Nightmare {h.s | au}

1.32

"Harry calls you a what?" Angelina asked, folding a pair of her jeans and tossing them in her dresser drawer.

I wasn't a person who divulged private information to anyone and no one really seemed to care or mind. Those in that category did not include Angelina Black; therefore, she was a constant reminder that I wasn't entirely personable. When I did show up today wanting to talk about Harry, she was more than willing to invite me in even though her Sundays were meant for chores.

"He calls me a paradox, Lena. It's not a bad thing from what I can tell," I said with a light shrug.

"From what you can tell or what you want to believe?" she asked with one of her perfect eyebrows arched.

I looked down into my lap and felt the nightmarish factors start to fall back into the empty places that they had left yesterday. All of my doubts glued them back into place until I could talk to Harry again. He'd pick at the edges until they tore away once again.

"Lena, I'm not going to say either or because it goes both ways. What I can say is that when we talked about it last night for the first time in months, he looked at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world. He was...so confused and in awe that I'm kind of worried seeing into my mind that way had scared him away."

Angelina stopped folding her clothes and moved to sit down beside me on the edge of the bed with a smile on her face. It was the kind of smile that hid secrets in the most profound way. It was the smile that said she was ready to release everything she had ever known into the air. I braced myself internally for whatever mind-fuck I was about to experience.

"Eden Grace Nelson, do you actually like Harry?" Her dark eyes glittered with bright unspoken words that I was so sure would corrupt my very soul.

I took a deep breath to stabilize myself and considered my options. The easy way to get out of this would to spout out a simple no, but Angelina was perceptive. She would drop it if I brushed it off casually, though. But, I needed help understanding what was going on. With Louis, things had been straightforward. There weren't any meticulous feelings that threatened to swallow me with every step I took with Harry.

"I think I actually do," I said quietly, frowning down into my lap.

Angelina stood quickly and started squealing. I looked up quickly as she started to turn in circles and jump up and down. My frown deepened as I watched her get her kicks off of my feelings towards another human being.

"Care to explain that?" I asked once she had sat back down.

She took a couple deep breaths to ease the red in her cheeks and, of course, calm herself. I wanted to sink into myself and disappear. Maybe falling out of sight would make her forget all about it for a little bit, so maybe I could relax even the slightest bit.

I shouldn't have even come here.

"Eden, you've had crushes on people and even dated some, but...to actually like the guy you're in a relationship with? You've never done that!" she explained animatedly with her hands flailing everywhere. It made me move back from her in fear of being hit. She wasn't done though because her hands grabbed my shoulders and she began to shake me. "You actually like him!"

I pulled her hands off of me and stood from her bed. This was a little too much for me to actually be able to communicate with her. Again, this was another reason I shouldn't have come by.

"I'm going to go. I've got homework," I muttered, grabbing my things as I walked out of her room.

I didn't care how I had left her feeling. Liam could come over and fix whatever mess I'd left at the Black residence since they were becoming so close. I'd apologize later and things would be fine. That's how it always was and how it'd always be.