Wistful Paradise / H.S. [COMPLETE]

Twenty Four - 2012

Harry

Florence threw herself on the couch with a heavy sigh, patting the seat next to her. I chuckled and sat down next to her, my head turning to the side so I could look into her blue eyes.

Her blue eyes were narrating. They held a beautiful story and it made me so curious. I realised that Florence and I didn't know each other that well apart from spending those hours together, yet I felt like I knew her and she knew me.

"What?" She asked with an amused frown on her face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shrugged, sitting up straight. My elbows landed on my knees and I turned my head over my shoulder so she would see me. "I don't know," I shrugged. "Do you want to go househunting with me next week?"

The question left my lips without even thinking about it. Before Florence could even phantom an answer, I was already beating her to it. "No, no. Sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. You don't have to come with me."

Florence chuckled silently and I snapped my head towards her, confusion laced in my eyebrows. "What?" I asked her now and she leaned forward, matching my position.

"I want to, H," She stated simply, catching me off guard by the use of her nickname. But then her words processed in my brain and a smile pulled over my features.

"Really?"

"Of course."

A silence lingered over us but I didn't mind it one bit. I didn't know how to talk to her but I did love her presence beside me. She made my nervousness disappear in some weird way.

"Can I ask you something?" Florence asked me out of the blue and I nodded. "I, Uhm, okay, this is going to sound so weird. But can I help you to be less nervous when you're with me? I mean, do you have tips for me to help you relax or do something?"

"Why would you want that?" I asked her immediately, putting up my guard because that's who I am.

I don't like it when people ask about me because I think they will take advantage of me. I somehow, weirdly, trust her but at the same time, my heart is telling me that I shouldn't.

"Have you not figured out in that anxious brain of yours that I like to get to know you? I want to be your friend and help you with the things that give you anxiety. I feel like you are alone and I don't like that. You need someone in this business and I want that to be me." Her words always threw me off guard. She's quite direct and while I like that about her, it's also very new and challenging to me.

"So I am like a charity cause?"

"What?" She reacted, kind of offensive because of my bitter undertone. But then her eyes saddened and Florence turned towards me. "Harry, who hurt you so badly that you cannot trust me that I have good intentions?"

"Everyone at my high school," I murmured, thinking back to one of the darkest places in my life. Those places seemed to have fuelled my anxiety even more. I hate what they did to me and I hate that I couldn't stand up to them. "I'm used to being hurt by the people I get close to."

"I won't promise you that I'll never hurt you because I can be quite direct and brutal with my words. But I do want you to take that jump with me. You are going to need someone to lean on, Harry."

"But how can I be sure that you aren't like them?" I asked in return, my head was desperately telling me to shut up and just trust in her already because she wouldn't even hurt a fly if she tried to.

"You can't. But I will try my hardest not to trust you, Harry. I care about you even if I have only known you for a few days. But I love the connection we have and I know you like it too, you wouldn't have agreed to do all these things with me."