A Warm Hug

 EPISODE 21

Harris was outside the car when he saw Arya come out of the house. Her face was red and she looked hurt, he knew somehow that they had hurt her inside, he was surprised that she was still holding it all in, behaving strong….. other girls would have broken down in tears the moment they hear that what they believed to be true was a big lie.

"Let's go" She said and got in the car, avoiding Harris's gaze. Harris got into the car too and started driving. He looked at her every now and then as he drove away and became worried more and more, she wasn't saying anything and she looked like she wanted to cry and cuss out at those who hurt her.

Harris suddenly stopped the car and got out. He went over to her side and flung the door open. Arya looked at him, she was too angry to say anything, if she did, she could burst into tears which was totally not what she wanted to do in front of Harris Wilson.

 "Come on out. Why aren't you saying anything? I know they hurt you in there so why not just cry it out!" Harris yelled at her.

"If you know why then are you yelling at me? Don't you understand that I'm trying to take it all in, how can a man be so clueless" Arya yelled back, her voice shaky, about to cry.

Harris sighed, it was useless begging her to let her feelings out. Harris reached out to her and pulled her out of the car then he suddenly pulled her into his arms for a warm embrace. 

 "Don't compress it, just let it out freely, curse them if you want…. You're totally allowed, you can cry in my arms and clean your face with my cloth, it's expensive but I can afford another one" Harris said still hugging her.

 Arya started to cry and let it all out. She felt warm, comfortable and safe. It reminded her of when her mum would embrace every time and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She felt like she was a normal person who could cry and laugh and doesn't have to act strong in front of everyone.

 Harris slowly put his hand on her hair and stroked it gently. "Just cry it out, I can stand here till daybreak" 

Arya realized they had been hugging for a while so she quickly stopped crying and withdrew from his embrace.

 "Here…. Your face is still wet with tears" Harris stretched his hand, offering the sleeves of his shirt to her. Arya didn't hesitate to take it, it was revenge for embarrassing her earlier in the afternoon. Arya moved her face nearer to his stretched out arm and used his cloth to clean her face.

"Huh… I'm done now, let's go" Arya quickly entered into the car and closed the door. Harris smiled at her awkwardness and got in the car. 

"You wanna take a few shots with me? I know a good place" Harris glanced at her then at the road.

 "You've seen me drunk once before, I'll be having a lot of beer this time, will you be able to handle it?" Arya asked.

"You can drink to any extent. I'll take care of you after. I have no reason to worry about you getting drunk" Harris said and smiled. 

 They drove for a short while before reaching a bar. "We're here" Harris said and turned back to pick something up from the back seat.

 "Here….." Harris wore his sunglasses on her face.

"Is it visible? Are my eyes swollen?" Arya asked as she adjusted the sunglasses.

 "Yeah, kinda.You can wash your face inside, let's go" 

"Wait, won't you be needing this the most?" Arya pointed to the sunglasses.

"I don't want some of your fans to come swarming around us"

"Don't worry, no one would expect me to be here. People don't usually recognize me in real life too" 

 They entered the bar and Harris got them a seat while Arya went into the bathroom, after a while, she came back.

"How many bottles do you think you'll drink tonight?" Harris asked. A waiter was in front of him.

 "Aren't you drinking?"

"Yeah, I have to drive home" He replied.

 " It'll be boring to just drink alone. Just get coffee for yourself or something. And I'll just take two bottles, I'll take more if I'm not satisfied... Ah, can I get a snack along with the beer? Jerky or peanuts or wasabi" Arya said with a smile. The waiter smiled awkwardly.

 "How would you like to pay?" 

"You don't need to pay for me. I'll take care of myself, just pay for your coffee" Arya said before realizing that her bag was in Harris's car.

 "Says the person that just gave all her money to someone who doesn't deserve it" Harris laughed and gave his card instead.

 "Please give us an ice pack too" He said. 

"Yunno, you're so weird? Why would you drink beer with jerky or even peanuts, did you see how the waiter looked at you?" Harris laughed.

" Oh, whatever. That's my own style. I can't drink without a snack.... Just try it once you'll realize how good it is" 

 "You owe me a lot yet you gave money to that man... You're crazy or is it the man? I'm confused" 

" None of your business... after all, I've promised to do anything you want until I can pay it back. Why talk about money today" Arya replied sternly.

 " Here's your order" The waiter from before said before leaving.

 "Here.... Place it on your cheeks.... Where you were hit" Harris gave the ice pack to her without looking at her, because as he looked at her deep down in him, he felt so angry that someone would slap a grown and mature lady making her face go red.

Arya touched her face and chuckled nervously. "Is it obvious?" She took the ice pack from him and put it on her face.

"Ugh, very. Doesn't it hurt? Maybe... You wanna go see a doctor?"

" What? It doesn't hurt at all. I'm fine. Drink up" Arya smiled slightly. Harris took the bottle and opened it for her.

"Here..."

"Acting like a gentleman doesn't suit you at all." Arya laughed and poured herself a glass. In one shot, she emptied the glass.

 "Do you drink a lot?" Harris asked as he enjoyed his coffee.

 "Uhm... Not really? I'm not sure, I didn't start drinking early so I guess I'm catching up on all the drinks I didn't drink since when I came of age to drink. I enjoy drinking... It kinda relieves stress and I forget all my problems temporarily. I want to drink everyday so I can get them out of mind, but still... Sometimes I have to work overtime so I don't get a chance to drink. Today's the first time I'm drinking this week... So I'll drink a whole lot" Arya said and poured herself another glass, this too was emptied at a go.

Harris nodded and smiled. He could relate to what she was saying. He wasn't much of a drinker but anytime he got angry and sad or anytime he was reminded of memories he wanted to forget, he would drink like a fish, get drunk, sober up, get drunk again.

Harris watched her as she ate the snacks she ordered and drank more glasses.

"Argh... That was refreshing" Arya suddenly shouted, she was drunk.

"Ohhkay, time to go home. Arya, let's go, okay?" Harris said and reached out to her. He wanted to help her stand up.

"Let's stay more. I still can't get my problems out of my mind... Till then, let's stay here, okay?" Arya said and smiled.

"Harris.... you, what do you do when you can't remember a very precious memory? What do you do when you really long to feel the person's hand in yours again.... It's really sad that I can't remember anything, as hard as I'm trying to... I don't know what happened to me, I don't know if I lost my memory... It's so painful, my heart hurts more than my face does" Arya cried as she poured herself a drink.

"That's enough for today. You're drunk" Harris said and forced the glass out of her hand.

"Answer me" She said, retrieving the glass back.

"If it's someone you really love and long for... You'll slowly recover your memories of that person. If it's about hate too, if you really want to forget someone... With time, all what those people have done to you... You'll forget it, even without drinking" 

" Will you stop crying... People will think I did something bad to you" Harris continued and looked around to see people looking at them because of how loud Arya was crying. 

Arya suddenly stood up and pointed at Harris"You!....you know, you're part of my problems too.... How could you make me sign a contract? You're not different from Katherine, I signed a contract too... I have to do what you say... I also have to obey Katherine.... wait, she tricked me so our deal is off... It's off." 

 " For you.. you were nice to me today even though you embarrassed me. I also felt better when you hugged me back then.. It was nice. But you keep confusing me, first you tell me to do anything you want, next you're worried about me. What's your deal?" Arya pouted and made a scene, making Harris embarrassed.

"I get it... I'm sorry for embarrassing you, you're already getting your revenge, isn't it?. Can we go now?" Harris whispered to her.

" Alright. We can do whatever you say.. master. But my wishes come first... So a last shot!" She exclaimed happily and sat down. Instead of taking the bottle, her head went straight down and was about the hit the table. Harris quickly prevented it by putting his hand on her forehead.

 "Don't touch me!" She muttered and pushed his hand away, causing her head to hit the table eventually.

"Ugh... That must have hurt. Why did I even bother helping her? Such a headache, I can't believe she passed out" Harris groaned at the thought that he was going to carry her all the way to his car.

Harris managed to help her up and carry her on his back. 

"It's raining, let's go back in" Harris heard some people as they walked back in the restaurant.

"Argh... Why now of all times? I can't wait" Harris went out as it was raining heavily. He went to the car and quickly opened the door. He put her in the car and buckled the seat belt. He lowered the chair so she could sleep well before running to his own side.

 As he drove, he looked at her every now and then to ensure she wasn't feeling cold. He had to take her to his own house since she was asleep and he didn't know her passcode. She didn't look like she'd wake up until the next morning too. 

He remembered when she said he was confusing her and chuckled softly. "I'm confused too, why can't I seem to stop worrying about you"