How It's Going To Be [h.s.]

Chapter 49

{Harry's Point of View}

I opened the door to our shared suite cautiously. The space was unnervingly silent. My breathing stopped and I strained to hear any noise—any indication that Kate was here and that she was alright. I felt strangely anxious to see her. Eli had explained what he knew of the attack, but he was unsure of what happened to Kate before he got to her. That left several minutes unaccounted for where Kate was left alone with a violent stranger. Nerves racked my body.

I crept through the seating area of the suite and paused outside the bedroom. The door was left ajar with just enough room for me to peer through and see Kate. She was lying on her side facing the wardrobe positioned against the wall. A bedside lamp was pouring a small amount of muted light over her shaking frame. I knocked on the door and she didn't even look up.

"Hi," I breathed. She gave no response. She just flinched at my words. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she whispered.

Somewhere deep inside of myself, I felt a small sense of relief. If I could get her talking, maybe I could get an indication of how to help her. I padded across the bedroom toward the bed. She was lying on the right, which was normally my side of the bed.

"Are you hungry?"

"No," her voice quivered. Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes grew glassy.

"Hey," I sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "Shhh, no, don't do that. Don't cry. I'm here."

She closed her eyes just as a tear escaped. My heart wrenched in my chest. Most times I was confident seeing her in pain was worse than the pain she actually felt, but I didn't know what she was feeling. I didn't know what she had gone through. I didn't know what he had done to her. I felt sick at the thought.

"Could I get you tea?"

"No," she whispered. Her eyes were shut tightly with her eyebrows drawn together in a pained expression. If only she would let me kiss away the pain...

"There's a private courtyard out back. We could go sit outside for a bit. You could get some fresh air."

"No," she cringed.

"Okay. We'll stay in."

She sniffed and wiped her tears with the back of her hand lazily. She looked worn out from the day. Whatever terror she had endured earlier wasn't leaving her alone.

After several long minutes of silence, I got up and walked around to the other side of the bed. It felt foreign having Kate on my left instead of on my right. I turned the bedside table off and sighed into the silence. I wasn't tired at all. I had spent the day hoping Kate and I could have alone time together to talk and watch a film. I had envisioned doing something normal, but that hope disappeared the moment she walked in with that handprint on her dress.

With my phone switched to silent, it didn't even vibrate to notify me of a new text message.

Liam: We're on our way up to your suite. We want to see Kate (not you).

I typed a quick response.

Me: Don't come up. Something's happened. Kate is really upset.

Liam: Everything okay?

Me: Honestly don't know. She needs space tonight. You can see her in the morning before she leaves.

Liam: Hope everything turns out fine.

I put my phone on the bedside table. I quieted myself as much as possible to be able to hear Kate's breathing. It was slow and steady. She still faced away from me. I watched her shoulder rise and fall in time with gentle breaths. She was definitely asleep.