iMate

It had only been a few hours since Eden’s botched attempt at kissing Harry – one night, to be exact – but she couldn’t take being around him any longer. He had left for the night and hadn’t come back, but just being alone in the place where he usually slept was too much for her. She just couldn’t believe she’d ruined their friendship so quickly and so easily.

If she thought about it, she never would have kissed Harry in the first place. She should have known he didn’t like her, because if he did, he would have kissed her himself a long time ago. It was why he’d always wanted her to set him up and it was why he ran away when they finally did kiss. Sure, there was that brief moment when he had kissed her back, but it was clear by the look he had on his face that he hadn’t meant to do that.

Letting out a deep breath, Eden began tossing her clothes into her suitcase, organizing them in the same way she did before. It took more time to pack that way, but it kept things neat and made unpacking loads easier.

The entire time she packed, she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill out once again. She had cried several times throughout the night, and when she finally fell asleep, she promised herself that she wouldn’t cry again.

Light footsteps behind her caught her attention, but she refused to look because she knew it war Harry. She didn’t want to look at him. In fact, she had hoped she’d make it out before he got back.

“You’re leaving?” he whispered from the doorway, his voice nearly startling her. She knew he was there, but he hadn’t expected her to speak. Her first thought was not to say anything and just ignore him, but she thought that might be a little too rude. After all, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t like kissing her.

She nodded. “I just thought it would be easier that way. I’ve only got a few things left.”

Eden couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She just kept staring down at her suitcase, folding her clothes and packing.

“I thought you weren’t leaving for another week,” he said, taking a step into the room. She liked it better when he was just standing in the doorway, because now it was like she could feel him.

She had no clue what to say to him, because she was supposed to have another week left, but things had changed. She couldn’t say that, though, because that could possibly lead to an awkward conversation about what had happened and that was the last thing she wanted.

Eden just wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened, go back home and deal with the potential loss of her oldest friendship. Sure, she and Harry might try to keep in touch, but things would never be the same as before.

Sighing, Eden tucked her last shirt into her perfectly pack suitcase and closed the top over it, reaching for the zipper around the back.

Before she could grasp onto it, Harry grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face him. His face was void of all emotion and completely blank, making it impossible for her to figure out what he was thinking.

When he realized he was holding onto her hand a little too tightly, he let it go, dropping it down to her side. He kept his eyes locked on hers, and looking into them made it difficult for Eden to breathe. All she could think about was how she had ruined everything between her and Harry. He was supposed to be her soulmate, and she had ruined her only chance at true love.

There was a long pause as he simply looked at her, and Eden had no idea what to do. After what felt like forever, Harry finally spoke again, his voice just above a whisper.

“I don’t want you to go.”

Eden’s heartbeat quickened as Harry looked down at her. His eyes were soft and sparkled in the light of the rising sun. She could hardly breathe, but she finally forced herself to speak, her voice coming out soft and cracking.

“Why not?”

He looked at her, his eyes batting wildly. It looked as though he was trying to figure out what to say next, and after a long pause, his hand moved to hair, pushing it behind her ear.

His eyes flicked from hers down to her lips and then back up again. She felt like her body was losing all feeling as he moved closer and closer to her, until his lips were just inches away.

All Eden could think about was the last time she had kissed him and how he had pushed her away. She never wanted to feel that way again.

Harry could feel her hesitating and slowly pulling away from her. Before she could move back anymore, he leaned forward and pressed their lips together, with Eden melting into him the instant that he did.

She felt like a train had been hit with a train of emotions with so much force that her knees began to shake. She was almost certain that they were going to buckle and she’d fall over, but before she could, Harry’s hand moved to her waist, pulling her against him to lift her up.

He pulled away from her briefly, causing her eyes to shoot open. She was so afraid that it would happen again – that he would walk away – but he simply smiled at her as he whispered.

“Eden, I love you.”