Revenge [H.S. MATURE AU]

17.

helloooo,
we're almost at half of the story. there are prob gonna be around 40 chapters or less... so let me know if you already have some theories and please don't forget to vote x

The things, between Scarlett and Harry, in the last month have been going just great. They've been spending all of their time off, together, at his house, away from the campus and everyone there. Even when Scarlett has to study she studies there with him, finishing — the majority of the time — by getting distracted by him, just as much as he gets distracted by her. They have been going on dates, doing what every other normal couple does and Harry's been fighting off his drug addiction just fine, with her by his side. The only thing that makes them quite different from normal couples is the fact that Scarlett hasn't told anything at all to her father, she still keeps the relationship a secret to him. As for Cielo, Harry hasn't been seeing a lot of her, considering that he's practically living at his apartment now and she has never questioned him about why she left what they were working on so suddenly.

"When do you celebrate your birthday?" Harry asks her while they walk, with their hands intertwined, around CityCenterDC. Scarlett keeps looking around the windows of the shop, now full of Christmas decorations.

"The 10th of January. That's when I've been brought home." She tells him. With the time they've been spending together she feels way more comfortable talking about it around him.

"How old were you?"

"I was a newborn. I've always grown up with my parents..." She absently tells him, keeping her eyes on a window shop. Christmas is very near and she hasn't bought not even a single present.

"That's nice..." He caresses the hand is holding into his with the back of his thumb. "See anything you like?" He asks her when she notices her eyes fixed on the window in front of them.

"I was thinking of buying my dad a luggage, since he travels a lot..." She shrugs her shoulders, dragging him by his hand inside of the shop she had been looking at. They leave the shop with a black leather duffel bag, with her father's initials engraved on, that Harry is taking for her. "Alright, one is done. I still don't know what to get to my mom and Poe." She bites her lower lip. "And let's not even think about my friends..." she rolls her eyes, feeling already tired and exasperated by the Christmas shopping. Harry doesn't say much, he just stays silent on her side.

"Can't really help you with that..." He shrugs his shoulders with a sad smile on his face.

"You don't buy Christmas presents?" She surrounds his arm with hers and lays her head on his shoulder while they walk.

"No... we don't really celebrate it. It's just a day like any other to us."

"Not even when you were a kid?" She asks feeling her heart ache for him. She can't imagine a young him being all alone and without any present on Christmas. He shakes his head again.

"So you're not doing anything this Christmas? You'll be completely alone?" She asks him alarmed, feeling already sad for having to leave him.

"It's fine, Scar. It's just a day like any other... I'll be fine." He shrugs his shoulders and puts on a smile. "What about a bracelet?"

"What?"

"For your mom..." he points at the jewelry in front of them. She quickly smiles and nods, absolutely loving the suggestion and the fact that he's thought about it to help her.

*

When Poe opens the door of his room just to find Scarlett he's quite surprised. Harry is not staying in their room anymore, so he only sees his sister around campus during lesson hours. He lets her in, immediately knowing that he's came here for him.