Nothing [Harry Styles AU] - DISCONTINUED

thirty five

Harry's POV

It was kind of surreal to wake up to Eve sleeping beside me, my legs, still surprisingly, were hooked amongst hers, and my arm was still slung over her waist. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, like nothing could ever phase or bother her, something that I wish was true. Her eyelids moved gently whilst she dreamed, and she drew dazed breathes through her slightly parted lips.

It was a pretty sight, this was something that I had been imagining for a while. Everything I had visualized in my head about waking up next to her almost fit the exact same scene that was right in front of me, save for Alice curled up against my chest in between us.

She nuzzled against my skin, stirring awake from sleep and blinking her eyes open. She stretched out a lazy grin, one I returned almost instantly at the sight of that dimple popping into her cheek, and she brought her fists up to help wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning baby, sleep well?" I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Hmm," she hummed dozily, turning her head to find that Eve was still sleeping. "Should we wake up Evie?"

"No, she wasn't feeling too well yesterday, let's let her sleep in for a bit," I suggested, Alice nodding in assent. I pulled the covers off us smoothly, the cold air enveloping us and making us both shiver. Alice crawled off the bed and jumped to the ground, letting out a yawn and stretching her limbs.

"Go put your slippers on and meet me in the kitchen," I ordered, patting her bum playfully. She sent me a scowl over her shoulder before walking slowly out of my room, sleep still clouding her movements.

It was a regular thing for Alice to sleep with me these days, since she was at that stage where she would have nightmares and be too scared to sleep. It was nothing I couldn't handle, because it was nice to be able to share my bed with somebody, even if it meant with my own daughter. She was very good at cuddling, and was very warm too despite her being so small, so I wasn't complaining.

I shuffled over the bed to Eve's side, trying not to wake her as I leant down to press my lips to her temple. I tucked the covers around her snuggly, smoothing back the hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear. The smallest of a smile quirked at her lips whilst she slept, and I couldn't help but think that my touch was what had put it there.

***

Exercise was one of those stress relievers that I had managed to maintain in my life. Apart from sex, which had become a lingering non-existent component in my life after my relationship with Eve, exercise was something that was available to me nearly every minute of every day. I had a treadmill and some other equipment set up in the room next to my study, and there was a gym on the 8th floor in my work building, so it was always accessible whenever need be.

It was scary just how much I relied on Eve these days. Work was tiring, and with the rebranding of my company and the added stress of taking care of Alice and making sure she was okay, sometimes I just needed someone to look after me. There were countless times when I wished she was around to comfort me or to just hold me when I was having one of these moments, and seeing her only once or twice a week wasn't exactly cutting it for me.

It was never meant to be like this, that I relied on her so much that it actually hurt when I needed her and she wasn't here. There were times I'd wake up in the middle of the night, cold and alone in my bed, in need of any type of affection that I knew she'd be willing to give me if she were with me.

Sweat dripped from my body once I managed to clear my head and turn the treadmill off, the loud hum of the machinery stopping in turn for me to hear my own ragged breathes escaping my tight chest. I moved my feet to the stands whilst the belt below me came to a halt, my arms slung loosely over the padded handles as I tried to regain a steady breathing pattern.