Flame // hs

two

Ember was in love with her best friend.

Ever since the night of the bonfire... she had been acutely aware of everything she was feeling. And how she had been incredibly blind to it all.

The making out while drunk was an excuse for her real feelings. She let him get away with things she wouldn't let anyone else ever do. She let him braid her hair and smack her ass and pick her up to remove her from situations, let him tease her and pull her hair and secretly fucking liked it.

She was a fool for thinking literally any of it was just friendly.

Ember was a direct person. She wasn't one to beat around bushes but she just didn't know how to go about this. Harry still came over and was still his pain in the ass self, but since the realization... she had become soft. Much softer than she realized.

He fell asleep on her lap while watching Shark Tales with her, and she was careful to keep still and continue the methodical motions of playing with his hair. That's what had him falling asleep in the first place. It gave her time to explore his beautiful face. The tiny brush of freckles and his birthmarks, the fact she needed to tweeze his eyebrows again. His stupidly long and thick eyelashes she was jealous of and the scruff that was growing back even though he had shaved today.

She found herself wanted to kiss the tip of his nose and his little birthmark near his lip, and that's when she knew she was fucked.

Harry had always been touchy with her and lately she had been allowing it more than normal. Not pushing him off or huffing as much. It made him even more eager to do said things, always hanging off of her and tickling her. It was when they were in the kitchen that she had the other realization.

They were basically already a couple. Just without the sex. And the vulnerability of feelings. Sure they were open mostly but... not about how they felt about each other. That was their one weakness.

Harry seemed to be taking advantage of that too.

Seeing her changes and letting him lay and touch all over her, being comfortable- he did stop and check- he was soaking in every single drop of that attention. Every minuscule droplet, he lapped up and preened like a puppy getting a treat. After his revelation at the bonfire, he had been wracking his mind on how to get the ball rolling with her. How to get her to want him back- or, more so, show it.

It wasn't like he was blind. That kiss... had changed something. Thank fuck it wasn't a bad way. If anything it continued their slow, slow rise into something a little bit more. He wanted more from her and that was something he was trying to make a bit more clear, especially based off of how grabby and touchy he was. He wanted her to straddle his lap and kiss him deep like she did in that one video he had when they were completely plastered.

Their other friends joked about alcohol being a kissing potion between them but he was... Harry was now pretty certain that it was just their true feelings coming to light. Not certain enough to confront her head on about them. No, absolutely not. But enough that he would feel comfortable touching her freely and being more mushy and gooey sweet with her.

It was the morning after a night out but neither of them drank much. Harry had crashed on her couch by accident, as he usually climbed into her bed, but he figured it was good because he woke up with a raging hard on he had to take care of in her bathroom. When he emerged, he saw her frame at the stovetop. Hair messily Down her shoulders and one of her night shirts she purposely bought too big hanging off of her shoulder. It made his mouth water.

Deciding he felt a little bit brave, he padded into the kitchen and came up behind her. Arms wrapped around her waist and he pressed himself against her back, chin resting on her shoulder as he looked over it and into the pan she was currently cooking on. It startled her, a little yelp of his name leaving her sleep swollen lips before she let out a breath and melted into his hold. "Don't scare me like that." Her scold was half hearted, enjoying the warmth radiating from the body behind her. In her chest, her heart began to thud harder from the intimacy of the hold. It wasn't uncommon per day, but it reminded her quite a bit of the bonfire they'd been at just a while ago. How things have changed in a matter of days.