Winter Air [H.S.]

Fifteen

His head was pounding. The remaining stale aftertaste of alcohol still lingered on his tongue. Last nights events began to flood over him like a tidal wave. Surveying his cramped apartment, empty beer bottles and opened bags of potato chips carpeted his floor. As he slowly got up from his place on the couch, his a pain shot through his body - the aftermath of a night of emotional drinking and binge eating; his senses were electrified. 

Fortunately, the snowstorm seemed to have shifted. Buckets of rain poured outside his windowsill and the temperature in his room shifted. No longer was it an ungodly temperature but reasonably livable. Clearly,  the weather outside was changing. 

Sitting back down, Harry began to recollect his thoughts. Last night had been a breakthrough emotionally. The call from his publisher had been the breaking point that Harry needed. His stubbornness had shifted. He knew that he needed to change his attitude and move on. Move on. Never had he thought that he would be at the point where he felt comfortable to do so. But there was a settling peace about it. A peace that he knew was real. He didn’t know where this peace was coming from, but he was not going to push it away. Harry was done with pushing. It was time to pull back. 

And that was what he was going to do. 

He was going to begin to pull back. 

He didn’t think to bring a jacket. Hell, he didn’t think at all. All he could remotely think about was finding his old volkswagen and how to get to his destination. The rain was pounding against his windshield creating a blurry mess of a curtain. He wasn’t sure how he made it without getting into an accident or wrapping his car around a poll. Maybe luck was on his side today. 

The apartment building was on the historic side of the city. The sides were red brick and the main entrance door was a dark chestnut. The stairs creaked and it smelled like musk. 30B The letters were gold against the dark green door. 

One knock

Two knock

Three- 

The door opened slowly and the smell of cinnamon and vanilla hit all of his senses. A mess of brown hair and dark brown eyes met his green. 

“Harry?”

“Hey.” His voice came out low and husky, her favorite sound. 

“You’re soaking!”

He let out a small laugh, “Yeah. It’s raining outside.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Clearly. Come inside.” She opened her door wide open and led him inside her apartment. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight before him. It looked exactly like the last time he was here. Dark wood bookshelves covered the walls jammed pack with novel after novel. Gold frames covered the leftover walls, ranging of photos of flowers to the Eiffel Tower, to a portrait of an elderly woman. Against the far wall underneath the large bay window was a white couch full of cushions. This was her home. This was Ava. 

“Would you like a cup of tea? I just made some.” He gave her a quick nod as she made her way over to her small kitchen. “You can have a cinnamon bun too, if you like. I made them last night.” She was nervous. She wasn’t sure why, but her voice came out quieter than usual. He could tell that she was nervous but he was too. 

They both sat a the counter looking at their mugs. Neither one looked at the other, almost afraid to say a word. Unable to take it any more silence, Ava decided to speak. 

“Do-” She was quickly cut off by Harry.

“I-” He quickly shut his mouth looking down. She could feel her cheeks begin to blush. 

“You go first,” she said. He let out a cough and quiet laugh. 

“I came here to ask you something.” She nodded to indicate for him to keep going. “I would like to take you out to dinner.”

“That wasn’t a question Harry,” she giggled. 

His cheeks became a slight crimson. “Right, let me try that again.” He sat up straighter. “Ava, could I take you out to dinner this friday?” He looked up through his eyelashes and was met with a shy smile. Her cheeks were slightly tinted pink. 

“I would love to.” Harry let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“Great! I will pick you up here then.” She nodded again unable to contain her grin. Harry too couldn’t help the grin plastered on his face. He knew that this was a big step. It was also a way for them to know each other better. Harry had realized that he knew Ava, but he didn’t quite know her. He had never asked about her parents or why he never saw them around. She was very private about her life. Granted, he was too. He was looking forward to the opportunity to get to know her better. 

For the first time in years, Ava felt the butterflies in her stomach. This morning, she was not expecting to have a soggy Harry at her doorstep asking her to dinner. She knew that they were friends, but this was a clear detour into another territory. Instead of feeling uncertainty about the whole thing, she felt a warm feeling in her chest. She liked Harry. Not in a romantic way, but in a way that was different from the others. There was something about Harry, that she knew. She also knew that this would mean getting to know one another in a deeper way. That was something Ava was not looking forward to. She knew that Harry would be asking her about her parents- a topic that she barely discussed with people. It only brought heartbreak. She was also aware that the topic of past relationships would also be a possible dinner-conversation topic. This was another topic that Ava liked to keep disclosed. Her one and only serious relationship only brought painful memories - something she would rather forget about. 

The week went on fast. Before either one realized, friday was here. This only meant one thing: date night. Ava took her time getting ready that night. She made sure her short hair was curled away from her face and makeup kept minimal. The door bell rang. While wearing her favorite blue dress and gold heels, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the door. 

Her breath caught in her throat when she took a look at Harry. His hair was quiff’d back; curls neatly pushed away from his gorgeous green eyes. He looked god-like in his black button up shirt and trade-mark black jeans and boots. She could see his tattoos peeking  through and it only brought the familiar butterflies to her stomach. 

Harry was in complete awe by Ava’s beauty. He knew that she was gorgeous, but he was unaware of just how beautiful she was. He snapped out of his stare and gave her a large grin. 

“These are for you!” Harry handed Ava a bouquet of peonies.

“These are beautiful. Thank you.” She couldn’t disguise the bashful smile and tinted cheeks that adorned her face. 

After placing them down on her kitchen table, she turned around and grabbed her keys. 

“Ready?”

She nodded and followed Harry outside to his car. 

“I hope you like Italian.”

The school girl giggles that seemed to be the only thing she was capable of doing was her response. 

“Perfect!”  

-- 

Hello! If you read this please comment and vote. That would make my heart happy and would also help me know if this story doesn't completely suck! Thank you!

Also, please check out my second Harry A.U. story called "Bitter and Sweet". It's a different style but I'm really excited about it!