Intent [Wattys 2017]

Chapter 12

Fire and Gasoline - Sia

Harry

"Thank you for the coffee Haz, I really needed it" she says, peering over to me just for a moment before focusing her attention back to her togo cup, clutching it as if it's the only source of heat in the car although the heat is on full blast.

"Of course Em, I know how you get when you go more than a few hours with it."

"Ha ya...you do." She still hasn't looked over at me, still looking down at her warm beverage.

"Hey what is it?" Turning to face her.

"Oh it's nothing really" turning to face me "it's just nice, you know, to have someone to depend on."

"Emma you know that I'll always be here" I reassure her placing my hand on her armrest. Sure it's nice to know that she realizes that I will always be around but why is it such a surprise, or for that matter a relief that someone might actually care that much for her, it breaks my heart that she hasn't had that.

"Ya I know that, it's just nice." She looks back down at her cup again taking a long sip.

Even drenched to the bone she is gorgeous. Her skin glistening from the extra moisture, her hair sticking to her forehead and the sides of her face, her long lashes. We have been sitting in the car parked outside her house for a while now giving me ample opportunity to just look at her, take her in. If I wasn't worried as to why she wasn't looking over to me it would be the perfect situation But I know her, her wheels are spinning, over thinking something and I don't know whether it's about me or the thing that she adamantly says is nothing but I know better than to believe that.

Suddenly a long wide smile spreads across her face and she starts laughing as she turns to face me. I already know what's she's thinking. Shes laughing at herself, the situation. Afterall she only stood in the rain for a few moments before I rushed over to get her under my umbrella and she still got drenched but living here that was just part of the experience.

Emma seemed to have a knack for getting stuck in the rain, she was calmed by the experience, nothing else mattering in those few moments.

Last year Lina, Henry, Em and I had taken a weekend trip up to Edinburgh. We had a long weekend and decided to pack small bags and grab the first train up to Scotland. It was all orchestrated by Emma of course, the little control freak that she is. Booking us the tickets and organizing for us to stay with a friend of my fathers who had a house up there. On our second day Lina and Henry had decided to have a quiet date night leaving Emma and I to fend for ourselves in terms of dinner. This didn't even faze Em though saying that some fish and chips by the water would be a fun idea no matter how chilly it was with only my leather jacket and a t-shirt to keep me warm but it didn't matter to me really. So that's what we did.I never could say no to her, even when we were little. That's probably why we got away with so much, she had a talent for not only organizing little adventures but for also making sure we got away with them.

Once we got our fish and chips we planted ourselves on a little bench by the water overlooking the docks. In those sappy romcom's this would be the first date between the two leads that led to another hour and a half of the two falling in love and living happily ever after before the movies end but for Em and I? Well we definitely don't live in a romcom. That night Emma proceeded to scarf down at her chips before stealing nearly half of mine when the heavens opened up and began to downpour.

Well I, being a fairly normal human being, began to grab my stuff and move to the nearest place of cover but not Emma. She stood up and relished in the feeling of rain on her face, smiling up to the sky and laughing in the whole situation. Before I could get far enough away she grabbed my hand, pulled me close, and said "dance with me Styles" looking up at me with her big blue eyes that looked even brighter that very grey day.