I wasn’t really looking forward to Friday, so of course, the week flew by in a flash, Friday afternoon arriving before I could barely blink.  All week, I had been trying to get Harry to change his mind about going to the party, but he was resolute.  He had decided he was going to do this and absolutely refused to back down.

I couldn’t tell if he wanted to go to prove that he would when everyone thought otherwise, or because he actually wanted to go to a party.  I strongly suspected it was the former and he was just being stubborn, but occasionally he did seem genuinely excited about it. 

Meanwhile, I grew more and more nervous by the day, steadily convincing myself that this was some kind of trap and something awful would happen.  I wasn’t sure when I had gotten so paranoid.  I told myself I was just being practical; it wasn’t like there wasn’t any evidence to point toward it being some kind of set up, after all.  There was plenty of bad history between the people involved, so I had every right to be wary. 

Lydia and Haley had made it a point to be as polite as possible to Harry, their best attempt at making sure we didn’t back out.  I could tell they really did feel awful about everything that had happened, and it was important to them to try and get back in my good graces, however reluctant I felt.  Harry was still very polite and shy around them, never divulging any information voluntarily and only speaking when spoken to, a deep blush often tingeing his cheeks. 

I was too selfish to give up my private lunchtime with Harry, so we remained secluded in our little world in the library as we had for the past few weeks despite the begging of Lydia and Haley to join them.  I needed my time with Harry during the day, because apart from first period, I hardly ever saw him at school.

Even Jack and Will made it a point to say hello, how’s it going, glad you’re coming Friday whenever they could, which surprised me.  I had figured they would side with Colt, even if they weren’t really the best of friends with him anymore; they were still ‘the guys’ after all. 

Finally, school had ended and Harry and I had driven home together.  He was quiet on the ride, clearly lost in deep thought in his own head.  When we arrived at my house, he frowned at the floor of my room, where we had settled after ditching our coats and book bags.  He sat on the edge of my bed, long legs hanging off the side.  I moved to stand in front of him, pushing his hair back and tilting his face to look up at me.  He blinked twice before he seemed to refocus on my face.

“Harry,” I said gently.  “We really don’t have to go.”  I was very much hoping he would change his mind and agree to just stay in with me tonight, cuddled on the couch and doing nothing in particular.

“We do,” he said.  No such luck.  Damn.

“Why, though, Harry?” I asked.  I didn’t fully understand his determination to go to this party where he would be so out of place. 

“Because no one thinks I will,” he said, frowning up at me.  “And I want you to see your friends.  You guys seem to be getting along a lot better and I don’t wanna jeopardize that.”

“You don’t always have to do what’s best for me, you know.  You can be selfish sometimes,” I told him.  He was so inherently good that all he really cared about was making me happy.  Little did he know I would have been utterly and completely happy spending the night with him alone.  My fingers pet back his hair as his large hands wrapped around the backs of my thighs, his thumbs drifting lazily across the fabric of my jeans.

He shook his head, widening is eyes at me.  “I really do want to go, Joey.  It could be fun! I’ve never been to a party before so I have to see what all the fuss is about,” he laughed, lightening the heavy mood that had fallen over us.  I smiled at him softly.

“People will be drinking,” I told him.  Although he surely knew that- he had picked me up from a party at the very house we would be going to, drunk off my ass.  He shrugged.

“Doesn’t bother me,” he replied.  “Will you drink?”

“No,” I said immediately.  I was already uneasy enough as it was about this, I didn’t want to hinder my brain anymore by adding alcohol to the mix.  “Will you?”

I remembered what he said about only every really drinking at a wedding before.  He bit his lip, pondering before shrugging again.

“Probably not,” he said.  “It’s not really my thing.”

“Hey, you never know.  Maybe you’ll discover an undying love for beer,” I teased.  He laughed.

“I very much doubt that,” he said.  “We’ll just see what happens I guess.” 

He pulled on my legs, pulling me closer to him before he wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face against my stomach.

“As long as you’re with me, it’ll be okay,” he said, words muffled by my shirt.  I smiled at his sweet words, pushing back on his shoulders to give me enough space to sit on his lap, my legs swinging off perpendicular to his.  My arms wove around his neck as he looked at me, smiling in my direction.

“It will be.  Just stay with me,” I said quietly, the corner of my lip twitching up.

“Always, love,” he replied before leaning in to give me a sweet kiss.  I pulled back and grinned at him before climbing out of his lap, to which he stuck out his lower lip, pouting.  I giggled and pinched it between my fingers before crossing my room to my closet to try and figure out what to wear.  Pushing aside the hangers, I was finding it difficult to choose something; it had been a long time since I had needed to dress for a party.  Harry cleared his throat from my bed, and I turned over my shoulder to look at him.

“Um… what do I… what do I wear?” he asked, blushing slightly.  It occurred to me that while it had been a while since I’d dressed for a party, he never had and was completely in the dark.

“It’s easier for you ‘cause you’re a boy…” I said, considering him and what I’d all seen him wear.  My mind drifted to the night he had worn a red flannel and had looked exceptionally hot.  Easy.

“Wear that red flannel you have,” I suggested, my mouth already salivating at the thought.  “And your normal tight-ass jeans should be fine,” I teased, giggling. 

“They’re not that tight…” he said, holding back a smile.

“Yes, yes they are,” I laughed. “But don’t worry, I love it,” I added reassuringly. 

“Alright, alright,” he said good-naturedly.  “Do you care if I go home and shower then?  I’ll pick you up later if you like.”

I nodded.  “Yeah, that’s fine! I should probably shower too…” I thought out loud.  He pushed himself off the bed and crossed over to me, sliding his hand to hold the back of my neck and pull me to him, pressing a kiss to my lips before releasing me.

“See you later,” he said, grinning at me before starting to leave.

“Byeeee,” I called, stifling a giggle as his long frame lumbered out of my room, his wide shoulders causing his shirt to drift out behind him, higher in the back than in the front.  He shot me one last smile before disappearing down the hall. 

Once I lost sight of him, I turned my attention back to my closet, almost immediately giving up on finding something right now and deciding to take a shower instead. 

Hours later, I was about as ready for the party as I could be.  I had settled on a simple white tank top under a light denim jacket, along with black skinny jeans.  My long brown hair was curled loosely, and I let it just fall down my back, unable to maneuver anything else with my limited styling skills.  Simple, but cute enough for a party.

Unlike the last party I had gone to, I did not pack an overnight bag.  No matter how well the party went, I would not be sleeping over at Lydia’s.  My phone vibrated, alerting me to a text from Harry saying he would be here in a minute.  I sighed, grabbing my purse off my bed before pausing in front of my mirror and examining myself.

I could do this.  Harry could do this.  Nothing will happen, it will all be fine.  I nodded once at myself, determined to have as good of a time as possible before rushing downstairs to meet Harry.  Just as I arrived at the foot of the stairs, his headlights beamed through my house as he pulled into the driveway.  Flinging the front door open, I hurried down the driveway and threw myself into the warmth of his car. 

After slamming the door shut, I turned to greet him but froze in my tracks.  He looked unbelievable.   He was wearing the red plaid shirt, as I had suggested, but this time he hadn’t paired it with a black t-shirt underneath.  Now, he wore it buttoned up, but had left the top few buttons open, exposing his smooth, deliciously inviting chest.  The black jeans he wore were as tight as ever, sure to give me a wonderful view of his bum whenever I wanted. 

What struck me the most, however, was that he appeared to have done absolutely nothing to his hair; it stuck up wildly yet mysteriously tamed, swooping back from his face where he had clearly pushed his hand through it a time or two.  I had seen it messed up before, but never had it looked so hot.  That, in combination with his outfit, had me biting my lip and attempting to hold myself back from jumping across the console. 

I could feel my jaw hanging open as I stared at him in awe, unable to say anything as he opened his mouth to speak.

“You look so beautiful, Joey,” he said sincerely.  It was only now that I noticed he wore a look that was surely an exact replica of the one on my face; he was looking at me in awe, as if I were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  My heart fluttered.

“Thank you, Harry,” I said, biting my lip as I grinned.  “You look amazing.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him; he seemed to be having a similar predicament.  Tonight was going to be interesting.  

“You ready for this?” I asked softly, forcing myself to make eye contact with him and stop ogling over him as a whole.  He nodded firmly, appearing much less nervous than I would have thought. 

“Let’s do it,” he said, sounding as if he were talking about executing a strategic plan.  I giggled as he reached across the seat to grab my hand, pulling it into his lap as he drove.  Quickly he realized that he didn’t know exactly where Lydia’s house was, so I directed him until we had pulled up in front of the spectacularly beautiful house.  We had arrived later than I normally would have, so the house was already piled with people, drinking and dancing their way into the night.

“Woah,” he said in awe, leaning forward toward the window to get a better look at the house, his jaw falling open slightly. “They let her have parties here?” he asked incredulously.

I nodded, also examining the house.  “Yup, crazy, right?”  Finally someone seemed to agree with me how insane it was to throw a wild, underage party in such a beautiful house. 

“Insane,” he said, still staring at the house as he pulled his keys from the ignition.  He shook his head slightly before turning to me and smiling softly.  “Here we go!”

He jumped out of the car and ran around the front of it, arriving at my door and pulling it open before I even had my seatbelt off and my purse gathered.  He extended his hand to me, giving a slight bow as I giggled and took his hand, letting him help me out of his car.  A kiss was pressed to the back of my hand before he straightened up and tangled his fingers with him.

“I love you,” I told him, grinning stupidly as I looked up at him.  It was insane how incredibly happy he made me with the simplest of actions.  He squeezed my hand as we started to walk toward the house.

“I love you, too,” he said.  “Never forget that.”

“I could never forget that,” I said happily.  I could hear the music pounding in the house as we drew closer, and people could easily be seen through the windows, clutching drinks and other bodies alike as the party raged on.  It was going to be a big one tonight, I could already tell. 

I took the lead as we approached the front door, pulling him along behind me.  He didn’t really know anyone- the least I could do was go in first.  A high pitch screech sounded through the air, making me jump backwards, crashing into Harry’s chest.  My heart pounded erratically at the sudden noise; I guess I was a little on edge. 

“Joey!” my name was shouted at me from the same direction the screech had come from.  Lydia pulled herself off her boyfriends lap on the couch and rushed toward me, spilling the drink from the cup in her hand as she did so.  She launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing far too tight.  “You came, oh my god, you’re here! I’m so excited!” she shouted, making sure she was heard above the pounding music. 

“Yeah, we said we would, right?” I said.  I couldn’t stop myself from grinning at her; her excitement was contagious.

“We?” she blinked, face blank for a half a second before her face split into a grin again. “OH, right, Harry!” she exclaimed, suddenly remembering that I was a pair now.  She turned her beaming grin to him, releasing me only to wrap her arms around him, doing a sloppy job of hugging him. 

He visibly tensed, very much not used to being touched by anyone but me, much less hugged aggressively by a clearly intoxicated girl.  He gingerly raised his arm, wrapping it around her to awkwardly pat her shoulder.  I giggled- I had almost forgotten how incredibly awkward he could be. 

“I am so glad you guys are here,” she repeated as she pulled back from Harry, beaming at us both.  He let out a relieved sigh and I laughed again before reattaching our hands.  He squeezed mine gratefully. 

Will called my name from his spot on the sofa, waving hello to Harry and I, which we both returned.  He grinned at us before returning his attention to whomever he was talking to.  Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all. 

“So! Drinks!” Lydia chirped, bouncing on her feet excitedly.  “Let’s go!”

She grabbed both of our hands, hastily pulling us into the kitchen with surprising force.  Instantly, she started filling two cups with a mysteriously colored drink.

“Oh, I’m not drinking,” I told her, waving my hands to try and ward off the drink she was now trying to press into my hands.  Harry awkwardly accepted the cup but didn’t take a drink; he held it gingerly between his thumb and index finger, as if afraid it would explode if he moved too quickly. 

Lydia’s face fell. “What, why not?!”

I shrugged.  “Just don’t want to.” I hoped she would drop it.

“Joey, please?! I want you to have a good time,” she begged, grinning widely at me.

“I can have fun without drinking,” I laughed.

“Come on, you look tense, just have one,” she coaxed, inching the cup closer and closer to me.   I rolled my eyes, taking the cup from her and giving up.  If it made her stop pestering me, I would hold the cup; that didn’t mean I had to actually drink it. 

I looked at Harry and smirked at him as I caught him taking a small sip from his cup, cautiously tasting the contents.  He swallowed with a thoughtful look on his face, considering if he liked it or not before shrugging and grinning at me.

“Not bad,” he said.  I laughed.  If this was how the night was going to be, it wouldn’t be too bad at all.  Who knows, maybe it would even be fun.  

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