Mint | h.s.

3.9

Elena's POV

Looking around, I make my way to the kitchen, softly pushing inbetween bodies. I pick up the red wine glass bottle and open it, pouring some of the liquid in the red plastic that's in my hand. I let out a sigh and put the glass up to my lips, noticing the bitter taste. This party is an absolute bore. I glance around, trying to spot Finn or Aleisha, but find no luck in doing so.

I exit the room, looking at the watch on my hand, seeing there's only half an hour left from this year. Fake cheering in my mind, I decide to just head home. Everyone's drunk already and I really don't wanna deal with another throw-up experience again.

I grab my coat and leave the house. The cold air hits me like a bus as my skin erupts into goosebumps. I can already feel my feet starting to numb from the cold. I walk slowly, having no need to rush. I'm fifteen minutes away from home, maybe I will get in time to welcome the New Year with someone, after all.

I shiver and cross my arms, attempting to get warm, if that's even possible on a minus 10-degree night. As I walk, I keep my eyes on my shoes, the clicking echoing around the neighborhood with every step I take.

"We keep meeting like this."

An all too familiar voice causes me to stop walking and slowly tilt my head up. See, I wanted to come home, forget about this year and do the mainstream 'new year, new me' crap. Apparently, a person can't have a normal walk these days. I think back to a month ago, an encounter very similar to this one replays in my head.

"What do you want Harry?" I ask him tiredly, a sigh escaping my lips. Looking at him up and down, I notice he's starting to take steps towards me, inching his way to me, while I stand, with my head cockily turned to one side, feeling fed up.

"I want what everyone wants." A smirk is placed on his face, the confidence radiating from him.

"And what is that?" I raise my eyebrows, genuinely curious about his answer.

"A New Years kiss."

I chuckle, "Well, what are you doing here? Why don't you go to that girl you kissed two months ago? I'm sure she'll be happy to give you a second experience." I nod my head, pursing my lips.

"She doesn't even matter, are you seriously still mad about that?" He furrows his eyebrows, the smirk disappearing.

I blink, taken aback by his words. "You're kidding, right?" A not-at-all humorous smile creeps its way on my face. "I'm just gonna leave."

I take two steps, brushing past him, not believing what just happened.

"I didn't mean it like that." I stop dead in my tracks and turn around, only to find him staring at me.

"Well, what did you mean, Harry? Just let this go, go home, let me go." I ask him, feeling tired of going back and forth all the time.

"I can't do that." He shakes his head frantically, his adam apple going up and down.

"Why not?"

"Because I still love you." And just like that, he finds its way to my heart, grabbing it, pulling it out of my chest and smashing it into pieces. I feel the tears coming, so I swallow down the lump that has formed in my throat.

"You-you c-can't just say that." I try to keep my tone steady. "You have no right."

"Don't you still love me?" He looks at me with such honesty and fear in his eyes, fear of what, I don't know.

"You can't do this, Harry, not here, not now." I take a deep breath, exhale it, still feeling tired.

"Look, Elena, I made a mistake, I get it, but it was just that, a mistake, I didn't know what I was doing. You have to believe me." He tilts his head, so it's on the same level as mine. His eyes are staring intimidatingly, right into mine.

I place my hands on his chest, lightly pushing him away from me, the closeness between us was making me lightheaded. The smell of his cologne, the way his lips have that little curve, was taking me to a trap I promised I wouldn't let myself fall into again.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I just can't do it. I can't believe you. Because let's say I believe you now, and you do it again. I just can't let myself go through heartbreak like that again." I shake my head slowly.

"Okay, but-"

I cut him off. "No buts, what's done is done. Goodbye, Harry." I smile sadly at him and turn around.

Suddenly, he grabs my hand and pushes me into his chest, so that our faces are inches away. His hand slowly caresses my cheek as he heavily breathes.

I close my eyes for a split second before opening again. "Don't, just don't." I quietly say.

"No, I'll speak now." He narrows his eyes and leaves some space between us. "Do you know how painful it is to wake up, turn around, reach for you, but only find some cold sheets? Do you know how painful it is to walk around and remember every single little thing that we've done, at the park, at the bakery, at the theatre, at the cinema, at the pizza place? Do you know how painful it is to stare into a wall for an hour and thinking how could this happen? Do you know what it's like to not be able to even look at the letter E, because it reminds me of you?"

"Harry, okay, just calm do-" I try to put my hands on his shoulders, but he cuts me off.

"I won't calm down, I just, I just miss you so much and all I know is that I want to watch movies with you and I want to talk about important things like the global warming with you, and I want to bake with you and I want to be able to call you any time of the day only to say I love you, and I want to- I just, I guess I just I want you back." He takes a deep breath, leaving me speechless. All I do I stare blankly at him as thoughts are rushing through my mind, making my head spin.

"Harry-"

"No, stop, if you're going to say that you're sorry, just don't say it. I can prove to you that I won't do that ever again, just give me a chance." He cups my face and looks deeply into my eyes.

"Harry, I-"

He drops his hands and turns around, taking me aback, and runs his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends. I hear him murmuring 'I can't believe this'.

"Harry, turn around." I say sternly. He does as I say. "Let me talk." I smile halfheartedly.

"No, I won't let you talk, because if I let you talk, you'll just say how you can't do this and that you can't tru-"

I pull him by the collar of his coat and place my lips onto his. He doesn't respond, seeming like I took him by surprise. I take his bottom lip between mine, as he starts kissing back. I hear fireworks being lit, which means that the New Year has arrived. I feel his tongue licking my bottom lip, making me open my mouth, letting our tongues mold with each other. His hands wrap around my waist, lifting me off the ground, whereas mine are around his neck. His smile is apparent against my lips, which makes the ends of my lips curl upwards as well.

He pulls away and puts me back on the ground, not breaking eye contact. We just stand in the middle of the sidewalk, looking at each other with grins on our faces.

"Guess you got your New Years kiss." I teasingly say.

"Guess I did." He chuckles and closes the space between us again, giving me the most careful and sweet kiss I've ever been given.

"I love you." I mumble against his lips, making him smile.

"I love you more." He replies, pulling away once again and looking at me with a little twinkle in his eyes.

I guess this is what being loved by the person you love, feels like.