Desolation [h.s]

Chapter 5

Seraphina Amor

"What's your favorite color?"

"I'm not telling you. Stop asking."

"I'm going to assume it's black."

"It's not."

"Yeah, okay. Then why is your entire penthouse black?"

"Because it's a nice interior color."

"Sure."

Conversation between Harry and I has been going back and forth the entire car ride so far. I'd ask a question, he wouldn't give me an answer, so then I would just ask a new one. We'd been in the car for about forty-five minutes. The only answer I've managed to pull from him was that he hated slow drivers and that was just from me observing the way he would curse under his breath when someone would stop at a red light, like they were supposed to....

The city around us was bustling with life. People were walking on the sidewalk, traveling to wherever they planned on going. The blur of the lights quickly passed us as Harry zoomed down the streets. Quietness between us had struck again. It happened more than I was comfortable with. I didn't like awkward silences, they're tortuous. Especially when you don't know someone well enough and there's no possible topic of conversation; that's the absolute worst.

"We should be there in about ten minutes," Harry says, breaking the silence. I glance over at him, nodding my head in understanding. An idea pops into my head and I turn my body to face Harry, my lips pulling into a smirk.

"How much do you want to bet that you can get us there in five minutes instead?"

A smug grin pulls on Harry's lips as he glances over at me quickly. His hands grip the steering wheel tighter, his foot placing more pressure onto the gas.

"If I get us there, you're paying for dinner. Full price."

"Deal."

Before the words even finish leaving my mouth, I jolt in my seat as Harry quickly turns right, breaking away from the slight traffic of the main road. His face is pulled into a determined look, his eyebrows furrowed, casting a shadow over his eyes but he still holds a look of smugness.

Pushing down the nausea that begins to form in the bottom of my stomach, I try to distract myself from the elevated risk of dying with how this kind of silence is much better. There's a sort of tension and anticipation in the air. Both of us know something is on the stake, so there's a competitive aura floating through the car.

Harry makes another sharp turn and my body slams against the car door. My face pulls into a wince but I let out an amused chuckle.

"I told you to get us there in five minutes, not act like this is NASCAR."

He only lets out a deep laugh, shaking his head at me. "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to be paying for this dinner. Besides, I never lose." Harry glances over at me with a cocky smile.

"Overconfidence can sometimes be a disastrous trait to have."

"It's a wonderful trait," he counters, turning around another corner. I watch the road ahead of us as we near a traffic light going from green to yellow. Giving Harry a weary look, my gaze flips between the light and his side profile.

"Styles..."

He doesn't answer and I see his foot put more pressure onto the gas. The nauseous feeling returns back and I grip the handle on the side of the door.

"Harry. Please stop at the light like a normal person."

We near the light and just as it turns a bright red, Harry zooms through the intersection, the sound of car horns blaring at us coming from every different direction.