“So which one is your favourite?”

Harry’s gravelly voice pulled me back into reality as we lay staring at the night sky. I didn’t have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice as I grabbed his wrist to point to the infamous belt that was just starting to crest the sky.

“This one.” I said tracing the outline of Orion. Harry’s skin felt like fire beneath my fingertips and it felt exciting, dangerous.

“I don’t see it can you show me again.” Harry teased nudging his shoulder into mine.

Rolling my eyes I sat up feeling the rush of blood away from my head. Since I’d pseudo-kidnapped Harry several hours before he’d put up with my craving for sea air and the hour drive to Ipswich. Thankfully the chill of the ocean breeze left the cliffs and the beach below empty except for Harry, the sky, and my unrelenting thoughts.

I’d thought a change of scenery would make me feel better. Make the whole thing with Luke a little clearer. Instead, I was more confused than before. I didn’t know how to handle the feelings of confusion and uncertainty that seemed to hover over me like a dark cloud, it wasn’t a problem I’d ever had with Luke before.

“Hey, I was kidding; I see it.” Harry had moved to sit next to me on the picnic blanket I’d never bothered to remove from my car.

“Sorry, I’m just a little distracted.” I offered with a smile.

Harry’s eyes clouded with concern, a look that I hadn’t thought I’d really see again. I had the impulse to tell him everything, to tell someone. But it wouldn’t be fair to either one of us.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

It was like he could tell every thought that was going through my head. But I couldn’t, I really couldn’t. So, with a shake of my head and along exhale I leaned back onto the blanket. The long sigh that came from next to me told me everything I needed to know. He wanted to talk, but he wasn’t going to push me.

“So why is señor Orion your favourite?” Harry asked to break the tense silence.

Seizing the opportunity to change the subject I propped myself up on my elbow to face Harry, seeing that he had already done the same. His eyes were searching my face for something and it was making me rather self-conscious. So, clearing my throat I carefully chose the words to answer him.

“I think it has something to do with the myth,” I admitted, “Orion was the first and only love of the goddess Artemis. They were soul mates, supposed to be inseparable until the ends of time. But Artemis was destined to be one of the virgin goddesses. So, when Orion was swimming far from shore her brother Apollo told her she couldn’t hit what she thought was a dolphin. Heartbroken and wanting to leave her only love a lasting legacy she immortalized him in the stars so every time she looked up she could catch a glimpse of the only man she had and will ever love. I think the story just makes me want to find a love like theirs, a love that will last eternity.”

Unsure what to say next I just took a deep break and searched Harry’s face for any kind of reaction. What I hadn’t expected was Harry’s face purposefully blank as he appeared to be searching for any kind of words. It made me feel stupid, admitting something to him that I hadn’t told anyone else. I had bared what I considered part of my soul to him and all he could do was watch anything but me. With I sigh I sat up scooting to hang my legs off the edge of the cliff we had set up on.

“Don’t you have that with Luke?”

The question was so faint that I nearly missed it. Looking back over my shoulder I saw Harry sitting with his chin propped on his knees. But it was his gaze, so tender and confused that almost had me thinking that there might be something there.

Over the summer we’d had the talk over the phone, the one that for some reason sought to rip my breath from my chest. The one that had confirmed what I had known for a while, that whatever chance of anything between us was gone. That he didn’t have any feeling for me anymore. And I had told him I didn’t have any either although the words had left a confused pit in my chest. But when Harry looked at me like he was then I wondered if perhaps he lied too.

“I don’t know.” I breathed feeling the tears start to prickle the corners of my eyelids.

Whether seeing or sensing my tears Harry scooted up next to me resting an arm around my shoulders that was more comforting than he would know. Resting my head on his shoulder I let the tears I’d been choking back for hours flow. I didn’t know why I was crying exactly, whether it was for endings or beginnings or not knowing which was which.

“Are you done ruining my shirt now?” Harry asked jokingly after several minutes trying anything to lighten the mood.

“I didn’t.” I half-heartedly protested wiping the tears from underneath my eyes before attempting to offer Harry a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

“Come on up,” Harry stated standing and offering me a hand to get up, “I think you need chips and a milkshake.”

---

“I don’t snore.” I protested smacking Harry in the arm as I followed him up the front walk of his apartment building.

“Oh yeah, I’ll tell that to the freight train that was sat in the passenger seat.” Harry teased earning yet another eye roll.

I’d try to stay awake on the drive back from Ipswich, but everything had just hit me, and the soft crooning of the radio had had me out like a light. Harry had offered to drive even though I could see the bags under his eyes. I felt bad for keeping him out all night as he tried to cheer me up but it was exactly what I needed, a friend, and a distraction.

“Well Rachel tells me you’re quite the sleep talker.” I countered.
“Hey thanks for letting me bum around for tea I don’t think Rachel is in the mood to see me right now.”

“You are always welcome,” Harry said with a smile.

I didn’t know sometimes how I got lucky enough to end up with a friend like Harry. I’d certainly put him through enough crap in the past couple of years but he still stuck around. Offering Harry a genuine smile I went to pull on the door to have Harry grab my wrist stopping me. Confused I turn to see Harry attempting to say something his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“I need to ask you something.” Harry said.

Cocking an eyebrow, I tried to be nonchalant as I internally began to die inside. I knew exactly what Harry wanted to ask me and it wasn’t a question that I wanted to answer. It was a question that I had been avoiding all night.

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on?” Harry asked nervously begging me to open up to him.

I didn’t know how to answer him. I wanted to answer him, I really did. But it was an answer I hadn’t even put into words in my head yet. The utter gut wrenching confusion that revolved around my whole relationship with Luke. And since I couldn’t figure it out for myself I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with burdening someone else with it.

“I mean if you don’t want to tell me that’s okay too. You don’t have to tell me everything, I just thought that maybe you would want to talk and….”

I cut off Harry’s rambling but gently wrapping my arms around him. He tensed up under me for a second obviously not anticipating the contact before returning my hug. Breathing in the scent of pine and citrus that always seemed to haunt Harry’s skin I hoped that my hug communicated my gratitude in a way deeper than words.

“I can’t. But thank you for distracting me, you’re a great friend.” I whispered into Harry’s skin feeling his arms tighten around me.

Pulling away from Harry left me feeling cold in a way that I hadn’t noticed before the breeze cutting right through the coat Harry had loaned me. He didn’t stop me as I headed up the staircase to his and Louis’ apartment. I went to try the door to realize that it was locked. Feeling embarrassed I stepped back to let Harry unlock it with a chuckle.

A nice steaming mug of tea was exactly what I needed after the night had. But what I hadn’t expected was Rachel sitting at their kitchen island her eyes wide. She stared between Harry and I like she was jumping to assumptions and conclusions that had the potential to be so wrong. Behind me I heard a nervous chuckle as Harry chucked his keys into the basket by the front door.

“Hey Rachel,” He said trying and failing to sound nonchalant, “sleep well?”

Notes

Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter :) I found this one ridiculously cute to write for some reason.

What did y'all think? I'm really curious to hear y'all's thoughts about the whole Harry/Skylar/Luke thing.

Do you think Harry was hiding his feelings?
Should Skylar have confided in Harry?
Is Rachel about to freak out on both of them?