Plant New Seeds | H.S.| AU

Chapter Eight - Fun Run, Part Two

AN: I posted a status update a few days ago that I would include songs that inspired me while writing from time to time.

Here's the first one: Pink Sweat$—Honesty.

You'll know when to play it!

H A R R Y

"Ashley?"

I had a weird niche for associating people with specific scents; whenever I saw the person or smelled that exact scent, a mental trip back to a specific moment in time took place.

The unforgettable smell of baby power infiltrated my nostrils once my eyes landed on Ashley.

Fucking baby powder.

The lukewarm sun vanished behind clouds above us and served as a makeshift commencement ritual. The vigorous winds shuffled around our shells; my ability to withstand its strength despite the hollowness that took ownership in me surprised me. Sunflower's arm wrapped around my torso was the anchor that held me down. The isolated corner we stood on permitted our thoughts to assimilate and tap into the present.

The one factor that refused to isolate was my awareness of Sunflower's presence.

Both of us stood silently with awkward painted-on smiles, our eyes adjusting to the sight of one another after three months. Her hair was shorter, cut into a wavy bob but still obnoxiously blonde. The clothes on her body were unlike what she would have worn during our brief stint, obviously experimenting with a style that didn't quite fit her.

The only thing that hadn't changed about Ashley was the impassive look settled into her icy-blue eyes. The impassive eyes that stared me down the night we both mutually agreed I would never be enough for her.

Ashley wasn't an ex. Ashley was an experiment.

My veins managed to become accustomed to the invasion of whiskey every single night. Tapping my fingers against the keyboard to drown out the shrieks of Bethany's desperate pleas became tedious. Dark circles sculpted my eyes from every second of slumber I deprived myself of. Convincing myself that I was ready to start anew with someone felt like the next part of the protocol.

"Surprised you remember my name, I haven't heard from you in ages." Ashley's voice was freighted in a bitterness she poorly attempted to mask.

Why would you want to? You're the one that fucked everything up.

I was partly to blame, I knew I wasn't ready for another rela—

"Yeah, it's been quite a bit, hasn't it?" I chuckled nervously.

Ashley's eyes flickered over to an idle Nia, clutching onto my arm wrapped around her shoulders tighter than before. I dared to glance down at Sunflower; an overcast of protection settled into the brown of her eyes, eyebrows furrowed and face flushed of the bliss established earlier. The plumpness of her lips subdued from being pulled into a tight-lipped shape that resembled anything but a smile.

I wished Sunflower would stop allowing outside forces to dim her rays and dull out her yellow hues, just like what the clouds did to the sun hanging over us in the moment.

"How've you been?" Ashley asked diverting her gaze back over to me.

"I'm great, actually," I responded. And I was—until I was met face to face with someone I had no intentions of ever seeing again.

The mere hour and a half I had spent with Nia so far already earned a nomination for being one of the best days I've ever experienced.

Our nature to swiftly bounce from one discussion to another so fluidly was far more addictive than any sip of whiskey ever was. The touch of her dainty fingertips grazing the small of my neck gently was enough to inspire an entire ten-thousand word chapter. My avoidance of sleep felt like I was cheating myself out of the sweetest dreams of any lifetime. What we resulted into didn't matter—I was in it for the experience, not the experiment.