Black and Potter | H. Potter

60 ⋆*⋆:⋆ a deadly kiss.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

| A DEADLY KISS |
song: only love can hurt like this by paloma faith.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

ARA WAS AWARE THAT OVER THE COURSE OF HER LIFE SHE HAD FOUND HERSELF IN QUESTIONABLE SITUATIONS, whether they'd been life-threatening, or traumatic. But nothing compared to the feeling of panic she got when she spotted the mistletoe hanging over her and Harry's heads. Though the look on Harry's face was amusing to witness.

Harry had lifted his head not too long after Ara, and when he'd spotted it, his face had significantly paled before heat crawled to it, making his cheeks tint slightly pink.

"Er. . . well. . .um. . .we can—we can just wait until the effect wears off," Harry scratched the back of his neck nervously, looking anywhere but at her.

"Yeah. . . " Ara pursed her lips, successfully hiding her disappointment from her face as she tried to sound unbothered. "I'm—I'm sure it won't take long before it lets us go."

It had been thirty minutes and they were still standing.

"Look—maybe just a kiss on the cheek will do, right?" Ara suggested, her legs growing tired already. She didn't want Harry to kiss her if he didn't want to, and from the way he immediately decided to stand thirty minutes there instead of just getting it over with, told her that he wanted no such thing.

She would be lying if she said it didn't bother her a little.

"Mhm, may—maybe." Harry stammered, only looking at her eyes for about half a second.

Surprisingly, it was Harry who moved first. His hand trembled as he gently cupped one side of Ara's face, turning her head slightly so he could press his lips to her cheek. Ara's breath caught at the warmth of his lips against her cool skin. They were so close that if she turned her head, their mouths would brush against each other. She allowed herself a moment to close her eyes, savouring the intimacy of his touch before Harry drew back. When she finally looked at him again, Ara cleared her throat, her own breath unsteady. Harry seemed momentarily breathless, his gaze flickering away as he swallowed hard.

"I suppose we should be able to move now," Ara muttered, staring at his side profile with visible longing. She was grateful for the fact that he wasn't looking at her right now, otherwise he'd clearly see every emotion she tried to keep buried plastered across her face.

"Yup. . ."

They went to step away, but just like before, as if nothing had changed, they weren't able to.

Ara gritted her teeth as she glared up at the mistletoe, she could swear that it was laughing at her right now. Out of all the torture Ara had been through, this had to be the most agonising, physical pain she could handle, but emotional torment was something that certainly made her resolve crumble. She didn't want to be standing here, in front of the one person who could peel away at her layers and lay her feelings bare without even trying, she cursed at the universe for playing her in this position.

"I guess not then," she vaguely heard Harry mumble.

Ara remained silently scowling.

"M–maybe we should. . .we should just get it over with?"

Her eyes snapped to Harry's as his words registered, a jolt running through her. She searched his face, but his eyes were a mystery, a deep well of emotions she couldn't decipher. Usually, she could read him with ease, but now his gaze was intense, almost mesmerising as he stared at her. For the first time, she felt a flutter of uncertainty, a thrilling awareness of the space between them charged with unspoken feelings. The air grew thick with anticipation, her heart racing as she tried to bridge the gap, desperate to understand the thoughts hidden behind his green eyes.