between left and right, she would have truly ended up in a ditch. There was no denying how absolutely drunk off his ass he was that night, considering he had outdrank the entirety of the club, but he was clearly able to handle his liquor better than Mia. 

The late night August breeze had hit Mia as soon as her and Harry walked out of the uber that was stopped in front of her flat, evident from her sudden shiver. 

"Are you cold?" He asked in a concerned tone as he shut the car door and put his hand on the small of her back to help lead her up the few steps that were leading up to the entrance of her building. 

"Hmm..?" Mia hummed, clearly too intoxicated to process any questions.  

"You're absolutely peppered, love." He said, a light chuckle falling from his lips as he reached over to open the door for Mia. She stumbled, swaying slightly as she walked in what she assumed was a straight line until Harry caught back up to her after shutting the door. 

"Woah, woah, woah..." He breathed out frantically as he rushed up to her, clearly at the perfect moment because she was one sway away from losing her balance and falling over. 

He slipped an arm around her waist to make sure she was stable as she swayed one final time, sloppily landing her head into his chest as he pressed the button for the lift. He looked down at the shorter girl and noticed her eyes fluttering through the strands of hair that fell onto her face, struggling to stay awake in her drunken state. He let out a soft sigh before using his spare hand, the one that wasn't firmly gripping her waist, to gently push the loose pieces of hair behind her ear. 

He had significantly sobered up compared to Mia, who was mumbling utter nonsense into his chest while they waited for the lift to arrive. There was nothing he could do but hum in response and let out small laughs every few seconds, finding the situation he was in quite funny. 

Though it was true Harry had known Mia for years, he was never particularly close to her before.  It wasn't a secret that he wasn't the most social person, but he always felt comfortable around her, which was truly extraordinary considering they only saw each other a few times a year. They still sent each other the obligatory 'Merry Christmas'  text, they remembered birthdays, and every so often liked each others instagram posts. They wouldn't, however, ring each other up on a random Tuesday to simply catch up. They had the kind of friendship that every time they saw each other, they would simply pick up where they left off. 

Usually, when Mia came down to London for a few days, they would see each other for a couple hours whenever she'd go visit Cal at their flat or if she'd go out with the group. But when they did see each other, Harry always felt comfortable around her. She was one of the few people, aside from those in his immediate circle, that he was able to comfortably speak too without his social anxiety getting the better of him. He admired how friendly she could be and how similar she was to Cal, which in hindsight makes sense why he could get along with her so well. In some aspects, she was just a female version of his best mate. 

But just in this past week, he felt his relationship with her change. Harry wasn't sure if it was because they had spent a significant amount of time together the last 7 days since she moved to London or if it was because he knew she was sticking around that he was making a true effort to get to know her more. He found himself waking up some mornings and wondering if he could tag along with Cal to come see her, to see if she needed help with anything, or to just get some home cooked food out of her. 

The lift let out a ding, signaling to them that it had arrived as the doors slid open. Harry gently started to move Mia as they waddled into the lift and he pushed the button for the 9th floor where he knew her flat was located. 

They had eventually reached the front door of her flat, after much effort on Harry's part. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the keys he had taken from her bag on the car ride back to the building, and unlocked her door.

Mia, with the help of the blonde boy beside her, stumbled somewhat ungracefully into her flat. 

"Woah, slow down there." Harry laughed out, tightening his grip on her as she almost fell flat onto her face.

"You're so.. sweet." She slurred out softly, a tiny giggle escaping her lips. 

"Don't worry, next time I'll listen to Cal and leave you on the side of the road like he wanted." He joked as he continued to pull her to the sofa. He knew there was no chance she was making it all the way to her bedroom in the state she was in and figured this would be the next best thing. 

Once they finally reached the sofa, Harry let Mia fall onto the soft cushions. She let out a drunken giggle as she landed on her side, using all her strength to kick off her heels and slightly pull herself up so she could lean up against the armrest. 

"Well Cal could be left on the side of the road for all I care." She huffed, jokingly crossing her arms across her chest. 

"Oh pipe down and drink this." Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes while he handed her a bottle of water. Once she took it out of his hands he took a seat on the absolute edge of the couch, not wanting to make her move her legs which were sprawled out. 

After taking a big sip of her water which sobered her up slightly, she noticed how uncomfortable Harry looked. He was staring down at the ground awkwardly and if he moved over an inch he would fall off the couch and they both knew it.

"Hey," She said quietly, moving her foot slightly to poke the side of his leg and causing his head to shoot up and look at her. 

"Hey." He smiled softly, noticing her slightly move up her legs and free up more room on the couch for him. He gratefully scooted over and she placed her legs on his lap, which he instinctively placed his hands over as not to move them. 

They shared a smile but not long after, Harry noticed her eyes start to slowly close. She was exhausted and absolutely battered, a feeling he was no stranger too. 

"Goodnight Mia." He whispered, his own eyes shutting as well so he could take a moment to rest them before figuring out what his next move was. 

"Goodnight Harry." Mia mumbled, before letting in to her exhaustion and falling asleep. 

a/n

idk that was kind of cute if you ask me