INKED LINES // H.S.

Chapter 6

"The mind replays what the heart cannot delete."

- Yasmin Mogahed

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Harry's POV

Adilyn freezes as she hears the words that come out of Mila's mouth.

"I dare you to kiss Harry... And I mean really kiss him."

Her eyes are focused on Mila, almost glaring as a silent conversation flips between them.

I wait for her to stand up and accept the dare, but she doesn't. Her eyes just stay fixed on Mila. I watch as her eyebrows furrow deeply on her forehead.

Mila's face, which before held a devilish glint, has gone soft looking like she is regretting her words already.

Without really thinking about what I am doing, I stand and walk slowly over to where Adilyn sits.

She doesn't notice my approach until I'm already half the way to her when her eyes suddenly snap to meet mine. They go wide and I can see a glimpse of panic lingering beneath the surface.

Her mouth is parted slightly and she draws in uneven breaths. She's nervous.

She still remains planted in her seat when I come to stand in front of her. Everyone is struck with silence, but I can feel the many eyes watching us.

Whilst there is still alarm present on her face she doesn't back away from me, nor does she waver from my gaze.

In a steady movement, I reach down and place my hand in the middle of her back, pulling her up to me. I pause, waiting for her to move away but she doesn't. Her eyes flick between mine rapidly, but her body remains frozen in place.

Up close, I notice how the irises of her eyes are lined with a deep blue, the colour gradually fading lighter as it moves towards the pupil. I bring my hand to meet the side of her jaw, fingers wrapping around her neck into the short curly strands of her hair.

With one last flick of my eyes between hers, my gaze drifts down to her lips which are even more red-stained than before. Unable to resist, I press forward to meet them with my own.

My lips brush hers in a feather-light caress before I pull back slightly, only a centimetre of space between us. I wait for her to stop me but she doesn't. Her body moves slightly forward, as if the ice that had frozen her limbs in place finally melted, allowing her to finally move.

Taking this as a silent 'yes' for me to continue, I push my lips back to hers.

She doesn't respond for a second and I consider pulling away but then her lips push back against mine and her full bottom lip eases gently between my own.

Oh.

Heat spreads through my body and my lips move against hers again, this time with more pressure.

It's like the action finally broke her out of her daze as she moves her hands quickly up to my chest, her palms resting there. My hand instinctively travels to the small of her back pushing her body closer to mine. Sparks fizzle to life beneath my skin as she moves her lips slowly against mine.

I feel her lips part.

I take the opportunity to slowly graze my tongue along her bottom lip and I feel her shudder. My hand goes to her hip and I squeeze tightly. I deepen the kiss, pushing my tongue into her mouth to meet hers. My tongue swirls along with hers as our kiss deepens and her back arches into me.

Fuck.

Her mouth tastes sweet, the hint of strawberries still on her tongue.

"Holy shit!" I hear someone say.

I feel her lips halter and I can tell she suddenly became aware of all the watching eyes.

She pushes on my chest and pulls back, breaking our kiss.

Both our breaths are a little ragged as we meet the eyes of each other once again, the blue of her irises darker now. Her cheeks are dusted with a light pink and her eyes are bright, making her look wild.

I hear cheers from all around us and a distinct "WOOOO!" from Mila.

Adilyn steps away from me, breaking out of our trance before I do. She sits stiffly back down on the log.

After a few moments of hesitation, I turn back around and walk casually back to my seat. As I do so I can't help but notice the huge grin that she flashes Mila. When I plant myself back into my seat I finally meet the eyes of people around. Liam is nodding slowly at me, whilst a few of the girls hold wide smiles, obviously satisfied with the dramatic events that just unfolded. It's Naz's smile that is the widest though, his expression gleaming with humour as he eyes the strategic placing of my hand over my pants. Being deployed for as long as I was meant I haven't exactly seen any female action in a while. I give him a shrug as if to say 'what can you do.'

When my eyes flick to Adilyn again, I notice her gaze is pointed to the ground as she fiddles with the hem of her dress. She's too distracted to know it's her turn to pick someone in the game but no one seems to remind her, everyone now busy in conversation. I sense this is the end of the game anyway.

I sip slowly at my drink and my mind floods with the memories of Adilyn's lips on mine. I let my mind run over the memory, replaying it over and over again until I've finished my drink. When I glance at my watch, I notice it's past two in the morning.

My eyes drift back up to glance at Adilyn again, but I'm only met with an empty space. I flick my eyes around, but I can't see her anywhere.

Mila is still sitting on Cooper's lap, still preoccupied with whatever he is whispering into her ear.

Adilyn is so intriguing to me, her behaviour tonight curious as I replay it in my mind. I remember when Cooper had asked her, "What is your biggest regret in life?" her face had contorted with such a strong flash of pain I thought she was going to crumple over. But after a few shaky breaths, it was gone, buried away underneath the teasing smile she had blazed at the group. She had quickly accepted Cooper's replacement dare and performed it confidently, flashing her body to everyone as she stood up.

What had happened to her to cause such delicate features to contort with such immense pain?

I was desperate to find out. At the same time, however, I knew there was stronger desperation running through me.

A desperation to find Adilyn and press a firm kiss back into her full lips.

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Thanks for reading! What do you think Adilyn is hiding? xox