Artifice

Circles

"Well?" He asked looking back at me as he was ready to walk away. "You coming or what?"

"Wouldn't there be other people in there? I don't feel comfortable undressing in front of others or you. Plus I have no extra clothes." I questioned the offer out loud.

Harry turned around completely and walked away, leaving me alone amongst strangers.

"Wait!" I yelled and followed him down a corridor, catching up to him I could spot a smirk on his lips.

He pulled a key from his jeans and unlocked a door.

I peeked inside the large, dark room that once being opened, released a cloud of mist. Harry stood by the door, holding it open for me to walk in with him. The room was completely empty of anyone to my surprise. Lounge chairs and the casual fake plant decorated the wooden room and I didn't know to be impressed or annoyed by how luxurious it was.

"Why is there no one in here?" I asked curious as to how there was hundreds of wasted people everywhere in this house except for this room, with the freaking jacuzzi straight in the middle.

"There's only one key for that door and I've got it." He smiled devilishly.

"Why?"

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged and proceeded to take off his shirt.

"Dude." I turned around to face a wall. "Do you really expect me to get in that with you?"

"Suit yourself." I could tell by the sound of his footsteps that he had walked further into the room.

"You've got to be kidding me?" I turned around to find him shoulder length inside the water that was releasing steam from its surface, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Nope." His face relaxed after a few seconds and I stayed stood in place with my arms crossed. "Come on, stop being a party pooper."

"I'm not a party pooper." I crossed my arms and looked away, anywhere that wasn't him.

From the short glimpse I got of his half naked body, I couldn't help but notice the tattoos scattered all over his torso and arms. It has been chilly the past few weeks so he never wore anything but jumpers and coats, the tattoos weren't noticeable. It was weird, weird seeing this part of him he never shared.

"Yes you are Eva, get in or I'll come out there and drag you inside." His face showed no emotion and I just knew he wasn't lying. "If you're really that worried about your clothes or whatever just wear my shirt." His head nodded to where his clothes were messily scattered on the floor. "Eva," he said when I didn't reply.

"Okay fine!" I gave in and picked up his black long sleeved shirt. "Look away." I demanded, he laughed and turned his head away. I took the opportunity to quickly pull my shirt over my head and slip his on, noticing how long it actually was on me.

"You're going in with your pants?" He said and I jumped, I didn't even notice he was looking again.

"No, turn around." I said and he obliged.

Pulling the pants off my legs I felt completely exposed although it was only my lower legs that were revealed. I couldn't care less about wetting my underwear and bra.

I stepped closer to the jacuzzi, testing out the waters with my hand but quickly retracting because of the heat.

"Oh cmon it's not that hot." Harry said, looking at me as if he was amused by my sensitivity.

For some reason I wanted to prove him wrong. I climbed up and put a foot inside, then all together let myself plop inside the water. Scorching water swallowing me in.

"Shit." I breathed heavily, hearing Harry laughing by my side.

After a few seconds my body began to get accustomed to the heat and it started to feel relaxing.

"I just know I'm going to wither and look like a dried raisin when we get out of here." I said, leaning my head back on the side of the pool.

"You'd be a nice raisin." I looked at Harry who had his head back and eyes closed. His eyes tightened when he finished speaking.

"What?" I was confused by his statement. I didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or not? T was nice to know I'd make a nice raisin though.

He ignored the question completely, keeping his eyes shut.

"Why did you drag me in here if you're just going to ignore me?" I asked and his face tensed up again. When he didn't answer I spoke up again. "You seriously can't be that difficult." My hand smacked the water causing it to splash at his face and he finally opened his eyes.

"What the hell?" He reacted at the water. "I'm not difficult?" The words came out as more of a question.

"Yes you are! You lead me on to tell me you don't want anything to do with me and now you're doing it again." I became so frustrated, and used him ignoring me as an excuse to bring up what he told me.

"Jesus Eva." He scooted over to me, now looking me straight in the face.

"What is wrong with me that you're going back and forth with me. I can't just act like nothing happened, like you didn't blatantly reject me after we had what I thought was a good night. It's confusing the shit out of me and I don-" I was stopped by his lips crashing onto mine.

"Why did you do that?" I wanted to scream as his lips left mine, mostly because he just made everything ten times more confusing and because I didn't want him to stop.

"To shut you up." He looked as flustered as I was.

"Harry," I stared at him, he was furthering away from me again.

"It was just a kiss to get you to stop bickering, nothing more." He didn't even look at me as the words stung deeper than the steaming water around us.

My jaw tightened, I could feel my face burning and a lump forming in my throat. I moved out of the pool of water and back to my to my clothes.

"Eva," he called and I turned. "Can we forget about this? All of this?" His eyes felt like they were drilling holes into mine and I looked away, nodding to his request