Dahlia's whole life is flipped upside down when her eccentric aunt enrolls her in a prestigious university in England. She is forced to make friends with a rather eclectic group of people and adapt to her new lifestyle all while trying to find the a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Do you want to stay the night?"
Yes. I'd been wanting alone time with Harry since I saw him at the top of the stairs. We'd only gotten a few minutes away from everyone else, and I don't think those fleeting moments in the library were sufficient enough for either of us. I felt like we had a lot to talk about- Paris and his first impressions of my friends.
I looked over at the four of them, seeing that they were beginning to congregate at the door, Niall toeing the ground with his orange cast. I assumed they wouldn't mind if I stuck around- except for maybe Louis because he'd have to help Niall down the front steps, and up the stairs to get to his dorm.
I nodded eagerly, tracing the swirling pattern on Harry's lapel, unable to look him in the eye because I knew I'd start blushing like an idiot.
Niall cleared his throat obnoxiously, gaining our attention. He looked at me expectantly, waiting to leave.
"You guys can go. I'm going to... spend the night here," I explained shyly as Harry used his thumbs to rub circles on my hipbones.
Niall smiled, and then tucked both of his lips into his mouth, refraining- for once- from spilling his thoughts. Zayn looked down at Atlas, who slyly smirked back up at him, giving me the idea that Zayn would be spending the night in my dorm because I wouldn't be there. Louis' eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.
I made eye contact with Louis and then looked at the door, nudging my chin in that general direction, hoping he would take the hint and get everyone to leave.
"Okay, well, thank you for inviting us. I think we all had a great time," Louis said, gripping Niall's shoulder and starting to pull him closer to the front door. He was probably worthy of the title, 'World's Greatest Wingman.'
I gave them a small wave, Atlas waving back as Zayn opened the door. They all filed out, Niall looking back over his shoulder to wink exaggeratedly.
"Louis, make sure you help Niall down the steps," I called out in a motherly manner, just as the door closed.
"And then there were two," Harry said, the rumble of his voice echoing through the foyer and giving me chills.
I tore my eyes away from the door, compelled to look up at him. His head was tilting down, gravity forcing his hair to fall beside his face, the ends of a curl barely poking his cheekbone. Every single time I looked at him, it felt like I was seeing him for the first time. I never wanted to lose that feeling- it was so refreshing because I knew I would never get bored of him in the way that songs could lose their appeal after being overplayed. I also knew I would never get sick of the way he looked at me- with reverence- because it made me feel like I was worthwhile or like I'd actually done something important.
He closed the gap between us by bending down to kiss me softly and slowly, in no rush to add any heat to the kiss because we finally had time. My hands slid up his chest and over his shoulders, my fingers tangling in his curls instinctively. His left arm hooked around the small of my back and his right hand traveled down the back of my left thigh.
