The Situation

SEVENTEEN

Bella's POV

Things between me and Harry have changed after that night a couple weeks ago. We're in this weird grey limbo area of being more than just friends or the best of friends. I'm not really sure, I've never wanted to kiss Cole before.

I know he sleeps around, he doesn't seem to be tied down to someone. Whereas I have never dated or wanted to date, too scared to. I don't want to date him; I don't think I do at least. I want the option of leaving and don't want the pressure of commitment.

It's the small things he does that confuses me. We've been walking to classes together and he'd grab my hand walking down the hallway, which I have received a few dirty looks from the girls in the hallway. I don't know what that means.

He'd lay his arm over my shoulder or rest his arm on the back of my chair in class or when he would come over to talk during lunch. I can't fully concentrate in class when he touches me. He'll rub his thumb in circles on my arm or would randomly lock our fingers together.

It doesn't not bother me, but I can't figure out his game with being gushing and touchy all day and in front of people, even my friends. I make it sound like a bad thing and it's not, it just worries me.

I'm not ashamed to be around him, I like being friends with him. I've never held any one's hand in school, or public really. I'm not trying to hide the fact we are friends, like platonic friendship, I just don't go around flaunting that we hang out together. I'm used to staying in the shadows at schools, this is all front row as everyone knows the famous Harry Styles.

The girls tell me they've never seen him be like that with any other girl here, he's never held a girl's hand at school, never went out of his way to speak to anyone, never been touchy feely with anyone here.

Why he is doing that with me?

On a particular day, one of my bad days, I was in the library hiding from the noise like I do every so often when a book on the shelf crashed to the ground.

No one is ever in here during lunch hours, especially in the place where I'm at. I sit on the floor with my back against a bookshelf in the science section of the library. I've never ran into another person back here, students usually sit at the actual tables to study while I come to calm down.

So, I freak out a tiny bit. I jumped to my feet and against my better judgment went to where the book flew out from. I am the dumb blonde girl in the horror movies that you scream at them while watching them literally walk into murder.

A book doesn't randomly fly off the shelf like that, it has to have something to move it.

Sparkling green eyes appear on the other side of the bookshelf catching me off guard and leap out of the way. He's laughing while I nearly shit my pants, but he ends up staying with me during his lunch break too.

I could hear his stomach grumbling and felt bad he was missing lunch, but he said he'd rather stay with me. I offered to go into the dreaded dining hall so he could get something to eat and come back to the library. He really surprised me by telling me there was a reason I didn't go there in the first place, so he's not going to make me go in there for him to eat. The more I'm around him the more I realize he's a major softy.

Another difference is that I would see him on the weekends. Instead of partying all weekend he'd come over to either watch movies with me or invite me to come down to his apartment. He still goes to the parties every weekend, just doesn't end up staying and getting black out drunk.

Instead, we'd stay up late and fall asleep talking about hypothetical things and the most random topics ever. He got me talking about my family and he would talk about his, it was the easiest conversation I've ever had talking about them. I'm starting to like telling him good things about my past. He laughs at all the weird, stupid shit we did on the farm, and I laugh when he tells me what him and the guys used to do back in high school.