Harley lazily glanced down at the half empty bottle of wine as he stared up at the sky, leaning against the bark of the tree Hope loved so much. He couldn’t fit inside the hole Hope had sat in that day because of his muscular body, so he simply sat on the side instead.
The blur in his eyes warned him to stop taking more chugs of the wine and just go get something to eat and rest. He didn’t want to either way. He felt very let down and just wanted to shut himself off, or else he was going to keep thinking about it. He would probably just forget and think it was a dream the next day. He would act as though it’s nothing and it didn’t happen. He would go back to being cheerful again.
The Harley that everyone knows never really seemed gloomy in front of people. But he couldn’t hide it today, the pressure of it just unlocked other past doors, making the weight even heavier.
He lifted the bottle to his lips once more, tilting his head to the sky as he slowly drunk the wine, feeling the sweet stingy taste run down his throat. This time, he wasn’t taking such huge chugs as before. He was slower, still able to think a little rationally.
His eyes fixated on a really bright star in the sky. Staring at it a while more as he remembered who loved that specific star and always wanted to see it every single night. As though it were human.
Molly. His younger sister.
She always loved that star for an unusual reason. She said she felt as though it was calling her every night. She always fantasized about being able to fly so she could go get it and keep it in a chest in her bedroom.
With that mere thought, he chuckled out, nearly chocking as he moved the bottle down to the ground beside him before chuckling some more.
He glanced down to his fingers and smiled slightly, stroking his palm with his fingers as he recalled her small soft voice explaining her plan of capturing the star to him.
Something funny to remember. Since she was extremely serious when narrating the story and would get upset when he laughed about it.
A frown made it’s way to his lips as he accidentally revisited his horrific memory of Molly’s death. He was there when it happened. She was right beside him but he wasn’t quick enough. The second he heard the bullet escape the nasal, he didn’t pull her out of the way in time.
He was only thankful it killed her in an instant.
She was too young for an unbearable pain.
He clenched his jaw and forcedly stood up. Blur filled his eyes as he had gotten up almost too quickly. He stumbled back a bit, hitting against the tree as he reached up to his head and groaned. He reached down for his bottle and turned to leave the garden when he stopped dead on his tracks.
Hope stood at the centre of the path to the door, staring at him with a furrowed brows and a slightly weak smile, looking worried. He stared at her for a moment, then dropped his eyes down to the ground as he stood straight, though feeling his body sway a little from the alcohol effect.
“I get it.” Harley was first to speak out and glanced up at her with brows pinched together, not from anger, but from self pity. “To be honest I even wondered why you kept talking to me even though we were always arguing. I mean… I liked that about us… I guess.” He blinked a couple of times as he was just about to doze off whilst talking. Luckily, he gained back his consciousness and sighed out. “I like being around you. But if it bothers you, we don’t need to pretend like we like each other’s company. If I find you annoying… No wait… I mean if you find me annoying, then I’ll accept it. We can… Talk when we meet each other I guess, but I’ll stop trying to follow you around. I mean… I was the one actually following you so much. I just felt like I had nothing else better to do….”
She frowned as she eased her shoulders, now deeply regretting her words as she watched Harley struggling to stand still in front of her.
“If I were anyone else, I would find me annoying too.” He chuckled out, running his free hand into his hair as he glanced up at the sky. “When…. When Molly was around, she used to follow me around a little too much. No matter where I went, she wanted to go. I asked her why she was always around me and not out parents… But she said it’s because she had nothing better to do. That was the reason. It didn’t make sense to me, so I also called her clingy and annoying.” He smiled as he glanced down at the ground. “But surprisingly, I kind of liked her walking around me all the time. A second never passed when I would feel alone, because she was there. Either talking about the stars or about the things I did wrong during the day.”
Hope didn’t know whether she should smile or not. Whether she should say anything or just keep quite. But it seemed as though Harley had always wanted to talk about his sister but never found the courage to. So all she could go was listen.
“She had pretty weird stories to tell… I sometimes thought she was just a really weird kid.” He shrugged his shoulders, shifting on his spot as he glanced around himself for a moment before glancing towards Hope, though, he failed to stare at her for long and glanced towards the ground instead. “I liked her weirdness and sort of miss it now…” He frowned as he glanced back at the star. “I mean… She was always around me. Didn’t matter where I was. She didn’t have a good reason for it, but she felt following me around was much better than walking around on her own. The the times she’s either left at a friend’s place, she’d always complain about it whenever she came back and asking what I did instead. Even though it was just watching TV, she’d always wish she was there…. I didn’t understand why. I honestly wanted to know why she found what I did more interesting. I never got my answer… Because she’s gone.” He shrugged his shoulders as he sighed out shakily, biting his lower lip softly. “She followed me around and yet I couldn’t even protect her…”