Adore [H.S.]

19

Happily - One Direction

ISABELLA

The heat of Harry's breath touches my lips. I inhale sharply, my insides twisting into mayhem. The grip that he has on my waist tightens. He brings my body closer towards his own. Our fronts pressed together. His eyes shift down from my eyes to my lips. His hard stare focused on my lips.

He leans in closer, our lips mere inches away.

Suddenly, a booming shriek of a ringtone sounds throughout the bedroom. A vibration comes from my back pocket, breaking me from this trance that Harry has encapsulated me into. My body bolts away from his grasp, his hands shooting away from me and running through his hair.

I get up from my seat on the bed, pulling my cell phone from my pocket. My heart drops as I read the call display. Chase.

Without a minute of hesitation, I press answer. "Hey." My voice is steady, a complete contrast from the rapid thump of my heart.

"Hey!" His voice is cheerful on the other end. "I'm sorry I missed your call. I was at work."

"It's fine." I look over at Harry. His head is faced down. His jaw is locked tight. His steady glare is focused on his interlocked hands.

"What was wrong?" Chase's voice is full of concern. I immediately feel guilty. I had completely disregarded my relationship with Chase, putting myself into a situation that would have set me up for cheating. Something that I was not was a cheater. Yet, with one simple glance with Harry's vibrant green eyes, and I forget all of my morals.

Get yourself together, Izzy.

"I had an urgent call from the American consulate. It's fine now."

I hear Chase exhale a breath. "I'm so sorry babe. How did you get down there?"

I hesitate before answering him. Chase and I have yet to discuss Harry and our... friendship. It has been a topic of discussion that I have wanted to bring up for a while now, but have not found the appropriate time to do so. I guess this is the best time.

"Harry." I answer, with an ounce of hesitation.

"Styles?" He asks, his voice confused. Harry looks up at me, his eyes slightly widen and curious. He too wasn't expecting me to disclose our friendship. I know I sure wasn't.

"That would be him." I laugh awkwardly. I bite down on my lip, turning away from Harry's intense stare.

"I didn't realize you two were friends. Still." His voice is hard to read. Great. "I don't like him, Iz. He's a dick."

"He's not that bad," I turn my body away from Harry, walking out of the bedroom. The more distance that I can create between us the better. The sexual tension that lingers between us is suffocating. I shut the door behind me, standing in the kitchen, leaning my body against the counter. My eyes focused on the dirty dish that sits inside the sink. "We're friends."

"I don't like him, Ella. I don't like him at all."

"You don't really know him, though." I weakly argue back.

"I know him more than you think. You can't trust him. If you stay friends with him, he'll hurt you, and I can't let that happen."

"Harry and I were friends before we even met."

"You two met at the dinner party." He states. I begin to realize that he didn't know about my friendship with Harry.

"We met at the bookstore."

"Ah." Chase's voice goes up, as if something has clicked. "That's where he spends all his time. At the bookstore. With you." His voice isn't angry or jealous. It's steady, full of complete realization.