To say that I felt awkward right now, would be the biggest understatement of the century.
I was sitting at a table with my ex, his mom and sister, along with my sister, bestfriend, and my parents whom I hadn't had a real conversation with in months.
Ashley kept sending me apologetic glances from across the table, but also laughing slightly whenever Harry began talking.
She wasn't very fond of him, obviously.
"So, Bella… What are your plans now? You've finally graduated… so travelling? Getting a job? Settling down with anybody?"
My eyes widened at Anne's question, and I opened my mouth to speak, wanting to direct the conversation to a topic that didn't revolve around the men in my life.
"Yeah… moving to Philadelphia, I got offered a job there after summers over." I nodded, ready to explain more before my mom began speaking.
"There's this really nice boy named Calum we met a few months ago. They're moving in together." My mom smiled, eyeing Harry.
I choked on my water while Ashley began howling with laughter. This situation was anything but ideal.
"Calum? I must hear more about him Bella. What's he like? And you're moving in with him? How long have you guys been together,"
I glanced at Cheryl for help while she covered her face with her hands, laughing ever so slightly. If I wasn't talking about somebody who my family presumed was my next relationship while my ex-boyfriend was sat two feet away from me I'd be laughing too.
My dad shook his head and my mom eyed the two laughing girls. I looked at Harry through my peripheral vision to see that he was picking at the bolognese on his plate trying to zone out the conversation.
"We're just friends. He got a job there as well so we thought being roommates was a good idea… everythings cheaper that way. He's uh… nice. Good guy, you know… he's nice."
"He can't be that nice," Harry grumbled, only I heard his comment.
"Calum's not too hard on the eyes either," Cheryl laughed.
Ashley and Cheryl high-fived each other, while I wiped my forehead with the back of my palm.
This was so very horrifying, and I was over it.
Anne nodded, taking the hint that I didn't want to talk about Calum any further. She immersed herself in a conversation with my parents about how nice the architecture in this restaurant was, while Harry, Gemma and I stayed silent, completely embracing the awkward tension that filled the air surrounding us.
I picked at my chicken alfredo, keeping silent unless I was asked a question that was specific to my studies or any experiences that I had during the past two years… except any questions that had to do with Calum.
Thankfully, we got through the rest of dinner without many more awkward conversations. I hadn't spoken to Gemma or Harry directly, mostly because I hadn't seen Gemma since she showed up to school at the beginning of the year, and things with Harry were… rocky? I was unsure of what words to use to describe our relationship and where it currently stood.
"I'll call you guys once we get settled at the new place… maybe have you over some time." I nodded towards my parents as we walked out of the restaurant, Cheryl said her goodbyes and headed off back to campus.
"You'll have too! Maybe have Anne and the kids over too. It'd be nice for them to meet your friend." My mom winked.
I mentally rolled my eyes at my moms comment, knowing that she was doing this to spite Harry. Every time she brought up how amazing Calum was, she'd look at him. It was quite cruel in my opinion, but then again she didn't really know how much Harry and I had conversed in the past few months… I'm not sure anybody did.
I could feel my relationship with my parents becoming more strained by the moment, so some distance wouldn't hurt. That's part of the reason why I wasn't moving back to New York with them.
I needed to start being an adult.
"Yeah… we'll see." I pursed my lips before bidding my family farewell. With Anne and Gemma walked my family to their car I leaned against mine. Harry stayed behind, kicking rocks on the ground with his hands shoved into his pockets.
"I'm sorry about my mom. She had no right to speak like that, she was only-"
"Only trying to piss me off?" He interrupted.
I let out a sigh, looking up at him. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. This is the first time I've seen them in awhile… they have every right to be angry with me."
"But they don't know that we're working on being okay again Harry. Okay? It's none of their business… I'm not going to tell anybody because it doesn't matter to anyone but us. Alright?"
I was taken back when Harry's arms engulfed me in a hug, and what surprised me even more was that I wrapped my arms around him.
"Thank you Bella." He spoke softly.
He held me tight, as if he was scared that I would get away again. So I held him tightly too, to assure him that we would work through this.
As we stood there I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.
It felt like home.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as our arms fell back to our sides, and he gave me a small smile and nod as he walked to Anne's car.
Soon enough, everyone was out of the parking lot and I was standing in the same place I was when we hugged, watching the sun set over the mountains of California.
