“I don’t understand why you *date* him. He’s no good for you!” Harry exploded, and you stumbled back, caught off guard.
“He’s not good for me? Really? You don’t get to decide that, Harry,” you snapped, trying to regain your footing. Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes like it was *so* obvious.
“Is he taking you to prom?” he asked, voice quiet, almost pleading. You stared at him, heart hammering.
“Why do you care? I thought he wasn’t good enough for me?” You fired back, frustration bubbling.
“Well, *fine*. When you get in trouble, don’t expect me to answer the call!” With that, Harry slammed the door in your face. You landed on the couch with a thud, the force of it knocking the breath out of you. There was an immediate knock, and you scrambled up, expecting him to come back, to apologize. It was him. *Of course* it was him. The same person you’d just been screaming at moments before.
“Hey babe, you ready to go?” he asked, oblivious. You nodded numbly.
“Sure.” You mumbled, the sadness already starting to seep into your voice. He didn’t notice. Not yet.
***
“So you ready to see *Warcraft*?” He asked, a hopeful grin plastered on his face. You bit your lip, trying to force a smile.
“I guess if that’s what you want to watch,” you said, and his face fell.
“What? You don’t want to see the movie based on my favorite video game?” You looked up at him sheepishly.
“Not really. I thought we might go see a comedy or an action movie,” you offered, hoping to salvage the night. He shook his head, a familiar tightness creeping into his jaw.
“Look, Y/N, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I think we should break up. I’m sorry.” The words hit you like a physical blow. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, like the air had been sucked out of the room.
“But…but I don’t understand—” you choked out, tears already stinging your eyes.
“I’ll drive you home if you want.” He offered, a bland indifference in his tone. You shook your head, too numb to speak.
“No, it’s fine. My house isn’t that far, I can walk,” you managed, hoping he’d insist on driving you, *anything* to prolong the moment, to make it real. But he just let you walk away.
“Hi, you’ve reached Harry, sorry I can’t get to the phone right now, leave a message and I’ll call you later,” BEEP.
“Harry. It’s Y/N. I’m…I’m sorry. You were right. He dumped me. Anyway, I’m walking home. I guess I will text you when I get home,” you choked out, hanging up before the tears could completely overwhelm you. You should’ve listened to him. You should’ve seen it coming.
“You’re the best friend that I ever had—” you blurted out, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.
“Y/N, I got your message. Are you okay? Do I need to pick you up?” His voice was laced with worry.
“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry,” you lied, trying to choke back the sobs.
“No, you are *not* fine. Where are you? I’m picking you up.” He said, his voice firm.
You glanced around, telling him where you were.
“I’m ten minutes away. Don’t move.” He ordered, and hung up without waiting for a response.
Almost exactly ten minutes later, Harry showed up, pulling up beside you. He didn’s even wait for you to say anything before pulling you into a hug.
“Babe, I’m sorry this happened,” he whispered against your ear, and you sniffled, letting the tears finally fall.
“Go ahead and say it,” you said, voice muffled against his shoulder.
“Say what?”
“Go ahead and say ‘I told you so.’ You told me he wasn’t for me, and you were right.”
Harry started laughing, a genuine, booming laugh that shook his whole body.
“Why are you laughing?” You asked, confused.
“I’m laughing because you’re so blind to why I told you that. I only told you that so you might realize that *I* was right for *you*. We’ve known each other for centuries, and I’ve been in love with you since the beginning,” Harry’s words sunk in, and you stared at him, dumbstruck.
“You put gum in my hair. I had to have my hair cut because of you. I hated you for months,” you blurted out, trying to regain some semblance of composure. He laughed again, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You got back at me though. You cut *my* hair,” he retorted, and you couldn’t help but smile.
“I guess you’re right, but I don’t know if I can just jump into another relationship—”
“I’m not asking you to. I will be here for you when you’re ready. Just think of me as your best friend…with benefits.”
You punched his shoulder, a playful shove, and your face burned with embarrassment.
“That’s not funny.” Even though you couldn’t help but laugh right along with him.