🎧 | Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart - Ariana Grande
Harry's POV
I'd brought Aurie to an abandoned park I used to visit at night when I first started off in the Mafia. My first assignment had been in London with Zayn and we'd frequently visited this place to smoke and talk in peace. Although the park was in the heart of the city, the eerie atmosphere put many people off but I was used to it.
I hope Aurelie wouldn't freak out though. That would severely backfire on me.
The area was mostly empty; there were a pair of swings and a huge, eroded fountain in the center of the park. Despite its antique appearance, it was still running and the noise of the water was a faint rush accompanying the silence.
"Oh my god, it's so quiet," she smiled, "it's creepy as fuck but I love it."
"Really?" I probed, letting out an internal sigh of relief.
"Yeah," she nodded, reaching the swings and sitting on one. The streetlamps illuminated our figures and cast a reflection of the moon in the fountain's water.
I sat on the swing beside hers, watching her exhilarated face contently. She seemed so carefree and young as she kicked the grass underneath with her white boots, gaining some momentum .
Turning to me, she cocked her head curiously, her eyes laced with interest.
"Tell me something, Harry..." she requested and my heart skipped a beat at the way she said my name. "What makes you happy?"
Fuck, my name sounded so right coming from her and I wanted her to say it again. The question also had caught me off guard and I didn't think before answering her automatically.
"My sister, Hope."
She smiled softly at me and her next words were so sympathetic and gentle that I thought I hadn't heard her right at first.
"You must care for her a lot. I think she's lucky to have you."
My body froze at her words and I stopped twisting my rings, turning to face her in a moment of pure astonishment and disbelief.
"No one's ever told me that," I said truthfully, my voice near shaking as I ran a hand through my hair. I needed to pull myself together right now, I was letting my emotions get the best of me.
"I mean it," she said earnestly, "anyone can tell that you love her from the way you talk about her."
Leaving me to my own racing thoughts, I heard Aurie exhale calmly, watching the fountain trickle in front of us. Sometimes, she seemed so troubled and I could tell from her eyes. They were a pretty, pale blue shade yet they held so much sadness at times. It predominantly showed when she thought no one was watching.
It was sick and twisted really...
How the beauty in life could hold the most pain at times.
An example was love. It seemed like the most glamorous thing in life yet the heartbreak that followed caused the most venomous harm to a person.
Wanting to distract her from the plague of whatever was running through her mind, I surprised myself as well when I spoke up.
"My sister's eighteen," I told her quickly, trying not think about how I would never share this with others. My sister was a personal part of my life that not many people knew about - except Zayn obviously.
However, Aurie's aura made me feel as though I could trust her. Something about her personality made me feel comfortable. She wasn't fake and even though she was clearly hiding a lot, it wasn't in a malicious way.
"She has this boyfriend called James. Proper British and all that. They've been wanting to move in together since last year but even though she's a legal adult, I'm always wary of her boyfriend, even though he never gives me a reason to doubt him. Honestly, I wish he would, it gets a bit annoying. It's like he's fucking perfect for her."
Aurie laughed at this, her breathy laughs leaving small, misty clouds in the cold air. Everything about her mood was contagious and I couldn't suppress the smile threatening to appear on my own face.
"It's weird..." she pondered openly, "how the concept of love can overrule anything else we feel. It has the potential to cloud all other logic we have as humans."
I didn't dare say anything, listening to her words. The swing creaked as we swung lightly, nearly in sync as we rocked back and forth at the same pace.
"I think they really love each other, Harry," Aurie reflected, referring back to my sister and her boyfriend. "It's inevitable that they'll eventually move in together if they truly love each other. I think you should just let them be. I promise it won't do anything to you two if you guys are truly as close as you describe to me. That type of sibling bond is inseparable."
I let out a low whistle, impressed at her way with words. She reached over and punched my shoulder in embarrassment but grinned at my boyish behaviour nonetheless.
"I think you're right anyways. They deserve each other, I guess. It's hard for me to see her grow up but I know I'm gonna end up budging. James is a good lad," I reflected, my words falling out of my mouth freely when I was beside her.
"By the way you spoke, I'm guessing you have a sibling too?"
"A brother. His name's Elijah," she smiled, "we're not biologically related yet it doesn't affect the bond we have. Just like how I connect with my whole family, actually."
Suddenly, the pieces fit together in my mind. I remembered back to the event night for Leo's Angels where I'd asked her what her last name was. She'd frowned, even though it'd been a split second, before she answered.
"You're adopted, right?" I asked hesitantly, hoping I hadn't pushed too far.
"Yeah," she nodded, not revealing anything else about her family.
It was probably a sore subject. I didn't mind though. I just hoped she might tell me a bit more in the future.
Even if she didn't, I wouldn't be disappointed. Given how hard it was for me to trust people, it'd be hypocritical for me to expect the same of her when she was already a closed-off person in general.
Only time would tell.
Back up, I thought to myself. Why was I even thinking that far ahead?
"Let's go to the fountain," she stated, pulling me out of my thoughts as she was already getting up and making her way there. I followed her there, watching as pulled out a bronze penny from her jacket pocket.
Coming up next to her, we both looked down into the bottom of the water, looking at all the sunken coins at the bottom. They glimmered in the moonlight, emitting a glittery view.
"Do you believe in wishes?" she asked me quietly, her voice soft in contrast to the water gushing in the background.
"I don't know," I told her honestly, my eyebrows furrowing in thought.
Did I?
I never considered that my requests for anything in life would come true.
I mean who would even listen to my wishes? Whether it was God, the universe or whatever was out there, I didn't believe that I deserved anything good.
I mean, if corrupt was a person, it would be me. Who in their right mind would give someone like me anything positive?
"Here," Aurie said, snapping me back into reality when she pressed the coin from her hands into mine.
"What're you-"
"Trust me," she pleaded gently as she clasped our hands. "Make a wish. Anything you want, no matter how big or small. Just say it in your head and throw it in the fountain."
"Okay," I responded in a hushed tone, closing my eyes.
Making my wish, I threw my coin in the water, opening my eyes to watch the water ripple at the contact.
Although I had listened to her, I did feel a little pathetic and rushed to explain myself.
"I know it's silly but I-"
"Don't tell me," she quipped rapidly, putting one of her fingers over my lips to silence me.
I was not expecting her to do that yet I wasn't complaining. Her touch was pleasurable and too soon, she pulled her hand away.
We made our way back to the two lonely swings and she sat down, wrapping her manicured hands around the two ropes supporting her weight.
"Well, come on," she teased, "don't just stand there. Make yourself useful and come push me."
Smirking, I approached behind her, pushing her with enough force that she soared up. I laughed as she squealed in surprise, her legs swinging in the air. I stepped back so she wouldn't hit me when she swung backwards, her messy braids blowing in the wind.
When she eventually lost height, I stepped forward, ready to push her again when she made me backtrack as she dug the heels of her boots into the grass. Her body came to a halt and she bumped lightly into my chest. She tilted her head back, the crown of it resting on my chest as she regarded me funnily, her face practically upside down.
Leaning down so our faces were closer, I threw out all my rational thoughts as I closed the distance between our lips. Her mouth stilled in unexpectedness before she kissed me back, our warm lips connecting.
I broke our kiss for a few seconds, moving my body in front of hers so she wasn't kissing me backwards. Her legs parted as she made space for me, allowing me to bend forward and reconnect our lips.
My hand went to reach the side of her neck possessively, my cold rings touching her flustered skin, making her moan lightly.
The sound went straight to my lower stomach and I felt butterflies at the way Aurelie was able to affect me. Running her tongue over my lower lip, she knew exactly what she was doing to me. Smiling teasingly, she placed a hand under my jacket and hoodie, touching my chest as she knew my heartbeat had quickened.
"Wrap your legs around me, baby," I instructed her and she listened, her hands automatically coming around my neck when I lifted her off the swing, my hands dropping under the curve of her ass to support her.
Neither of us said anything as she rested her head in the crook of my neck, our fast-paced breaths matching each other's. I genuinely didn't know what to say but the feel of her head on me calmed me down, making me question my sanity.
I was going against everything I stood for, holding a girl in my arms in more than a sexual way. Yet, I couldn't find it in myself to care about my no-relationships motto right now.
Aurie's floral scent surrounded me as she lay her head on me, making me feel high and dizzy in her even though we'd just shared a kiss. Feeling her pull back, our faces were inches away from each other as she smirked, tempting me to kiss her again.
"I like when you call me baby," she admitted, biting her lip when she saw me break a smirk too. I flexed my fingers on her ass and she tightened her legs around my waist, making my dick throb at the contact.
"Oh yeah?" I asked, nudging my nose against hers playfully. "Well, I like calling you baby."
Her lips connected with mine for a quick kiss again before she held my cheek softly, her own rings a freezing touch on my cheeks as she ran her hand down my stubble.
"You won't be an ass to me again, will you?" she joked, but I know it was only half-hearted. Her tone suggested she was cautious of me and I didn't want that.
"Promise I won't, baby," I delivered sincerely, kissing her cheek in silent assurance. A vow I'd try my hardest not to ever intentionally break since she'd found trust in herself to give me.
"Good," she breathed out, "you can put me down, you know? I'm not light."
"You're nothing for me. Like a feather," I boasted to annoy her, successfully making her roll her eyes in humour.
"It's rude to roll your eyes, remember?" I told her, kissing the side of her throat as I squeezed her ass, making her groan at my actions.
Knowing I'd gotten the reaction I'd wanted out of her, I put her down as my hands ran under her jacket, my cold hands causing goosebumps on her bare skin.
"Tease," she muttered and I winked, moving my hands down to the ass as I pulled her against me temporarily.
"Here, get on my back," I ordered her, turning around so I could crouch to reach her height. She complied, jumping on my back as I caught her, both of us laughing.
"All good?" I asked and she answered with a nervous 'yes', making me chuckle as we made our way out the park.
"Let's get back then," I said, my heart racing when she moved forward to kiss me behind the ear.
***
A/N: We're just getting started with these two.