Strange [h.s.]

Seventeen

Ella Frazier

I tuck the bottle of raspberry iced tea underneath my arm, walking from the cash register at the front of the tiny convenience store Harry and I found ourselves in tonight.

The bell above the door rings as Harry pushes it open, the cool night air brushing against my legs. I smile at him, stepping out into the dark parking lot, lit up only by one street lamp.

"Want a sip?" Harry asks, letting go of the door and jogging so that he is beside me.

"Of course," I say with a smile, stretching my hand across my body and grabbing onto the small cup in Harry's hand. I slip the straw into my mouth, taking a sip of the icy blue slushy Harry bought. The cold liquid runs down my throat, sending a shiver down my spine when mixed with the cool air surrounding us.

Once I've had enough, I hum, gaining Harry's attention and holding the cup out for him to take. He grabs the plastic cup from me, taking a sip from his drink as we walk through the parking lot and onto the sidewalk.

I pull my drink out of my arm, holding it by the neck of the bottle as we stroll down the dark street. I feel Harry's hand graze my empty hand, my head turning to look at him. His head is turned in the opposite direction, the top of his straw stuck between his teeth. He slowly turns his head to me, a silly look on his face as if he was trying to be slick about trying to hold my hand.

"You can hold my hand, you know?" I laugh.

"I mean, if you insist," he jokes, his fingers interlocking with mine as I let out a laugh.

We make our way down the street in comfortable silence together. Harry and I don't always need constant conversation between each other, just being in each other's company does the job every time. We walk in the dark until we reach our town's downtown square, the streets lined with restaurants and other small businesses.

A low rumble catches my attention, my head lifting to look at the gray sky above us. I stop in my tracks, watching clouds roll through the sky.

"That doesn't sound good," Harry speaks beside me, his gaze focused on the sky above the two of us.

"Is it supposed to rain?" I ask, my head turning to Harry.

He shrugs his shoulders, a pout on his lips. I smile at his expression, my hand reaching up to cup his cheek. My thumb strokes his cheek, and Harry's pout quickly exchanges for a toothy grin, my lips turning into a smile as I stare at him. His hair is down, coming up just above his shoulders, the curls that I love so much on full display tonight. They have to be one of my favorite little things about Harry.

He bends down to place a kiss on my lips, my hand moving from his cheek to wrap around the back of his neck. Harry leans into the kiss, my back curving so that Harry is over top of me. I feel one of his hands on my lower back, keeping me stable as our lips mesh together.

Harry's lips don't leave mine for quite some time, the two of us sharing a moment in the middle of the sidewalk, under the night sky. It's nothing desperate, neither of us needing this to lead to more. It's just a kiss under the night sky.

Harry breaks the kiss, my eyes fluttering open to see him looking down at the exposed skin on his arm. My eyes move to the same area he is looking at, seeing a small, wet dot on his arm. Next, his head lifts back to the sky, then down to me.

I feel a drop of rain hit the tip of my nose, my eyes closing upon the feeling. I hear Harry laugh at my flinch from something so harmless, causing a smile to lift onto my face.