Unexpected

18. Helen

"Get up and let's go outside," he tells me as he ties the waves of my hair into a low ponytail. I don't even wonder why he had a rubber band on his wrist, I'm not that naive.

I bend my head to one side and giggle, run a hand through his hair and push it back. "It's raining," and when I say it thunder is heard.

He shrugs. "Yeah so?" He pushes me back and makes me stand up. "Come on, let's go!" He takes my hand and pulls me out.

In front of the block of my apartment there is a garden and behind the parking lot. By the time we step outside we are all wet. It rains a lot, but the drops of water are light.

He leads me into the parking lot, holding my hand. "You'll like it," he assures me as he looks around.

We arrived at the center, where there is a sort of pitch to allow cars to turn.

"Look, I don't understand how I'm supposed to like—" I'm caught off guard.

His hands are firm on my hips, his lips suddenly pressed against mine with jealousy. Our bodies are attached, like our clothes on the skin due to the rain. He opens my lips with his tongue, and so he takes possession of my mouth, takes possession of me, and I let him do it.

He breaks away from the kiss, but our bodies are still one. "Tell me you didn't like it and I'll kill you, because I'm freezing to death," he says, smiling.

I give him another kiss, a smack this time. "I liked it. Like in the movies," I add.

He puts a lock of my hair that has come out of the ponytail behind my ear and kisses my forehead. "That was my goal." He takes me by the wrist again and pulls me with him. "Let's get in the car. I need some dry clothes."

"Isn't it better if I stay here? And then are you sure you want to get in the car? The seats—"

He interrupts me and opens the door for me. "They're made of leather, they dry up. Now get in."

I do as he tells me and then he gets in the car too. He starts it up and immediately turns on the hot air conditioning. We are silent for a few seconds to catch our breath and warm up.

"We'll catch a good cold, but it'll be worth it, won't it?" he says suddenly, putting his hand on my thigh, looking me up and down.

I nod and immediately sneeze. Forget it. "Do you have a tissue?" I ask him.

He shakes his head laughing. "Unfortunately not."

The windows are all fogged up, I wonder how we are supposed to leave without seeing anything. Cleverly, Harry turns on the defroster.

We wait for the windows to demist in silence. He takes my hand and brings it to his lips, looks into my eyes intently and I can't help but smile. I didn't think this boy was capable of such delicacy.

"You're surprising me," I tell him as he maneuvers out of the parking lot.

He has one arm behind my head rest as he looks back to reverse, and his arm muscles tense, his abs are even more noticeable from the wet undershirt. I feel the need to cross my legs, it's too much.

He notices that I do that and when he looks at me I have to look away. "I'm surprising you," he repeats, and he puts a hand between my legs to remove the right one from over the left one.

Then I cross the left over the right. "You said you were full of surprises," I remind him, trying to seem as indifferent as possible to his touch.

He also moves the left. "I am."

At this point I just have to squeeze my thighs against each other.

He realizes I'm tense, so he puts his hand on my thigh and massages me softly. "You really can't take it? Relax."

I snort. "I hate you, really."

He bursts out laughing. "Why? Because you can't look at me without getting wet?"

I choke on my own saliva. "Harry!" I exclaim, covering my face with my hands. But it's true, he is right, and this could become a problem.

He brakes and I haven't even noticed that we have arrived at his house. "Wait here, I'll be right back," and, taking my chin with one hand, he kisses me before leaving me in the car.

I'm starting to wonder if this is really that wrong. Yes, it didn't start off on the right foot, but when we manage to get along... we get along more than okay, even going beyond the limits. Maybe I could get used to it, but I know it's not just the two of us in this world. The problem is, I don't know what we're doing.

I just know that as soon as we get home we don't have to be distracted by anything. We arrive, I sing, he plays, stop. Nothing more, nothing less.

I see him after about ten minutes, his tall figure and his broad shoulders. He walks over and I notice that he has— a duffel bag?

"Hey, baby." He throws the bag behind him and then kisses me, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"What's in there?" I'm curious, I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"I thought it would be nice to have clothes always on hand, right?" he explains to me.

"Mhm, you're right."

He takes my left hand and puts it on the gear, above his. This gesture is so simple that... I don't know. I have to stop wandering around like this. I know very well that the two of us could not have anything, that this must be pure fun at best.

"You're silent," he points out to me.

I snort. "Would you prefer me to talk all the time? I was lost in my thoughts, sorry." Maybe I overreacted.

He stops in the parking lot of my house. "Hey, Helen, calm down. I was just saying."

Of course we both have a temper to deal with. Well, now I remember why I can't stand him, and why he probably can't stand me.

We get out of the car and he closes the door with force. I understand, the quiet and serene atmosphere is definitely ruined. God, how sensitive he is.