xx Chapter 10 xx
It was a small cave encrusted with moss with several trees surrounding it. Harry let Traci go in first and hurried after her. The rain pounded on the top of the cave, making it sound large and hollow. Harry seated himself in the back corner, shaking out his curls and trying to arrange the sopping mess of head over his forehead.
“Are you ok?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Traci rubbed the mud off her elbows from her fall. There was an awkward silence in the cave, and Harry quickly said,
“Me and Misty are just friends. Really,”
Traci looked up slowly, giving him a weird look, eyes dark and narrowed, brow scrunched up. Even with her auburn hair plastered wet over her pale skin, lips pursed, she looked so pretty Harry couldn’t think straight.
“Ok…” she replied slowly. “Why should I care?”
“I’m just saying,” Harry mumbled uncomfortably. “Just thought I’d clear it up.”
“No need,” Traci looked down again at her wet jeans, rubbing aimlessly at the dirt caked on the knees.
“Do you hate me?”
“Hate you?” Traci looked up again, mouth slightly open. “I didn’t say I hated you.”
“You didn’t have to say anything,” Harry frowned. He took off his jacket and wrung it out with his fists, afraid to look at her again.
“I’m sorry,” Traci said quietly. “I don’t hate you. I didn’t mean to make you think that.”
“You did a good job of convincing me you did,” it was Harry’s turn to be cold.
“I said I was sorry,” Traci replied indignantly. “Why do you care anyway?”
“I don’t,” Harry grumbled under his breath. She let out a little huff and pulled her knees up to her chest. Harry hated being an ass to her, but he was angry that she had been so unkind with no warrant to act like that.
“That’s not really your uncle’s cottage, is it?” Traci said to him suddenly. “Is it?”
“No,” Harry replied. “But it’s none of your business. I mean…” Harry tried to rephrase it without sounding so rude, “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not? What are you, FBI or something?”
“Or something,” Harry gave her a crooked grin and he saw her hide a smile behind her knees.
“Why are you only staying for the rest of the summer? Why not for good?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time.”
“I wish I could tell you. I really do. You’ve just gotta let it go for now, ok?”
“Alright,” Traci shrugged. “Like you said, none of my business.” Harry drew a line in the mud on the ground with the end of his shoe, his shoelaces still untied and dragging through the muck.
“Where do you live?”
“Me? I live with my parents on Sugar Gulch Farm. It’s just east of town,”
“Turn right on the avenue going east of town?” Harry inquired.
“Yep,”
“Do you ride horses?”
“If you’re asking if I have a horse, yes. His name is Griffin. But I already told you that.”
“Oh yeah, you did,” Harry bit his lip, remembering back to the bonfire when they had first spoken.
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Dalliance (A Harry Styles Fanfiction)
Fanfiction**formerly named "The Girl with the Red Hair** Dalliance: a brief love affair. All Harry Styles has ever known about love is dalliance... breaking, and crashing, and ending. Can one person come into your life, and change your entire perspective abou...
