Flat 51

“Yaaaayyyyy!!!!!” Emily screamed. I turned from the couch I was laying on to see her sprinting down the stairs to the living room, free of her boot. She was half way to me and Lou when suddenly she lost her balance and flew to the floor, twisting and landing on her side. “Ow,” she mumbled as Lou busted out laughing. I rolled my eyes.

“What did I tell you?” I snapped. “Your ankle is healed, but it’ll still be sore, and the floor is slippery.” She tossed me a sassy smile and climbed to her feet, then flopped down on the couch by my feet.

“When are we leaving?” she asked in an annoyingly cheery voice. As beautiful and fun as I thought she was, she could certainly get on one’s nerves. It was the day of departure, two o’clock in the afternoon.

“We’re leaving at four. We’ll go to the Doncaster Airfield and take my jet.”

“YOU HAVE YOUR OWN JET?!” she gasped, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees. Louis laughed and set down his iPhone, giving her his full attention.

“Yes I do, love. Anything else you’d like to know?” He flashed me a cheesy grin and then looked back to her. He was just as dramatic as she was sometimes. Maybe THEY should be a thing. Because we certainly weren’t. I ran my ringers through my hair and sat up.

“Do you… do you have any horses?” she asked, suddenly quite timid. I stared at her, suddenly feeling the urge to watch her ride.

“Yes again. There’s a farm down the road where I board them. I’ve got a Belgian and a Clydesdale, as well as two Arabians.” Her eyes shot open, twice as wide as I’d ever seen them. Louis smiled kindly. “Yes, you may ride them. Anytime you want, because I don’t usually have the time.”

“Yes! You’re the bestest human being ever,” she muttered, grabbing one of my cookies I’d set on the coffee table.

“Hey,” I said, resisting a smile. That’s what she did to me, one second I only wanted her to be quiet, then next she was making me grin like an idiot. “That’s mine!”

“Not anymore,” she said. She held eye contact with me and placed the cookie half-way into her mouth, then smiled. On a sudden impulse, I leaned forward, and bit the other half off before she could. When our lips brushed, I felt a shock run through my body, and straight to my heart. She stared for a moment before awkwardly laughing. I swallowed the cookie same time she did before rising and strutting away, now wanting some milk. I felt so proud of myself, for getting that kind of reaction from her as I left her on the couch in shock.

I was startled when I felt arms wrapping around my waist from behind. Small arms. Emily’s arms. A muffled ‘thank-you’ was whispered into my back as she squeezed. What was this? I didn’t know, but damn I liked it.

“What for?” I whispered back, gently prying her arms from me and turning to face her.

“For never calling me childish, or telling me I’m stupid, like everyone else does. And for helping me when I got hurt. And for inviting me here with you. And for… keeping me safe.” She wiped a small tear from her eye and held her hands in front of her. Our bodies were inches apart. I could almost hear my heart thumping in my ears as I intertwined our fingers.

“I would never call you those things. Not seriously, anyway. You’re not childish, you just forget things a little easier. You’re not stupid either. You’re smart and beautiful and perfect.” My face paled. Did that last comment actually come out of my mouth?

“No I’m not, Harry. Not enough. Besides, I don’t think any guy would want to deal with my scattered brain anyway.”

“What if… what if I did?” Was that out loud? My heartrate went mad as she slowly dragged her eyes to mine. I wanted to lose myself in those perfect baby blues and never return. My hand, as if it had a mind of its own, rose and gently brushed Emily’s hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her chest began to rise and fall a bit more visibly as I ran the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. Suddenly she sucked in a breath and turned away.

“You don’t. You-you can’t,” she said desperately, crossing to the other side of the kitchen. “I don’t belong in your life that way, Harry. You deserve a girl who will be there for you, a girl who can know exactly how to make you feel better, and-”

“No girl could do that immediately, and any girl who can is selling something. You do things to me, Emily. Things I can’t explain. Things I can explain. Every time you smile, damn I just want to touch you until you beg for mercy. But at the same time, I want to hold you and kiss you and love you and…” Love? Weboth froze, staring at each other, not knowing how to react. I didn’t mean to say it. It slipped. But if it was in my mind in the first place…

“L-lo… you love me?” she whimpered. Shit. Shit shit shit. It slipped out. I raked my fingers roughly through my hair and tugged on it, trying to find the words to say.

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered. I wanted more than anything to say yes. But… Love meant so many things. So many things I wasn’t ready for. “Maybe, but I don’t know how to tell.”

“Well, they say that true love’s kiss feels different than any other kiss you’ll ever have,” she joked with a small smile. Was that… an invitation? I slowly closed the distance between us, and then the world disappeared.

“What do you say we test that theory?” I purred, running my hands over her shoulders and down her arms. She shivered and bowed her head, blushing. “Don’t be shy,” I whispered in her ear. I nudged her forehead up with my nose and left a small kiss on her temple.

“Harry, you don’t want me. I can’t make you happy. I’m not even happy.” Our bodies slowly began to connect, sending chills down my spine.

“Don’t say that. You’ve already made me happy. I just don’t want it to go away.” I needed her kiss, but I wanted her to want it. I wasn’t going to make her do something against her will.

“I’m scared. I don’t want to break your heart.” My heart… it was out of control as I slid my hands down her sides to rest on her hips. This feeling was so new. Touching her so gently like this… was something I’d never done.

“You won’t. You know why?” I asked, pushing her gently into the wall with my legs.

“W-why?” Her voice came out only as a whisper.

“Because you’re the ketchup to my tacos,” I mumbled before pressing my lips to hers.

Notes

The update, as promised!