The Resident // Harry Styles H.S.

9

I opened my eyes to watch her explore my lips. She had a tear trail going down each eye and a fresh tear falling onto the trail. She was biting her bottom lip, which made her look damn sexy.

Her pointy finger traced my entire top lip slowly, followed by my entire bottom lip, then down the middle of my chin, and back down to my neck, and she finally looked into my eyes.

She took a sudden breath and opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then stopped.

I tilted my head a little, as a sign of my curiousity, and she started again.

"Could you stand still like this, and not move for me?" she finally said.

"Of course. Sure."

What was she going to do? It was killing me!

Janel closed her eyes, took a deep slow breath, then opened her eyes, looked at me, looked down and back up my body quickly, and in a split second, she was against me!

Her arms were wrapped around my body, meeting on my back!

Her head was rested at my shoulder, facing my neck. And the entire front of her was pressed up against me.

She was HUGGING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy sh.it, she hugged me!

I lowered my head a little bit, so my face was closer to hers. My fists were still balled up in my front pockets, and she was now pressing against "it". I wondered if she could feel it. If she knew what it even was, for that matter!

I whispered down at her "you're hugging me!", I smiled. "I love it Janel."

"I did it, Harry. I did it. I can't believe I did it." she said frantically in a half laugh, half gasping with relief sort of voice.

I asked her softly, "How does it feel?"

She pressed her face into my shoulder and neck and mumbled into me, "I can't even describe it. You smell so good. You're so warm. My entire body is....warm now. And I have tingles all over me. Is that supposed to happen?"

I laughed a few strained breaths out. "Yes, Janel. That's exactly what is supposed to happen. But only when you really really like the person you're hugging. I have tingles all over, too. And I'm....very....warm." If only she knew HOW warm I was.

"Would you want to put your arms around me?" she mumbled into my neck.

"I wanted to put my arms around you since last week, Janel." I admitted to her, as I slowly pulled my hands out of my pockets and brought them around to her back and let them lay around her gently so she could get used to it, then finally I pulled her in closer to me with a gentle squeeze.

She responded by sqeezing her arms tighter around my back.

We were in a full on hug. And after all the building up to it, it was like fireworks were going off around us. We stood there, a foot in from her doorway, and just.....hugged. I tilted my face down and rested my cheek on the top of her head, which was tucked into my neck. I could feel her breath in the indent at the bottom, where her fingers had explored.

As a man, I was on FIRE. Absolute fvcking red hot, FIRE.

And as her...."friend", I was beaming with proudness. I was sooooo happy and excited for her.

She was having her first hug, in all of her life. (Well, her life that she remembered. Her biological parents probably treated her fine, it said in her chart, and loved her and hugged her plenty, before they died.)

She finally broke the silence after probably 5 minutes of hugging with an "I missed you soooo much. It felt like my chest hurt sometimes. My stomach felt sick. Everything was boring. And the only thing I could do was listen to music and sleep to feel better. Is THAT supposed to happen?"

I smiled and moved my face to kiss the top of her head, but then caught myself at the last second, so I had to secretly let my lips unpucker in her hair. I didn't want to freak her out with a kiss. As brave and bold as she was, I didn't ever want to make an unplanned, unaccepted move near her. I didn't want to ruin everything she'd accomplished so far.

I laughed a little bit at what she admitted to me about her week, "Yep. That IS supposed to happen. Again, only if you really really really like the person you're missing. So, I think you really really really like me, Janel. Do you?" I could tell by what she had told me, that she did. This made me so happy inside, I just wanted to hug her and jump around.

There was a long, awkward silent pause.

"You mean like you like.....a girl likes a boy? Like in the movies?" she finally spoke.

"Haha....yes. Like a girl likes a boy. Like a boyfriend and girlfriend kind of like" I clarified for her.

"Then yes. I DO really really really like you. Like that. A lot", she admitted. "You're cute, and nice, and genuine, and you make me feel safe, and I love your curls and dimples."

Hearing all that made me close my eyes and give a big sigh.

I pressed my lips back into the top of her head and mumbled "Good. Because I like you the same way. The way a boy likes a girl, like in the movies. You're pretty, and you're funny, and you're smart and brave, and you make me feel protective over you."

I could feel her face smile into my neck. I squeezed her tighter. And she seemed to relax and melt into me. And suddenly, we were interrupted by Tammi coming up behind us in the doorway. God damn her. She didn't care at all that we were having a moment, like Bonnie did last week. She probably WANTED to interrupt us. And she sure did.

"Oh! Sorry guys! Wow....hey!!! Janel!!! You were getting a hug! Good job!" Tammi said in a very patronizing tone of voice.

Janel stepped back and out of our hug. I guess our reunion was over. Thanks, Tammi.

She didn't seem to have any reason to come into the room, now that I noticed. She just stood there, looking at Janel disapprovingly, then at me with a sort of smirk. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was trying to give me a "sexy look", the way she blinked her eyes and flicked her hair at me. What a fvcking bit.ch. I officially did NOT like her at all. Janel was just another mental case in her eyes. And she couldn't stand it that Janel was getting attention and she wasn't. Janel was RIGHT about everything she felt about Tammi. She was just a bit.ch.

She looked me up and down, pausing on a certain area of my mid body for an awkward moment, then gave me a grin and walked out the door saying "Ok, well you probably want to get back to your visit..." and her voice faded into the hall.

Janel was still looking out the door, so I used this moment as a chance to check that mid point of my body...see how much of a "tent" was left that Tammi might have seen.

I didn't see anything noticeable, luckily. Mini me had shrunk down at the first hint of Tammi's voice, so that's good. I truly hated being a man sometimes.

I looked back at Janel, and she looked over at me, and started laughing. I caught some of her contagious laughter and started, too. "She. Is such. A. BIT.CH......Isn't she?" Janel laughed the words out, complete with dramatic pauses and all. She sounded her age just then. I liked it.

I laughed even harder, "Oh my GOD, yes! She IS a bi.tch!" I whisper-laughed. "You were SOOO right about her. Good people reading skills, Janel!" And we laughed a little more.

I was back. She was here, missing me the entire time, just like I was missing her. She really really really liked me, like a girl likes a boy. I really really really liked her. Like a boy likes a girl.

Everything was perfect in that moment.

"Yes. Let's DO this", my mind decided for me.