Separately Together

Chapter Eight: Friends? 1/2

Harley and I prepared lunch and ate, chit-chatting along the way. Now we stood at the sink and started to do the dishes. He insisted that he help, even after I told him he didn't have to.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you," Harley says something ludicrous causing his eyebrows to scrunch as if he was deep in thought.

"Your n-" He hushes me.

"It's just that I don't do anything other than work and speak to Finnic now and again. He has been busy lately. I'm not trying to date you or get in your pants." He chuckles. "I know I've been a little suggestive. My way of picking on you I guess." He glances my way before studying the dish he was drying again. "I won't come over anymore if that's what you want."

I hope I didn't make him feel unwanted because it was the exact opposite. I enjoyed his company and I kind of feel like a douche for the feelings I've been having toward him. He just needs a friend.

"Friends?" I asked with my pinky held out like I was offering him a promise.

"Friends." He wrapped his much larger pinky finger around mine and we both chuckled.

Somehow the tingles felt as if they were caught in a net, was it strong enough to hold them back? Was I strong enough to stop walking into the cold lake that my body craved?

~.~.~.~.~

The man's hand touches the woman's thighs causing her to gasp. A second later I feel a large rough hand resting on my thigh. I smack it away. "Oh, stop it." I did it playfully but it was me trying to keep the net in place for as long as it would hold and he was not helping it, at all. Ever since our little talk about being friends he has been flirting shamelessly. In front of my brother and Liz without a care in the world.

"What, I thought you were a romantic?" He questions right into my ear so that only I could hear, and he wasn't disturbing the other people in the theater.

"I am but this is cheesy," I explain just in time for Liz and Finnic to break away from their make-out session that had started as soon as the movie did.

"You two are so cute." Liz whisper yells causing a few people to look our way and I shrink into myself not wanting the attention that she was bringing.

Finnic made the 'I'm watching you', eyes to Harley before they both chuckled. Harley seems to be in a lighter mood tonight, I'm not sure what is bringing it on, but I was enjoying it. A few people tell us to 'shhh' and I twist in my seat feeling a little uncomfortable. The less attention on me the better.

Soon, Harley's hand returned to my thigh. Gosh, he was not helping me out.

The atmosphere changed, less joking and more serious causing my lips to part. A gasp stuck in my vocal cords. Cliche since I just called it cheesy. I knew it wasn't from what he was doing but because of who he was. If it was any other man here, I could have left, or told them to stop but with Harley, I was all but begging for more.

As the movie scene grew steamier, causing his grip to tighter. His long fingers wrapped across the top of my thigh without difficulty. I suck in a greedy amount of air needing it to cool my insides and put out this flame inside the pits of my stomach.

"The look on your face right now is why I said there was a difference between nineteen and twenty-four." I glance his way feeling relieved that I was getting a break from the sex scene on the screen but the look in his eyes was no better, staring straight at my parted lips and watching as I sucked the bottom one into my mouth, nipping at it from my nerves.

He draws his eyes back to mind as if it pains him to do so. It was clear in his voice that he had something inappropriate on his mind but part of me wondered if I was reading too much into it because it was Harley that said it. With my body already feeling this way around him, it wouldn't be hard for my mind to misinterpret his meaning or his demeanor.

"Stop looking at me like that." I voice the thoughts, in hopes that he was saying something to deter the thoughts in my head.

To prove I was just confused.

I look away from him trying to break the tension in the air, but I just come face to face with the main characters making love, trying again I glance at Liz but she and Finnic are making out. I decided it best to just close my eyes for a moment.

"Never."

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