Dark.

50. chapter fifty.

The sheets were still in a mess on top of the mattress, evidence of Harry's sudden departure before opening the door to his unexpected guests. Even with my swirling thoughts, his scent still infiltrated my conscious, comfort and temptation all pleasingly rolled into one.

"Bo, it's fine."

"No." I shot up. "It's not fine, we were just outted by your sister in front of your mum. It's not a great first meeting."

Why was he not feeling the same sense of guilt I was? My hands were taken, hoisting me up from the mattress. A kiss pressed to my cheek as I frowned into our hug. The gesture put me somewhat at ease.

"You don't need to worry." He smiled in reassurance. "I'm going for a shower; give you a chance to talk to them."

Harry then continued in his quest to find some clean clothes. A grey t-shirt was picked up only for it to be dropped back to the floor after Harry sniffed at the fabric. I followed him around the bed.

"On my own? About what?" I anxiously interrogated.

"I don't know, girly stuff." He spoke, rummaging around in a drawer. "Women always find something to talk about."

"I think that generalisation is a little wide."

"Bo, they're not going to bite."

Harry turned when he failed to receive the laugh he was hoping for, peering at me for a few moments before closing the space between us. My cheek was cupped when I refrained from eye contact.

"They're going to love you." Our noses rubbed. "Because I love you."

It was obvious that the phrase was still a little foreign to us; the quiet words still erupting butterflies in my stomach. I reciprocated the affection, voicing my feelings for Harry, causing him to grin.

"Right, go on." He spoke, spinning me around and lightly smacking my backside.

My harsh stare was met with a mocking pout to his lips. Harry winked before humming as he made his way to the bathroom. It only took a few minutes to make myself a more presentable, finding some clothes that I had left at his place from previous visits. The shirt remained, but it was paired with a vest top underneath. My hair was left in my messy pony tail. Until I had a shower there wasn't much I could do about it. Jeans were just about wriggled up my legs before there was a knock at the door. There was little delay, Jess appearing in the doorway. She seemed to disregard my flustered state, moving forwards into Harry's room as if it were her own.

"We thought you were hiding from us." She laughed. "Come on."

With that my hand was taken in hers and I was guided back down the hall to where Harry's mum was still sat on the sofa.

***

It was strange, despite the limited amount of time we had had together I felt at ease. Kathy had a much quieter nature compared to Jess, whose hands were constantly gesturing in the air as she spoke. I had learnt that Jess wasn't one to be concerned with what people thought, and I admired that about her. But I had a feeling Harry would have attempted to tame that side of her when they were younger, perhaps being embarrassed by his sister's forwardness.

As I witnessed the interaction in front of me, I came to recognise certain familiar characteristics, both in physical features and personality. It was clear where Harry had inherited his dark, curly hair from, his mother's longer and obviously more styled. He also shared the same flare I could see within Jess, their sense of humour a firm match as she laughed, tucking her legs up underneath her on the sofa.

I sat and listened to the amusing stories being told at Harry's expense. At times they had me spluttering out the water I drank to wash down my toast which I ate on the sofa opposite the two women. They had politely refused the cup of tea, minus the milk, I had offered them. It seemed both were content with just sitting and conversing, about what I did, what I wanted to do in the future. But the discussion soon made a turn back to Harry.