Chapter 28:

Song for the chapter: All I Want- Ellie Goulding (Kodaline cover)


Harry's P.O.V.

Twenty-three minutes before Paris's final class for the day concludes. Twenty-three minutes to arrange my thoughts.

It took Paris two hours and twenty minutes to make the decision to go on a date. That's two hours and nineteen minutes too long. If Paris had really had the time she said she did, it would have taken less that a minute. I know what this is, it's pity. She's going to try and prove that we weren't meant to be, but acting as if we are. It's a date to make up for my rejection. To soften the blow so we could remain 'friends'. For me to suggest a 'brake up'. That's what my minds telling me, be suspicious. And maybe I would have accepted the invitation without doubts if it had been received two hours and nineteen minutes earlier. But it wasn't, so I have all the rights in the world to have doubts.

A million and one things race through my mind at the speed of light. Will she like my tattoos? how will I explain them to her? Where the hell are we going?...

However, my mind went blank as Paris nearly skipped her way over to my care. Too joyful for me liking. "You look mad, why?" Paris slowly started to back away from the open car door.

"I am not mad." I tried to steady my voice.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good." She's already nit-picking everything about me, won't be too long till she knows.

"Do you want me to be mad?" I raised my voice a little more.

"No, no, I just want to make sure you're alright. There is a place I want to take you and if you're not feeling good it might not be a good idea." Paris slid into the car, besides me.

Direction after streets and signs, and I still had no idea as to the destination. For as long as I've known these roads, this was all uncharted territory to me. But soon the tall office and businesses reappeared and my enumeration of ideas became abatement. There's not much in this city I haven't seen, so for once, I was anxious.

"Right here, pull in the parking ramp next door." A smile was clear on Paris's face. Clearly she could see my confusion which she took for amusement.

"Human resources, environmental studies, and library, all in one building." I stood at the foot of the glass and metal skyscraper.

"Hurry up!" Paris took my hand and dragged me in, heading right toward a door labeled Elevator.

As the bell rang when we approached the top floor, a breathless sight awaited our arrival. A vacant floor of the skyscraper, covered in ceiling to floor windows. The afternoon sun glowed and brought the empty space to life. The circlular room surrounded the elevator, panoplying the city from every angle. And seated right in the center of my vision, was a blanket and a large box. Paris's face almost overwhelmed with joy.

"A friend of mine helped set this all up. Kind of as a sorry for the other night." Paris plopped down on the blanket.

"So how did Lou know about this?" I cocked an eyebrow and sat across from Paris.

"Well, she knew this guy- eh, I'd rather not go into detail." Paris grew a littler uncomfortable. It was obvious by the way she would look away, not bothering to look me in the eye.

"So, about all of this. Why?" I knew there was something to all this. I'm not an idiot for not noticing her giddiness or agitation toward a barren building. Nobody gets excited over a devoided space, it's what happens inside the space that entrigues people.

"If we are going to be together I want to know you. I don't want to be hearing about all these bullshit lies and rumors. I want Harry, the truth. " Paris paused to think further into her words. "An empty place, no memories, no judgement, no barriers. And most importantly, no lies."

I took a deep breathe and wipped my face. This was not the time nor the place for this. And I have a feeling Paris wasn't about to except that. "I can't tell you who I am. Cause Frankly, I don't know myself. My history is over, and done with, and I don't give shit about other peoples rumors or lies. So if there is something you want to know, that doesn't fit under those few rules, I'm waiting."

She waited, mauling over her choices, testing the subject within her mind. "Okay. Can you explain to me your tattoos?"

I let out a deep sigh, "Pick." I could withstand a few nosy questions.

"Your new ones." She demanded.

"How did you know about them?" I could sworn they were hidden beneath my jacket.

"It's not cold out today, why would you wear a long sleeve when everyday it's a t-shirt?" Paris cracked the code.

"There's Two, which one?" I slipped my jacket and shirt over my head. My bandaged up tattoos slowly became visible. "They kind of go together." I stated.

"The one on your hip." She pointed to the spot along the line of my boxers.

It was a small piece of gears and clockwork, very similar to my drawing I gave to Paris in our fort. The sun and moon were still present, but the shape was lost in the detail. There was a "flap" of skin left untouched, and a clasp or pin holding it into place. The words from my art piece were marked on the lost gears. "I'm only human. But then again, I'm just a robot under society's rules. Define freedom, and give me an example. You would say something with words along to the lines of, "choices" "rights" "power". But really you're not at all. You see we are free by definition, but we are not free. We are aimlessly controlled and constructed by society. And that's not free. However, we are society. So how can we blame ourselves?" I paused. "I have the words: I need to stop, but don't know how, on me to remind myself sometimes. Gears and machines break down, and that's okay, after all, I'm only human."

There were a few long and silent moments of silence. "And the other?" She croaked out.

"My heart, diseasel, that is." I exaimened my own tattoo of a human heart. "When the clock stops working and gears stop ticking, my heart will stop beating. Death is apart of who we are. It guides us, it shapes us. It drives us to complete madness. But, can you be human if you have not mortal end? "

That left Paris speechless. My ink tells more than you would think. The sun was realitivly low, when I stalked over to the window. Rain clouds formed high up in our stratosphere and lowered down to skyscraper level. The weather changes so swiftly up here in the city.

"I love rain." Paris spoke for he fist time since my long explanations. I take it that my answers satisfied her request enough to change the topic.

"Yeah? Me too." The room darkened and became hollow. The only sounds to be heard was the echo of the pelting rain drops on the glass. The sound bouncing off the glass and ringing in my ears. "Everyone says it's annoying, but I disagree. It's calming, that rhythmic pelting noise."

"I thought you said you didn't like rain?" Paris chuckled at me.

"I do. I like the sight, it's beautiful. The smell on the other hand, I try to ignore. It's the bad that's in the good." I moved away from the dampening city to the darkening room. This "date" was beginning to bore me.

"Are you hungry?" Paris opened up her packaged box.

"Not really." I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but I don't really care to be sitting around while she mourns over my sudden burst of truth. That seems absolutely absurd and pointless to me. Someone might take that as being a dick. And I'm not denying that.

"Oh, well then what do you want to do?" Paris's always seemed so happy and pleasant. Like there wasn't a fucking storm brewing a mere hundred yards away.

"Do you have any truth for me? Cause it seems like I'm always the one in interrogation." I turned to her, my boots clanking on the ground. "Or are you little Miss Perfect?" I mocked. I hate people like her right now. They sit there and judge you, and expect nothing less than everything you have. While they sit there, thinking of you like trash. And they're too good to share any of their problems, because frankly, the perfect don't have any.

"No, Harry." She sasses back, narrowing her eyes and coming towards me. As if she was intimidating. "I'm not, and neither are you-"

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." I threw my hands up, my words dribbling with sarcasm. "Please continue, tell me all about myself."

"Why do you have to be such a..." Paris caught her temper, just before she dared to swear at me.

"Pathetic." I scoffed under my breathe. "If you were my girl, you would be-"

"Telling your sorry ass off? Because don't you fucking think I won't-" She didn't end the sentence there, which only made her whole act even worse.

"Won't what?" I smirked.

Paris slammed me up against the glass, throwing herself at me. His lips attracted mine, proving her point. I didn't fight back, but instead pulled her into me more. My hands tightly wrapped around her waist, securing her against me. Our weight resting against the thin layer of glass. Paris balled my shirt in her fist, pushing me away from her, back into the glass. "Take control." She smirked, pulling me in one more time, but left me waiting less than a center meter away from my mouth. Her hot breath whispered, "Pathetic." She smirked and retreated back towards her blanket. Leaving me wanting more.

Her confidence attracted me in so many ways. There nothing more alluring than a girl acting confident. I bit my lip just reconnoitrering at her skinny little frame strut it's way athwart the spheroid suite. Paris stopped at the other end, standing direct from my point. Her back also condense up against the glass. "You know, I kind of like the rain. It suits you. Cold, depressing, and unwanted." She smirked, tracing herself along the window.

"Ouch baby, that hurts." I pretended to tend my sounded heart, when infact her words meant nothing to me. "But let's not forget the consummate times you've had with me, in the rain."

"Remind me again. It's seems I've forgotten."

"You slid up on the hood of my car, acting like an animal to make want you. You dragged me into a puddle with you, we danced, you pouted, and I think we may have kissed." I smiled recalling the memories. "Ring a bell?"

"Not at all, I never would have done that with this menace infront of me." She spit the words with disgust.

"Last time I checked, you planned this 'date'." I smirked and waited for her to get fed up with me.

"I don't have any recollect with the devil, I'm sorry." Her tone grew harsher.

I was already making my way to her. "Then we'll have to make some." I hoisted her body up and over my shoulder before gently dropping her to the ground. Pinning Paris down I began tracing her. "Stay still." I demanded as I ran a finger around the hem of her clothing. She squirmed with each touch, her skin burned under my touch. In one swift motion, I slipped my hands beneath Paris's shirt, reaching right about at her ribs. I watched as she gasped, then leaned in while she was still adjusting. "Ha, pathetic." I chuckled inches from her face before jumping back to my feet. I knew she wanted the tenderness of my lips, by the way she licked hers when she pulled herself together. Paris waited for me to turn back to her, but I was done. Before I reached the adjar elevator doors, I turned to one of the back panels of glass and smashed my fist into it. Cracking it but not completely shattering the glass, I turned the the elevator.

Paris hesitated for a minute while I held the two doors open. She was like a deer in headlights, frozen. So I let the doors close infront of me, an empty elevator. It would be my guess that Paris would be packing up everything and then tapping the freshly cracked glass. Gawking at its "beauty" and then catching the next lift down. She's probably doing this for two reasons, 1. Is that she's trying to the make the last view minutes scene less embarrassing for herself. And 2. Make me think she isn't coming, therefore playing hard- to- get.

Much to my "surprise" she was only a few minutes behind me. Stepping out if the building right as I pulled my car up. "What took you so long?" I winked and played along as if I had no ideas. Paris just settled in and didn't say anything. Her eyes locked on the glowing city around us.

"You know," Paris paused to make sure my eyes were on her, meanwhile she still faced the window. "I'm gonna get you back for that." She didn't even say with a smirk or giggle, or even anger. It was lifeless, and that is the scariest.

"Oh yeah?" I don't enjoy my time with Paris if she's down in the gutter. "That's cute." I mocked and waited for her defensive comeback. But it never came, not until we pulled up infront of our building, on a street that only leads in One Direction.

"Just you wait." Paris smirked, snatching my keys and heading inside. I knew I should probably just go to my room and leave her. But I also knew never to abscond one with a plan alone. "I don't need you anymore." Paris glanced down the stairwell to find me a flight behind her.

"You think I'm going to leave you alone?' I stared up to her, dimly lit by faint lights.

"That would be greatly appreciated." She gave me nothing more than a quick glance before continuing up.

"Well that's unfortunate." No smile, no smirk. Just Mirrored dullness.

We didn't speak until the top floor. Our foot steps seemed too loud for me to bare, I hate silence, but I hate noise even more. Paris moved to her bedroom silently. The only words she had spoken were instructions for me to the close the front door. Her idea was to finish a project for school, but mine differed a bit.

Paris laid on her stomach, a textbook and her laptop infront of her. She seemed so fixed and concentrated on her work. It brought a smile to my face. I loved seeing her perfect little face so focused, if only it was on something else. So I waited, laying on my back, next to her. Almost dozing off to the sound of her lean fingers tapping keys as she typed. I needed to stay awake though.

I withdrew her computer and book from her grasp. Dragging her delicate frame onto of mine. Thankfully she caught on, lacing her fingers into my hair. I leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose, a hinted smile appeared. But we didn't get all caught up in some connection. We watched each other, trying to figure out the other one. Her eyebrows narrowed and one of her hands left my hair, moving to my rings. She twisted them around my fingers, her nimble hand intertwining with mine.

"You know." I wrapped my arm around her low back, pressing her in tighter. "I quite like this." I layer my head back, flat on the bed.

"Me being pressed tightly onto you, or having me here?" Paris questioned, not in a teasing manor.

"All of it." I placed soft and sweet kisses on her forehead, nose, and a long one on her lips. Then I layer back down on my back. Her head resting on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. Hopefully that reassured her.

And if there is something you can't get enough of, it's love and sleep. And I was lucky enough to get both at once. Or at least a subtle, sustainable amount of them.

Notes

Finally updated!! Updates will be scattered around for the next month or so. From June 16th - July 6th I will be flying around the world. I have written up to chapter 31 I think, so you will get some updates. Thats all loves!

xoxo
E