i'm outside ur house

come out

what why

just come outside

bring that blanket too pls

give me 5 minutes

and with that, harlow's plan had commenced. kat and dev had given the girl lots of ideas on how to talk to colby about their almost kiss, but harlow had decided to go with her gut. the first time the two had ever hung out alone was in harlow's jeep with random snacks from the nearest ralphs.

harlow didn't want to overthink her plans, so she decided to replicate the first time they hung out. she had already purchased the snacks, including the red bulls and a new pack of cigarettes. once colby came out of the house, she planned on driving to the beach and talking openly and honestly.

so after about ten minutes, colby finally came out of the house and through the gate towards harlow's jeep.

she rolled the passenger window down to speak to the boy. "get in loser, we're going to the beach,"

colby looked at the girl with confusion written in his features. "harlow it's one-thirty in the morning and the nearest beach is like an hour away,"

"good thing i didn't ask if you wanted to go to the beach, hey?" harlow responded sarcastically. "each second you stand outside is one more second wasted,"

harlow watched as colby quickly looked between the house and harlow's jeep, clearly weighing his options. he then opened the door to the jeep and slid into the passenger seat.

"someone's feeling a little bossy tonight," colby said while buckling his seat belt.

harlow shrugged, watching the road ahead of her as she began the drive to the beach. "i mean if it gets the job done,"

before harlow could explain to colby why she didn't tell him she was coming, or why they were going to the beach so late, colby spoke up. "low key, why do i feel like you're bringing me to the beach so late to murder me and throw me in the ocean?"

harlow laughed loudly. "okay, that's a bit fuckin' dramatic, brock,"

"dude, you asked me to bring a blanket. try and convince me you're not about to wrap my fucking corpse in it and send me on my way,"

this time harlow rolled her eyes at the boy, "you watch way too much scary shit. do i look like a murderer to you? wait, don't answer that," this time colby laughed.

"well if you must know, i just haven't talked to you in a while so i thought a late-night rendezvous at the beach would be kinda fun," she said, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel anxiously. "like the first time we hung out. i even brought the snacks,"

colby shifted to look in the backseat to find a few grocery bags stuffed with snacks that the two shared commonly. "just saying, this looks like it could be a last meal."

"oh my god colby, i'm gonna lose my shit," harlow groaned.

colby held his hands up in defence. "joke. just a joke. no need to kill."

for the rest of the drive to the beach, the two joked around with each other and scream-sang to various songs that were in harlow's playlist. colby even listened to harlow as she ranted for a good fifteen minutes about a group project that she had to do all the work on. it felt normal, even though neither were addressing the elephant in the room.

eventually, the pair finally made it to the beach. as soon as harlow parked her vehicle she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her and instantly craved a smoke. "wanna smoke?" harlow asked, already climbing out of the driver's seat.

colby just laughed at the predictable girl. he grabbed the blanket from the backseat and two red bulls that were in one of the grocery bags. harlow had already climbed onto the hood of her vehicle, patiently waiting for the boy to follow her.

harlow watched as colby carefully positioned himself not too far, but not too close to the girl. before the tension could get anymore thick, colby placed the blanket across his and harlow's lap, lessening the awkward vibe that was between them.

harlow lit her smoke between her lips, then passed the pack to colby. she stared at her hands that were clasped together in her lap, not wanting to make eye contact with the small speech she was about to give.

"colby, i need to be honest with you."

colby laughed awkwardly, trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst. "okay. i can handle it."

"ok. so i guess what you need to know is that i'm generally a pretty closed off person. it usually takes me a lot longer to be this comfortable with a person, 'cause i get fucked over by most people close to me. the last person i dated cheated on me for a full fuckin' year, and so many of my friends knew and just didn't say anything. but you're so easy to be around, and i never feel like i need to guard myself in any way."

harlow paused, nervously wringing her hands. "fuck, ok. i like you, colby. like really like you. and i really wanted to say something a few weeks ago but to be honest, elton told me he didn't want me too. so when we almost kissed that's why i freaked out. i couldn't do that to my brother. but i hate lying, and i felt like i was lying to myself if that even makes sense." she paused, laughing at how awkward she was. "ok, i'm rambling. but if you don't see me the same way, it's totally fine. i'd rather have you as my friend than nothing at all."

as she finished speaking, she flicked her smoke out on the ground. feeling bold, harlow looked up at colby who was staring back at the girl with a grin on his face, making her smile in return.

"well i must not be very subtle," colby said jokingly.

harlow winced slightly, bracing herself for what she assumed would follow, which made colby laugh. "harley, i'd be mad dumb not to have feelings for you,"

harlow could literally feel her heart stop beating in the moment. she couldn't help but wonder if she had misheard the boy beside her. "wait, what?"

colby laughed, shaking his head at the girl. "i like you, harley. like really like you,"

harlow couldn't stop herself from grinning. so much for calm, cool, and collected. "one more time?" harlow requested, whispering even though colby was right beside her. she felt that her voice would give her nerves away.

"jesus christ, harlow sofia castee, i-" before colby could finish confessing his feelings once more, harlow pressed her lips against colby's.

in harlow's classical mythology class, they had been learning about soulmates. we are told that humans were born with four legs, four arms, and one head with two faces. zeus feared of the power of these people and split them in half, forcing them to spend the rest of their lives in search of their other half. harlow didn't really believe in the concept of soulmates, but kissing colby made the girl wonder if two people really are made for each other.

harlow felt the tension in her body immediately melt away as colby's hands instinctively wrapped around her waist, bringing her close to his chest. harlow couldn't help but smile into the kiss, making colby smile in return. the two moved in perfect harmony for what felt like an eternity. the two were both so giddy that they couldn't even stop smiling, forcing them to break.

colby didn't want to pull far away from the girl that he had finally gotten so close to. so he pulled her close beside him, nuzzling his head into her hair that smelled of mangos from her shampoo.

"i need to confess my feelings more often, damn," colby breathed.

harlow chuckled, "i mean, i wouldn't mind,"

harlow leaned her body into colby, wanting to keep the contact between the two. she felt oddly safe wrapped under the blanket with colby beside her. her very own haven; a pack of cigarettes, red bulls, a fuzzy blanket, and colby.

i couldn't wait to make this shit happen

they're s'cute 🥺🥺🥺