Midnight Cherry | H.S.

Chapter 9 🍒

I awkwardly hung around Harry's for a little longer. He knows I heard, and he was smug about it. Almost like he's glad he was caught.

We ordered some food, he wouldn't let me pay. I don't understand why, I ordered a lot. Food was a really great distraction. Still, I couldn't get the noises out of my head, I'm not going to lie by saying it wasn't kind of hot hearing him say my name like that...

No Melanie, mind out of the gutter please.

But like, I can't lie.

Anyway, that doesn't make it any less awkward. All sorts of problematic questions filled my head because I overthink everything.

Is it the first time? Will it be the last time? Was it the only time? What exactly was he thinking about? Is he going to bring it up? Is he still thinking about it like me? Does he regret it? Did he want to get caught? Was he embarrassed but masking it excellently?

So many questions and that's just the start of the list.

By the time I was leaving, the awkwardness had subsided mostly, but for the rest of the night, whilst we mostly just watched TV, thank God because I could not look at him.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? Just stay the night, and you can think about permanently staying tomorrow" Harry tries to convince me for the thousandth time. "No, Lana's expecting me back and I like living with her, I'm gonna stay there still" I explain again.

I don't know if I'll take up Harry's offer to move in with him again, especially after how that blew up last time. For now, I'm perfectly content living with Lana.

"It's not just that I want you to, it's about keeping you safe, I don't know if he's going to find out about you and come for you" I'm stood in the doorway and Harry is leant against the frame, looking down at me with those green eyes.

It's really cute, the way he wants to protect me, but I think he's overreacting. Whoever this guy is isn't going to find out about me, right? Like, the only person in Harry's "business" as he calls it that knows about me, is Wolfe and if Harry's working with Wolfe, he's not gonna tell this guy about me. I mean, there's the people who've seen me at the club with Harry but they're Harry's people, right? I'm perfectly safe.

"Harry I'm staying with Lana, there's no debate about it, but I'll still come up and stuff" I tell him. He sighs and finally gives in, not that he has a choice.

"Shall I walk you out to the taxi?" Harry asks, "No I'm a big girl, I'll be okay" I laugh back. Harry gives me a quick chaste kiss on my cheek and I smile as I turn and walk away.

I get in a taxi, which despite me constantly denying his offer, Harry paid for. I check my phone again and still I don't have any replies to my messages to Sammy. I hope she's alright. I decide to give her a call, but there was no answer. After the third try, I give up and text Lana to let her know I was almost there.

I recognise some streets, especially the ones closer to Lana's place. I notice the taxi driver misses the turn. I look around subtly, thinking maybe he just knows an alternative route, I know there's more than one way. Maybe he just didn't realise? I'm too awkward to say anything, and I'm probably just overthinking as usual. After a couple of minutes of now driving in the complete opposite direction of Lana's, I decide it's best if I say something.

I suck it up, thinking what I'm going to say in my head a couple times and begin.

"Excuse me, s-sorry but you missed the turn a couple streets back, I erm didn't say anything cause I thought maybe it was an alternate route but we're too far-" I'm rambling because I'm nervous.