In The Middle

Chapter 10: Moments

Sophie’s P.O.V.

            After school, I took out my phone and typed Sorry about everything, Harry. I miss you. Can we talk? I thought for a second and erased it. Then I narrowed the message down to: Can we talk? I took a deep breath and then pressed ‘send’. Here goes nothing.

Harry’s P.O.V.

            Buzz. I wondered who would actually text me right now. I glanced at the screen: (1) new message(s) from: Sophie. My heart fluttered, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of excitement or dread. I read the message. She asked if we could talk. I was quite glad she did. I’d wanted to do just that for a week, but I didn’t know if the desire was mutual. I send back an equally neutral response: Ok. When and where?

            I became anxious as I waited for her response. Was I ready to have this talk just yet? What exactly did I want to say? Hopefully she was better prepared and could start the conversation off. I looked at my phone again. It had been six minutes since I texted her. She should’ve responded by now.

            Buzz. Finally. Her message read: Elizabeth Park in 10? I could feel my palms start to sweat. Ten minutes was all I had to pull myself together. I sent her back a quick ‘ok’ and went to my bathroom. I rinsed my face with cool water, trying to get the redness out of my cheeks. Then I threw on my Converse and headed out the door.

            The park was in walking distance for me, just a couple of blocks from my house. She wasn’t very clear where to meet in the park, so I walked towards the main gate. In the distance, I could see she was already there, sitting on a large rock with her brown hair getting blown around by the wind.

Sophie’s P.O.V.

            I pulled out my phone to check the time. Harry would probably be here any minute. I told myself to stay cool, and to just be honest with him.

            “Hey.” I looked up, and there he was. “Hey,” I responded gently. I stood up from the rock and awkwardly gestured towards the park. “Shall we?” I asked, and he nodded in response.

            We walked in silence for a few minutes. Then, since I had been the one to call up this meeting, I spoke: “Sorry, I’ve been thinking about where to start.” Silence. The only way I was going to reach an understanding with Harry is if I told him how I truly felt. So, I did: “Harry, you were and still are very special to me. My feelings for you…they were pretty strong. I really didn’t know how to act when you told me about Louis. I don’t know how you feel about me any more. If you like me like that…or if Louis…you know…well, anyway, I still want you in my life. I miss you…I could list off a million things that I miss about you. And if you don’t miss me or care about me now, I guess that’s okay. But I needed to tell you this. I needed you to know I’m not judging you for what you did, honest. I understand. I just need some Harry, whether it’s as a friend or as….more than that. No pressure or anything, I promise!”

            I looked over at Harry, who had stayed quiet during my whole rant. His eyes were tearing up, but he was smiling. “Oh, Sophie, I needed that,” he said, and then in one motion, pulled me in for a hug. I squeezed him back, and felt warmth run through my bones. Harry said it all with his embrace. My eyes started to water too. We just stood there, locked in each others’ arms, silent.

Harry’s P.O.V.

            As we embraced, I pulled away to kiss her cheek for an instant. Then I put my head back on her shoulder. We didn’t kiss again. Or speak, for that matter. At that moment, we didn’t need words; we only needed each other.