Desirous [H.S.]

Eleven

ANASTASIA HALL

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

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I take a long sip of my coffee as I glance around the nearly-empty cafe. It's still a bit early, around nine o'clock, so the regular students who use Honey Hollow to study haven't started filling the seats quite yet.

It's been a week since I told Harry the full truth about everything, and although we've seen each other since then, we still haven't talked about it. I can tell he's been wanting to, I can see it on his face each time he looks at me, like he's worried about me.

It makes me feel terrible.

He's tried to bring it up a few times by asking me how I'm doing, or even mentioning Johnathan, but I change the subject every time. It's not an easy thing to talk about, especially since my friendship with him was one of the biggest triggers in my relationship.

I know the conversation with Harry has to happen eventually, but I'm dreading it. The thought of talking to him about it, causing him to worry more than he already has, fills me with so much anxiety.

I inhale deeply through my nose, a heavy sigh following shortly after. I should really be in class already, but I just wanted a little bit of time to myself beforehand, to mentally prepare for the day.

I finish the last bit of my coffee before standing up and taking the empty mug to the counter. I say a quick 'thank you' to Emerson one last time, earning a wide smile and a wave, and begin making my way across the street. I feel my stomach grow heavy with nerves, which has been happening every time I step foot into the building, before I start walking up the ungodly stairs to the second floor.

I hate that this job has become a source of anxiety for me, ever since Harry walked into that classroom. The idea of working with my best friend that I hadn't seen in years was incredibly intimidating, but I'm really hoping once I grow more comfortable around him, and the students, the nerves will disappear.

We're doing the first essay workshop today, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm excited to see what the students come up with, and even more excited to see what Harry does with it.

I love watching him teach. He's generally quite introverted, but it's the complete opposite when he's in the classroom. Confidence radiates off of him when he's teaching, and his passion for the subject always pulls me in, making me forget about everything else.

He's mesmerizing.

When I finally reach the classroom, I see that the door is open, and Harry is sitting at the desk with his laptop in front of him. I hesitate before knocking softly on the wooden door frame to catch his attention. He turns his head to look in my direction, his furrowed brows softening when he sees me. I feel my cheeks flush to a light shade of pink when a warm smile grows on his face.

"Hi," he breathes, keeping his eyes on me as he closes his computer.

"Hi," I giggle, pushing my hair behind my ear as I step into the room. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, you didn't interrupt anything," he shakes his head quickly before standing up to greet me.

He walks towards me, and holds his arms open to pull me into a hug, wrapping them tightly around my shoulders. I snake my arms around his waist, the smell of his musky cologne drifting through my nose as I inhale deeply. He's warm, and his soft, brown sweater vest tickles my cheek as my face rests against his chest. My eyes flutter shut as my anxiety melts away, and it feels as if he holds me for hours before we finally break our hug.