Adlewood Academy

Ava didn’t care that she and Harry had lost. She really, really didn’t. The way she felt when she was up on stage singing with him was better than any prize could’ve been. Whether they won or not, she was on top of the world.

She didn’t think that she’d ever be able to sing in front of people, but she had done it. It had been mostly thanks to Harry’s help, if not all thanks to Harry’s help, but she still got on that stage and showed, once and for all, that she belonged at Adlewood.

It was strange, though, because she thought she’d be walking the halls with this newfound confidence. She thought people would be congratulating her on a job well done or that there would be streamers hanging in front of her room, but Harry was the only one who seemed to notice any change in her at all.

“Well, aren’t you just glowing this morning?”

Harry smiled at her as she stepped out onto the campus lawn, a smile on her face that matched his.

“Isn’t that what people say to pregnant woman?”

Harry scoffed, ignoring her question. “It really suits you, you know?”

“Thank you,” Ava said simply, because it was the only thing she could think to say. She was just happy that Harry was still talking to her, because for some reason, a part of her worried they wouldn’t be friends after they lost.

She took a few steps forward, so she was standing right in front of him, as his back leaned against the black statue of Adlewood’s founder. He still had a smile on his face as he reached his hand out to her, and he didn’t know what it was for, but she took it anyway.

His hand wrapped around hers and pulled her forward so her chest was touching his, causing her body to go into a state of shock. His touch felt so warm and inviting, but at the same time, it was like a poison that left her breathless.

After a few moments of silence, with Harry just looking down at her, she finally forced herself to speak, and she was thankful that her voice wasn’t cracking under the pressure of all the nerves she felt.

“What are we going to do now that practice is over?” she asked, blinking her eyes as she looked up at him.

Harry chuckled at that and gave her a smile even wider than the one before. “Whatever you want.”

With that, Harry leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against Ava’s, and his kiss was a thousand times better than any award Adlewood could’ve given her.