I had let Harry stay the night, but I didn't let anything more than sleeping happen. I am desperately trying to slow things down with him until I can wrap my head around what we really are. I know he told me that we are more than friends with benefits, but I am reluctant to believe him only because that is all he has ever known.


"Addie, do you mind staying after class for a few minutes so I can speak to you?" Ms. Davis asked me during biology.

"Sure." I have no idea what she wants, but I hope I'm not in trouble.

"Hey, do you want to hang out tonight? We can study for that quiz we have tomorrow and then grab dinner or something." Max whispers after Ms. Davis returns to her desk.

"Yeah, sounds good." I tell him. There's no reason why I can't be friends with him. I'm sure Harry won't like it, but Max has always been a good friend to me.

"Cool," he smiles.

Class quickly goes by as I dread my "talk" with Ms. Davis.

"So, I just wanted to ask you something." She asks me and searches through her desk for something. Everyone has left the room, making me more anxious.

"Yeah?" I run my fingers nervously through my hair and wait for her to continue.

"Well you probably noticed that Harry Styles just transferred into this class, and he asked me if he could get some extra help to catch up." She explains. I relax when I realize I'm not in trouble. "I guess I just wanted to know if you could switch lab partners and be with him? I know you and Max are good friends, but you have the best grade in this class so I thought you would be perfect to help him!"

"Oh, yeah I can." I tell her. I'm actually glad she asked me, working with Harry will give me more time to spend with him.

"Perfect! Thank you Addie, and keep up the good work." She smiles and dismisses me to my next class.


"What was that about?" Harry smirks when I get out of the class.

"Were you waiting for me?" I ask him and we begin to walk towards math.

"Yeah." He shrugs. I can't help but smile with his simple gesture.

"Well I guess we're lab partners." I smile.

"Really? I'm a lucky guy." He winks and opens the door for me to go in.

The bell rings shortly after we sit down, and Mr. Turner begins explaining standard deviation. I try my best to focus and take notes, but Harry obviously doesn't take notice.

"So since you're my lab partner now, you'll let me look at your quiz tomorrow right?" He whispers.

"No! You can study like everyone else, Harry."

"We should have a study date tonight." His grin is evident in his voice as he elbows my arm causing me to mess up my writing.

"Sorry, I already have plans." I tease.

"With who?"

"Max, he asked me to study with him." I try to say cooly so he doesn't get the wrong impression.

"You're kidding?"

"Mr. Styles, please stop talking and start taking some notes." Mr. Turner scolds Harry and continues teaching after Harry ignores him.

"No, Harry we're just doing biology it's not that big of a deal." I whisper even quieter to Harry when the teacher turns his back to the class.

"Like hell it's not! You're not going Adelaide."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"You're not going." He seethes even harsher this time.

"Harry, you're overreacting."

"No I'm not." He stands up and stomps out of the class, proving my point that he is taking this too far. If I had known he'd be this upset, I wouldn't have agreed to study with Max.. But Harry can't control me. I know he is worried because Max kissed me, but I am allowed to have other friends.

Mr. Turner looks at me for a reason of Harry's sudden and unannounced departure, but I just shrug and continue taking notes. I'll give Harry some time to cool down before I try to knock some sense into him.

---

"So are you going to tell him you're not going to study with him?"

"Dammit Harry! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I gasp when he comes up from behind me in the hall.

"Are you?" He demands for an answer causing me to roll my eyes at his controlling tendencies.

"No, I told him I would so I'm not going to bail on him."

"Addie, I don't want you to hang out with him." I can see his jaw tense up with frustration, but I'm not going to give in for his sake.

"I know, but Max is just my friend. You can trust me, can't you?"

"He kissed you the other night! He's just going to try again. You're not going, and that's final." He sounds like my father. I can't believe we're even having this conversation right now.

"Where are you going?" He asks when I begin to walk away from him.

"To go eat lunch?" It's lunch time, so why does he look so surprised?

"Sit with me." He pulls my arm giving me no chance to agree or disagree.

"Hey Addie!" Liam greets me when we sit down at the lunch table.

"Hey." I try my best to smile at him, but my mood has shifted greatly since Harry and I's previous conversation.

Everyone at the table stares at me like they're confused as to why I'm there, and it's torturous. Maybe if I wasn't so angry with Harry it wouldn't be so awkward, but I can't get over how he has been acting.

"So are you two...?" Zayn looks at Harry and I.

Just as Harry opens his mouth to tell Zayn, I smile and answer before he can. "We're just friends."

"Oh, okay." He says and everyone goes back to their side conversations. Im guessing they were all pretty curious due to the looks we received when we sat down together.

"I'm going to go study in the library." I tell Harry and get up to grab my bag.

Without a word, he gets up to follow me, causing everyone to curiously look at our abrupt exit.

"I was about to tell them the truth, you know." Harry says when we get into the empty hallway.

"Well I did it for you." I snap and keep walking.

"What? You are insane, Addie! First you want me to tell everyone about us, and then you go against your own words. I don't know what you want anymore." His hands rubs through his hair.

"Yeah, when we actually had something I wanted you to."

"What are you saying?" His eyebrows knit together on confusion.

"Harry, this obviously isn't going to work." I motion my hand back and forth between us.

"Why? Because I don't want you to hang out with Max?"

"Yes! You think you can control me!" I try to keep my voice down, but I'm so frustrated. I realize that he probably is too, but that doesn't change my feelings toward the situation.

"I'm sorry I don't want my girlfriend to be alone with a guy who wants in her pants." He says loud and sarcastically, but I only hear one word.

"Girlfriend?" I don't think I heard him right.

"Isn't that what you are?" He asks much more calm than he was a second ago. He looks almost as if he didn't mean to say it.

I shrug realizing I don't even know what to call us. No one knows about our relationship, so it feels odd putting a label on it.

"I mean we're always with each other and spend the night together... And I don't think friends do this.." He takes a step closer to me and places his hands on my waist.

"Well than can't you trust your girlfriend?" His use of the word has calmed me down. "I won't let him kiss me again, Harry. But he's still my friend."

"It's not you I don't trust." He sighs and rests his forehead against mine.

"I already feel bad that I am leaving him to be lab partners with you, so I don't want to tell him I can't study tonight."

"Just promise me that you won't let him pull anything..." His eyes close and I can tell that it's hard for him to give in.

"I promise Harry."

For a second I'm thankful again that this disagreement of ours didn't last very long. I'm starting to think that we might actually be able to work. I appreciate that when I have a problem, he tries his best to fix it, even if we have to argue a bit. I'm very grateful that Harry has been making a massive effort, but he's not the only one. I feel like a completely different person from who I was before I moved here. I've changed just as much as Harry has.

We stand in the empty hall for a minute in an embrace as we both settle down from our argument before he leans down to kiss me, and reminds me of why I can't stay mad at him.

"You know, I still have to take you on that date." Harry looks down and smiles.

"Tomorrow."

"What about tonight?" He grins.

"Harry..." I warn.

"Okay, tomorrow's good."

---

Later that night I went over to Max's house to study. Harry has texted me every five minutes to check up on me, and I can't help but laugh to myself at his consistency. It's kind of cute seeing him jealous.

"We should take a break... All of this talk on DNA is giving me a headache." Max laughs and rolls his head back to look up at the ceiling.

"Sure," I agree.

"Addie, I have to admit that after Friday, I thought you were avoiding me because I kissed you." He laughs, and I cringe.

"Why?" I lie, but I know the answer. I haven't been trying to avoid him, but I've just been spending all of my time with Harry.

"I don't know, you leave bio without saying goodbye, and we haven't hung out." He shrugs. "So you haven't been trying to avoid me?"

"No, I guess I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Well that's a relief,"

"You're a really good friend Max, I wouldn't avoid you." I assure him and he smiles.

"Just a friend though? Because after that kiss I thought maybe... I don't know."

"Look, I'm sorry that I kissed you, I didn't mean to lead you on.. I just, I only like you as a friend.. I had too much to drink that night, and I like I said, I've had a lot on my mind.. I really just like where we are now." I blurt out. I don't really know what to say to get him to understand and not get hurt.

"I understand, I figured it was too good to be true." He laughs, and I can sense the disappointment, but I'm grateful that he is understanding.

As much as my inner self is celebrating for having two guys want me from no guys back at home, I feel like it's making my life much more difficult. I've always wanted guys to like me more than a friend, but now that two do, it is making everything very complicated between the new relationships and let downs.

Notes

Please comment, rate & subscribe! :)