prince in jeans

e i g h t

"Celeste! Hey." Harry appeared beside me as I walked away from the café about an hour later.

The light was dimming and the rain had stopped but our breaths still came out in wisps.

"Hi," I said, stuffing my hands inside my coat pockets. "What's up?"

"You're walking home?" he asked, pushing back his hair and I nodded.

"It's Peyton's birthday tomorrow," I told him, kicking a pebble that went skittering across the asphalt. "I want to give him a rest tonight."

Harry nodded, slowly. "You know, my car is just down the block. You're more than welcome."

"I..." I looked at my feet. "That would be nice."

Harry smiled a little.

I looked up at him as we walked and found his gaze focused ahead.

"Lex told me you started work today," he said, scuffling his boots against the pavement.

"Yeah," I replied as I watched a car pass by. "It was really cool."

The black Camaro waited for us at the side of the pavement and I went around to the passenger's seat.

A minute later, we were cruising down the road with the heater on full blast.

"So," I started, rubbing my hands together to generate some warmth. "Want to play a game?"

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Sure."

"Okay. Let's play Seven and a Half Questions."

"Seven and a half—-"

"I ask seven, you ask seven, and we can both refuse to answer one question. Only one."

"Sounds cool. Hit me."

"Where are you from?"

"England. When's your birthday?"

I smiled. "Twenty-fourth April. Yours?"

"First Feb."

"Oh. Happy belated birthday."

"You're very late."

I laughed, softly. "Can't be helped."

"Where's your father?"

"He's back home, working as an interviewer."

"Oh."

"Why do you write about death?"

The question caught Harry off-guard. "I...Pass."

"Okay. Your turn."

Harry thought for a minute as we turned into Winterhaven Gardens. "Why did you want to become a doctor?"

I raised a shoulder. "I like to help people. I don't like pain."

Harry stopped outside Elena's house and looked at me, his hands still on the steering wheel.

"What?" I asked, blinking at him.

"That counts as a question. My turn."

"Harry—"

"Go out with me tomorrow night?"

I was stunned into silence and the air around us heated up—-not only because of the heater.

"I meant," Harry closed his eyes out of frustration. "One of my friends is having a party and he told me to invite some of my own friends. Beth and Lex are coming along too and the latter asked me to take you along."