Strawberries and Cigarettes ~ {h.s au}

chapter forty

~Harry~

The silence in the air grew thicker as the four of them gathered around Louis' kitchen table like they had been what seemed like yesterday. Although it had been about two weeks since the quartet had last seen each other, no one knew exactly what to say until Marley was the first to break the silence.

"I'm calling this off."

Harry turned his head to look at her, his hand placed on her lap hidden from the other two as she laced her fingers with his. He looked at her with wide eyes, trying to control the feeling running through his veins at the dominance she was presenting, one that had his mind running wild.

As he looked at Marley, his mind became cloudy with memories of them sitting on the window sill just a few hours prior, telling her about the fears that had been engraved into his brain for the past few days.

"Marley," he called out quietly, causing the girl to pick her head up from off of his shoulder. "I don't think I can do this anymore, work for Dean."

She sighed for a moment, staring out at the sky as she turned towards him, "You don't have to, Harry. We will figure something out, don't worry. I promise it'll be over soon."

"But if I stop then he'll hurt you blue," he confessed, shaking his head at the mere thought of her in the palm of Dean's torturous hands.

"I can't keep watching you hurt yourself, Harry," she whispered, bringing his face into her hands as she stared deeply into his eyes. "None of this is worth it if you lose yourself to save me."

"There isn't much of me to lose, baby."

She shook her head, bringing her lips over his as she placed a toe curling kiss to his lips. He hummed in response, wrapping his hand around her hair. Loving the feeling of his fingertips getting lost in her soft, brown waves. He pulled her close, feeling as though no one in the world will ever make him feel the way she does.

She pulled apart from him, placing one more kiss to his lips before saying, "I wish with everything inside of me that you could see what I see when I look at you. Maybe then you would realize how much you have to lose, how much it hurts when you say things like that."

"I'm trying," he said, pulling her closer as the smell of strawberries and vanilla overwhelmed his senses. "I swear blue, I am."

"I know," she giggled, holding tight as she smiled. "And I'm so proud of you, Harry."

He pulled away from her, the smile on his face not being to stay away for too long at the sight of her blue eyes and hair flowing freely as a small gust of wind consumed the two. "It makes me really happy when you say that."

She smiled widely at the confession, grabbing his face once more as she peppered kisses to his cheeks, lips, and nose. He laughed as he pulled away from her, kissing her soft lips once again as she smiled within it, causing one to form on his face too.