What we become

10. Something just like this

Harry pulled his shirt back on and I wiped the strawberry lipstick from his lips. He started to call a taxi, but I stopped him and insisted we walk back to his hotel room. It seemed like a good idea to drunk, adventurous Ella.

"You want to walk?" Harry asked as I took off down the road.

I turned back with a cheeky smile and nodded. "It's not far to your place," I said, "and isn't it just the most perfect night?"

"It really is," he replied. It was dark on the street, but there was enough light for me to see the look on his face. He smiled and his cheeks dimpled the adorable way they always did, and he jogged a couple of paces to catch up with me. He took me by the waist as I continued to walk backwards and he matched his pace to mine, then he kissed me again and my footsteps faltered, lost in his kiss. I knew this chemistry had always been here; I felt it every single time we touched, in every intense gaze we shared.

I was absorbed in the moment and didn't realise we were standing in the middle of the street, making out again when a car honked its horn at us. We broke apart, laughing as the car drove around us. Then Harry slid his hand into mine and we walked towards his hotel.

It turned out to be a long walk back to his hotel, but I didn't mind. I was enjoying the flirtatious banter and the way Harry's hand pulled me back in close when I let some space come between us. His hand fit perfectly in mine, as though it were made from the same mould and we were meant to be together this way.

"I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow," I said as we finally reached the hotel. I had grossly overestimated how far that walk was, and I felt almost sober now.

He turned to look at me and kissed me gently on the forehead. "I will be back to visit, I promise."

We went up the lift, and while I had fantasised so many times that he would throw me up against the wall, kiss me passionately and start tearing my clothes off, it wasn't anything like that. He hugged me to him silently and kissed the top of my head gently as I buried my face in his shirt, breathing him in.

"When will you be back?" I finally asked.

"I will try to be back for your birthday and graduation," he said as he pulled back and looked into my eyes. "It's only one month away."

"I thought a few days apart seemed long without you." But I held back the thing that was really bothering me. What would become of us?

"I know," he sighed and led me inside. He flicked on the light and walked into the kitchen. I slid my shoes off and followed him in, sitting on the bench as he got me a glass of water from the fridge. He brought it over to me and I drank it silently as he watched me.

Would he still want to kiss me in a month, or would the thrill of a new girl wear off? I knew how quickly he made his way through girlfriends, courtesy of the media. I wasn't stupid, there was a new girl making the headlines with him every month. What would make me any different?

"Are you okay?" He asked, watching me closely.

"Yeah," I lied. "I'm fine."

"I know what fine means," he said and put his hands on my knees. He moved them gently apart, and slid in between them so he was close to me, once again.

I loved the way his arms were muscled and inviting, and I loved the way they flexed slightly as he pulled me closer to him. Then he lifted me up, so I was straddling his hips, and carried me to the bedroom. He didn't break eye contact with me once, and his gaze was intense.

He slowly lowered me, and my breasts caressed his chest as he let me slide gently down his body, until my feet touched the floor. Then he stepped back and turned towards the suitcase in the corner of the room. He had never bothered to unpack; that's how short his time in each place was.