flower. h.s ✔️

six.

"Either you come in or you fuck off."

I jumped as Harry called out and I stepped over the threshold, my face hot with embarrassment as I hovered behind the sofa as Harry watched some kind of sports game on the TV.

"Do you need something?" Harry snapped and I swallowed thickly.

"Uh I'm, um I want to go out but I didn't know if you were busy or not." I cursed myself internally for stumbling over my words so much.

"Depends where you wanna go? I'm not going clothes shopping or whatever." Harry told me as he turned to look over his shoulder.

"No! No, I wanna go to Cass Art its in Kensington." I fiddled with my fingers as Harry closed his eyes and sighed before he nodded.

"Fine."

I smiled as Harry stood and made his way towards me, a suspicious look on his face.

"Stop that." Harry snapped.

"Stop what?" I asked curiously as I grabbed my bag and followed Harry closely out the front door, watching as he locked it behind us.

"Smiling."

I pressed my lips together as I slid into the passenger seat of Harry's car.

"Sorry." I apologised immediately, "I'm more than okay to go by myself, but I just thought...you know?"

"Stop apologising." Harry said as he sailed through a red light and I blinked but let it go all things considering.

"Sorry."

I cringed the moment the word left my mouth and I sank in the seat as Harry glared at me and I wished the ground would swallow me whole for the rest of the silent ride.

"Hi Ollie!"

I called out the moment I stepped foot into the store, the bell dingling above the both of us and Ollie raced full speed into me and wrapped me in his arms.

"You're back! How long have you been back? How was France?" Ollie rushed out all in one go and I rolled my eyes in good nature as I peeled him off of me.

"Yes, almost two weeks. It was good. How was Liverpool?" I asked as I watched his eyes drift towards Harry before flicking between the two of us.

"Nothing compared to the south of France, darling." Ollie winked and I rolled my eyes before watching as his flicked up and down Harry. "Good for you."

"Not what you think." I stated before walking away from Ollie who protested loudly until his manager chastised him.

I chewed my lip as I browsed the paint brushes aware of Harry hovering behind me.

"You don't have to follow me around, I think it's a pretty safe place." I told him, a small smile on my lips.

"I have literally zero interest in anything in this store." Harry drawled and I immediately felt bad.

"We can go home, I can just order online." I suggested, Harry's eyes meeting mine briefly before they rolled. I felt like telling him to be careful otherwise they'd get stuck.

"S'fine." Harry said curtly and I stared at him for a few seconds before nodding slowly and continuing my search.

I didn't really know what I was looking for but I figured that I shouldn't really carve my thigh up anymore. Retail therapy was technically a therapy even if my old therapist didn't think so.

I backtracked past an aisle as a set of watercolour paints caught my eye and Harry almost walked into me causing him to grunt and me to look up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry." I murmured.

"Shut up Carmichael."

I immediately returned my eyes to the paint set in front of me and picked it up without a second thought. I didn't understand what I'd done wrong with Harry.

We barely knew each other and fifteen days ago we didn't even know each other! I knew I shouldn't take it personally but I couldn't help it. It was another thing I really didn't like about myself, the need for approval from others, and apparently that meant Harry too.

I shook my head as I grabbed a new set of brushes and two brand new cold pressed paper books. I smiled at Ollie who started ringing up my purchases and I scanned my card without a second thought.

"There's a party on Friday night, you know Logan the hot guy on the rowing team." Ollie raised an eyebrow at me.

"We do not go to the same university." I reminded him, I had no idea who Logan was.

"Not important, I think Tom's going. You'll come yeah?" Ollie pressed on and I glanced over my shoulder to see Harry watching, his arms crossed. I don't think he'd want to go and honestly I wasn't sure I wanted to go.

"I'll text you." I muttered quietly to him before heading back to Harry. His eyes firmly fixed on Ollie and I simply walked out of the shop and back towards his car.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did to annoy you."

I suddenly blurted, the silence in the car becoming too much for me and my brain hated me too much to leave me alone.

"What the fuck are you talking about Carmichael?" Harry glanced at me before returning his eyes to the road.

"I just mean, I mean its clear you don't like me and I'm not su-"

"I don't have an opinion." Harry cut me off and I swallowed thickly.

"Are you sure?" I asked, worry seeping into my voice. "I don't mean to be annoying but its obvious I am and I know you don't want to be here and I don't think its right that you have to be because clearly nothing is happening. I'm just sorry I guess, I know I'm not Chloe or whatever."

"Jesus do you ever shut up?" Harry groaned and I closed my eyes as if it would somehow magically make me disappear.

"Sorry." I apologised immediately.

"Carmichael, Jesus fucking Christ!" Harry shouted, hitting the steering wheel with his fist making me flinch and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from apologising again.

I closed the front door behind me and toed my shoes off in the entry hall, Harry was long gone and I hadn't even asked about the party on Friday.

I didn't particularly want to talk to him considering I was on the verge of crying every single time we spoke for absolutely no reason. He was just very good at hurting my feelings, which apparently I had a whole fucking lot of lately.

My phone buzzed in my pocket just as I closed my bedroom door, the bag of painting supplies discarded on my desk as I flicked the light on in the bathroom.

My eyes glanced over the message from Ollie who only cared about finding out who Harry was. I smiled and shook my head as I let him know I was pretty sure Harry wasn't gay considering he was thinking about Chloe.

I frowned as I browsed through the pages of half finished drawings and doodles whilst my shower was heating up.

I knew Harry didn't like me, in any capacity, at all, but that didn't mean I had to like him wanting to have sex with one of my friends.

I didn't have any reason to like him either!

Somehow I didn't even think Harry knew my first name and here I was stressing because I just wanted to be friends or at least be civil with each other.

I had no reason to care if Harry slept with Chloe or if he even spoke to Chloe, but suddenly I was dreading seeing her on Wednesday afternoon.

"Grow up Poppy." I muttered to myself before I buried the half finished drawing of a green eye under a whole bunch of uni paperwork.

He doesn't even like you.