Strict | H.S.

Chapter 31.

[Ava]

I didn't care that he was begging me to stop walking away. I was hurt. Again. Why does everyone in my life end up hurting me?! I don't know what to do at this point. I am fuming mad! But there isn't anywhere to go, so even though I don't want to, I go to the Rover and angrily lock myself inside the passenger seat.

"Ava?! Stop this!" Harry begged, pulling on the door handle with no success. I don't look at him, but I can hear him sticking his jangly car keys into the door. As soon as he unlocks it, I slam down the lock button again. This time I look at him and he looks distraught—even scared it seems like. I feel bad instantly and I choose to unlock the door on my own. When I do, Harry swings the black door open, his fear turning to anger. "Why did you scare me like that?!" he shouted.

With tears in my eyes, I shouted back. "How did I manage to scare the strict babysitter?!" I really wanted to know. I didn't think it was possible for him to feel that kind of emotion.

Harry snapped. "I didn't know what you were going to do." His hand snakes around my arm, pulling me sideways so that I will give him eye contact again. "Look at me, Ava Marie."

I glare at him and jerk my arm from him.

His mouth falls open in shock at my actions. "Why are you behaving like this? Have you forgotten who I am, Miss Ava? Do you want me to punish you?"

Angry tears fill my eyes. "Stop trying to control everything I do! Do you think I like hearing you threaten me?!" I'm shaking, my voice turning timid and pained. "N-no! You scare me when you t-talk this way!"

Harry just stands there quietly. His eyebrows crinkled and an intense expression in his clear green eyes. When he finally speaks, it's very slow and calm. "I'm not trying to control everything you do, Ava." His hand goes to his forehead and he leans against the door. "I was trying to get this situation under control before it gets out of hand." His eyes meet mine. "I'm sorry I scared you."

I blink back my tears. "Can't we j-just talk to each other like this?" I asked, calmly this time.

Harry straightens this back. "That's what I want, but you get upset easily.... then I end of losing my temper." He shakes his head, a small smile cracks along his lips. "We are the worst two people to get in an argument."

His smile lightens my mood.

"Just do what you always tell me." I sniffled, wiping my face. "Count to ten and breathe."

Harry chuckled, gazing down at his bare feet on the pavement. "I've got to remember that." He looked back up at me. "Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Yes, please."

He closed my door and grabbed a plain white tee from the backseat to cover his chest. I kind of wished he left it off. I liked sneaking looks at his tattoos and muscles.

"I'm craving hot dogs and smoothies. What do you want?" he asked, plopping behind the driver's wheel.

"That sounds so good!" I laughed at how random his food cravings were. "I want a blueberry smoothie."

Luckily, there was a small restaurant nearby that had exactly what we wanted and much more. We went inside and the waiter showed us to a cute, little outdoor table.

"Do you know what you want?" Harry asked, placing his menu down on the table.

"Um.... I do." I said, nervously. There was actually a lot that I wanted, but I was a little afraid to tell him because it was his money paying for the food.

His brow perked. "Oookay, care to tell me?"

I swallowed. "Well... I can't decide between a hot dog, soft pretzel, onion rings, deep fried mozzarella sticks, or a bacon cheeseburger."

Harry chuckled. "Ava, you told me you already knew what you wanted."

"I know.... it's just that.... I want all of it."

"That's too much, baby," he replied, sipping some iced water.

My face fell in sadness.

"If I had more money, I would buy you every thing." Harry added, "I can get us both two hot dogs, a smoothie, and one side order for you."

The waiter came back to take our orders and I decided on deep-fried mozzarella sticks with my meal which made me super happy.

While we waited on our food, there was a question eating away at me. I wanted to ask him. But I didn't want to ruin our lunch.

"Why the sad face?" Harry asked, leaning on his elbows on the table's hard surface across from me. "Do you want to talk about what happened between us at the beach?"

"Um.... I just, I wanted to ask...." My mouth dried up. "Why you don't prefer date me?"

His face frowned. "Ava, it's not what you need right now."

My heart sank. "B-but why?"

Harry sighed, anxiously rubbing his hand through his curls. "For one thing, your life is unstable right now. Besides me, you don't really have a proper support system. You need that in order to be emotionally healthy and bringing romance into your situation is just a bomb waiting to explode. I don't want you to get hurt more than you already are."

"B-but.... you said it yourself. I have you as support." I held back tears. "I-I just need somebody to hold me and love me."

His eyes are sympathetic. "Baby, you're mixed up about love. Romantic love isn't what you truly need at this point. You need familial love first. That's what you're describing."

The waiter comes carrying our food and sits it down in front of us. I can't wait to dig in but I want to keep this conversation going.

"That's why I ran from you at the beach because you.... rejected me." I flinched when the word 'rejected' left my mouth. I hated saying it because I still felt the pain.

Harry sat his hot dog down. "Ava, please don't run from me like that again. I know it hurt, but it's something you have to learn to deal with. Everyone does." He squirts ketchup along his hot dog. "Trust me, it gets easier."

I decide to chomp a mozzarella stick. "It makes me feel like there's something wrong with me."

"Baby, no. No. No. No. There is nothing wrong with you," Harry replied, taking a bite of his hot dog. "Don't ever think that."

"I-I won't." I sniffled.

Harry reached his hand across the table and placed it on my hand. "I'm here for you."

*****
To be continued...
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Love, Lily xx