Salem Falls

It was strange how the once lively forest seemed so gray and dull. Days had passed since the battle in the woods, and that had been the last time Alexa had seen Harry. She tried to contact him a few times and had even showed up at his house, but he wasn’t home and no one knew where he had gone.

Alexa thought about going to Zayn’s to see if Harry was there, but she thought the older boy had already been through enough without having to deal with her incessant badgering. Instead, she had made her way to the woods and plopped down on the first stump she saw.

With her head in her hands, Alexa leaned forward so her elbows rested on her knees, as she stared out at the dead forest floor in front of her. She took slow, deep breaths, but her thoughts were still racing about where Harry was and why he wasn’t speaking to her.

“Lex?”

The second Alexa heard his voice, she stood up from the stump, turning full around so she was facing him. Harry had his hands shoved in his pockets while he shuffled his feet back and forth.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said after a long moment of silence, biting his lip as he looked at her.

“Trying to avoid me, were you?” Alexa knew she was being a bit harsh, but after a few full days of him doing everything in his power to stay away from her, she had become just a bit fed up.

“Lex, you know that’s not true –”

“Isn’t it, Harry?” She threw her hands on her hips, planting her feet firmly on the ground. “That’s sure what it seems like.”

Harry took a few steps forward until he was so close that Alexa could’ve reached out and slapped him if she wanted, which she almost did.

“I’m sorry, I –”

“I was worried about you, Harry. I thought that something was wrong or that I’d done something to –”

“You didn’t do anything, Lex,” Harry interrupted, reaching his hand out to brush his fingers over her cheek. “I just – I needed some time to think after everything that happened.”

“About?”

“I just wanted to keep you safe, Lex. I didn’t want you to get caught up in all that shit and I hate that you could’ve been hurt because of me.”

“I’m a big girl. I don’t always need you there to protect me. I can fend for myself, you know.”

“I know, Lex. God, I know that. I just – seeing you out there like that – where I could have lost you at any minute – it made me realize that I never wanna lose you. Not ever.”

“Harry –”

“Lex, you mean the world to me and –”

“Harry, stop,” Alexa interrupted, pressing her finger to lips to shush him. His eyes met hers and they looked at one another for a moment before she began speaking again. “You mean the world to me too.”

Harry smiled against her finger before he reached his hand up to take it away. With his fingers wrapped around hers, he leaned forward until their lips were pressed together, and Alexa could have sworn she felt the earth move beneath them.