All This Time // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

RILEY

I had never been the biggest fan of football, but went to most of the games because of my friends. Mel loved a good football player, and she wasn't having any luck with the guys on the soccer team. Looking around, I see Baylor with Naomi, his arms wrapped around her shoulders to hold her to his chest. Casey and Taylor were talking to each other next to them.

Harry was supposed to be here over and hour ago. Jeff said that was nothing new, and that he sometimes flaked without telling anybody. But I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Things had been so off and on with us these past few weeks, and something was going on in his home life. He wasn't talking to anyone about it, and it was making me increasingly nervous. Surely, he couldn't keep everything bottled up. He was bound to explode at some point, and I didn't want that self destructive behavior to effect us.

My hands didn't know what to do with themselves as I half paid attention to the game. They kept grabbing for my phone to see if he had answered my text. I didn't want to seem too clingy, so I refused to let myself double text or call him.

"Hey, I'm going to the concession stand." I turn to Amanda, "I'll be right back."

She nodded at me, and I climbed down the bleachers. I wasn't actually getting anything, I just wanted an excuse to not be in the crowd. Suddenly, none of this was fun without Harry, and I'm not sure I liked that. My mood shouldn't be reliant on his presence, but slowly it had become that.

My feelings were out of control. Far beyond what they were supposed to be. It had only been like two months, and I already felt for him what I never felt for Carter.

I decide to walk around for a bit, taking in the fresh air, and calling my mom before she went to bed for the night. From the sounds within the small stadium, I figured we were winning, but didn't care to check.

Sitting down on a bench by myself, I started playing on my phone, Instagram taking my mind off things. At this point, I couldn't wait to go home. I was debating on whether I still wanted to go to the party tonight after the game when I was startled by a voice.

"What are you doing out here?"

My head whipped up, phone covered hand flying to my chest. I'm sure my eyes were wide as I met Harry's striking green eyes. They were dark tonight, stormy and complicated. I stood up and walked over to him, taking in his posture and demeanor. He seemed on edge, flighty, and just... tired.

He looked so tired.

"Just wanted to get away from all that." I wave behind me as a chorus of cheers ring through the night air. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you." He answers simply.

"I didn't think you were showing up." His brows furrowed. "Jeff said you sometimes ditch at the last minute, so I just figured something came up."

I didn't want it to sound like I was fishing for info. Harry wasn't going to share, that much had been clear to me for a while now. His secrets were his and his only.

He reaches out to grip my elbow, and pulled me away from where we were standing. I followed dutifully, wondering what his plan was. He marches us across the street and into the open gym. Dim lights were on, only used for the bathrooms and the locker rooms for both the teams. His hand slipped down to take hold of my hand as he walked us into a small office. The shades were down, and before he closed the door, the light caught the name plate on the desk. This was his coach's office.

Before I knew what was happening, he tugged me into his chest, hand placed firmly on my jaw to tilt my head up so he could capture my lips in a searing kiss. Everything seeped out of my thoughts, the only important thing now was Harry.