HARRY'S POV

FLORENCE HAD SEEN ME in my darkest hour and still somehow managed to make me see the light. Despite the fact that we had barely spoken to each other in the days prior to when I found out my step-father had cancer, she gave me her shoulder to lean on, and I couldn't have been more grateful.

Things haven't been the same in my household since we found out the news. My mum would spend most of her time at the hospital with Robin, and I'd join her after school whenever I could, but the hospital environment was beginning to become too depressing for me. Mum would come home once visiting hours were over and then confine herself to her office for the rest of the night until morning. I can't remember the last time I saw her have a good night's rest or properly take care of herself.

My grades started to slip in some of my classes due to the fact that I could hardly focus on my school work with everything going on. However, when I explained my family situation to my teachers, they were more than understanding and gave me extensions on assignments that were long overdue. Florence would come over to my house after school sometimes before her shift at Adrian's so that we could do our homework together. She really helped me stay on top of my work so that I wouldn't fall even farther behind, which was another reason why I was grateful to have her around.

Football also served as the perfect distraction. During practice, I was able to blow off a lot of steam, but Coach Ford always made sure I didn't burn myself out. He was weary about me even coming to practice or playing in the last game of the season given my family situation, but I assured him that this was what I needed.

Before I left for school Wednesday morning, my mother pulled me aside in the kitchen and told me that she and Robin were going to fly to London, England to visit a cancer treatment specialist down there. She also informed me that my older sister, Gemma, would be flying out here to stay with us for awhile and that I had to pick her up from the airport once she arrived on Saturday. I was a little upset that my mother decided to drop all of this on me so suddenly, but I didn't have much time to voice my discontentment without risking being late to school.

"Okay fine," I told her before turning on my heel and exiting the kitchen.

I stormed out of the house with my book bag hanging off my shoulder and my phone and car keys in my hand. After unlocking my car, I placed my bag in the passenger seat and phone inside of its holder. I powered on the engine with the twist of my keys and put the car in reverse as I backed out of my family's parking garage. I was on the road in a matter of seconds and turned on the radio to some classic rock in order to pass the time while I drove to school.

For the first time since my high school career began, I took a seat in the back of the room during my AP Literature and Composition class. From a young age, my mum instilled in me and my sister that those who were the most successful in life were those who were the go-getters. She pushed us to constantly participate in classroom discussions and taught us to never shy away from an opportunity to shine. In order to be the center of our teacher's attention, mum said we must occupy the front of the classroom.

Today, I said to myself, to hell with that shit and sat in a seat in the very last row. I took out my copy of The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and prepared to engage in a fishbowl discussion about her use of language and her character portrayals throughout the story.

"Alright class. Your homework assignment was to email me 2-3 questions to ask during the fishbowl discussion, and I've compiled them all into a list. Unfortunately, I couldn't chose everyone's, but I think that with the questions I've pulled from the list, we'll have an interesting discussion," Ms. Alice said to us from the front of the classroom.

While she continued to talk about how the fishbowl discussion was going to go, I snuck my phone into my desk and texted Florence.

Me: Save me. I'm dyyingg of boredom.

Florence the Machine: Aw I've got a free period and am pretty bored too.

Me: Ms. Alice is about to make us participate in another fishbowl discussion.

Florence the Machine: Damn. It must suck to be you right now lol.

Me: -.-

I was about to type another message to Florence when my head shot up upon hearing the first question Ms. Alice posed to the class. By then, a circle of participants had formed in the front of the classroom, and everyone on the outer circle had their pens and pencils in their hands, ready to diligently take notes in their notebooks.

"Why do you think Toni Morrison portrayed Soaphead Church and Pecola Breedlove's father in a more humanizing light as opposed to one that was demonizing?" Ms. Alice read the first question off the list.

I cracked a small smile and thought back to my conversation with Florence about this very question. Florence believed that Toni Morrison did that to show that not everyone who ever molests or rapes someone is the spawn of Satan. She argued that being verbally abusive or physically violent is not the only way for these acts to happen. I was curious as to how my peers were going to answer the question, but I made sure to text Florence one last time before putting my phone away.

Me: Nvm things just got a lot more interesting. Ttyl babe <3

The class erupted into a debate about whether or not Morrison's choice to depict those two characters in a humanizing light took away from the horrendous acts they both committed. Eventually, Ms. Alice had to redirect the conversation back to the book since Tiffany had taken the class on a tangent about her relationship with her parents and whether or not she should judge them harshly for cutting her weekly allowance.

I was slightly disappointed that no one in this class reached a similar conclusion to Florence when we discussed this in my bedroom yesterday. So, for the rest of the period, I decided to put my head down and tune out everyone else by taking a much needed nap.

§

By the time Gemma arrived at our house, my mum and Robin were already in London, and I had been home alone for several days. I spent most of my time hanging out late with friends, playing video games, or exercising in my family's personal gym. I did absolutely everything I could to keep myself distracted from the real reason why I was all alone in the first place.

However, the best distraction of all proved to be Florence. Simply because of the fact that when I was with her, I didn't feel like I was trying to escape my problems. She drew me back to reality. As Florence studied the Physics textbook in her lap with a concentrated frown, I watched her with a warm smile on my face, my dimples forming two small craters my cheeks.

About a minute later, she looked up from the book and caught me staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Florence asked, her head cocking to the side.

I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and casted my eyes down to my bedsheets before flickering them back up to hers. I lifted my shoulders in a shrug and inquired, "How do you think I'm looking at you?"

"Like in awe or something. I don't know. I just felt a surge of emotion when I caught you staring at me. I'm probably overthinking things. Just forget I said anything," Florence dismissed her thoughts with a sigh.

I frowned at her words and placed my hand on her shoulder. I slowly let it travel up the length of her neck until my palm was resting against her cheekbone. "That's because I am in awe of you, Florence," I whispered to her in a wide grin. "You've been so incredible to be around these past few days honestly."

A small smile made an appearance on her face because of my confession. "Well, that's that friends are for, right?" She offered light heartedly.

"Right but..." I paused, trying to find the right words to explain how I was feeling. "I think of you as so much more than that. I just wish we could go back in time to the way we were before everything went downhill," I admitted to her while leaning in closer.

I felt her warm breath fan across my face in puffs when I was a few inches away from her mouth. My gaze flickered between her lips and her eyes as I asked her, "Don't you?"

Florence copied my actions from before and let her gaze wander down to my mouth. I could feel the sexual tension rising in the air between us with every passing second. I started to lean in even closer, watching her face for any signs of hesitation, as I took the lead. Just before I closed the gap between our mouths, she uttered the words I'd been hoping to hear from her since I asked my question.

"Yes, I do."

That was all it took for me to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Instantly, I felt a spark ignite in the pit of my stomach, and the desire to be closer to her grew stronger. Florence tossed the book she was reading in her lap to the side and wrapped her arms around my neck. I laid her body back against my mattress and let my hands outline the curves of her hips until they settled on her waist.

Our lips moved together in sync like the way an orchestra performed together in a symphony. I felt her nimble fingers rope around the baby hairs at the back of my neck and tug on them, causing a moan to expel from my lips. Florence used this opportunity to push her tongue inside of my mouth and brush it against mine. I only let her take control of the kiss for a moment before I reached for the hem of her top and detached my lips from hers, so I could lift her shirt over her head, leaving her in her purple bra.

With a smirk, I brought my lips back down to hers and settled my body in between her legs. My hands trailed up from her waist to the cups of her bra. I gave them a good squeeze which made her lips part in a moan. I then sprinkled kisses down her jaw to the side of her neck before finding a spot to mark.

"Mm, that feels good Harry," She hummed in approval before letting out a loud moan when I sucked on a particular spot and tilting her head to the side to grant me better access to her neck.

"Shh baby," I hushed her by placing a kiss over a lips. "We don't want Gemma to hear us."

Florence apologized and kissed me again while I went to remove her jeans. Her lips pressed against mine harder when I brought my hand down to cup her over her underwear. I could feel her heat through the cotton fabric and curled my index finger, so I could push her panties to the side. I pressed my thumb flat against her clit and stroked the soft nub in a circular motion, eliciting another moan from her mouth.

I gently tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth before letting it snap back in place. Florence gazed up into my eyes full of lust. Her brown eyes rolled back in another moan once I pushed a finger inside of her tight hole. I thrusted my finger in and out of her pussy, coating it in her wetness before adding another digit. I began to rub her clit faster and placed my lips over hers again to muffle her moans.

"F-fuh," Florence struggled to get the curse word out as I curled my two fingers inside of her, making her body shake. "I'm so close Harry."

I didn't want her to climax just yet, so I carefully removed my fingers from her vagina and slid off the bed. Florence huffed in frustration as she watched me drop down to my knees and tug on her ankles to bring her closer to the edge of the bed.

"Why did you stop?"

"Because I want to make you come another way," I told her with a smirk. "Has anyone ever eaten you out before?" I questioned her.

Florence blushed profusely and shook her head no. I felt my smile widen at the thought of being her first for something yet again.

"Then, would you give me the great honor of being the first?" I proposed to her in a thicker British accent.

She giggled at my behavior and nodded her head. "Yes," Florence agreed with a nervous smile.

I hooked my finger into the band of her underwear and slid it down her bare legs until it dropped to the floor next to her jeans. "Can you bend your knees for me love?" I instructed her while I shuffled closer to the bed.

Florence complied with my request and sat up slightly using her elbows for support. "Now, just sit back and allow me to show you how a girl like you deserves to be treated everyday," I said before diving head first in the garden of Eden between her legs.

For the next fifteen minutes, I had Florence's body writhing in every direction, and the sound of my name fleeing her mouth in between gasps for air. Her hips involuntarily grinded against my face as she approached her high, and I plunged my tongue deep inside her heavenly canal, so that I'd be able to collect her juices when she released. I entwined our hands together on the mattress and pushed my tongue against her inner walls, sending a jolt of pleasure through her body.

"Holy fück. I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come, Harry," Florence repeatedly chanted over and over again until she froze her body's movements and squeezed her eyes shut tight. The intensity of her orgasm washed over her in a tidal wave and made her head hit back against the mattress in ecstasy.

I lapped up Florence's juices with my tongue and sucked gently on her clit once more, earning a whine of protest from her swollen lips. She playfully shoved me away, making me laugh and stand up straight. I loosened one of my hands out of her iron grip and used it to wipe the back of my mouth.

"How did that make you feel baby?" I asked her as she tried to catch her breath.

Florence stared back at me with a dazed smile and sat up fully. She surprised me by leaning up and connecting our lips in a short kiss. Her lips lingered against mine for a few seconds before she pulled away and rested her forehead on top of mine.

"Exhausted, but in a good way."

We shared a laugh over her answer, and something about the way her eyes crinkled at the edges when she smiled and the look of pure joy in her irises made me realize how deep I had fallen for this girl. I could say without hesitation that I was head over heels for Florence, but despite what we just did, the scary thing was I didn't know if she could say the same anymore.

Author's Note

Hey everyone. I hope your week is off to a great start. I've been super busy with my internship now that I'm nearing the final three weeks. I can't believe how fast time is ticking by. Hopefully, I'll find time to update this book again once next week, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you all who voted for which book I should begin after I finish Behind Closed Doors and Siena. The story idea that had the most votes was Stone Cold. Stay tune because the book will be coming soon <3

Feel free to vote, comment, share this story with a friend, or follow me on wattpad. I'd greatly appreciate it if you did.

Question for my readers: When was the last time you read something that made you challenge your beliefs?

My summer reading for my college is this book called Strangers in their Own Land, and I definitely feel like it has challenged my beliefs on a political level.

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Kaylandia