petrarch | h.s.

013

AUDIBLY, Flor sighs as she lays the mug she's holding on the bar. Cel furrows her brows then she also lays down her coffee mug after she took a sip. She shifts on her seat on the bar stool and sits upright to talk to Flor who is standing across her.

"What's with the sigh?" Cel finally asks.

"You know me and Harry have been dating for a long time now, right?" Flor asks as she leans with her hands pressed on the bar.

"If you consider three weeks a long time then, yes." She replies and takes a sip of her coffee again.

"And we should be kissing and fucking already, right?" She asks bluntly which Cel did not expect, making her choke from her coffee. "Cosa?!"

"Niente, lo niente." Cel chokes back an answer. Her friend asking about having sex with her ex boyfriend which is the same guy who took her virginity and the same guy who just gave her an orgasm by eating her up three weeks ago too, it's really nothing.

"So we went to a club, got drunk which is successful but when I took him here and started kissing him, he was calling out for someone else." She explains that made Cel narrow her brows. "I know he's not like 'in love' with me right away but to moan someone else's name just ruined the vibe for me."

"I totally agree. Do you recall what's the name?" Cel asks, trying to drink her coffee properly.

"It sounds like more of a letter V." And with that answer of Flor, she fails to not choke again. "What is it with you and coffee this morning?!"

"Nothing. I should've blown it before I drank, it was too hot for my liking." Lie.

"Anyway, I was certain that it was his ex but I don't know..."

"Has he mentioned his past or anything that leads you to assume that?"

"I tried asking but he dodges it."

A shuffling sound is heard from Flor's room and when Cel turns around, she saw the person they're talking about standing and exiting that room of hers.

"You let him stay?" Cel asks her in whisper when she turns back to her.

"I can't carry a heavily drunk man to his car all by myself in the middle of the night, can I?" Flor says in gritted teeth, annoyed by what the question that she was asked.

"Morning." Harry greets the girls.

"Buongiorno. Please join us." Flor offers.

He walks across the living room and approaches the bar stool next to Cel to take a seat. He whispers a simple greeting to Cel but he just got a simply nod with no eye contact as a response.

"Anything particular you want to have, Harry?"

"Coffee'll do, thanks, love."

"Heard that, Cel?" Flor clarifies as if she didn't hear it but also implying that she should get to work. "He says he wants coffee."

"Right." Cel barely stands up when a hand lands on her shoulder. She looks at the hand then to his eyes.

"S'okay." He assures her with a nod. "I can manage."

Then he stands up from his seat and helps himself. He gets himself a cup and makes his typical black morning coffee. Flor was about to stop him but her phone rings so she picks it up on the counter.

"Scusi. I have to take this." She answers and sprints to go inside her room, most likely, leaving the two ex couple alone together.

"S'okay t'say no to 'er sometimes, y'know?" Harry starts, pertaining to the exchange earlier of the two.

"I know. It's just I really don't mind." She replies while tracing the handle of her mug with her index finger.

He sighs before letting out his emotion. "I get that you're bein' civil but m'not used t'this and y'know that."

"To what?"

"You avoidin' me." With that, she stops her finger and memories flashes back on her mind the time when she was avoiding him before. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath then opens it again, taking a look back to Flor's room before facing him again to confront him.

"Do you even remember what you did last night?"

"Did I do somethin' wrong last night? To you?" He worries.

"Do you remember anything you did last night?"

Harry lays his coffee mug and stirs it up while he thinks of the events last night.

Pub... Tequila... Florence... And...

His eyes widen and stops stirring his drink, meeting her brown ones and raise eyebrow. "We were drunk. I didn't mean t'kiss 'er and I don't---"

Mean it. Any of it.

"Not that. I get it. You're dating, kissing, making out." She looks back at Flor again and leans in to whisper. "But whose name are you calling out?"

He touches his lips with his index and middle finger as she stares and waits for him to remember. His green eyes became soft. "Vee."

Even if it's hard, she ignores the softness of his stare and just gave him a nod. She stands up to bring her now empty mug on the sink and was about to leave when his hand reaches her forearm. She turns around slowly to face him and his eyes full of worry and agitation.

"She was askin' 'bout me past. And as much as I tried to avoid it, as you heard, I can't." He mutters. "You 'ave to tell 'er sooner than later."

"It's not that easy, Harry."

"Course, it is, Vee." He encourages. "If you can't do it alone, I'll be with ya."

"I just--- I'm waiting for the right time to tell her."

"And when s'that?" He furrows his eyebrows.

"I don't--- I don't know... I'm not sure..." She looks down and tries to look at anything but him but he grabs her chin with his free hand to look at him.

"Nothin' s'gonna change 'er reaction no matter how long you wait so either ya tell 'er now or m'tellin' Flor."

She knits her forehead and presses her lips together, not knowing if it's shaking or not. "Don't pressure me. Please."

"M'not. But you really 'ave to. I can't keep this anymore to 'er."

"Che cosa?" Flor asks and catches them. Both of their eyes widen and Cel removes both of his hands on her forearm and chin. "What are you not telling me? Celeste?"

Cel walks up to approach Flor. "Flor, it's not what you think. Let me explain."

"Tell me what you're keeping from me. What is it? Get to the point!" She screams on top her lungs that made Harry walks up behind Cel.

a/n:

I know the time of the story is a bit messed up but, hey, that's au right?