Paper Birds

Chapter Thirty-Two ; Walking on Sand

Clarissa's P.O.V.

My back hit the water first, sending searing pain up my spine. I gasped for one last breath before I was taken down into the murky water, Harry's arms wrapped tightly around my stomach. I struggled desperately against him, not because I didn't want to be near him, but because I needed to breathe. Little known fact about the Coligans; only Luke and my dad can swim. Without thinking I opened my mouth to breathe, filling my lungs with water. I tried to cough but couldn't, kicking my legs to try and stay afloat. We were sinking. 

Harry seemed determined to never let me go, though he did peel one of his arms off of me, pushing the water down under him to try and reach the surface. For a blissful moment, my mouth reached the open air, taking a small gasp of air before we went sank back under. I thrashed in the water, using up all of my oxygen, but I still couldn't get out of his firm grasp. I felt his hands around my calves and the next thing I knew I was being thrown upwards, my wet fingers holding onto the boardwalk for dear life. They slipped off but I acted quickly and caught the wood again with my other hand, finally being able to hoist myself up and out of the water. I coughed and sputtered to no end, feeling as though I'd never get all of the water out of my lungs. 

"Harry!" I yelled into the sea, seeing nothing but bubbles popping when they reached the surface. "Harry!" 

I searched desperately in the dark blue water, but saw nothing. All of a sudden I saw a hand come out of the surface. I threw myself at it, interlocking my fingers with his. I helped him up onto the boardwalk, relief flooding through me. His grey blazer was gone, just a flimsy white tee sticking to him.

"Claire!"

He engulfed me into a hug, rolling us off of the deck and onto the cold sand. He almost kissed me but I shoved him away, scrambling against the sand away from him.

"I can't swim!" I shouted, a horrified expression on my face. "You could've killed me!" 

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out for a couple of seconds. "How was I supposed to know you can't swim?"

"Well, maybe if you spent some time talking to me and not trying to have sex every four minutes, you'd know!"

"What do you think I took you to dinner for?" He yelled back, but his face fell afterwards. He hung his head into his hands, his voice shaking and hoarse. "Fuck. I ruin everything."

I was about to apologize for what I had said, but I didn't. Instead I crawled over to him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about Caroline?"

He was trembling, soft sobs racking his spine. "I was afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid around me."

He turned his head to look at me, really breaking my heart. I've never seen him so vulnerable. "How can I not be afraid around you? I love you. I don't want to mess things up. You told me you wanted to kill me, in a dream or not. I don't.. I don't want to lose you.."

 I was lost for words.

"And sometimes.. actually, all the time.. I feel.. I feel that you don't like me the way I like you."

His lips trembled, eyes pleading for me to say something but I couldn't. "Is.. is that true?"

I swallowed, not able to speak. So I sang.

"Truly, madly, deeply, I am

Foolishly, completely falling

And somehow you kicked all my walls in

So baby, say you’ll always keep me

Truly, madly, crazy, deeply in love with you

In love with you."

I was in love with him. I got the same jittery feeling around him that I did with Jared, only Harry amplified it ten more times. I loved the way he spoke, how he handled me gently (well, most of the time), how his eyes always said what he was really thinking, how he went up and beyond the limit. 

Without warning he jumped up and collided into me, pressing his lips into my mouth. I closed my eyes and let him lay his hips against mine, not able to stop smiling. The tide rolled in and got us soaked again, but we paid no attention to it. 

"I hate it when we fight," I whispered, planting sloppy kisses up his neck.

"But even when we fight, girl, you turn me on," he told me in a sing-songy voice.

"You're quoting your own song again, Haz." My brain flickered back to the time when I was over Abby's and she was blasting One Direction music, replaying that song over forty times. I don't think it will ever leave my mind.

"Am I?" He chuckled, drawing circles on my hips with his fingers. "I thought you didn't like One Direction until, you know, recently."

"Abby is obsessed with you guys. She made me listen to you all of the time in hopes I'd become fan."

Harry pulled away from me and laid on his back, staring up at the sky.

"What kind of music do you like?"

I shrugged. "No particular kind. Rock n' roll, maybe, but if you have a nice voice, I'll listen to you."

"You didn't think we had nice voices?" Harry asked jokingly.

"I thought it was auto-tuned. But now I know better."

"We should do this more often," he murmured, staring up into the sky.

"Do what? Try to drown?"

"No. Just ask each other questions."

I smiled to myself. "Deal. Favorite colour?"

"I don't know. It changes a lot. Right now.. red." His eyes swiveled to my dress, a toothy grin on his face. "What's your middle name?"

"Madeline. What's your worst habit?"

"That's a very pretty name. Almost as pretty as Clarissa." He paused, my cheeks turning pink. "My worst habit?" He rolled over on his side, propping up his elbow and laying his head in his hand. "Walking around naked."

I grinned and laughed, rolling onto my side to face him. "I didn't ask for your best habit, Harry."

He scooted closer to me, his nose against my cheek. "Ooh, Dirty-Claire, I like it."

I don't know how long we laid there, staring up into the stars, laughing, getting to know each other, but I do know one thing; it was the best birthday of my life.