Georgia flipped the page of the magazine, scanning its contents without much interest. She was interrupted when the house phone beside her rang. She set the magazine down on the center table and picked the phone up.

“Hello?” she spoke into the speaker.

“Good, I was hoping you’d pick up,” someone mumbled from the other end.

Assuming that the call was for Melissa, who wasn’t at home at that time, Georgia said,

“Actually, um, Mel isn’t at home—”

“Yeah, I know,” the voice mumbled from the other end. “It’s Georgia, isn’t it?”

Georgia frowned. “Yes,” she muttered, wondering who it was, calling to talk to her, and not Melissa.

“It’s Harry.”
Georgia’s eyes widened and she suddenly felt a lot more nervous, as if he were there, right where she was. She sat up straighter. “What?”

He chuckled from the other end. “You heard,” he muttered. “So listen, I hope you were serious about coming over today.”

“Oh, I—” Georgia broke off. She’d been serious, not too opposed to the idea of spending a few hours with Jade. She liked the little girl, after all.

It was Harry and Melissa she was worried about. What was she to tell Melissa when she left? She’d have to lie to her, she was sure. Of course Melissa wouldn’t be too pleased with the idea of her cousin spending her entire afternoon with her boyfriend. Things were messy between the two as it was, and by going to his house, wouldn’t Georgia complicate matters?

But it wasn’t as though she was going to meet Harry. She was going to go to his house because Jade wanted her to come over. So what was the big deal about that?

And then she thought about Harry, and being in the same house with him for an entire afternoon, and she’d almost thought about bailing. It was something about him, the way he peered down at her, either mocking her or being irritated by her presence, the way he got too close to her sometimes, physically close and his eyes bore into hers, and she had to looking away because he was so intimidating. She knew the fact that he was in a relationship did nothing to prevent him from passing sexual innuendos and downright flirting with her. He’d
probably keep finding excuses to laugh at her the entire time she’d be there.

“Because,” Harry continued, “Jade’s waiting for you. She’s really excited.”

Georgia immediately felt guilty about thinking of ditching; picturing the toddler’s dejected face in the event of Georgia failing to show up. “Oh,” was all she could manage.

“I can’t believe you’re having second thoughts,” Harry accused, as if he knew what was running through Georgia’s mind. “You shouldn’t have agreed—”

“I am not having second thoughts,” Georgia snapped at him, lying through her teeth. “I’ll be there in another hour, okay?”

Harry chuckled again, and if she could, she’d reach over to the other end of the line and knock his teeth down his throat. “Alright, then,” he said. “I’ll see you then, Georgia. What are you gonna tell Melissa anyway?”

“That’s my head ache, not yours,” she snarled, and hung up.

---

In the end, she had to grudgingly call Harry again to take his address. He’d laughed again, of course he had, and teased her, but an hour later, she found herself standing outside his house nonetheless. She’d left a tiny note on the fridge, telling Mel that she was at the library.

She rang the doorbell and then straightened her jumper, as if she needed everything to be in place. She was going to spend time with Jade, not going to see Harry, she reminded herself.

The door opened to reveal Harry, and to Georgia’s horror, he was only dressed in a pair of grey track pants, wearing nothing to cover his torso. And involuntarily her eyes were drawn to his long torso, splattered with tattoos, the two swallows stretched across his chest, her eyes roaming and observing the incredible detail of the ink. His pants hung low on his hips, the hem folded once to reveal the well-defined cuts of his v-lines. His hair was tousled, pushed of his forehead. He grinned a half smile, revealing one dimple so deep that she could probably eat her morning’s cereal in it.

“You done staring?” he teased, and Georgia forced her eyes away from his torso and up to his face.

“I—I wasn’t staring,” she lied.

He chuckled but otherwise ignored her, moving aside to let her in. Georgia was immediately greeted by Jade hopping down the stairs with a happy smile on her face.

“Hiiiii!” Jade greeted her, and Georgia couldn’t help but smile at the tiny toddler’s enthusiasm.

“Hi, beautiful!” Georgia greeted her, equally happy, scooping the little girl in her arms and planting a soft kiss to her cheek. She set her down as Jade giggled.

“Come on,” she said, tugging Georgia’s hand. “I want to show you my books! I have loads!”

“Sure, where are they?” Georgia laughed.

“In my room,” she said happily, but then suddenly paused, her smile slipping off slightly. “I…”

Georgia frowned, confused by the sudden change in the child’s behaviour. “What’s wrong?” she said, kneeling down to face Jade.

“I…” she repeated, and looked up at Harry hesitantly. Georgia was surprised to see the sudden tears swimming in her eyes.

Harry sighed and leaned down too, right beside Georgia. “It’s okay, kiddo,” he said softly.
“Georgia won’t mind.”

Won’t mind what? Georgia wanted to ask, but she kept quiet, watching the exchange between the two silently.

“It doesn’t matter,” Harry continued. “Georgia’s a nice girl, isn’t she? She’ll be your friend no matter what.”

“Will you?” Jade asked, eyes wide as she turned to Georgia.

“Of course I will,” Georgia nodded hurriedly, not sure as to what exactly both Harry and Jade
were talking about. Nonetheless, she gave the tiny girl a reassuring smile and tapped her nose with the tip of her finger gently.

“Okay,” Jade nodded, and smiled slightly. “Come on, you should meet Henry.”

“Who’s Henry?” Georgia wondered aloud as she got up and let Jade take her hand.

“He’s the bear Anne got for me!” she informed the older girl excitedly.

“Wait,” Harry said, as Georgia started to follow Jade. “Hey, kiddo. Why don’t you go up and Georgia will be there with you in a sec?”

Jade nodded. “Okay!” She bounded up the stairs.

Georgia turned to Harry with a frown. “What?”

“When you’ll see her room,” Harry said slowly, “you’ll know exactly why Jade doesn’t usually let people upstairs, okay? Now, hear me out. You’ll be jumping form one conclusion to another, but whatever you’re thinking—whatever it is—don’t let Jade know. Just pretend like you didn’t see it. It’s probably better for all of us that way.”

“You do realize,” Georgia asked, “that I have no idea what you’re talking about, right?”

“You will,” Harry told her, deadpan. “Come on.”

He led her up the stairs, and they reached her room, a door painted purple. Harry pushed it open.

And immediately, Georgia knew just what Harry had been talking about.

Jade’s room was tiny with a large window beside which was a table with a single mirror, on which the cheap plastic hair brushes that came with dolls and the like were kept. The cupboard was painted purple, just like the door, and a few toys were scattered on the floor. On the other end of the room was a bed, right beside a bunch of monitors, the kind you find in the hospital, the scary ones that Georgia had no name for. It was sort of a makeshift hospital in the little girl’s bedroom. Georgia suddenly felt like she was going to pass out.

But then Harry’s warning rang in her mind, loud and clear, and she composed her face just in
time to see Jade turn to her.

“Georgia!” Jade said happily. “Come here!”

Georgia felt Harry’s eyes on her, but she ignored him, swallowing the lump in her throat and walking up to Jade.

“What’ve you got there?” Georgia asked, forcing a smile and taking a seat on the floor next to Jade, her mind reeling. She jumped from one conclusion to another, as Harry had said she would, trying to decipher just what the reason behind the hospital in the tiny bedroom could be.
---

An hour later, Georgia and Jade made their way downstairs for lunch. Georgia had no idea what was cooking, or who was cooking it, but it smelled delicious. She could smell it all the way from the kitchen to the landing of the stairs. Jade skipped down the stairs excitedly, already ahead of Georgia, who made her way downstairs at a slower pace, her mind still lingering on what she’d been thinking for about an hour.

While Jade went to wash her hands, Georgia found herself making her way to the kitchen. She felt an actual jolt of shock go through her when she saw that it was Harry who was cooking, still in grey track pants, but now he’d put on a loose black t-shirt, hair still a mess. She could see the muscles of his arm flexing as he stirred whatever it was that he was cooking, brows pulled in ever so slightly in concentration and his tongue poking the corner of his pink lips.

He looked up to see her at the entrance of the kitchen and laughed. “You’re always staring at me,” he pointed out.

“You…cook?” she asked stupidly, unable to suppress her curiosity.

“I’m doing that right now, am I not?” he asked with a roll of his green orbs.

Georgia frowned, opening her mouth to snap at him. But then a question bubbled up her throat, the words on the tip of her tongue. She knew she ought to shut up, that she ought not to ask. But then before she could think more, the question was out. “What’s all that stuff up in Jade’s room?” she asked softly. “All those machines…it’s like—like a hospital up there.”

Harry tensed immediately, Georgia could see it. His hand tightened on the large wooden spatula, his jaw hardening. He didn’t meet her eyes. “I knew you’d ask.” He muttered, his voice tight.

“What is it?” she pressed on, knowing she was pushing her boundaries, but to overwhelmed by her own curiosity.

“Jade—she—” Harry seemed like he didn’t want to tell Georgia. He seemed like he was almost about to tell Georgia to mind her own business. But then—

“Jade has cancer,” he said finally. Georgia didn’t hear any tremble in his voice, or any emotion indicating that the words that left his mouth hurt him. But she figured that they did; because she’d seen Harry around the little girl. It wasn’t as if he faked the happiness that Georgia saw on his face every time he looked at Jade—no one was that great an actor. She was surprised that his words were spoken without a crack in his voice, tone smooth. It was almost as if he was unaffected; but he couldn’t be.

Because Georgia wasn’t. She was anything but unaffected. The words hit her suddenly, and she gasped softly, his widening. The first thought that ran through her mind was how? How could someone so tiny yet so full of life be suffering from something this unfortunate? Jade was only five—she had her entire life ahead of her. She had so much to see, so much to do. She thought about what it would be like for her to go to her room every day and see the intimidating machines, a cruel reminder of her condition, to hear the disgusting beeping noises that let her know if she was doing fine—but then again, Georgia didn’t think Jade would be doing fine at all.

“How bad is it?” Georgia found herself asking the next question, once again without her own permission.

Harry took his time to answer, clearly reluctant once again. He looked at Georgia, casting a sideways glance at her. Then—

“It’s bad.”

It was all he said, just two words, but they were enough—enough for Georgia to realize the intensity of the situation, just how horrific it was. Harry’s voice didn’t tremble this time either, not at all, but there was something in his tone, an emotion she had no name for, that let her know that the situation impacted him more than he was letting show.

Georgia opened her mouth, as if to say something, but she didn’t know what to say. She was spared, because just then, Jade came skipping into the kitchen.

“Hazza, I’m hungry,” she let him know. Maybe it was the news that had suddenly changed Georgia’s perception, but Jade sounded a lot tired than she had before.

“Just two minutes more, love,” Harry promised her with a small smile.

Georgia turned to Jade. “Let’s go out and wait, shall we?” she offered, and the two girls left Harry alone in the kitchen.

Georgia sat at the dining table, with Jade sitting on her knee, playing with Georgia’s hair. They were both silent, Georgia’s mind trapped in some sort of a muddle as she went over the information she’d had to process today. Jade seemed to be thinking about something too; Georgia wanted ask her what it was, but she remained quiet.

Finally, Jade spoke. “Hey, Georgia?”

“Yeah, beautiful?”

“Will you still be my friend?” Jade asked her, her voice small and hesitant.

Now that Georgia was well aware of the reason behind Jade’s hesitant nature, her question was easier to process, but at the same time, it hit her harder somehow.

“Of course I will,” Georgia repeated her words of a few hours ago. “Why won’t I be?”

“Everyone else looks at me funny when they see it,” Jade told her, looking down at her lap. “The old people say they’re sorry for me, but I don’t want them to be. I just want them to treat me like I’m normal.”

It was heartbreaking, Jade’s tone, and Georgia had to take a deep breath to steady herself before she could reply. “You’re normal,” Georgia told her firmly. “Of course you are.”

“Then why don’t the neighbor kids play with me?” Jade asked, as if it were a genuine question, like she was just curious.

Georgia sighed, but she had no answer for her.

“They never come over to my house,” Jade continued, “and they never call me over. Hazza’s my only friend.”

Once again, Georgia opened her mouth to say something, though she had nothing to say.

“But that’s okay,” Jade said. “Hazza’s nice. He loves me.”

“Everyone does,” Georgia promised her, not sure of just how much consolation her words offered to the little girl, but feeling like she needed to say them anyway.

“Will you come over again?” Jade asked her tentatively.

Georgia smiled. “You like having me over?”

Jade smiled back at her, peering up at her. “You’re fun.”

“I’ll come, if you want me to,” Georgia promised her.

The rest of their conversation was interrupted when Harry walked in with their lunch. Jade happily hopped off Georgia’s lap and took her place on a high stool. Harry sat next to her, opposite Georgia. He reached over to serve Jade food, but she shook her head.

“I wanna do it myself,” she insisted, and Georgia laughed.

“Alright, big girl,” Harry grinned, retreating. He looked at Georgia. “Want me to serve you?”

“I can do it myself,” she told him with a roll of her eyes. He smirked and shrugged, serving himself food.

It was odd, how she was sitting with Harry and Jade and having lunch. It Melissa, Georgia thought, who should have been here instead of her. She felt like an intruder, and she felt guilty. This was not her place to be. She was supposed to keep to herself, or at least keep away from the boy who was dating her cousin. There was nothing going on between Harry and Georgia, of course. It wasn’t as if they were doing something wrong. But Georgia couldn’t shake away the feeling that what she was doing was terribly wrong, inexplicably so.

She wondered if she would ever be able to tell Melissa about her kiss with Harry, a kiss she had taken no active participation in whatsoever. But then she also wondered if she was overthinking the whole situation, blowing it out of proportion in her head. It seemed to her that Harry had forgotten his drunken mistake immediately after apologizing to her. He didn’t care now, whether she forgave him or not. He liked bringing it up just to tick her off, so it was obvious that he wasn’t feeling guilty.

“You gonna eat or what?” Harry asked, breaking into her thoughts. “I promise it’s not bad.”

Georgia looked down at her plate, blinking furiously, trying to bring herself back to the present. Admittedly, the dish didn’t look bad at all; not even close to it. It was a simple pasta dish, topped with cheese, the smell of tomato and oregano wafting into her nose, and her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered slightly. She wanted to eat it, but she didn’t want to give Harry the satisfaction of knowing that he was right, as well as a seemingly excellent cook.

When she took a bite, she knew she was right. The cheese melted in her mouth, the pasta sprinkled with just the right amount of spice. She had to stop herself from closing her eyes and moaning out loud because the food was so delicious. “It’s nice,” she said instead, as simply and nonchalant as she could sound.

Harry smirked. “You’re welcome,” he said.

They made small conversation while they ate, Jade talking the most. Harry and Georgia listened, mostly, with Harry passing a remark here and there, mostly to make fun of Georgia.

Through their conversation, she found herself caring lesser and lesser about him trying to insult her, beginning to find the humour hidden in all his comments. She even cracked a smile here and there, but mostly rolled her eyes at him.

After they were done, Jade raised her arms and looked at Harry pleadingly, silently asking him to help her off the high chair. She’d managed to get tomato sauce all around her mouth, making Harry and Georgia laugh. He helped her off, once again with gentleness Georgia couldn’t bring herself to associate him with in her head, and she headed off to the washroom to wash off. Georgia picked her plate up and followed Harry into the kitchen.

“Um, the food was nice,” she said, clearly understating the meal.

“You said that already,” he pointed out with his customary smirk.

“Yeah, I just thought I’d be nice,” she snapped at him. “Can’t you just say thank you? God, you’re so cocky. It’s simple courtesy—when someone compliments you, you thank them—”

As she rambled on, walking behind Harry, he’d reached the sink. She didn’t watch where she was going and had to stop suddenly when she realized that she her face was about to be shoved into his back. He turned, having kept his plate in the sink, and just as abruptly, they were less than inches away.

“Thank you,” he said, his tone low, a grin dancing on the corner of his pink lips. His green eyes bore into hers, and she couldn’t bring herself to respond, overwhelmed by the negligible distance between the two. “Really, thank you so much.”

“You’re—uh—”

He leaned down, his lips right near her ear, and Georgia tensed. “See,” he whispered, his hot
breath washing her side and she shivered, “it’s simple courtesy. When someone thanks you, you say ‘you’re welcome’.”

He pulled away, a huge grin plastered on his face. She glared at him, returning to her senses. “Have you ever heard of personal space?” she asked him.

He laughed loudly, taking her plate from her and leaving it in the sink, but otherwise ignored her statement. Jade entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

“You tired?” Harry asked, looking down at her.

She shook her head, but her assertion was nullified when her lips formed a small ‘o’ as she yawned. “I wanna play with Georgia.”

“Jade,” Harry sighed. “You gotta sleep, kiddo.”

“But—”

“Hey,” Georgia said softly. “I gotta get home too, baby.” She knelt before the kid. “I’ll come over again, remember? Just tell me when to.”

“Promise?” Jade asked.

Georgia held her pinky up for the little girl, who giggled and let her own small finger lock with hers. “I promise,” Georgia smiled. “Come here.” She pulled Jade in for a hug, the toddler wrapping her tiny arms around the older girl as she squeezed her with the little strength her small body possessed. “Go to sleep, okay?”

Jade nodded and smile at her, already looking extremely tired. The day had worn her out, but she’d had fun. “Bye, Georgia,” she said.

“Bye, beautiful,” Georgia waved.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry returned downstairs. “She’s asleep,” he declared, walking down the stairs and up to Georgia. “That was quite quick.”

“Mm, I bet she was tired,” Georgia said.

“I still can’t wrap my head around how fast she’s started to like you,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Usually, she’s so shy and reserved.”

“Did it take her long with you too?”

Harry shook his head. “Nah, I’ve known her from when she was born,” he told her. “It’s just…she’s met all my friends, and she hates them.” He chuckled. “They all try to befriend her, but Jade’s just so quiet all the time.”

“Does she like Mel?” Georgia asked.

Harry chuckled again. “No,” Harry shook his head. “Not really.”

“How long has she been sick?” Georgia asked Harry softly.

“About a year and a half,” Harry said. “That’s when we got to know anyway.”

“Is it too late for her?” Georgia asked, already dreading the answer.

Harry’s smile slipped off, and the humour in his eyes vanished. “It sort of is,” he said quietly, no longer meeting her eyes.

“It’s so unfair,” Georgia sighed. “She’s so…she has so much ahead of her.”

“Yeah, not anymore,” Harry said with a humourless chuckle. He looked up at her then. “How’re you getting home?”

Georgia took the hint; Harry didn’t want to talk about Jade and her illness anymore. She didn’t press the matter anymore. “I’ll walk, I guess,” she told him with a shrug, looking outside the window. The wind was blowing furiously outside, the clouds gathering overhead, indicating that it was going to start pouring any moment.

“Do you have a jacket?” Harry asked, and when Georgia looked at him, he was smiling.

She laughed softly. “Not really,” she told him.

“You always come so unprepared for the weather,” Harry accused.

“It’s so…erratic,” Georgia said. “I honestly thought it would be pleasant today, not as cold. It was
fine when I came—and now, look.”

Harry laughed. “You’re not used to this town yet, are you?”

Georgia sighed, and when she spoke, her tone indicated some sort of a second meaning underlying in her sentence, something Harry couldn’t decipher. “I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

And in retrospect, it was then that Harry began to realize that Georgia felt a lot more than she let show. And in that way, she was just like him.
---

Notes

helluuuuuuuuu! let me know what you thought, and thanks for being so patient! LOVE YOU, sexies! <3