Stumbling (H.S. / A.U.)

Chapter 14

Wednesday, August 23rd

Harry's POV

Somewhere in life I must have done something right. Because waking up next to Riley, I know this.

Her golden hair is laid around her head across the pillow, with the sun shining on it, it looks like a halo framing her. Her eyelids flutter every so often, I wonder what she is dreaming about. Both of her hands were perched under her face and her body was slightly curled while she was against my chest.

I lay awake for about ten minutes just looking at her, wondering what exactly last night was.

I know for me it was an excuse. An excuse to pretend I wanted to get over Riley. But, for her, what did it mean? Riley told me she can't do the college hook up vibes, but she did. She tried to. With me. Why?

I notice her start to stretch her legs out and I realize she must be waking up.

"Good morning" my morning voice thickly cuts through the silence.

It almost startles Riley until she lazily starts to bat her eyes awake up at me. She smiles a crooked smile at me before leaning back into my chest and nuzzling it, "Good morning Harold."

"Harold?" -Harry

"Yeah. It's a nickname. The boys all call you H or Hare and stuff. Niall is Nialler and Ni. Louis is Lou... Liam... well I guess he is just Liam. But you needed something else." Her voice was soft and delicate in the morning.

"I do... do I?" I ask her.

"Mhm. So Harold it is." She says in a matter of fact tone at me, before slinging her legs over the edge of the bed and getting up to stretch her arms.

"Shit" she says while grabbing her phone, "It's already after seven. Guess I won't be attending my first class today. Oops."

"You are becoming quite the bad girl Riley. Sleeping with random men. Skipping classes. Tsk tsk." -Harry

"I hardly consider you a 'random man'." She says while doing air quotes to me.

"Then what am I?" I inquire.

She stands up and walks to her dresser to start grabbing a pair yoga shorts, fuck why does she always gotta' wear such tight things that just accentuate her ass. I cannot help but stare at her as she shakes her hips back and forth for a moment while pulling up the shorts.

Goddamn Riley, I was already turned on and now that. Fuck.

"EWB." She says before turning to me.

"Excuse me?" -Harry

"It's like a FWB.. but we are barely friends... we argue a lot... more like enemies at times. So like.. Enemies with Benefits. Or like... Casual acquaintances with benefits. Ya' know?" -Riley

"Benefits." I repeat to her.

"Well no. I mean. It was one and done. Like... a college hook up. Like you usually do. I did that. A normal college experience." She says while standing at the foot of her bed while I am now sitting up, staring at her.

I pretended to not notice her checking me out the moment the covers dropped a little lower, exposing my chest. She was still wearing my shirt, so I couldn't do much at the moment anyway.

"On campus the other day you said-"

"I know what I said originally, Harry. But, things change. Someone talked some sense into me." -Riley

"You said 'I don't want to be another girl on campus you hook up with'... where is that Riley? What did you do with her?" I ask partially playful but also wondering what and who changed her mind.