#outlet

[2] if you haven’t read it yet

In the car, silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the soft music playing from the speakers. Harry's hand rested on the gear shift, occasionally brushing against Y/N's knee when he changed gears. She stared out the window, hyper-aware of every movement, every breath.

After about five minutes of this awkwardness, Harry suddenly burst out:

"For God's sake. We've fucked before. We should be able to have a conversation."

Y/N choked on air, her head whipping toward him. A laugh escaped her throat, surprised and genuine, before she dissolved into full-blown laughter. The tension shattered like glass.

Harry joined in, his own laughter filling the car.

"I'm sorry," he said between laughs, "but this is mental. We're sitting here like teenagers on prom night when I've literally had my face between your—"

"Okay! Okay!" Y/N interrupted, still giggling. "Point made."

"Thank fuck," Harry said, grinning as he glanced at her. "Thought I was going to have a panic attack from the silence. Was seriously considering just listing off everything I know about you to break the ice."

"Oh really?" Y/N challenged, finally relaxing into her seat. "Go on then. What do you know about me?"

Harry's eyes lit up at the challenge.

"You take your coffee with two sugars and a splash of milk. You always eat lunch at 12:30, never earlier, never later. You tap your pen against your desk when you're thinking. You hate small talk but love deep conversations about random shit like whether aliens exist or what happens after death."

Y/N blinked, genuinely surprised. "You do pay attention."

"Told you I did," Harry said. "You also bite your bottom lip when you're nervous, which you're doing right now, by the way."