Graphite || h.s

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I really need to drop back into my place and get a few things before we go anywhere." Harry glanced at me, but as soon as he had, his eyes were focused back onto the empty roads.

"Okay." I nodded, fumbling with my hands out of boredom. Spending half of the day in a car was beginning to take it's toll.

"I promise we won't be long, then we can go anywhere you want." He rested his foot on the brake, easing us into a halt at the red lights. It was a few seconds before red gave way to green and we were back on our way.

The past two weeks had gone so quickly that I hadn't managed to find the time to even consider applying for college. One thing I was certain of was that no matter what, I was headed to LA. Rather that than waste tedious hours in search for a college almost half as good as that one.

I'd be going, no matter how many hard goodbyes I'd have to bid.

"This is it, casa del Styles." He chuckled, pulling into the driveway.

"Tu casa es grande." I laughed, clambering out of the car. Harry stopped in his tracks, confusion buttered across his face.

"Eh?"

"Your house is huge," I explained. His hands reached for his pockets, routing through each one individually before finally producing a set of keys.

Everything inside of his house was just as grand as it's exterior. There was a natural colour scheme, with beiges, creams and chestnuts. It was all open plan, so the house felt spacious. It was painstakingly obvious that this house had cost a lot of money.

"Do you want to stay down here or come upstairs with me?" Harry asked.

"Come upstairs." I replied quietly. He interlocked his fingers into mine and lead me up the flight of steps.

Somehow, his room was nothing like I imagined it to be. Teenage boys are usually the dirtiest people out of everybody, but his room was immaculate. The bed that stood in the middle was surrounded by several pieces of furniture, but other than that, it was nearly empty. His walls however, were a complete contradiction to the rest of the room. They were littered in drawings, much like my own. His drawings all seemed to be the small details of a girl. A small, delicate eye, the wide smile from her lips.

"Oh, you've seen them then," Harry blushed, his cheeks burning deep scarlett. He had been rummaging through his wardrobe, not really paying much attention to my actions until now.

"They're...amazing." I let a smile tug at the corners of my lips, and Harry seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"They're you." Harry stated. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that he was right. Each drawing held a quality of me. The eye was shaded lightly, nearly blending into the white of the paper. The lips were thin and stretched.

"When did you find time to do these?" I spun on my heel, so that I was facing Harry.

"Oh no, they're not recent," He began, strolling over to the window and picking up his aftershave from the ledge, "I used to sit in art and draw them. It was as if every little component of you needed to be locked into paper. You interested me greatly, appearance wise anyway. I liked a challenge, and drawing you provided me with one."

He drew me, and I had been intuitively drawing him. He was the eye covered by wisps of curly hair, he was the smile with crooked teeth that still looked perfectly straight. He was the subject of every single sketch that lay on my wall. Yet, I'd never even established the connection.

"See, you provided so much of a muse for me, that I couldn't help myself." He chuckled, tossing the aftershave into an overnight bag.

"Cut the poetic crap Styles, you aren't the kind to string words together so profusely."

"No, you're right, that didn't sound like me at all." Harry agreed, zipping the bag shut and slinging it over his shoulder. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I took delight in the fact that the rest of the day belonged to us. It was ours. Ours to do whatever we wanted with it.

Harry's bag was slung into the back seats of the car, before the two of us climbed into the front.

"Where to m'lady?" Harry quizzed.

"Anywhere."

"Anywhere?" He repeated, starting the ignition to the car. His eyes darted between the wheel and his rear-view mirror as he attempted to concentrate on pulling out of the drive.

The moment we hit the open road, I rolled down the passenger seat window and let the breeze tangle itself into my hair. Miles upon miles of scenery passed. It appeared likely that we had no idea of where we were headed. That didn't stop us. Instead it spurred us on, filling us with a sense of adventure.

The car came to rest beside a field, with the help of Harry's expert parking. For a brief moment, the two of us sat in silence, the only sounds were our heavy lungs.

Within the space of a few minutes, we had ran out of the car and were in amongst the knee-high grass. The air was warm, but not too hot and the sun was beginning to cast it's last few rays across the world. I felt free. I felt happy. It seems that running around in a hazy field does that to you.

At the sound of loud footsteps I broke off in a run, glancing over my shoulder occasionally to see Harry right behind. Every step I took, he'd take the equivalent of two. Clearly, he was much quicker than me.

When I checked behind myself to find Harry had disappeared, I stopped. My aching throat gasped for air and my throbbing legs begged me to go no further. It was the much welcome relief that my muscles needed.

"Harry?" I half-shouted.

Nothing. Not even the slightest rustling to determine his location.

"Harry?" I shouted again.

Two hands seized my hips. Out of instinct, I jumped.

"Sorry," Harry smiled sheepishly, responding to the glower that I was sending his way.

"You better be sorry, you scared me to death." I held my hand over my heart trying to regulate my pulse, which had now soared incredibly high.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Come on, it's getting dark." I grabbed Harry's hand and started pulling him back to the car. He dug his heels into the ground though, making it impossible for me to budge him.

"Night time's the best bit." Harry enounced, releasing my hand and lying down amongst the strands of grass.

There was nothing I could do but accompany him. The grass was dry, there were bits everywhere but I lay down beside him. With his whole face turned towards mine, he smiled. A smile that sat unfamiliarly on his face. A smile that I didn't recognise. It wasn't him attempting to be flirty, or cocky or grinning because he'd said something completely stupid. He was smiling sincerely. Something that I had never witnessed Harry undertake.

"Come here," He gestured, using his arm to gather me into his side. His free hand began to play with the ends of my hair. I could feel every shallow breath that he took, each one hitting my ear.

Under the stars that night, something shifted inside of me. I felt different.

I felt...indescribably happy.