The moment they walked out of the warehouse, Hope couldn’t feel more relieved as the warmth filled into her skin as she stretched out her arms while Mr Wheeler closed the warehouse doors and fixed the lock back into place. Harley sighed out as he ran a nervous hand through his hair, rephrasing the words Hope had just said about them.
“I’ll be going for lunch now in case you will need me. It’s around eleven and I need to be back on my post by twelve. So if you need anything, I’ll will be back soon.” Mr Wheeler smiled as he waved his hand before leaving Hope and Harley in front of the locked warehouse.
“So… did you mean what you said?” Harley asked as he glanced at Hope who raised her brows at him in question.
“About what?” she asked with a small smiled as he bit onto his lower lip and sighed out shakily, finding it a little hard to actually say it than he thought it easily would. “What’s wrong Harley?”
“When Wheeler asked if we… mated recently, you said it’d never happen between us… is that true?” he asked as he clenched his fingers, getting her to furrow her brows for a moment in confusion only to widen her eyes in realisation that Harley wasn’t her old bestfriend.
It was going to take a lot getting useto…
“Uh…” she stammered as she glanced towards the ground with her cheeks burning slightly from the thought of it. She really did say it and she meant it at that moment. But thinking about it, she spoke because she remembered him as just her bestfriend. “I’m sorry…”
“You’re sorry?” Harley asked with furrowed brows and a confused gaze as he stared down at her. “sorry for what? I just want you to answer… if you meant it.”
“Why don’t we just drop it?” Hope asked with a nervous chuckle as she glanced up at him. “Please?”
“But… I want to know.” He bit onto his lower lip and sighed out with a small nod. “Okay. We can.” He forced on a cheerful smile to which she simply nodded to. “Though… when you say things like that it… it really hurts me.” He whispered out as she frowned slightly and glanced towards the ground instead.
“I had just forgotten you were a different kind of friend now so… that’s why I said it without stopping myself-,”
“I’m not a different person.” Harley chuckled as he interrupted Hope who blinked up at him. “I’m still Harley.”
“Yeah but…” she sighed out heavily as she clenched her jaw. “I’ve never… seen you… no, I mean us, in another way before and thinking about it now is a lot more hard that it sounds. I mean, you could easily picture us together but I really can’t. I’m trying but I got used to you being like a second brother.” She clenched onto her shirt and pressed her lips together. “I thought that I might be having feelings for you the moment you said that but I discovered I’m just feeling embarrassed… so I can’t… I can’t see us together. So before this goes on a second longer, I want it to stop.”
Harley stared with wide eyes down at her as he felt his heart thud against his chest violently. He turned his eyes towards the ground instead and clenched his fists, unsure of what he should say or do.
“It’s only because we’ve never even kissed… if you let me kiss you now… we could… you could feel something.” He suggested as he glanced back up at her onto to have her feel her entire face burn for embarrassment.
“… I don’t think-.”
“No one’s watching.” Harley hopefully said out as he glanced down at her with wide excited eyes. “it doesn’t even have to take long. Come on Hope, let’s give it a try. Please?” he bit onto his lower lip as she stared at her hopefully, getting her to glance towards the ground.
“… I don’t know, Harley.” She said out breathlessly as she looked up to him. “I feel uncomfortable about this.”
“You don’t have to be comfortable.” He smiled as he stepped closer to her. He reached a hand out to her shoulder and one pressed against her cheek, getting her to tense up almost immediately. “I’m nervous too. Since it’s going to be my first kiss…” he said out breathlessly as he plastered both hands to her cheeks. “but I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time…” he whispered as he leaned in whisky slowly shutting his eyes.
Hope clenched her jaw as she glanced down to Harley’s parted lips and decided she had to also just let it happen. She shut her eyes as she waited in anticipation for the kiss.
She felt Harley’s warm breath fan against her lips now, getting her to tremble slightly as she knew he was just an inch away from he lips.
Building enough courage, Harley fully leaned into her and connected their lips, getting Hope to flash her eyes wide open for an instant before slowly shutting them back as Harley remained still, thinking, in his mind, that her lips were so soft and felt good against his.
His heart skipped a beat as he slowly parted his lips against hers, feeling how smooth and soft hers were. Using his hands against her cheeks, he brought her head even closer as he deepens the kiss, feeling the sharp pulse run through his body in an instant.
“mmh…” Hope muffled out a she reached up for his shoulders and slightly pushed him back, startling him a bit since she didn’t kiss him back. “I think that’s… fine for now.” She smiled awkwardly and patted his shoulder as his eyes dropped back down on her lips.
“Your lips are so soft…” He whispered out as he reached a hand up to her lower lip, slightly stroking it with a thumb. “I really liked it…”
“Well, you go what you asked for… right?” she asked with a small chuckle and he raised his brows down to her.
“You didn’t kiss me back.” Harley deadpanned as she was about to turn. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Harley.” She sighed out as she let go of his shoulders and ran a hand through her thick long hair. “I just feel…. Uncomfortable about this.”
“Oh…” He nodded slowly as glanced around then back to her as she shied away. “Not even the kiss helped?”
“No… I… maybe it did.” She nodded and patted his shoulder. “but I still feel uncomfortable.”
“I understand.” Harley smiled slightly as he reached up to her face and shoved a few strands from her eyes to her ear, fixing the strands behind her ear to hold it into place before sighing out slightly. “This kiss… means a lot to me. Though I wish I could have more…” he stared at her hopefully to which she simply forced a smile and chuckled out.
“Um… Ace offered me lunch today so… I have to… go.” She said as she took a step back from Harley who slowly frown as he watched her take another step back. “I’ll see you later.”