The Side Affects

Chapter Thirty Seven

-Niall's POV-

Waking up alone after remembering parts of my fight that happened last night was not what I had wanted. It made me frantic that Christine left, angry at me, to go and cool off and spend more time with... Harry.

It's not that I hate him, because I could never hate one of my best mates. But Christine and I were going through a rough patch right now and with Harry being here gives us less chance to sit down alone and sort it out. We worked it out on the yacht because the crew on there were there to do their job; Harry's here for practically shits and giggles.

So pulling my white V-neck shirt over my head and tutting it over my stomach, I came to my feet and left my room. My heart was racing nervously like you wouldn't believe and I didn't have a clue why. Looking through the living room and having a glance at the balcony, I couldn't see Christine. Fuck, she better not have repeated the shit that put us on a bad note in the first place.

"Hey!" I heard a familiar voice followed by a light laugh before giving finding myself driven towards it. Reaching the kitchen, I peeked into the room to see Christine standing behind the stove cooking something while Harry smiled playfully beside her. He then pulled out the spatula from his hand and hit her across the ass as she jumped and away his arm.

He threw his head back laughing as Christine rolled her eyes smiling. Though I wasn't fucking smiling. He just hit my girlfriend on the ass with a cooking utensil; he was fucking flirting with Christine.

"Morning." I decided to let the pair know I was here as I held back my growl coming into the kitchen. Harry looked over at me panicked for a few seconds before putting the spatula back onto the bench. Christine looked over wearily but nevertheless, smiled at me. I didn't like this. That they were alone together with fucking smiles all round, but when it came to me everything was suddenly awkward.

"Morning Niall." Christine flipped the cooking food and I looked Harry up and down which obviously had made him uncomfortable.

Good.

"You weren't there when I woke up." I mumbled coming behind Christine and wrapping my arms around her. My lips kissed her shoulder as my arms tightened around her torso.

"I didn't want to wake you." She whispered. Almost like she was fragile with picking the right words to say to me. With a kiss to the neck, I put my hands on her hips and watched her cook up the now visible pancakes.

I hope Harry was watching us right now; how I was holding her and how she was letting me. Christine was mine and I would fight off every male that would challenge to think otherwise.

Making sure Harry was seeing what was displayed before him, I leant back and looked over at him to see his eyes awkwardly staring at the ground. "Baby," Christine caught my attention again as I smiled inwardly at the way she addressed me, "can you set up the table for breakfast?" I pouted and ran my hands up her back as I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"Harry can do it." She put more pancakes onto a plate beside the stove before turning and raising an unimpressed eyebrow at me. "What? He can do it; right Harry?"

"Yeah, ok." Harry mumbled stepping away from us as Christine looked over at him.

"Harry, you don't need to-"

"It's alright Christine; I want to." He forced a smile and looked through cabinets to take out what we needed for breakfast. Christine tensed in my hold but I didn't my arms away from her. I'm marking what's mine and Harry damn well knows that.

I love Christine and we've been through too much for him to start thinking he can intervene.

He thinks his intensions are under the radar from me; that I don't know what's going on. But I know. I know very damn well what's going on. All the texts and calls he gives Christine; all the alone time they spent together, all the bonding he thinks he can hide from me. Harry Styles likes my girlfriend but I'm going to let him know that she's off limits. That this one girl that he has his eye on is not available.

"I love you." I whispered to Christine and watched her step away to the sink. As she grabbed a wash cloth from the sink, she turned right back into my chest as I trapped her between me and the bench.

"Niall-"

"I love you Christine." I pushed again and watched her falter as I leant down and kissed her nose.

"I love you too Niall." She replied which I was more than happy with. Christine tilted her head up and gave my lips a quick kiss; I hummed wanting more though she dodged me and made her way back over to the food. "Can't let them burn can I?" With a small smile thrown my way, I bit my lip and tapped her behind before leaving the room to find Harry.