[4] Phoenix | Descendants 3

SIXTEEN: Clearing the Air

Night had fallen in Auradon, but Harry and Helena were still wide awake. Sitting beside each other on the foot of the bed at Evie's house, talking as they normally do. But things had taken a sudden turn with a few words uttered by the pirate.

"And what if ... I like you?"

"W-What?" Helena laughed nervously, refusing to believe what was happening right now. He then grabbed one of her hands with his free one, and Helena grew more nervous by the second. "I like you too, Harry. You're my best friend, remember?"

"I know and you're mine too ..." The girl then tensed as the pirate ran his hook down the side of her face. "But I think I like you as something more than that, and have been for a while now."

The Greek girl was frozen in her spot, unsure of what to do. This was the first time they've ever really talked about love and the first time that Harry was so vulnerable with her, especially about this. She figured this day would come, but she always imagined it going quite differently. And now that the day was here, she was unsure of what to do.

The daughter of Hades watched as the pirate leaned in, his lips getting closer and closer to her own. She sat there frozen, unable to think or do much of anything at that moment. And though she wasn't quite sure of what to do at this moment, she knew that this was ... wrong.

Helena opened her  mouth to speak, but soon closed it as Harry stopped. He let out a deep sigh, resting his forehead against her temple. The Underworld princess closed her eyes, relieved that their relationship didn't take that turn as his words implied. But now, she's more confused than ever.

Harry moved away from her,  looking down at her lap and refusing to look her in the eyes. The girl watched him carefully, trying to figure out what changed. "But now ... I don't think I feel like that anymore."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know ..." He mutters, glancing at the girl remorsefully. He wasn't doing anything but making things more confusing. "I know that you're my best friend. I know that you're one of the few people in my life that actually gives a damn about me. And I know that the you the Isle people know you as isn't the same you as the real you, it was just someone you were pretending for the sake of surviving. And that real you only ever truly came out once you went to Auradon."

"That's not exactly right," Helena added, knowing that his words weren't fully true.

"You were more open to being you in Auradon than you were on the island. I saw you on the TV, Helena. You were happy, excited ... free. And I saw you looked with the Pup, Helena ... you were happy with him." 

"Yeah, I w-was ... am. I am happy with him," stuttered the Greek girl, unsure of what to say since relationships were never a subject she and Harry discussed before.

"I hated seeing you so happy because you were so happy without me. And when I would watch you and the Pup together, I thought ... that maybe if I went to Auradon with you lot or you stayed on the Isle then that would've been us. We could've been happy like that." 

"Harry -" Helena began but her words soon died out as the pirate continued speaking.

"But then you came back to the Isle, and I thought this was it. This could've been our chance, you know." He chuckled lightly and then shook his head, almost as if he was ashamed of himself for previously thinking that way. "But when you were so broken, so hurt and in so much pain that I knew that it wasn't the time. And with everything that was going on at the time, it wouldn't have made things any better."

"Yeah, it definitely wasn't the time for that," the Underworld princess agreed. "But you were still there for me. You had my back, and never once let anyone or anything hurt me. You gave me all the reassurance and comfort, which is what I needed at the time."