Diligence [H.S.]

EIGHT

this is a double update!
so make sure to read chapter seven first!

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Chapter Song: multiverse by Maya Manuela, PEMBROKE

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HARRY STYLES

I swipe my hands down the front of my shirt to brush out any loose wrinkles, then pull my pants up to make myself look semi-presentable. My hands run through my hair a few times, but it probably doesn't do much. I attempt to rub any lingering tiredness away from my eyes, everything that has happened so far tonight has been keeping me going.

With my face pressed against my palms, I pause and allow myself a moment to breathe.

I'm not prepared for this. To see her. To talk to her. To breathe the same fucking air as her.

My hands smack my cheeks a few times to amp myself up. Maybe a bit too hard, but the stinging is enough to distract me from the fearful state I'm in. With a sudden, near-insignificant adrenaline rush, I push the door to the roof open. The cold air rushes toward me and causes me to shudder at the abrupt temperature difference. I'm almost thankful for the minor shock it gives me. I told myself I wouldn't procrastinate this any longer, but I still had to take a few minutes to stop being such a pussy. It sort of worked.

I allow my eyes to adjust to the lack of artificial lighting, and they immediately begin to search for her. It doesn't take long until I succeed in finding her.

There she is.

Her back faces me as she sits on the edge, and I stop myself from sounding like a parent when I notice that she has both her feet dangling carelessly off the side. I'm thankful to see that she's wearing a sweatshirt, given how cold it is, though her long, damp hair counters that effort.

Her head turns just slightly. Not enough to see behind her, or even past her shoulder, but enough to let me know she heard the door open.

The butterflies in my stomach suddenly awaken after lying dormant since she left. My hands ball into tight fists before flexing outward to keep myself from reacting impulsively to the light, airy sensation floating through my chest. I can feel the erratic and harsh thumping of my heart throughout my entire abdomen. It warms my skin and flushes my cheeks despite the cold, January air whooshing past me.

If this is how my body reacts to seeing her from fifteen, maybe twenty, feet away from behind, I need to rein myself in when we're face-to-face.

God, that face. That beautiful, bring me down to my knees in less than a second face I love more than anything else.

Except I can't fall to my knees in front of her right now. I need to remain in a happy medium state that isn't too distant nor too desperate. Most of all, I need to stay calm and not completely lose my shit.

I can do this...I think.

She's still the Andrea I fell in love with. This is just a side of her I haven't seen yet, but I've always told her I love every part of her, and I mean that. 

I don't let the door slam shut behind me, but my eyes stay on her until I hear the soft click of its deadbolt. Her head faces forward again at the sound, and seconds later, a cloud of smoke billows above her head only to dissipate soon after.

Even from here, I know she isn't smoking a cigarette just by the smell. I'd also take a guess and say this isn't her first blunt of the night based on the potency of the lingering scent.