The Bad Boy

Chapter 157

Harry's P.O.V.

I'm not going to give any more details about the carousel of fish because it has been one of the most humiliating experiences of my life, but I would get right back on and do it all again for Steph. Long story short, it was one person to a fish and Steph and I only "swam" past each other three or four times during the entire experience.

"That was so fun!" Steph gushes as we walk through the park.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I say.

"What should we do now?" She asks.

"I don't really care. You could come back to my hotel with me." I suggest with a smirk.

"Ha. Nice try. Maybe I should just head home..." Steph suggests, and with that I step off my happy cloud and crash back to Earth.

"Okay. I'll walk you." I sigh.

"Isn't your hotel that way?" Steph asks, and then points in the opposite direction of her apartment.

"Yeah. So?" I ask and begin walking towards the direction of her apartment.

"You don't have to walk me all the way to my apartment since it's so far out of your way." She says, stopping me by putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I do. You don't need to be walking around New York alone, at night. I'll walk you home. " I say again, removing her hand from my shoulder. I clasp it in mine and start moving us both towards her apartment.

She sighs reluctantly, but doesn't pull her hand from mine. We walk back to her apartment in a comfortable silence, holding hands all the way.

"Thanks for tonight, I had a really good time." Stephanie says as we reach the front door of her apartment complex.

"No problem." I grin. "Do you have to work tomorrow?" I ask.

Stephanie's smile dims. "Yeah." She sighs.

"It's okay, we can do something after." I suggest.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Stephanie looks at her feet.

"What's the matter, then?" I ask.

"Miles and I are just in a rough spot. He won't talk to me, and he kicked me out of his apartment with not even a word's notice...everything is just really weird between us." Stephanie shrugs.

"I never liked him anyway." I say.

"Harry!" She gasps and slaps at my chest. "It doesn't matter if you like him or don't, he was my only friend here and now he won't even look at me."

"Have you tried talking to him?" I ask.

"I've texted him and called him but I haven't gone up to him in person or anything like that." She admits.

"Maybe you should try that, then." I suggest.

"Okay." She sighs grudgingly. "I need to get some sleep. I'll call you after I get off tomorrow?"

"Definitely." I agree.

Now comes the awkward end to any date. Kiss her or not? If so, where? Lips, cheek, forehead?

As if she can read my mind, Stephanie taps the middle of her forehead. I lean forward and kiss her there, closing my eyes and lingering.

"Bye Harry." She says, putting a hand to my chest and stepping back.

I wait until she disappears into the elevator in the lobby before collapsing on the bench outside. This is the first time she let me kiss her, even told me too.