Tragically Beautiful

Chapter 32: The Hardest Thing

21. Run Run Run- Kelly Clarkson and John Legend

22. Heart Like Yours- Williamette Stone

I can feel my body start to tremble as his full, pink lips part in surprise, and even though most of my body is hidden under the thick, soft cloth of the towel, I feel completely naked under his watchful eyes.

He looks much different now than from when I last saw him. Instead of leaving his hair down to flop across his face, he has pushed it back off his forehead, allowing his beautiful emerald eyes to shine brightly without a curtain of brown curls to hide their beauty. He looks much older, sexier even, like this, the child-like look of his face now completely nonexistent. He's wearing a white t-shirt, one of the many weaknesses I had when it came to Harry, and I can't seem to stop my eyes from wandering across his chest, studying the dark ink under the thin fabric as if I'm looking at them for the first time.

My eyes travel back up to his tanned face, and I notice his sparking green eyes are no longer on me, but staring at his shoes.

It is then I finally remember that I am standing in only a single piece of fabric, dripping wet.

Well, if this isn't awkward, then I don't know what is.

"O-oh, uh, s-sorry I.. I thought- shit- erm, I thought Iris was in here," he nervously stutters as he runs a shaky hand through his curls, and I don't think I've ever seen him at such a loss of words. It makes my heart ache, and suddenly my cruel mind pulls me out of my high-off-Harry state and replays the moment we shared in the rain, when I admitted I was in love with him, and when he didn't say a word back.

All I want to do is scream and yell at him, curse him out for leaving me hanging the way he did. He deserved that, the stupid prick hasn't talked to me since that day, but the longer he stands there in the doorway with those flushed cheeks and sinfully full lips, the faster my mind forgets all the reasons I had come up with over the past two weeks to hate him and never speak to him again, and the more I want to forget what happened between us and just kiss him and run my fingers through his newly tamed hair.

Before I have a chance to answer Harry, there's a soft knock against the ajar door, barely audible over the loud bickering emanating from the kitchen.

"Ally?"

It's Carter, and the minute he sees Harry standing in my room, a frown immediately falls over his features and his fists ball at his sides.

"I think you need to leave," he warns Harry, and to my complete and utter surprise, Harry gives me one last longing gaze before he leaves the room without a word of protest.

"Are you alright?" Carter worriedly asks the second the door shuts, but I can't bring myself to speak. Seeing him has stirred something inside of me that I've forced to keep dormant since the day I told him that I was in love him.

Though his unrequited feelings had left me raw with heartbreak, it was almost as if a sense of peace had finally fallen over me when I saw him standing in front of me. I hated him with everything in me for what he's put me through, but I loved him, more than I'd like to think. It was the ultimate paradox, and I couldn't even begin understand it. Just the sight of his unruly brown curls, and those eyes, those mesmerizing but deadly green eyes.. they had damn near pieced my broken heart back together, yet at the same time, I could feel it shattering all over again. But how was it possible that the one who had shattered it could also put it back together?

"I'm fine," I finally manage to say to him as I push my thoughts to the side, no longer interested in evaluating the mess between us and all its consequential effects.

"I knew he would try and come in here," Carter mutters under his breath, and I shoot him a puzzled look as I finally snap out of my dazed state and grab a t-shirt along with a pair of pajama pants from my bag before heading to the bathroom to change.