The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

22. i like music

I stood behind the counter, using the computer screen as a diversion so that my eyes wouldn't stare at Harry. In his grey t-shirt, his arms were exposed and if he wasn't staring at me, I'd be looking over all of the different tattoos which were usually covered by longer sleeves.

"What boyfriend?" Harry asked again. I'd ignored him the first time. 

"She was talking about Luke." I tapped across the keyboard, pretending I was doing something really important - I was actually on Facebook. Still, I heard his sharp intake of breath and couldn't help but smile a little. "I went to The Forgotten Kids show," I said casually. "They were really good." 

"I know," he gritted his teeth. "And I know, I was there." 

"I didn't see you." 

"No, but I saw you. With Luke which I must say was a mild surprise, although not now I suppose." 

Mild surprise? It was like I was talking to a fifty year old. "Why was it a mild surprise?" I was on the verge of yelling, for no real reason other than I'd already been emotional this morning and now Harry was in here, unknowingly haunting me. "No, he's not my boyfriend but I actually like Luke and his company. We have fun together, we laugh together, we both have appreciation for music, we - " 

Harry interrupted. "I like music."

And you like making me frustrated too. I buried my eyes into my head for a moment, resisting the urge to yell at him (because technically, he hadn't done anything wrong.)

When I opened my eyes, Harry was staring at me. He'd also crossed to the other side of the counter. "What does that have to do with anything?" 

"You said you and Luke both have an appreciation for music," he spoke so slowly, so controlled while somehow making me all the more flustered. It was a recurring theme when whenever we spoke and I was getting tired of it.  "I like music too."

"Of course you like music!" I yelled, unable to keep my emotions in tact any longer. He let out a heavy exhale, probably thinking that he'd walked straight into crazy-town. In a slightly calmer voice, I added: "You work for a record label, it comes with the territory."

"I just want saying....you and I could talk about music too." He spoke more meekly than I'd ever known him too and it made me feel guilty. I didn't mean for my words to bite him. "We could have fun together." 

"No, we couldn't." I laughed, partly-frustrated and partly in disbelief that Harry would still want to speak to me. In fact, there was a good chance he never would speak to me again and I'll be left to just deal with Clark so it seemed only fair I be honest. "You infuriate me, Harry. You make me so angry, you drive me absolutely crazy, actually. You're so pompous and just so - " 

Somehow while I was ranting, he'd gotten impossibly close to me. Too close. I couldn't speak any longer, all I could do was hold my breath as Harry pressed my body between his and the wall behind me. His hand moved to my cheek, his long fingers taking up most of the space before he drew them down slowly, tracing over my bottom lip with his thumb. 

It actually felt like his was leaving behind burns in place of his touch, a feeling I'd always thought to be exaggerated by people in love. 

"What are you doing?" My voice shook against the calloused tip of his thumb but his fingers kept moving: from my lips to my chin as his eyes glossed over from my forehead to my eyes. His gaze was wondrous, like I was some sort of magnificent creature he was admiring. It was flattering and scary. I'd never had this effect on someone, and they'd certainly never had this effect on me. 

He was thinking about kissing me. I was sure of it because I was thinking about kissing him too. "You've lost your mind," I whispered, still feeling too constricted to talk properly. He nodded slightly, moving closer. His face was too close for my eyes to focus now. One more step and our lips would be touching.