Aurora | H.S.

13. kinda strangers*

It's been so long since I've updated. Sorry for the wait. Here's a smutty chapter to make up for time lost. Make sure to read the note at the end with Q&As. Thank you for all the love!
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The moment I break free from the bar, my senses are clear. Despite the sudden relief I feel in my head, there's no mercy on my heart. It feels like something is weighing me down, the burden of heartbreak is a familiar ache. It's been a while since I've felt this way, at least in public. I'm not perfect, and I'd be a liar if I said that I didn't cry every now and then because of how lonely I am. I'm not going to preach about being strong when I can barely keep myself on my own two feet.

Through the thunder that rumbles all around Faycoast and the lightning that illuminates the black sky, I hear my name echoing off the cars in the parking lot. I move faster, hand digging into my bag in hopes of finding my keys quicker. Dammit, where are they?

I stop at my car, attempting to steady my trembling breath as my fingertips meet the metal in my bag. My keys jingle as I pull them out, pressing the unlock button. It's too late. A hand grabs my wrist, pulling me back.

Harry stands there, chest rising and falling. "Diana." He's breathless as if he's run a marathon to catch me, but his eyes are dark and any and all playfulness he showed before is void. "Don't run."

"I'm not running, I'm leaving."

"There isn't much of a difference, love." He exhales, shaking his head. I sigh, rolling my eyes as thunder rumbles again.

The storm is getting closer; I feel it in the way the breeze picks up and the sound of the buoys on the coast chime loudly as the tide gets stronger. The air is at it's peak humidity too. When I was a little girl I used to love sitting out on the porch at my parent's house to watch the storms roll in on the coast. It was dramatic and enthralling.

"I don't want you to go," Harry confesses suddenly.

I cock my head to the side. "Because now I know your secrets? You're so careless—"

"I'm not careless," he interjects harshly, voice trembling. "You think I would've run after you if I didn't care?"

"Then why are you here? Why do you feel the need to open up to me?" He furrows his brows, confusion washing over his perfect face. Now that the moon is moving behind the clouds, there isn't much light to see either of us.

The dreary sky illuminates again as lightning strikes followed by a crack of thunder that makes me shudder. "I was okay," I whisper, "then you walked into my life and now I'm so worried."

Harry takes a step closer, cradling my cheeks. The humidity breaks and I smell rain mixed with his cologne; it relaxes me. "You need to take more risks," he chuckles, amusement back. "It's okay to be a little vulnerable."

"Taking risks is exactly what got me here," I mumble. Our noses brush together and while he steps even closer to me, my hands naturally fall onto his chest, gripping the thin fabric of his shirt. Doesn't he realize that with him I'm at my most vulnerable? That opening my arms to even go on our first date was enough to send me into an emotional spiral. All of that doesn't even begin to explain my vulnerability being a single mom.

Suddenly, Harry's lips close over mine. I'm a little taken back, but I kiss back a moment after I realize this is a risk my heart's willing to take. His tongue glides over my bottom lip before I grant access, allowing it to roll against mine. A strong taste of beer in on his tongue, but it's not the only thing intoxicating about him.

My fingers move through his hair as the storm rages on around us. Rain begins to fall from the sky, pounding on the pavement and on our dry clothes. Harry pulls back, shaking his head. His curls are ringlets, soaking with each passing Second that we don't move.