The Unlikable (Book One) // h.s. [COMPLETE]

Chapter 41

"Harry..." I pouted as his toes hit the ocean water.

"What?" he called to me as I stood under the pier still.

"I don't...I don't have a bathing suit on..." I walked forward so he could hear me over the waves crashing on the shore.

"Do you have a bra and underwear on?" he eyed my body walking to me and once he reached me his hands ran up my arms, making goosebumps rise across my skin.

"Yeah..."

"Same thing," he shrugged and walked back to the water.

It sure as hell was not the same thing. And I'm not going to be that slutty girl at the beach with her bra and underwear on playing in the waves with her boyfriend. Harry was waist deep now and I watched as he playfully jumped the waves as they came rolling in.

"COME ON CALLIE!" he called and waved to me, trying to get me in the water.

I shook my head and he came out with water glistening down his body, his hair pushed back, and a playful smirk spread across his face. Once he reached me he shook out his curls and water droplets pinged across my scalding skin. He grabbed me across the waist and ran to the water with me flailing and screaming in protest.

"OK! OK! I'll get in! Just drop me! Don't get my clothes wet!" I fought back. Thankfully, he put me down on my feet as we reached the water and I only got my leggings wet a bit at the bottom.

He ran back into the ocean like a child's first time at the beach and I giggled to myself as I went back to where our little area of stuff was, which included his T-shirt and my hoodie. I looked around and small clusters of families and couples lined the shore a bit farther down. I pulled the band at the top of my leggings and yanked them quickly down my legs before I chickened out. I heard Harry whistle loudly from out in the waves and I flipped him off playfully with my middle finger as I layed the leggings on his shirt. I then took off my tank top and did the same with them, put it over Harry's shirt in the sand.

My feet finally hit the wet sand again and Harry fought the waves to come up to me.

"You're fucking beautiful, Callie," he smiled that gorgeous grin that held some sort of secret behind it as always.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes and walked forward so the feeling of home hit against my shins.

"Are you going to move back here once you graduate?" Harry asked as he reached for my elbow, our sweet gesture to the other, how we show affection.

"I told you I got a scholarship to go to University of Florida right?"

"Yeah," he held onto me and we walked further out so our waists were deep.

"I also applied to NYU and I was accepted there, as well as Emory University in Atlanta," I jumped a wave with him as it came crashing towards us.

"Have you decided where you're headed? Which has the best program your interested in?"

He was asking more questions than usual and it had me curious. Was he planning on following me to college? What would happen to us? We haven't talked about it yet and I know its bound to come up sooner than later.

"I'm honestly not sure yet. My mom said I should go to Florida while Alaric was telling me to go to Emory. And I'm sure someone else will tell me to go to New York. It's difficult. I don't want to have to make the decision. I want someone to just make it for me. I'm sick of the politics of it all."

"Well you go wherever you're going to strive as the best student, Cal."

"I know," I frowned and leaned into him as I held his arm now. "I'm just scared of new things again and change. It'll be weird not having Alex, Alaric, or you around. You know?" No I didn't want to say that. Shit.

"Yeah. We'll be ok. Don't worry about us. Alex is the one you need to worry about. How is she going to make it without you? Poor girl doesn't even know how to do anything that doesn't involve fashion."

I laughed with him and it felt nice. Just the two of us out at the beach with our whole life ahead of us.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Harry looked down at me and I squinted up to look at his shining sage eyes and his chocolate brown curls wet and pushed out of his face.

"What are you going to do with your life?" I walked further out and ducked my head under the water.

"Well," he frowned and looked confused about something.

"No more school?"I questioned.

"Fuck no more school!" he laughed and splashed me in the face. The familiar sting of salt water burned my eyes and I splashed him back and we found ourselves in a massive splash war which ended up in him grabbing me by the shoulders and lifting me up out of the water and flinging me around.

"Ahhh Harry!" I squealed. He dunked me into the water and I came back up for air. His hands went around my waist pulling my wet body into him and he leaned forward with our foreheads touching.

"I love you," I smiled at him and he gave me a warm smile back.

"I know you do," he kissed me passionately. Not the kind of peck that I would receive after school or the kind that we would give each other while hanging out or at the lounge with his band. But a true passion filled kiss. It was anything but ordinary and bland. There was no lust involved. I could only feel love. And I hope that kiss was meant to tell me he loves me too.