Skylar had said she would only be gone for a couple of hours.
When a couple of hours turned into far more than that, it was nearly impossible for Harry not to worry considering what happened the last time. But as the clock ticked into the early morning, he knew that he had to go and find her- at least give himself the peace of mind that she was alright. Driving him crazy with worry, but having fun.
When he found her at the bar, a hole in the wall in the middle of London, he felt a sort of bizarre mix of emotions. He was irritated and tired but ultimately just happy to see that she was okay. Well, that was until he actually reached her and he realized just how bloody wasted she was.
He knew it was hard for her to adjust- that it was going to be a serious recovery process for her considering just what she went through. But the sight of all the shots, all the empty glasses and the way her body was stumbling all over the place, an uncomfortable feeling tugged at his stomach.
He just didn't want her to become him.
"Skylar-" he called out, voice a bit louder than normal to reach her over the music. "Hey-"
Skylar was a giddy drunk, always had been. No matter what she was drinking she found herself laughing a little bit louder and much friendlier to strangers than she ever would be sober. It was how she found herself deep into conversation with two guys at the bar, nodding at whatever story they were telling as she guzzled down her drink.
But the call of her name made her turn and her eyes lit up.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she asked, a big sloppy grin on her face as she stepped away from the bar towards him.
It was impossible to be all that angry with her when her face looked like that. She was all smiles and bright eyes and giddy laughter. He couldn't help but grin, more relieved than anything to see that she was alright. He didn't even pay attention to the two blokes beside her.
"You said you would be home hours ago," he said, as she reached him. "I got worried-"
Though at this point she couldn't even tell time and had no idea how much time had actually passed. The arms on the clock behind the wall just didn't make any sense to her.
Still, she was so happy to see him there.
"They just ordered me another drink! Come have one with me-" Skylar was already pulling him to the bar.
Harry moved along with her, though he was shaking his head, his eyes finally settling on the two blokes behind them and wondering just what they thought they were doing ordering a woman drink after drink.
Skylar was too far gone to even register or make any sense of what Harry was saying. It was a miracle she was even standing up on her own.
"Just one and we can go home," she reasoned, calling the bartender over. There was already another shot lined up for her and Skylar was reaching for it. The more drinks the better.
He waved the bartender away, a nod of 'thanks anyway' following before he turned back to Skylar. He could feel an uncomfortable tug at his stomach as he eyed the shot glass in front of her. He hadn't been in a bar in nearly a month, maybe. He wasn't too keen on staying all that much longer.
"Come on, Skylar- let's just get home, alright? It's nearly three in the morning and you can barely stand up straight-"
The shot warmed her from the inside out, her cheeks rosy and maybe even a little bit numb at this point. She leaned against the bar and pouted up at Harry, not quite ready to go home yet, not back there where every noise kept her awake.
"We used to have so much fun at this bar though," she said, running her hand down his arm, reaching his hand, and tugging him closer towards her.
Fun might not have been the right word for their late night meetings. Harry would call and no matter what Skylar was doing she'd find her way there, pounding back a few shots to catch up with him before stumbling back to his flat.
"What we had wasn't fun-" he said, his hand reaching up to brush her hair behind her ears. "It was sloppy and messy and I woke up the next morning not even knowing what happened the night before-"
He took a step back from her, though he kept her hand in his.
He needed to get out of there. He could feel his whole body starting to get tense, the loud music doing little to keep him calm.
"Yeah but it was the most that I could get," she mused, throwing him a knowing look before turning back towards the bar.
There were mornings that Skylar exactly proud of what she was doing, knowing full well that he hardly thought about her if he wasn't looking for somebody to roll around his sheets with him. That didn't stop her from coming every time he asked her to, no questions asked.
Skylar picked up her vodka soda, chewing on the straw as she sipped at it.
"Loosen up, Harry. Share a drink with me- just one."
He blinked, wondering what on Earth had gotten into her. They had just had a conversation about his progress the other day and she was proud of him then. Now she was bored of him, wanting him to have a drink with her so he could be more fun.
Skylar sighed, turning back to him with that straw all chewed up between her teeth. Somewhere it registered that she should lay off and just leave it alone. Of course, Harry wasn't going to have a drink. Skylar knew that.
"Fine- We should dance then," she said instead, looking up at him hopefully.
The night was still young. She wasn't ready to leave.
Something about her reaction hurt him, the way she turned away, going right back to the drink in her hand. As if Harry was being the difficult one. So, he took a breath, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his trousers as she looked up at him.
"No- no, I don't want to dance. I'm exhausted and I've been worried half the night about you. Where is Ava, anyway? Why are you just here on your own letting a bunch of dumb blokes buy you drinks?"
The two men behind him caught his comment but Harry brushed them aside.
"Ava? She left hours ago," she told him, brow furrowing as she thought back. It didn't seem like it had been that long. She could have sworn they were just having dinner-
Skylar ran her fingers through her hair, turning back at the two guys at the bar. They kept glancing over towards her, maybe waiting for her to return to them so that they could finish their story and get her another drink.
When she looked back towards Harry her smile dropped. She couldn't understand why he was looking at her like that.
"I just needed a drink. I didn't want to go home-"
But one drink had turned into a dozen and she had that glassy look in her eyes now.
Harry tried not to let the heart thumping in his chest get any more out of control but Merlin, was no one thinking? Yes, let's leave the girl who just suffered a major trauma alone in a bar with bloody idiots trying to get her drunk.
He swallowed, his brows furrowing as he looked down at her.
"I think one drink turned into quite a few more, don't you think? I know that going home can be scary but you can't stay here- You can't drink away what happened-"
"Says you-" she scoffed, rolling her eyes at the idea of it.
If anyone should be lecturing about the do's and don't's of drinking it definitely was not Harry Potter. Especially not in this bar after all the nights they spent here.
"Don't tell me that it's scary either," Skylar told him, narrowing her eyes as she clutched her drink. She was slurring words now, heart racing at the mention of what had happened to her. "You don't know they did. You don't know what it was like. Twelve hours of it."
When a couple of hours turned into far more than that, it was nearly impossible for Harry not to worry considering what happened the last time. But as the clock ticked into the early morning, he knew that he had to go and find her- at least give himself the peace of mind that she was alright. Driving him crazy with worry, but having fun.
When he found her at the bar, a hole in the wall in the middle of London, he felt a sort of bizarre mix of emotions. He was irritated and tired but ultimately just happy to see that she was okay. Well, that was until he actually reached her and he realized just how bloody wasted she was.
He knew it was hard for her to adjust- that it was going to be a serious recovery process for her considering just what she went through. But the sight of all the shots, all the empty glasses and the way her body was stumbling all over the place, an uncomfortable feeling tugged at his stomach.
He just didn't want her to become him.
"Skylar-" he called out, voice a bit louder than normal to reach her over the music. "Hey-"
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But the call of her name made her turn and her eyes lit up.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" she asked, a big sloppy grin on her face as she stepped away from the bar towards him.
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"You said you would be home hours ago," he said, as she reached him. "I got worried-"
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Though at this point she couldn't even tell time and had no idea how much time had actually passed. The arms on the clock behind the wall just didn't make any sense to her.
Still, she was so happy to see him there.
"They just ordered me another drink! Come have one with me-" Skylar was already pulling him to the bar.
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Still, he tried to keep his cool.
"You know I can't do that, Skylar-" he said.
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"Just one and we can go home," she reasoned, calling the bartender over. There was already another shot lined up for her and Skylar was reaching for it. The more drinks the better.
"It'll be like it used to be. Remember?"
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He waved the bartender away, a nod of 'thanks anyway' following before he turned back to Skylar. He could feel an uncomfortable tug at his stomach as he eyed the shot glass in front of her. He hadn't been in a bar in nearly a month, maybe. He wasn't too keen on staying all that much longer.
"Come on, Skylar- let's just get home, alright? It's nearly three in the morning and you can barely stand up straight-"
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"We used to have so much fun at this bar though," she said, running her hand down his arm, reaching his hand, and tugging him closer towards her.
Fun might not have been the right word for their late night meetings. Harry would call and no matter what Skylar was doing she'd find her way there, pounding back a few shots to catch up with him before stumbling back to his flat.
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He took a step back from her, though he kept her hand in his.
He needed to get out of there. He could feel his whole body starting to get tense, the loud music doing little to keep him calm.
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There were mornings that Skylar exactly proud of what she was doing, knowing full well that he hardly thought about her if he wasn't looking for somebody to roll around his sheets with him. That didn't stop her from coming every time he asked her to, no questions asked.
Skylar picked up her vodka soda, chewing on the straw as she sipped at it.
"Loosen up, Harry. Share a drink with me- just one."
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He blinked, wondering what on Earth had gotten into her. They had just had a conversation about his progress the other day and she was proud of him then. Now she was bored of him, wanting him to have a drink with her so he could be more fun.
He dropped her hand, shaking his head.
"I can't- Skylar, you know I can't-"
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"Fine- We should dance then," she said instead, looking up at him hopefully.
The night was still young. She wasn't ready to leave.
"I'll just finish this first-"
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"No- no, I don't want to dance. I'm exhausted and I've been worried half the night about you. Where is Ava, anyway? Why are you just here on your own letting a bunch of dumb blokes buy you drinks?"
The two men behind him caught his comment but Harry brushed them aside.
"It's late, Skylar-"
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Skylar ran her fingers through her hair, turning back at the two guys at the bar. They kept glancing over towards her, maybe waiting for her to return to them so that they could finish their story and get her another drink.
When she looked back towards Harry her smile dropped. She couldn't understand why he was looking at her like that.
"I just needed a drink. I didn't want to go home-"
But one drink had turned into a dozen and she had that glassy look in her eyes now.
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Harry tried not to let the heart thumping in his chest get any more out of control but Merlin, was no one thinking? Yes, let's leave the girl who just suffered a major trauma alone in a bar with bloody idiots trying to get her drunk.
He swallowed, his brows furrowing as he looked down at her.
"I think one drink turned into quite a few more, don't you think? I know that going home can be scary but you can't stay here- You can't drink away what happened-"
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If anyone should be lecturing about the do's and don't's of drinking it definitely was not Harry Potter. Especially not in this bar after all the nights they spent here.
"Don't tell me that it's scary either," Skylar told him, narrowing her eyes as she clutched her drink. She was slurring words now, heart racing at the mention of what had happened to her. "You don't know they did. You don't know what it was like. Twelve hours of it."
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