nerd.

quarante-neuf

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Arielle Evans 

We sit in silence in the uncomfortable plastic chairs as we wait for the doctor to give us an update on Marcel. Marcel repeatedly tells Doctor Willis that he's feeling fine, but the doctor always laughs and tells him that that's what they all say.

"Alright guys, well, Marcel here can leave tomorrow, I think. We're just going to keep him overnight for observation to make sure he's okay to leave." Doctor Willis announces, and Harry nods, smiling slightly.

After we say goodbye to Marcel, we walk outside, and I shiver from the evening breeze on my bare arms. Harry slips off his jacket and holds it out to me, but I shake my head. "Come on, it's not like it's gonna bite you." Harry teases, and I lightly chuckle before I accept the jacket gratefully, sliding it on and giggling when the sleeves reach past my fingertips by a good few inches. Harry laughs too, and to my surprise he swings his arm around my shoulder and brings me closer to him. "You can come to mine...I mean, if you want." Harry smiles, his dimples deepening.

"I would love to, but I look like shit." I make hand gestures towards my wrinkled attire and messy hair.

"You look beautiful." Harry assures me, and I blush, looking down at the concrete.

"Alright, but I can only stay for a little while. My mom's expecting me home soon." I sigh, and Harry nods excitedly, grinning widely. "I'll just follow you in my car, okay?" I say, and Harry looks disappointed for a moment, but his excitement returns just as quickly as it left, and he nods, climbing into his car, which was ironically next to mine. I smile at him one last time before he pulls out of the parking space and onto the road, with me on his heels. Or rather, wheels.

I see Anne sitting on a lawn chair in the front yard, staring blankly at the rose bushes with a few tears dotting her cheeks. "Arielle?" she asks when she sees me, and I nod, smiling. She stands and wraps her arms around me tightly, and I hug her back with the same strength. "Is he okay?" she asks.

"He's doing good, they're keeping him overnight for observation." I say, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

"Thank god." she smiles. "I can't believe you drove all the way just to see Marc. You didn't have to, you goofball." She jabs my forehead with her index finger, a grin playing on her lips, and I rub my forehead, pouting and pretending that it actually hurt. "Come inside, I'll make some tea." I agree, rubbing my hands for some warmth from the brisk weather, and follow her inside.

*

"How is college going?" Anne asks politely after she takes the first sip of her tea. I gulp a mouthful down, slightly burning my tongue, before I answer.

"It's going pretty good; Yale is an absolutely amazing school." I say honestly, trying to ignore the heated stare that Harry is giving me from across the table. "The people in my dorm house are nice," I say, and I finally make eye contact with Harry, lifting an eyebrow as to ask if I can talk about Hannah. He shakes his head, and when Anne looks up at him, he quickly looks down at his mug, pretending that nothing happened. "My dorm mate Delilah is really nice."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart." Anne smiles, taking another sip of tea. "Harry will be joining you soon, right?"

"Mum." Harry hisses through gritted teeth, and her eyes widen before she gives me an apologetic smile.

"I meant he'll be going to uni soon, just like you." Anne corrects herself, and I nod hesitantly, deciding it is probably best to just dismiss the topic; I'll have to ask Harry about it later. I finish off my tea and place my mug in the sink, rinsing it out briefly.

"I should probably get going." I say with a sigh, drying off my hands. Anne looks over to Harry, raising her eyebrows, and Harry sighs but opens his mouth to speak.

"Wait, Arielle. Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" he asks, and I nod reluctantly, confused as to what he wants to talk to me about. I wave goodbye to Anne and she says goodbye as well with a heartwarming smile. Harry shuts the door behind us after I am safely on the porch and I raise my eyebrows at him expectantly.

Without any warning, he smashes his lips onto mine, and I stumble back against the side wall, shutting my eyes to try to enjoy the moment. When he pulls away, he's panting heavily, his breath hot on my neck. "Did you feel that?" he asks, his voice husky.

"Feel what?" I whisper, a bit scared.

"That spark. I know you felt it, Arielle, and I did too. I've felt it since the moment we met, and I know you have too. The minute we kissed at the hospital, I knew you still had feelings for me, because I know you, Arielle, and if you didn't feel that way too, you wouldn't hesitate to slap me across the face the minute I did it. I want you back, Arielle." I stumble back only to meet the wall with the back of my head, unable to think clearly. Yes, I did feel the spark. Yes, I did still have feelings for Harry. But did I want him back as much as he wanted me back?

"Answer me, Arielle, please." Harry begs, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes." I manage, not able to make eye contact with him. He seems to catch on, because he nudges my chin up to meet his smiling gaze.

"I knew it!" he shouts, banging his fist against the door and laughing in disbelief. "God, I knew it since we kissed at the hospital, I knew it since you came back to Belgrade. I know you didn't come back only for Marcel, Ari. You came for me too."

"Yeah." I manage happily, my voice shaking and tears brimming my eyes.

"I love you." he whispers, bringing me close and kissing my forehead gently.

"I love you more." I whisper back, and I feel his lips curl up into a smile on my skin.

"I'm coming, Arielle." he whispers. "That's what Mum was talking about."

"Coming where?" I ask, my eyebrows automatically knitting together in confusion.

"Baby, I'm coming to Yale for you."

*

a/n-

sorry this took so long, since the next one is the last chapter, i'm trying to make them special (: if you thought this was cheesy, it was a little bit, but at the same time it was sweet so aw (:

can't believe there's only one chapter left!

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love you lots like tater tots

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