Dance with Me [h.s] (Completed)

Chapter 69

"Are you okay?" Harry asks, as he nears me, his eyes scanning my body as if he's going to find injuries.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Did he hurt you?" He holds my shoulders while looking down at my body for any signs that things are amiss. "Touch you? Get angry or physical with you?"

"I said, I'm fine," pushing his hands off my shoulders. "Why are you here?"

"I've been fucking worried! You left with the guy who you just told me that you don't trust. And guess what? I trust him even less than you do! He's dangerous, Ciro! You don't fucking know how dangerous he is. And I've been worried sick ever since the restaurant when I saw you walking away with that asshole after you kissed me."

"You mean after you purposely kissed me just so Adrian would see?!"

He at least has the decency to look like someone caught red handed when I say the words. But his face switches almost immediately to frustrated again.

"Do you not want him to know about us? Do you want him to think that you're single?"

"I am single!"

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. The crushing look on Harry's face is enough to make me wish I could go back in time thirty seconds and take them back. But they're out there now and even if they're true, there was a gentler way to say them that didn't imply that what Harry and I had was nothing.

He stands there staring at me like he doesn't know me and it hurts so badly.

"Harry, I didn't mean..." I start to say but he interrupts me.

"No, stop. I'm sick of the mixed signals. Your words and your actions don't match right now. But I want to be crystal clear with you in case my actions didn't speak loudly enough," he says stepping towards me and taking my hands. I feel goosebumps spread across my skin; it happens every time he touches me. "I'm in love with you, Ciro. And I'll wait for you until you're ready, but not if you're going to start dating someone else while I'm waiting. I won't be able to handle watching that."

I go to speak again and Harry talks before I can get a word in.

"Can I please walk you up to your apartment, so I know you got in safely?" he says calmly, but I hate the dispassionate way it comes out. Instead of arguing with him, I simply nod my head and we begin walking towards the door of my building. Soon, we're in the elevator going silently up and I decide that I would rather have a thousand minutes of awkward sexual tension than one more second of this silence.

When we get to my door, he takes one last look at me before saying, "I'm just glad you're safe," and then turns to leave.

"Harry?" I call to him and he stops. "I'm sorry. I thought I could get more information out of him."

Harry's face doesn't even change as he looks at me. I can tell he doesn't believe that it was a important enough reason to spend time with Adrian.

"For what it's worth, I don't think Adrian is back for revenge. I think it was a good job opportunity for him and it was smart of him to take it."

He nods again solemnly before saying, "We'll see."

And then he turns and he's gone. I stand and stare at his back until he disappears around the corner and into the elevator.

The following morning, I drag myself out of bed after a terrible sleep. I hate fighting with Harry. I especially hate that he thinks I'm giving him mixed signals. And I know he's right. I don't know how to be his friend, but also want him so badly. To know what he tastes like but hold myself back from enjoying it again.