Hooks and Poison Apples

Something To Dwell On

Well, that explained the thimble.

Note to self, get a copy of the Peter Pan book.

What it didn't explain was why he had given her one...

"Why?"

Harry shrugged. "He was just a clueless boy. He was far too innocent to know what a-"

"No, not that. What I want to know is why you gave me one. Why you... why you kissed me? You tried to do it at Cruella's party too."

Harry stood up, causing the boat to sway gently from side to side. He walked over to her, reaching for her hands. Evie pulled them out of reach, shaking her head. It was best not to touch him right now, lest she fall under his charms again.

"No, explain yourself."

Harry sighed, looking up at the dimming stars as though silently asking for help. They could offer none. He had forced himself and Evie to teeter on the edge of a new threshold in their relationship the moment he had tried to kiss her at Cruella's party. Now he had thrown caution to the wind and pulled them both over that threshold, whether they wanted it or not.

"Harry, you can't just kiss me and expect me not to want answers," Evie sighed. "Our friendship is complicated enough without throwing in... that kind of thimble!"

Harry turned to look at her, his dark eyes meeting hers. The soft glow of the periwinkle lights bathed him in a gentle glow, making him seem almost vulnerable. He reached up and pulled off his pirate hat, running a hand through his messy brown hair, an irritable sigh escaping his lips.

"Considering yer reaction to my kiss ye'll have to excuse me if I'm not in a hurry to explain why I did it," Harry said defensibly.

He was closing up on her, raising his defences. Evie realised she had to do something before he completely shut her out.

"Harry, I need to know why. Why you kissed me? Why you tried to kiss me at the party? And why you even turned up to the thing in the first place? I need to know that you're not messing around with me, that this isn't a game or just some spur of the moment impulse!"

She needed an answer to her nagging doubts about his intentions, to know where they stood. The kisses weren't something that could be brushed under the carpet and forgotten about. It had happened and now they had to talk about it.

"Did it ever occur to ye... that I like ye?" Harry asked quietly.

Such a simple answer said barely above a whisper. No, such an answer hadn't crossed her mind. Ploys, tricks, distractions, impulses of the moment, yes, but that he liked her? She hadn't even thought that he might like her.

"Evie... I like ye a lot," Harry said, sounding relieved to finally get it out. "That's why I kissed ye. It's why I tried to at the party before that blasted Jay interrupted. And it's the only reason I went to that party, to make sure that ye weren't there when The Queen of Hearts made her grand entrance. People tend to lose their heads around that women."

Evie stood there, shaken by the revelation.

She didn't know how to respond and found herself speechless, staring in wide-eyed shock at the pirate. The silence dragged on as Evie found herself unable to reply, every attempt at words falling flat. She knew she had to say something. The longer she remained silent the tenser and more unsure Harry's features became.

"Harry, I-"

I need to say something but I don't know what!

"You have to realise that an us... wouldn't work," Evie said finally, choosing her words carefully.