Meet Me in the Hallway (HS AU)

forty two.

We sat quietly for some time, I wasn't really sure just how long because I refused to look towards him and the clock. I kept my eyes fixed on the droplets of rain racing one another down the window.

The moon was almost completely hidden by the heavy grey clouds and the only light in the area was from the cars headlights, magnified as they reflected off the silver guard rail. There weren't many stars present in the sky, the darkness made this whole situation somehow feel more intimate. It was as if not even the stars wanted to get in the way of the conversation that I was sure was going to take place.

One of us had to break the silence, I didn't want to be the one to do it and I knew he knew that. Without saying a word, he extended his hand from the corner of my eye towards the volume knob and I mentally prepared myself for the uncomfortable moment we were about to have.

He surprised me though when he turned the knob to the right instead, increasing the volume and making it loud enough to drown out my thoughts. He always knew.

"That was 'Talk Is Cheap'. You're listening to the Best Mix From The 80's Till Now. Up next, some Goo Goo Dolls. This is 'Iris' on Mixx FM, 106.3." The radio host's voice floated through the car before the next song started playing.

It was odd that Clem had made me leave the safety net of my room to deal with Harry and I's issues, and yet here we sat quietly. Maybe it was a different way of getting us to talk, to force one of us to break the silence, but it wouldn't be me. I didn't have the words in me to explain to him why I was so afraid of everything he made me feel.

The silence between us continued, Harry continued to stare out his window and I mine. The song started to fade out, signalling it was almost over. The music suddenly got louder and the rain hitting the ground became more amplified. Then a door slammed shut.

I snapped my head in Harry's direction only to see that his seat was empty. Frantically, I looked around that side of the car to try and catch a glimpse of him. Was he having another panic attack? Where did he go?

The passenger side door flung open and I Iet out a scream, clutching at my heart instantly. My eyes darted back to my door which was now open and letting the rain into the car. Harry was bent at his hips in front of me, one hand outstretched. He was already saturated from the rain and I still had no idea what was going on.

I trusted him, I'll never understand where the deep trust I had for him came from and it scared me a little too much. I grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull me out of the warmth of the car and into the freezing rain. Once I was standing, he quickly leaned back into the car and cranked the volume of the radio all the way up.

** Play Let Me Love the Lonely by James Arthur

I was cold. I was confused. I was nervous. I was frozen.

"Wha-" I started, only to be hushed by Harry, seemingly enjoying the silence.

With shaky hands, he reached for me again, holding my hands in his before yanking my body flush against his and wrapping his arms around my shoulders tightly. Like magnets, my hands met behind his back equally as tight as he was holding me. His chest was so warm, a complete contrast to the rest of my body which was numbingly cold thanks to the rain.

He took a few steps backwards so we were standing in the cars headlights, completely illuminated for one another. Exposed.

Let me love the lonely out of you. Let me love the pain you're going through.

My breath hitched in my throat and I almost choked at the relevance of the song. Noticing my stillness, like he always does, Harry slowly began to rock the two of us side to side to the tune of the music. He held me tighter as I clung to his chest and buried my forehead into his sternum. His warm hands traced calming circles on the space between my shoulder blades and held the back of my head to his chest, my muscles instantly relaxing under his touch. I couldn't even recognise the rain at this point.

Your own worst enemy, You think that no one sees. I do, cause I'm like that too.

Much like last weekend, I could tell that he didn't want to force me into anything. Instead he was just interested in being there for me if I needed him. The rain was heavier than before, each drop hit my skin like a rock but the pain of that was nothing compared to the care I felt dripping off of Harry.

Lips pressed firmly to the top of my head and warmth engulfed the area around my heart, a shiver running down my spine. It had been such a long time since I felt safe like I do now, I almost mistook the feeling for something else. Something much more serious.

"This world is much too cold to sleep alone." His deep voice mumbled from above me.

Breathe, Josephine. The same voice repeated those words in my mind a few times before I built up the courage to lift my head from his chest and look Harry dead in those green eyes. The headlights illuminated one side of his face, making the green seem so much brighter than usual, the other side shadowed.

For the first time tonight, I maintained eye contact with Harry, refusing to look away. He reciprocated this but instead of looking at me, he seemed to look into me, almost assessing my mood and reaction. My hands slid across his hips to his stomach, before trailing up and sitting on each of his frozen cheeks. The cold breeze was cutting through my soaked hoodie now and I finally allowed myself to shiver.

Harry smiled sympathetically, nodding his head once and leading me back to the passenger side of the car. The door was closed behind me as he ran to jump in the drivers side. The heating was immediately turned all the way up, the warmth almost burning our skin with the sudden change.

Although we hadn't spoken a word since we had left his driveway, we both shared so much. It was such an oddly intimate moment and yet, it was so casual.

I tilted my head towards his side of the car and shamelessly observed him. Left leg propped up on the driver seat, right arm stretched across the window, head resting on his right shoulder and his eyes staring at me.

Another new emotion flooded my heart, I wanted to share things about myself with him. If not for me, but to ensure him that I wasn't pushing him away for his doings. I needed to tell him that it was me and not him, without using those explicit words. Our eyes were still locked on one another as I took a deep breath.