Million Dollar Man [H.S. AU]

Chapter Twenty-Six

After sometime Andy's sobbing finally seizes. I sit still, her face pressed against my chest with her arms still wrapped tightly around my neck. Part of me thinks it would be a good idea to say something, however the other half knows she'll speak when she's ready. My mind starts to wander and I can't help but be mad her boyfriend. What the fuck could he have done to make her so upset? Last time they got in a fight, she came over, got drunk and we had sex. This was the complete opposite of that night. In fact, this Andy lying in my arms right now is nothing like the Andy I've come to know. He must have done something pretty fucked up to lead her to this state.

I continue to run my hands along her back softly, hopefully comforting her somewhat. After a few moments of this, her head finally moves ever so slightly. I move my face to look down at her. The sight makes my heart drop. Her eyes are even more swollen than when she first arrived. Her face is flushed and stained from her tears, her lips trembling slightly as she looks down.

She must feel my intense gaze because she self consciously raises a hand to her face in attempts of wiping the tears from her face.

"Are you okay?" I ask, the question surprising me as I allow it to escape my lips, immediately regretting them as soon as they slip out. Of course she isn't okay. She wouldn't be crying on my lap if she was.

"My dad got worse." She says, her voice raw and broken as she finally speaks after several minutes of wordless sobbing. Her face holds no emotion but the words hold a great magnitude as they sink in. Andy senior has been sick for months and it's no secret that this moment would come, however there's no way to prepare for this situation even with a "heads up".

Andy junior is currently going through one of the hardest times for a child. Losing a parent, in any sense of the phrase, is the most difficult  situation.

The tragedy of seeing a family member going through pain is the most horrible of experiences and there's no way I would wish that feeling on anyone, not even Andy.

"I'm so sorry." Is all I can manage to say. I know my words mean absolutely nothing but hopefully there's some sort of relief behind them.

She lets out a forced laugh in attempts to relieve the solemn atmosphere as she looks up at me.

"Look at me, crying like an idiot." She breaths out, lifting her hands to her swollen eyes as she wipes the tears from her face.

For some reason the sight of her hands soaked from wiping her own tears made something inside of my snap, and before I could stop myself my hands rise up to her face. I wrap my fingers around her wrists and pulled them away from her face. She looks taken off guard but doesn't stop me as I start wiping her tear stained face with my thumbs.

"You're not an idiot." I mutter, my eyebrows furrowed as I think about how difficult it is to lose a parent. Thoughts of my mom creep into my mind, but I quickly push them away. I instead focus on Andy whose now watching me with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you being nice to me?" She asks, her voice no louder than a whisper. The question surprises me due to the simple fact that I don't think I'm being nice at all, and then I realize Im sitting here with Andy bawling on my lap as I try to quietly comfort her. The idea of me being "nice" makes me slightly angry but then I let out a sigh of defeat as I realize that it really doesn't matter.

I drop my hands from her face and study her expression for a moment. She stares at me with such an intensity that I finally cave under it. I let out another sigh before I decide to finally answer her question.

"I lost my mom.Not in the way you're losing your dad, but she was never there for me growing up." I  decide to say, not going into any more detail about the sob story of having a dead beat mom. Andy watches me with careful eyes, waiting for me to continue my story but I decide that I don't want to tell her anymore that.

"I know what its like to not have someone who means the world to you in your life anymore and I want to do everything I can to make that easier for you." I end by saying. I have no idea where those words came from, or where the hell I learned to become so fucking sappy, but apparently its enough to comfort Andy.

She looks at me with wide eyes, water resurfacing in the corners of her eyes. I begin to panic. I managed to finally make her feel better, and of course I messed up again.

"No no no no no no no, please don't cry!" I try to stop her before its too far gone, but she forces a smile as she shakes her head, raising her hand to her eyes to wipe them again.

"It's not that. It's just that-that I'm glad I have you." She says, smiling at me. Something about the gesture seems so sincere which makes me slightly uncomfortable.The whole situation is too sentimental for me. From the heart to heart with Andy about my mom to all the tears she's cried, the whole predicament has me feeling uneasy. I want to do everything I can to help her, but for my own sanity, I need to lighten the mood at least a little bit. 

In one quick motion, I pick up Andy, throw her over my shoulder and make my way to the stair case. With in seconds, the old Andy is back.

"Harry! Put me down!" She yells in the best authoritative tone she can muster.

A grin creeps upon my face as I ignore her protests while I continue up the stairs. Apparently she doesn't like the fact that I'm not paying attention to her because she balls her hands into fists and starts pounding on my back.

"Put me down!" She yells again, continuously telling me to let go of her even though at this point. I can hear a smile in her voice.

"Will you shut up?" I ask, my voice calm as I make the top of the stairs and start making my way down the hall. She lets out a huff in defeat and I can't help but feel victorious as I open the door to a guest room.

I walk over to the bed and gently set Andy on on top, even though I have a slight urge to just throw her down since she's been so adamant about being put down.

She looks at me for a moment with an arched eyebrow, most likely wondering why I decided to carry her to a guest room.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you go home after you had a mental breakdown at my house. You're obviously not in the right mindset if you decided to come here of all places when you're upset, so you're sleeping here." I elaborate, arms crossed over my chest, waiting for her to fight me on this.

She narrows her eyes before she rolls them. "Whatever." She finally says as she throws her head back into the pillows.

I'm somewhat surprised at how well she's cooperating with me, but I decide to not question it and just count my blessings.

"Is there anything  I can get you? Maybe a change of clothes or something?" I suggest, not entirely sure what I should say.

"I'm good." She replies, her eyes shut as her head faces the ceiling.

I stand there awkwardly for a minute before I decide I should probably go.

"Okay, well good night." I say as I turn on my heel to walk out.

"Wait, Harry?" She asks, causing the weirdest sensation I've ever felt to stir inside my stomach. It almost feels like the when I ride a roller coaster. I hate the feeling but I ignore it as I turn back to face her. She's now sitting up on the bed, staring at me intensely.

"Yeah?" I ask .

"Stay with me." She says. Its not a question, and frankly if it were I don't thank I would be able to say no to her. Not right now atleast.

This is such a bad idea though, and I'n 100% aware of that. Andy is my business partner. I dont do anything with women other than sex. Intamacy is not my thing at all, but the idea of just laying with Andy is so enticing. There is something about just being near her that is inviting and I know that its such a dangerous feeling to have.

I walk towards her, taking off my coat and button down, stripping down to my boxers and under shirt. Andy's eyes don't leave mine as I slide into the bed next to her, her large blue eyes taking in my every movement.

I settle down next to her, staring at her with the same force she's giving me.

"Thank you." She whispers.

I'm not sure if shes referring to the fact that I sat with her and let her cry, or if shes talking about sleeping with her.

"Anytime." I reply, deciding that none of it matters.