Pretty Please Don't Pinch Me

32. Some Guy

"Harry... I-" I begin, and Harry holds his hand up, before he sets the photo back in its place.

"Let me talk first. Please."

His voice slices through me and I feel a sharp pang inside me.

"I don't let girls in like I let you in. You seemed so different from any of the other girls I've gone for, and that's what I liked. Then you kissed Max." My heart sinks as I feel the disappointment in his tone. "Was all this just a lie? Did this mean anything to you? Or was all this just for attention?"

"Harry," I breathe.

"No. I need to know. I've put my life on hold for you, completely cleared my schedule to stay longer and see where this could go and if it was worth it. You've pretty much answered that for me. Just tell me why you did it. Is it because he's from a royal family? Did you think my fame might eventually go away, but he'll at least always be relevant?"

He isn't yelling, but I almost wish he were. The pain in his voice is almost too much for me, and tears begin forming in my eyes. Of course what he's suggesting is so far from the truth, but how can I prove that to him? I want to make him feel better, but how can I when I'm the one who has hurt him?

"Harry," I say, and reach out towards him, "Max kissed me."

He pulls away from me and takes a step back.

Ouch.

"Harry..." I try, a lump forming in my throat, "Max kissed me and I pushed him off me. I didn't want for it to happen."

"He said you kissed him back. Why would he text that to you if it weren't true?"

"You apparently know Max. You've warned me about him yourself. Well now everything you said was true. He probably read about our date online and thought you might somehow see the message. I don't know! I don't know how his brain works." I stop there because I'm getting worked up at the very idea of Max and how he's managed to worm his way between Harry and I.

"You had every chance to tell me and you chose not to. I honestly thought that you liked me Ava."

"I do like you Harry. I really do," and I now feel the tears well and truly welling up. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry, or to think that I put myself in a situation where I gave him signs that I wanted for him to kiss me. I had no idea he was going to do that, and as soon as he did, I slapped him." I say, as I feel the tears now threatening to fall onto my cheeks. As much as I am trying to hold it in, I can't help it, and they begin to fall.

His expression softens and he pulls me into him by my hands and holds me by my arms. He presses his lips against my forehead and my breathing soon returns to normal. I wipe my eyes on the back of my hand and can now see that I have left a small wet patch on his shirt from my tears.

"So nothing happened then? he confirms, and I shake my head. "And you don't fancy Max?" he adds.

I don't even have to think about his last question before I answer. "No. I don't even like him as a person Harry. I like you. Last night was just so..." and I blush, "I want you to know that I would never under normal circumstances do anything like that with... some guy I had known for just a week. I-"

Before I get the chance to finish my sentence, his lips connect with mine, and initially I'm frozen in my place, unable to react. Suddenly I am awakened. The black and white world that I had been subjected to, is brought back to colour, and I feel the warmth spreading. As the kiss deepens, my body thaws under his touch and I wrap my fingers through his curls at the base of his neck. We pull apart while our breathing is in sync, and he carefully traces his thumb over my bottom lip.