Always

Chapter 9

"See? I was right, huh?" he said smugly, nudging my shoulder slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, you win master chef in this case," I said with mock humility. "Don't go getting a big head now, Harry." He flashed me a full grin, teeth, dimples, sparkling eyes and all. I almost fell off my seat. I was honestly stunned by how gorgeous he was and wanted to kick myself for not noticing sooner. More amazing than his looks though was his personality. He was so incredibly sweet, soft, and much funnier than I ever would have imagined. I found myself wanting to kiss him again. I waited until he finished his sandwich and drink then gathered up our dishes. Once I put them in the sink, I walked back around to the other side of the counter and stood behind his stool, where he spun to face me. He jumped a little bit when he turned as saw how close I was standing. Before he could say anything, however, I looped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to my own. He was a bit startled at first, not really reacting, but quickly recovered. His lips began to move against mine, his upper lip trapped between my own. I noticed his hands still sat awkwardly in his lap, unsure of what to do with them. I pulled away just enough for me to whisper, "You can touch me, Harry." Our lips brushed together as I spoke, his eyes searching mine, before reconnecting them. His hands shakily came up to rest on my hips, putting almost no pressure on them. I trailed one of my hands down to cover his, squeezing lightly before sliding it back up his chest and around his neck again. Encouraged, he smoothed his hands across my hips to loop behind my back and pull me slightly closer. I could feel the pressure of his arms, which only made my urge to kiss him even stronger. I pulled my hands closer, one settling on the back of his head in his hair, messing it up a little, and the other cupping under his ear. I leaned my face into his more, only to collide with his glasses. I paused, reaching one had up to take them off his face.

"Can you see without them?" I asked, referring to his glasses.

"Erm, e-enough," he replied, staring into my eyes. I pulled them off his face and almost gasped. Without the glasses, his eyes were finally clear of any obstructions. They were even more beautiful than I had originally thought. Bright, clear green irises framed by long, dark eye lashes stared back at me, slightly scared, slightly exhilarated by what was going on.

"You're beautiful, Harry," I stated. He blushed at my words.

"N-no, you are," he said simply, honestly, and my heart swelled at his complement. I had heard that before, but never from someone I felt it from so wholly. The way he was looking at me now, as if in awe of what was happening, made me believe he truly did think that. Instead of saying anything, I just pulled his lips back to mine, hugging him even closer to me. This time when I ran my tongue across his lip, he opened his mouth for me. My tongue slipped into his mouth, earning a slight groan as it moved against his own, lips still molding to mine. His arms tightened around my back, pressing me into his front. As I was now, pressed against his groin, I could feel him there, growing slightly hard. It must have occurred to Harry the same time it did me, because he stopped suddenly, practically pushing me away and looking extremely embarrassed.

"Um, oh god, I'm so sorry," he mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat while I stood a foot away. It took everything in me not to giggle, not wanting to embarrass him further. I didn't care that he had started to get aroused; this was his first time doing anything with a girl. Frankly I would have been surprised if nothing had happened. Even in his most flustered and embarrassed state yet, I found him adorable.

"Harry, it's fine. Really, don't worry," I said calmly, trying to soothe him. His bewildered eyes darted around my kitchen, looking anywhere but at me, as he stumbled up from his seat. He towered over me and looked somewhere over my head as he mumbled that he had to go. "No, Harry really! You don't have to go!" I said, not wanting him to leave, especially in such a state.

"Joey, I gotta go. I-I'll see you tomorrow," he said, rushing past me towards my front door, not even putting his shoes on as he scooped them and his bag up, opening the door. He was halfway down the driveway before I stopped staring after him and realized he was actually leaving.

"Hey, Harry, wait!" I called, running out the front door and down the driveway to him, where he had reluctantly stopped walking. He looked at me and waited for me to say something. Instead of speaking, however, I let out a breath and stood up on my toes to kiss him one last time, not caring that I could feel him against my stomach. He seemed to relax a little at my touch, and he kissed me back, hands not touching me anywhere. After a few seconds, I pulled away and looked up at him. "Okay, now you can go," I grinned.

He grinned shyly back at me before saying goodbye one more time, face still tinted a dark red. I watched as he turned to the left and continued down the block to his own house with a ridiculous smile on my face. I couldn't remember the last time I had enjoyed a kiss more than I had tonight. After standing outside for a minute, I turned to go back inside. I was about to go back up to my room when I caught sight of something in the kitchen. Harry's glasses.

I walked over to the counter and looked down at them, wondering if I should call him to say I had them, or just bring them to him tomorrow at school.  Considering the state he just left in, I decided it was best to leave him alone for the rest of the night and just bring them to him in the morning.  I went to bed with a permanent smile plastered on my face, not fully believing what had happened between Harry and I.