Enemies with Benefits (Harry Styles)

Chapter Fifteen

*three years earlier*

Harry's POV

I walk into the corridor and see a couple kissing.

Here they go again.

"I love you, babe." Brad's satisfied voice rings through my ear before he moves to the next class. One of my least favorite things.

He leaves.

As Athena opens her locker to prepare for her studies, a little sigh instantly emerges as if she is quite tired. I wonder what stresses her that much, but it doesn't seem I'm able to care. By the time she closes the locker, she finally notices I am behind her all the way.

"Hi, Harry," she greets.

As much as I want to talk to her, I ignore her with that amount of peevishness, walking impatiently past her.

"Harry?"

I pretend to hear nothing.

・　　・　　・

The boring school is over today.

My mood remains heavy after all, and no matter what I do, it's not a flash in the pan. I want to at least feel normal on the way home, so I take out my earphones and my smartphone, searching for Spotify's recommended songs. I tap into a random playlist. "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift is playing in my ears.

This is on my way home, and since I don't see anybody walking around here, my desire to sing very loudly outside to let out my innermost feelings is intensified.

"Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you, been here all along so why can't you see, you belong with-" My spine stiffens as I find someone watching me.

I shut up soon, acting as if nothing happened, also removing my gaze to nothing.

"You got your heart broken, boy?" the man immediately speaks to me.

It takes a while till I open my mouth, then I stutter, "Um, I... What makes you think I have a broken heart?"

He first smiles warmly at me, seeming to ease my guard. And he doesn't answer me soon, but makes small talk that I will probably never remember the content of in the future. I have no clue if it's because the talking helps, even I can tell by my expression that I am loosening up. There is still some awkwardness though, after we talk for quite minutes, he leads me to a bench. We sit on it, making ourselves relaxed.

The man seems to suddenly back to the main thing here like he has been waiting for minutes. "The song, the way you sing, they all express how you feel."

My hunch wasn't wrong. He has known most.

Still, I have never expected before that such a stranger could see through my current complex emotions. Never seen such a scene like this even in a movie or in a book, either.

I keep on reminding myself that he is a complete stranger to me even though he already seems to have read my mind. But he doesn't make me nervous. Rather, it's the opposite. From the moment I sit down next to him, I begin to feel as if I have known him for some time. Or, in fact, that we may soon be in a close relationship.

"I didn't choose that song. The app showed it to me so I just clicked the playlist." I'm just trying to cover up my feelings. Perhaps it's too late, though.

He laughs. "Is that your excuse? You're not quite an expert yet."

I have no idea what lesson this man is speaking. "What?"

"It is so obvious, boy," he silently breathes out. "Tell me what happened."

I hate this situation. Because, I'm telling this again, but when I am in his presence, all the feelings that have been closed up in my heart come flooding back. Now I feel I can talk about everything.