"Smoking kills but so does life, which death has a sweeter taste on the tongue?"
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When an avid smoker and an overly considerate girl worlds collide, someone is bound to get burned.
Published (Feb, 2019)
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There was a bit of an echo as my hands met the mahogany door, and I prayed Harry was behind it.
It hadn't even been a day, but I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I had to see Harry face to face, and I knew the only way to do that, was to meet him in his territory. As reckless as it may seem.
I knocked a second time, calling his name loudly so if he was in fact in there, he would hear me.
There was nothing but silence, a stillness that made me think he wasn't, and a gentle wind that was mocking me to just go home and leave the situation until a later date, but I wouldn't give in that easily.
A few moments later, the door swung open.
I didn't even have time to register what was going on before I felt somebody hold onto my hands and pull me into the cabin, locking the door behind me with a loud click of the latch.
I was met with a familiar pair of green eyes.
"Hi," I gently mumbled. "We need to talk."
"Sure, what's up?" He asked, his shoulders a bit hunched as if he were tense.
"It's just about the kiss," I muttered reassuringly, waiting for him to relax, before going on. "I mean, we never really got a chance to talk about it. I kind of........rushed off. After everything. And then you never came to school."
He nodded as if urging me to go on, but I didn't know what else to say.
Why did I even come here? Was all I could think. I didn't want to go back to the stuttering and the visible discomfort and the awkward tension but I didn't feel like I had much of a point to make.
I knew after everything happened that I wanted to talk about it, but now that I was actually before Harry, with his smile more blinding than the sun outside, my mind went completely blank.
Harry sighed as if he noticed my internal struggle, before urging me to follow him. I complied, my steps slow and steady as he brought me over to the couch in the center of the cabin.
Normally he'd sit first and I'd follow suit, but today we both sat simultaneously and it was only then, I realized just how accustomed I was getting with everything.
Harry looked at me, rubbing his palm over his face, before he began talking.
"I don't want to make this complicated," he started. "In fact, the opposite. I want this to be as smooth as possible. If that's gonna happen, you need transparency. You need to know where I stand, solidarity if you will."
I nodded. That was exactly what I needed.
"I've never been great emotionally," he simply said. The words sounded natural as if they were as simple as stating his favourite breakfast cereal. "I think deep down, I know what my heart wants, but my brain is calculating all of my moves. I don't know what else to say more than I like being around you. Your company does a lot for me. You give me the same feeling that my drugs do. Ecstasy, a tranquility. It's like a peace I never knew my heart was craving. When you're here, I don't wanna smoke."
