bleeding hearts [h.s]

thirteen

I had never been so drunk in my life.

The bubbles from the champagne seemed to cloud my brain-- it was almost the same sensation of jumping into water and all the bubbles surround you. I was stumbling over my feet, my heels in my hands. The skirt of my dress had been far too long and had kept getting under my feet. My laughter could be heard bouncing off the walls of the hall. I listened to the party downstairs; some stupid gala his parents had been hosting.

At first, it had been fun; dressing up like a princess for the night. But as the hours drew on, my feet began to ache, my dress suddenly felt like chain mail, and the diamond choker around my neck felt like a prison shackle. The blue scratchy fabric of my dress made my legs itch, and I wanted to strip right then and there; but I was raised right, and that would have not been appropriate. I literally felt each individual pin in my hair, and the sleeves of the dress had been digging into my shoulders.

"Hey!" His voice called behind me. I laughed harder and ran faster, or at least I tried; I felt as though I was moving in complete and utter molasses. My bare feet felt cold against the tile floors. I could hear his foot falls behind me, he must have kept his shoes on, silly. I don't think he drank as much as I had... or at least; I hadn't seen him drink nearly as much as me. Then again, I was drinking with purpose... I hadn't wanted to be sober. I threw open a door at the end of the hall, and it hit the wall with a bang.

"Oops," I whispered under my breath. He was catching up; I could hear him calling for me. I felt some sort of exhilaration--a pounding in my chest like I was being hunted; some strange primal instinct. I ducked inside the room, hiding from him, the way a toddler hides from their mother in a department store.

The room was dark and all the curtains were drawn. I pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I timidly walked deeper into the room, still slightly stumbling over the hem of my dress. I laughed lightly as I pushed aside a curtain and ducked behind it. I could hear the cars and sounds of the city outside the window. The glow of the stoplights and the city lights against the night sky. I heard the door creak as it was pushed aside once more, and then I heard it click shut.

I could hardly contain myself. I bit my lip to keep myself from giggling. I hadn't thought I was swaying much, but the movement of the curtain disagreed. I heard his foot falls against the tile as he got closer to my hiding place. I smiled widely as he yanked back the curtain. I busted out into a fit of laughter.

"There you are," he smiled. "I've been looking for you."

"Surprise," I beamed, falling into his chest. He chuckled stiffly.

"Come on," he stated, peeling me away from the window. He steered me to the middle of the room before he went to each window and pushed the curtains open for light. The entire city skyline became visible, lighting up the room. It was mostly empty; except for a small sitting area and a grand piano. I tilted my head back and stared at the crystal chandeliers hanging just above me, that were now casting rainbows and shadows from the city light onto the floor.

"Wow," I mumbled under my breath.

"Pretty, huh?"

"Yeah," I murmured. He stood in front of one of the windows, his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. His mother had been pestering him about cutting his hair, that now hung at his shoulders. He reached up and untied his bow tie so it hung loosely around his neck, and he undid a few of the buttons. Much like me, he had found the nice clothes to be restricting. "Do you think they'll come looking for us?"

"Us?" He questioned. "Me, maybe. My parents want to put on the perfect family circus."

I smiled widely, tossing my heels to the side. They landed on the floor with a clatter. Harry let out a soft laugh that seemed to echo off walls in some sort of symphony. I could hear the hum of the music coming from down stairs, I began to sway to the beat and looked up at Harry with a sly smile. His lips were pursed together, dimples carving themselves into his cheeks. I stumbled over myself, falling into him. His arms wrapped around me, and I could feel the vibration of hi heart in his chest.