#so naturally i’ve been eaten up by nerves for the past week. so exited to just play infamous and relax🤞

[tabbyfanged]

soo exited for the infamous update it’s going to be my little treat after my driving test tmmrw (currently bricking it)

[dancer-cotillion]

Fuyukichi Week Day One: First Date

For the Fuyukichi Ship Week! @fuyukichi-week

*

“How do I look?” Fuyuhiko asked as he exited his dressing room, addressing Peko.

“You look great,” she replied.

“You sure it’s not too formal? Or maybe it’s too informal.” He’d never been on a date before. How was he supposed to know how to dress for one? But he had to be sure to dress right because it’d be poor form to show up dressed inappropriately when he’d been the one to set up the date and ask Kokichi out. And this date was important, he really liked Kokichi and wanted this new dimension in their relationship to work, thus it was imperative he not mess any part of it up.

“You look great,” Peko repeated. “Now, if you don’t want to be late, I suggest we get going.”

Being late would be far worse than showing up dressed improperly. So, with a suppressed groan, he forewent the temptation to go over his outfit one last time and followed her out.

 -

Kokichi was standing on the sidewalk, twirling a finger through his hair as the limo pulled up in front of him. He climbed in and pulled the door closed behind him. “Hey Fuyu,” he said with a smile as the car started moving again. “You didn’t change your mind and stand me up. I was worried you would.”

“That… was a lie?” Fuyuhiko sure hoped it was. And it had to be right, Kokichi was just trying to keep him on his toes.

“Of course, it was. There’s no way you’d stand me up after how nervous you were about asking me out. You are a bit late though so I was worried that something might’ve happened. Gang life can be dangerous after all.”

“Nope,” Peko said from the next row of seats over before Fuyuhiko could respond. She was his personal body guard so of course she’d stick around while he was out and about. She was supposed to have closed the partition, separating the two rows of seats though so he could have some privacy. “He was just fussing about his appearance for too long because he wanted to look good for you.”

Fuyuhiko slammed the divider shut and locked it, turning his head to side to try to hide his blush as Kokichi laughed in response.

“You don’t need to worry about looking good for me,” Kokichi said. “You could dress up as a horror movie clown and I’d still be happy to see you. I do appreciate the effort though and you look fantastic.”

“Uh… thanks.” At least the effort hadn’t gone to waste. “You look good too.”

While Kokichi clearly hadn’t gone to great lengths to dress up, he had dressed a bit nicer than he normally did. And it looked like he might have even attempted to properly brush his hair for once before inevitably playing with it and sending it back to its normal messiness. Which was just natural for him now so Fuyuhiko didn’t mind.

“Thanks.” Kokichi was much better at taking compliments than him.

 -

As soon as they were dropped off at the restaurant, Fuyuhiko ordered the driver to leave, he’d text them when he needed them to come pick him up again. He told Peko to go away too and even though she didn’t seem pleased about it, she obeyed. Thankfully these days, she was getting better about putting her role as his best friend over her role as his bodyguard; the way it always should’ve been.

“Oh, it’s a fancy restaurant,” Kokichi said with an excited hop as they walked in. He looked around with an awed smile as if he’d never seen such splendors before. It… had to be fake though, right? There was no way he’d never been in a restaurant similar to this in the past. It wasn’t even the nicest restaurant Fuyuhiko had ever been too. There were plenty of places that were fancier and more expensive but those places were probably a bit too much for a first date.

“Yeah, you’d think I’d take you anywhere that wasn’t nice?” Especially for the first date. Fuyuhiko had to make a good impression.

“Well, I suppose you are rich so no, probably not.”

They were seated at a private table in the back and handed a couple menus. Kokichi eagerly started searching through his. Fuyuhiko wasn’t feeling particularly hungry but picked his up too. He was still a bit nervous even though everything was going well so far. It was unlikely anything bad would happen, they’d known each other for a long while now thus there wasn’t much either of them could do to make an interaction awkward or uncomfortable. But still a small part of him insisted he’d find a way to fuck this up.

“What the heck even is some of this stuff?” Kokichi asked after a short while. “Is it even food?”

Fuyuhiko lowered his menu to look at him. “You’ve never eaten at a French restaurant before? Really?”

Kokichi lowered his menu too, revealing a hurt look on his face. “I’m just a poor street urchin Fuyu, so no, I have not.”

“’Street urchin’?”

“Yep, I grew up on the streets and now live in an abandoned building in the shady part of town that also serves as the headquarters for my secret organization.” How casually he said it meant it had to be a lie. Fuyuhiko wasn’t going to let himself be fooled by it even if he had never been to Kokichi’s house or seen hide nor hair of his parents. It was a trap, meant to lure him into offering sympathy only for it to be shot down with a ‘that was a lie’. He’d fallen for such traps too many times before.

“Sure, whatever you say,” he said flatly. “Order whatever you like though, I’m paying. If you need help, I can suggest some things, I’ve been here a few times before.” Whether Kokichi was also lying about having never been to a French restaurant before was hard to say, it was plausible though so Fuyuhiko wouldn’t dismiss it.

If Kokichi was disappointed that his trap hadn’t been sprung, he was good at hiding at it as a large grin splayed across his face. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

 -

After they were done eating, they went for a stroll in a nearby park. By now most of Fuyuhiko’s nerves had died down. Kokichi had always had a way of distracting him from such things.

“Want to hold hands?” Kokichi asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Which well, it wasn’t unnatural, they were literally on a date after all so…

“Sure,” Fuyuhiko replied, totally not blushing a little. He was the heir to one of the most powerful gangs in the world, no way was he flustered about holding hands with someone even if he did have a huge crush on that someone. Was ‘crush’ even the right word now that they were on a date?

Kokichi took his hand, not pausing for even a moment. It was warm and his grip was firm. If he minded how sweaty Fuyuhiko’s palms suddenly were he didn’t show it.

They walked in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s company and the scenery. It was in the midst of spring so the cherry blossom threes that dotted about the park were in full bloom. As a result, it was a popular park for couples. They weren’t the only ones there, though they were separated just enough he felt like they could be.

Eventually they ended up on a bench. Evening was starting to set in, they’d have to start heading back soon and go home.

“So uh… this was really nice,” Fuyuhiko said, fidgeting a little and not looking at Kokichi sitting next to him. They were sitting close enough that their shoulders touched.

“It was wonderful,” Kokichi agreed. “We should do it again sometime, possibly lots of times if you want to.”

“I’d uh… like that a lot.”

“Good, but that means you’re stuck with me now. You’ll have to try awful hard to get rid of me.”

Before Fuyuhiko respond with a ‘that’s fine’, Kokichi hugged him and kissed his cheek. “You’re mine now,” he whispered almost evilly in Fuyuhiko’s ear before pulling back. Leaving Fuyuhiko blushing like mad. At least it was only the two of them here now so no one else could see.

“Anyway,” Kokichi said as he stood, his tone cheery and bright once more. “I need to get going, I have super-secret stuff for my super-secret organization that I have to take care of. I’ll text you later tonight and maybe we can set up another date.”

“Wait,” Fuyuhiko said as he stood too. “I can call my driver back and we’ll give you ride.”

“Nah, that’s fine, it’s nearby so it’s easier for me to just walk. But first…” Kokichi stepped towards him again and… kissed him, on the mouth this time. His breath was warm and his lips were soft, it made Fuyuhiko’s head feel fuzzy as leaned into it.

But alas, it was over all too soon. Kokichi pulled back and immediately ran off with a giggle. Fuyuhiko let out a breath and shook his head to clear it as he watched him go. He didn’t bother chasing or trying to call Kokichi back, they’d talk via phone later tonight and could set up stuff then.

Overall, that had been a wonderful first date. It had gone far better than he’d ever hoped it would. He couldn’t wait to tell Peko about it on the way back home.

[harrysmeadow]

HELD - CHAPTER 3

Where each of us before had been sat rigid in our seats, ready to defend ourselves against an attack, the simple apologies we admitted seemed to bring our guards down. None of us had the strength to fight anymore. But I doubted anyone was going to surrender either.

Izzy shuffled forward clutching her tea tightly; she looked straight over at Harry and took a deep breath, preparing herself to say the words she’d kept locked away for so long.

Just want to say a massive thank you to these absolute legends - @cuddlemusclestyles / @islareeveswriting and @whoopsharrystyles they’re absolutely amazing betas, and the ideas and concepts you like to kill me with regularly only spur me on 😉. Love you long time ladies 💕

The car ride back to my Grandparents house was uncomfortably silent. The twists and turns of the country lane were much like the thoughts in my mind. Never ending and making me feel slightly sick. Izzy was focusing on the road ahead, her grip tight on the wheel. Harry in the back seat was seemingly transfixed on the shapes whirring past the car window, his face white as a sheet and drained of any emotion. And I was nervously shifting, looking between the two of them. Watching, waiting and hoping for one of them to say something.

I definitely didn’t give Izzy the credit she deserves. I always went on about how I need to protect and take care of her. But she was most certainly capable of doing that herself. After my outburst I’d prepared myself for the worst. I was sure there was going to be a screaming match of some sort, I just wasn’t sure between who. But she’d calmly walked round the table reaching Harry and I at the bar. Her tear-stained cheeks already drying, softly admitting how this situation wasn’t quite casual enough to be rectified in the local pub. She began towards the door, Harry following swiftly behind. Myself slightly more reluctant with my head hung low, as the stares from the locals still hadn’t been torn away.

It’s funny how just one event can change the way you see a place. That pub which over the years I had come to associate with family gatherings and happy memories, would now forever in my mind have a sign over the door saying; ‘Here marks the spot where Erin Thornaby lost her shit.’

Thankfully, my grandparents’ farmhouse didn’t have any such sign above the door, and only served to remind me of feelings of calm and peacefullness. I began to breathe easier when the house came into view. The crunching of the gravel driveway underneath the car tyres was like a soothing lullaby. But when we came to a stop and Izzy cut off the engine, I found myself hoping that maybe we could settle the dispute in the car. I couldn’t bear the thought of that house being tainted by a serious argument between Izzy and I.

The click of Izzy’s seatbelt told me she had other ideas.

“Ok, first of all, I was trying to stay calm about this, but it’s not in my nature.” Izzy started. Looks like I spoke too soon about that screaming match. She hopped out the car, slamming the door behind her and storming towards the house.

I spared a glance at Harry who was already getting out of the car ready to chase after her. I jumped out too, jogging to catch up with them, suddenly skidding to a stop when Izzy turned on her heel, her pointer finger ready to take my eye out.

“Erin, I trusted you not to say anything! She whined. “I told you in confidence about how I felt, and it took you all of 6 hours to blurt it all out!” She exclaimed, her hands flying about in all directions. The anger and frustration she’d held onto since the pub seemingly exiting her body in every way possible.

“Izzy...I..I don’t…” I didn’t even know what I was trying, or wanted, to say. Forgive me? Forget the whole thing? I’m sorry? I just wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear. Anything that meant she wouldn’t hate me.

“Sorry, but is someone going to tell me what this is all about?” I mean I’ve got a pretty good idea…” He had some fucking nerve.

“It’s about you being a dickhead, and blowing Izzy off like she was nothing.” I spat. Izzy rolled her eyes and started walking back towards the house again. Harry and I followed.

“So it’s about that reading week?” He scoffed, as we neared the back door. He reached out, grabbing Izzy’s wrist and turning her back to him. “Izzy, you said you didn’t care!” His voice starting to rise.

“Well she obviously does!” I bellowed back, slamming the door behind me.

“How was I supposed to know!?”

“You should have talked to her abou-”

“I DID TALK TO HER, SHE SAID SHE WAS FINE!”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT HARRY!” I screamed. Stamping my foot and clenching my fists by my side like a petulant child. He just wasn’t listening.

“ERIN, THIS HAS FUCK ALL TO DO WITH YOU, SO JUST STAY OUT OF IT, OK!”

“ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!” Izzy’s screaming voice making us both jump. Her cheeks were once again rosy and glistening with spilled tears.

Harry seemed to coil further in anger. His shoulders rising and falling rapidly in time with the short puffs of air he was breathing through his nose. His chin was tight to his chest, and his hands gripped tight onto the roots of his curls. He pulled harshly as if the pain he induced himself would lessen the ache in his chest.

I hadn’t thought about how Harry and I arguing would hurt Izzy. Two of the most important people in her life stood in front of her, ripping each other apart because one cared too much about her and the other too little.

The half moon indentations on the inside of my palms were slowly eased of pressure as my fists uncurled and I began to calm. The realisation of what I’d done suddenly crashing over me like a tidal surge in the middle of a rough storm. The one person I tried to protect was the only one getting hurt.

I peered up from my reddened palms to see Izzy slumped against the wall, her arms hung limply at her sides. The weight of her true feelings being known pulling her down. A defeated looking Harry now sat doubled over on the bottom step of the staircase. His erratic breathing had slowed and his head was now encased in his large hands.

“I think…” Izzy breathed, her gaze still locked on the ceiling. “I need to start at the beginning.”

****

After we’d each taken the time to compose ourselves, I did the thing any normal British person would do when faced with an uncomfortable situation. Offered everyone a tea.

When I was pouring the tea into the mugs, my grumbling stomach reminded me that I never got around to placing my food order at the pub. Which meant Izzy and I hadn’t eaten anything since the late morning. Harry probably before then. So I thought it best to bring along the biscuit tin to our awkward afternoon tea.

I watched my step as I padded down the hallway, holding on tight to the tea tray hoping I didn’t drop anything. It wouldn’t be the first time.

I rounded the corner into the living room to find Izzy and Harry sat at opposite ends of the room, both staring off into space. The clinking of the tray hitting the coffee table as I set it down brought them both back from their daydreams. They each shot forward picking what they wanted from the tray like ravenous animals, as if a larger predator was about to invade and take it all away again. I waited until they’d finished before I took my turn choosing a biscuit, and I plonked myself down on the last remaining sofa.

Sitting between them I felt like I was about to become some low rent version of Jeremy Kyle. And given the looks of anger and frustration they both sported earlier, perhaps I should have invested in some bodyguards like Jezza too.

But now everyone was quietly sipping their tea and munching on the biscuits, silently enjoying the calm before the storm. It was a tea party even the Mad Hatter would decline an invitation to. Noticing neither Izzy or Harry were making any effort to begin, it was left to me to start the proceedings.

I cleared my throat as I placed my half empty mug back on the table, noticing how their solemn, but eager eyes slowly turned towards me.

“I guess I want to start by saying sorry. To both of you. As I imagine none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t opened my big mouth...but I think it’s also kind of a good thing I did say it, because you two obviously need to talk.”

“I’m sorry too.” Harry spoke up. “I shouldn’t have gotten so angry and shouted like that.”

“Me too,” Izzy added. “At the end of the day, it all comes back to me. If I’d just spoken to you both at the time, none of this would have happened.”

Where each of us before had been sat rigid in our seats, ready to defend ourselves against an attack, the simple apologies we admitted seemed to bring our guards down. None of us had the strength to fight anymore. But I doubted anyone was going to surrender either.

Izzy shuffled forward clutching her tea tightly; she looked straight over at Harry and took a deep breath, preparing herself to say the words she’d kept locked away for so long.

“Erin was right, Harry. You really did hurt me when you went home that week. You hadn’t been speaking to me as much; I was scared I’d done something wrong and upset you. But when you said you wanted to see me, I was so happy that I’d get to see my best friend again.”

The look on Harry’s face was as if he’s just accidently stepped on a dog’s tail. Sorrow and guilt crowded his features. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. But he had. All the words that had tumbled out of my mouth in the pub were finally hitting home, as this time, Izzy was the one speaking them.

“I missed you so much Harry. I thought you must have been missing me too.”

“I did miss you. Izzy, I missed you so much.” he interjected, a slight whine edging his voice.

“Are you taking the piss?” She spat, slamming her mug down on the table. Both Harry and I flinched at the harsh sound. I could tell she wanted to shout, but was trying her best to restrain herself.

“Don’t lie to me Harry, if you missed me, you had a funny way of showing it. Was it really that hard for you to stop in Leeds for even just a day? It’s literally on the way home!”

“It wasn’t that simple.”

“What?”

“I just couldn’t do it.”

“Why?!”

“It doesn’t matter why. I’ve said sorry, can we drop it now please?”

That was all it took. One more crack to the mirror that was Izzy’s hard exterior meant it was now shattered in millions of tiny pieces on the floor. I knew I was going to be the one to pick them all up.

A wretched sob escaped her; she was finally crying. Letting the emotions she had tried to disguise as anger take over her for what they truly were. Hurt and sorrow.

I rushed to her side, engulfing her in a hug. Wishing that in some way I could absorb some of the pain she was feeling, so she wouldn’t have to go through this alone.

Harry still hadn’t moved from the chair opposite where I now sat with a distraught Izzy. His gaze was still locked on her, but I didn’t detect any remorse.

“Are you hearing what you’re saying?” I started. My voice was low, I’d discovered that shouting wasn’t the way to get him to listen.

“Of course it matters, Harry. You need to tell her. She’s driving herself insane, jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Please just think about what you’re putting her through.” I tried to stay as neutral as I could, but Izzy’s whimpering cries in my ear were causing my voice to shake. But I had to stay strong for both of us.

His eyes were still blank, but now slightly glazed over, I assumed with sympathy tears for Izzy. He could no longer hide how affected he was by seeing his best friend so upset, crying tears that he caused to fall.

“I can’t be the person you need me to be anymore, Iz.” He whispered.

Izzy’s head raised from my shoulder, where a damp patch had been left by her tears. She had calmed significantly but the odd sniffle and sob still shook her body. She had assumed the worst, now she was preparing herself to hear it. Her brows furrowed as she looked across to her best friend, but her fingers stayed intertwined with mine.

“It’s just..I..I can’t do it. When you rang me after the first three weeks at uni crying down the phone how you missed home, how you missed me. It...it broke my heart Iz. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to be with you. To tell you it was going to be ok, that you could do it, to help you through it if you needed me. But I wasn’t and I couldn’t be. But as your best friend I should have been.”

He took a shaky breath before continuing, wiping away a stray tear that had escaped.

“I knew then that it wasn’t fair on you, or me, to keep pretending that we could be as we always were. I can’t be with you when you’re upset, or when you’re hurt. So I tried to distance myself. I had to get used to you not being around, I thought if I didn’t know about your problems I wouldn’t feel bad about not being there to try and fix them.”

“Why did I not get a say in this?” Izzy responded, the hurt clear in her voice.

“Because you’d have tried to stop me.” He replied plainly. Although it was clear that he wasn’t expecting the effects of what he’d done. “Izzy, you have to understand I was doing what I thought was the best thing for both of us. We can’t keep relying on each other when we’re miles apart. Someone was going to get hurt.”

“I already did.” She whispered.

“You have to trust me’ please, Izzy. I didn’t come to see you because I knew once I did, everything would go back to normal, even just for a few days, and I couldn’t take the risk. When you said you were fine with me not coming, I was crushed. Because even though I thought my plan was for the best, deep down I didn’t want it to work.”

Silent tears were now making tracks down all of our cheeks. The true depth of Harry’s confession hitting us straight in the chest.

“I figured you’d learnt to be without me. Which was the point, it was what needed to happen.”

“But you can’t do things like that, Harry! You didn’t know how I was feeling because you cut me off. You didn’t talk to me. How was I supposed to know what you were doing? When you said you weren’t coming I said I was fine because I didn’t want to bother you. I thought you hated me.”

He knew know it had been a mistake. He thought staying away was the best thing for them both. But hearing her say she thought he hated her, was enough to snap him back to reality.

Harry quickly pulled himself out of the chair and stumbled over to Izzy and I. Crouching in front of her and grabbing her other hand I watched as he stroked soothing patterns onto her skin.

“Izzy, I could never, ever hate you. You have to know that. You’re my best friend, always have been, and always will be.” He was looking up at her from his spot on the floor, his eyes desperately searching hers, hoping to find some sign of forgiveness.  

“You’re my best friend too, Harry, but you have to understand that what you did wasn’t ok. You’d never done this to me before, and I didn’t know what to think.”

“I know that now. I was so stupid, I thought it was best for both of us, but I realised that I can’t not have you in my life, Izzy. Whether you’re right next to me or halfway round the world, I need you.”

In that moment of pure emotion, I couldn’t help but feel like I was intruding. Months of misunderstanding, heartache and longing between the two of them had led them to it, yet I was still sat watching from the sidelines, watching the events unfold.

“Izzy, I’m so sorry.” he begged. “Please forgive me.”

Her grip on my hand started to release, and I took it as a chance to leave. I stood up and darted out of the room, turning to grab the door handle on my way out. I smiled at the scene I’d left behind.

They were both perched on the very edge of the sofa, legs and arms tangled together in an embrace that I imagined had been a long time coming.

****

After the emotional rollercoaster that I somehow found myself in the front carriage of yesterday, I was more than looking forward to a chilled day relaxing in bed. There were some box sets on Netflix that had been calling my name all first term, and I’d been good and not started them while I was still at uni because I had assignments to do. But today, the plan was to binge watch, eat, nap, repeat.

Said plan however, was completely shot to shreds before I’d even finished watching the first episode on my list. My phone began vibrating somewhere in my bed sheets, I paused the episode and began to scramble for it before whoever it was hung up. Once I’d found it and saw who it was, I rolled my eyes before swiping across the screen.

“This better not become a regular thing, Izzy.” I groaned down the phone.

“Don’t tell me you were still sleeping!?” She laughed.

“I wasn’t but I’m still in bed, so it’s just as bad!”

She laughed again, and I didn’t mind. I was thankful she was feeling happy, considering how shitty she must have felt the day before.

“Well get up and dressed.” She chirped. “Harry feels bad that we missed out on pub grub yesterday so we’re going for breakfast and he said to invite you!”

As much as I’d been looking forward to my lazy day, I couldn’t deny that a good old English fry-up wasn’t extremely tempting. Plus, it was just breakfast, I could come back afterwards and jump straight back into bed.

“Ok, sounds good. You picking me up from here, or do you want me to walk round to yours when I’m ready?”

“You stay put and I’ll swing by once I’ve got Harry, so I’ll be there in like half an hour.”

“Sound. Right, I’ll see you in a bit then, bye.”

I’d already climbed out of bed, and started pulling pieces of my outfit out of various drawers and cupboards. I had half an hour to make myself look somewhat presentable. But I was a uni student; I’d played this game before, and I was a champion.

Breakfast was tremendously civilised compared to how the three of us had acted the day before. And although we were all getting along nicely, no-one had yet mentioned the elephant in the room that was our little tiff. And it was making me nervous.

See, the time I had saved with my amazingly quick morning routine earlier, ended up being spent getting overly anxious about what Harry might say to me. On the phone, Izzy had said he’d invited me to breakfast; did that mean he wanted to talk? Or was he just being polite?

It was fine for Izzy and him, they’d made up; they’d gone back to how they were before the whole thing. But that argument had been my first encounter with Harry as an adult. I didn’t have a default setting to go back to. I knew he was a nice guy, there was no way Izzy would have put up with him for so long if he wasn’t. But the thoughts and scenarios swimming around in my brain left me feeling like I was treading water, and I couldn’t find my way back to shore.

After our small talk had died down, and all our attention was turned to massive plates of food in front of us, it seemed that Izzy had decided she definitely wasn’t too scared to point out said elephant.

“Ok, so I know none of us actually want to talk about this, but there’s one last thing I need to say before I can put this whole thing behind me.” She sighed, her cutlery clanking against the side of her plate as she set it down.

Chancing a look at Harry, I was surprised to see that he looked shocked, if not slightly worried himself. I had presumed this was going to be a joint effort between them, that they’d talked about whatever it was last night, and bringing me out to breakfast was their way of getting me on my own. But the look on Harry’s face suggested he had thought the whole thing was over and done with.

Eager to hear what Izzy had left to say on the matter, I placed my knife and fork down on the table and shuffled forward in my seat.

“You don’t have to look so scared!” She chuckled, her lightheartedness immediately calming my nerves. I was really hoping to avoid a repeat of yesterday. “It’s pretty stupid actually, but I need to tell you both.”

“That’s just making me more scared!” Harry whined.

“Shut up!” She laughed, playfully whacking him on his arm. “Basically, while Harry was off being a prick and ignoring me for all those months, I didn’t tell anyone that we weren’t talking.” She said with a coy smile.

I too smiled to myself, as I saw Harry roll his eyes. I was happy for them that they could both go back to being so comfortable with each other; they were already making jokes about it.

“Erin, obviously I usually tell you everything, and it was so hard for me to keep this from you. But I didn’t want to seem like I was being pathetic, or that I couldn’t handle uni or whatever.”

I couldn’t deny that her words stung. How she could ever think that I’d judge her like that was beyond me. Had I not proved to her over the years that she could trust me with anything? I tried to hide how hurt I was, but I could feel the crease between my brows that had involuntarily formed while she spoke.

“Iz, I would have never seen you like that, I would have done anything to help you,” I said with conviction, rather than anger.

“I know; that’s the problem…” She trailed off. Fidgeting with the napkin on her lap, she avoided eye contact, looking round the room for a distraction, seemingly trying to put off whatever she wanted to say. Harry was growing impatient though.

“Come on Iz, spit it out.” he chuckled lightly.

“Fine. Well, Erin obviously you’ve always been alarmingly protective of me, and poor Harry had to deal with your demonstration of that yesterday.”

I winced at her words. But she was right. I’d always felt a fierce need to protect her, even though she didn’t need it most of the time. Yesterday, those instincts had kicked in with full force. I’d gone all out on Harry basically accusing him of being a shit friend, and calling him names that I now regretted immensely.

“You did that after I’d hardly told you anything about it, and months after it had happened. Can you imagine what you’d have done if I had told you at the time?”

I sucked in a breath between my teeth. “Good point actually.” I mused. “To be honest I’d probably have hunted you down, Harry; not gonna lie.”

His little nervous laugh came to an abrupt halt when he realised neither Izzy, or I were laughing with him. Clearing his throat and sputtering a small cough he looked at Izzy with wide, pleading eyes.

“Yeah, she’s not lying.” Izzy stated with a small shake of her head.

“Actually Harry, you might have had a head start, as I would have had to track you down first. Where is it you go to uni? You know, just for future reference.” I said with a smirk.

“York.” He replied.

“What!?” I shrieked. “Izzy!?”

I looked over to where Izzy was now sliding down in her seat, hiding her face in her hands. I reached over and yanked them away, forcing her to sit back up and explain herself.

“That.” She said with an exasperated sigh. “That, is why I didn’t tell you. You both go to the same uni, and if Erin found out what you’d done, Harry, she would have easily found out where you lived, and given you a hell of a lot worse than what you got yesterday.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I muttered under my breath, scooting my chair away from the table.

Before, I’d been hurt about how she hadn’t told me, but now I was embarrassed beyond belief. She’d gone out of her way not to tell me about the Harry situation because she actually feared for his safety if I knew.

“Oh! You go to York too, Erin?” He asked brightly.

I was confused. Had he heard what Izzy had just said? I think he sensed my unease, and he brushed past what Izzy was trying to say about my apparent anger management issues like it was nothing. This was the first time since I’d met him at the airport a few days ago that I was grateful for Harry’s presence. With one subtle wink sent my way, it was like every bad feeling I’d had towards him in the past 24 hours disintegrated before my eyes.

“Erm, yeah I’m a second year media student. What are you studying?” I replied, happy to have finally finished talking about anything to do with the argument.

“Sport. I’m still a fresher though. Maybe, once we go back after Christmas you can show me the best places to go, because so far my nights out have been shit.” He chuckled.

“I can definitely do that.” I smiled. And I got a lovely dimpled one in return.

****

I never got around to watching my Netflix shows that day. After breakfast, the three of us went back to my Grandparents’ farmhouse, and spent the day playing various board games.

The sun was shining much like the day before at the playing field, but the chill in the air was enough to turn fingers blue. The ancient structure of the house wasn’t much suited to a central heating system, but luckily the original coal fires in the main rooms of the house kept us cosy that afternoon.

Sam came round to join us in the early afternoon, just as we were setting up the board for Cluedo. Everyone else was pottering about the farm somewhere. Even though it wasn’t the chilled day I had planned, I was enjoying myself greatly.

During the however many hours we spent playing the games, I noticed Harry had a particularly strong competitive side. I’d seen it in full force at the tournament the day before, but it seemed as though it was an easily transferable trait for Harry. Especially when it came to hypothetical murder mysteries. Unfortunately for him, Harry was in the dark about my top level detective skills. Cluedo was my game. And I always won.

“Ok, I’m making my accusation.” I announced with confidence, when my turn came around.

“What!?” Harry shrieked. “Already?”

“Mmmhm” I replied nonchalantly.

“Fine, well then I am too.” He said with a cocky smirk, which made me giggle.

“What are you laughing at!?” He asked with a sheepish smile.

“Nothing really. You just sound so confident, but you’ve not got it right,” I retorted.

“Oh and how would you know that? Have you been cheating and looking at my sheet?” He argued back with mock offence.

Izzy, Sam and I all laughed. “Oh Harry, I don’t need to cheat, hun. I am the master of Cluedo. You’ll be calling me Sherlock Holmes after this.”

“It’s true, mate.” Sam interjected. “Erin always wins at Cluedo, I think she’s got some sort of secret algorithm, because no-one wins but her. I don’t know why I still play with her to be honest; there’s no point.”

I smiled smugly, shrugging my shoulders at Harry, pleased with Sam’s appreciation of my board game talents. Harry was scowling back at me, the prospect of losing not sitting well with him. I knew he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge though, so I thought it was time to bring in the big guns.

“If you’re sure that this won’t cause you severe humiliation, Harry, I’m more than happy to make the necessary arrangements to settle this.” I teased.

He rolled his eyes, and I watched as the corner of his mouth twitched when he tried to stop himself from smiling.

“I’m sure.” He stated.

“Alright. EVIE!!!” I shouted, hoping that my voice would travel to wherever she was in the house.

Izzy and Sam sat shaking their heads, while Harry looked incredibly confused. I was excited, hardly able to stop fidgeting as we all waited for Evie to come trudging down the stairs.

Evie was a typical teenager, moody and grumpy. She liked to spend most of her time in her room, on her laptop and phone, basically only coming downstairs for meals. She answered most questions with a grunt or a shake of her head. And she avoided me at all costs, I was the embarrassing big sister, who was so uncool.

Despite that though, Evie, like me, was loyal. Especially when it came to family. So although she was probably in the middle of a very important facetime call with one of her friends back home in Leeds, she still came to us when she heard me shout her name.

A chorus of greetings sent her way by the others when she finally arrived were ignored. Instead she came to stop at the edge of the room, one hand on her hip, the other gripping her iPhone as she scrolled down whatever app she was on.

“Evie can you check the cards for Harry and Erin please?” Izzy asked, knowing that she’d be more likely to say yes to her cousin than her sister.

“Yeah, whatever.” She said bluntly, making her way over to where we were sat at the front of the room next to the fire.

“Right, these are the rules.” I stated, standing up from my place at the board. “Evie, you open the case file and check the three cards. Harry and I will give you our clue sheets, check them against the cards, but don’t say anything until you’ve checked both.” I said and she nodded.

“Why can’t she say anything?” Harry whined, standing up to face me. His towering frame above me should have been intimidating, but I knew I held myself with confidence. Plus, the little curls that had escaped the bun he’d pulled his hair back into, and the grumpy pout he was sporting, weren’t exactly portraying a very aggressive image.

“Because, if she says what I guessed, before she’s looked at yours, you could change your answer.” I replied.

“Fine, I guess it’s only fair.” He said with huff, reaching down to pick up his clue sheet and handing it over to Evie.

She snatched mine from me, acting as if I’d just caused her the biggest inconvenience of her life. Sam sniggered behind me at her behaviour, and Harry looked at me with wide eyes that seemed slightly fearful. I giggled at his expression, fidgeting with the charms on my bracelet as I awaited the final verdict.

“Erin won, you got the room wrong Harry. Sorry.” she announced monotonously, placing the cards and sheets on the arm of the chair, and immediately leaving the room.

“YES!” I jeered, jumping up and down with excitement. “I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT!” I jibed, now twirling around in Luna Lovegood style victory dance, ecstatic about yet another win. I laughed when I saw that Harry was stood motionless watching me with a little pout.

I came to a stop before I made myself to dizzy, smiling up at him with a huge grin. “You’re such a sore loser.” I laughed.

“Am not!” He retorted.

“You are!” Izzy and Sam replied in unison, which only made me laugh more.

“Well if I knew about Miss Marple over here I probably wouldn’t have even played in the first place.” He huffed jokily, nudging my side, at which I giggled some more. I’d been giggling a lot today.

“You shouldn’t try to beat me at my own game Harry.” I said cheekily. “I’ll never play football against you.”

“Football’s not my game love.” He replied, his voice low and eyes locked on mine. But before I had chance to question what he meant, Sam leapt up off the floor, knocking into my side.

“Oh! That reminds me!” he exclaimed, trying to regain his balance, while I regained my composure after Harry’s intense stare. “Haz, you off to the team dinner next week?”

“I am, mate. The reigning champion,” he emphasised, leaning in and looking at me with a smug grin, before standing upright again, leaving me quietly stunned at his close proximity. “Is meant to go back, to pass the award on to the next winner. You going, Iz?” He asked.

“Yup!” She replied brightly. “Got my dress sorted already!”

“Of course you have.” He sniggered. “What about you Erin? You coming too?”

“I don’t know what you’re all talking about, so no.” I laughed.

“It’s like a fundraising dinner for the local football team.” He explained, as Izzy and Sam began clearing away the afternoon’s activities from the floor.

“Yesterday was the tournament, where you can go for free to watch the games, but you can make donations if you want, to help support the teams. But the dinner is a ticketed event, quite fancy, there’s awards and stuff, all the money goes towards the teams for equipment and transport and things like that. It sounds boring, but it’s a right laugh. Everyone goes. You should come,” He smiled.

My fears that Harry would forever hold a grudge against me for the blow up I’d caused between Izzy and him, were slowly, but surely fading. It had only been 24 hours since we were all going at each other's throats, but I was relieved that Harry so far seemed the type to forgive and forget.

The invitation to the dinner meant a lot to me. Over the years I’d often felt like a bit of outsider when I came to stay in Holmes Chapel. Izzy and Sam were my family, but sometimes I still felt like a visitor in their lives, rather than a permanent fixture.

I really wanted to go to the event, but I was struggling to decipher whether the invite was because he realised I was the only one not going, or because I was actually wanted there. I was happy that he’d asked me to go at all though. My day hadn’t gone as I originally planned, but I’d really enjoyed spending time with the three of them, and I was looking forward to more. I hoped they did too.

“Yes!” Izzy screeched, turning round and grabbing my wrists in her dainty hands. “I didn’t even think about that! Erin, please come! Save me from these two idiots. It’ll be fun, I promise!” She pleaded, and my concerns about not being wanted were squashed under the weight of Izzy’s love.

She was looking at me fondly, her dark brown eyes framed with long fluttering lashes, boring into mine. Izzy always got she wanted, and she chose her weapons wisely.

“Ok.” I said, with slight reluctance. “As long as you’re sure I’m allowed.” I questioned the three of them.

“Of course you are. You just need to buy a ticket, I’m sure there’ll be a few left.” Harry replied. “And if not, I can pull a few strings.” He said with the second wink he sent me that day. I giggled in response. Again.

A/N - I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always I’d love to know what you think! My ask is always open, so some chat to me! All the love 💕