The Artist

Chapter Thirty Seven

HARRYS POV

Thanks the Lord above, Don is gone. But so is Ellen.

In a moment of sheer terror, my heart leaps and I scan around the living room and kitchen... Until I hear a muffled sniffle coming from my bedroom.

I open the door to see her sitting on my bed with her back against the headboard.

Her knees are tucked up and her head is tucked in.

Her back shakes slightly as she cries. Oh god.

"Ellen, what's wrong?" I rush to her side, putting my hands on her. She pushes me away, looking up with glossy red eyes that break my heart.

"What's wrong?" She scoffs in disbelief. "What aren't you telling me?! Harry you scared the life out of me for what? An old man? What are you afraid of, what aren't you telling me?!" She raises her voice, beforehand collapsing into a sob.

Against her struggling, I manage to pull her into my arms and hold her.

"I love you so much." She says, with an almost resentful tone of voice, as if I made her and now she wishes it wasn't so. "Like I've never loved anyone before. So much... I'll love you through anything." She whispers, shaking with tears.

"Look at me." I pull her face up to meet mine. "I love you back. So much it scares me. And I worry if I tell you some things, you'll leave. Like Don, he's not a good guy at all despite what you think." I breathe and she starts listening.

"That's not enough." She says more surely of herself.

"When my parents died, I got involved with some shitty people and occasionally, he still checks up on me, even though I'm not involved anymore... He still scares me though, I saw him beat the living daylights out of this boy before when I was young, it scared me then and it scares me now. I just didn't want you to have to ever meet him. Ok."

"Ok. Ok." She sighs. "You promise it's behind you now?" She asks and I nod. Lies. The voice in the back of my head resonates through me.

Eventually, she lets me lay her down. Tucking her into the covers, I lay in beside her. Even if I never get sleep, I'd rather be laying her with her.

She grasps my t-shirt with her small hands, pulling herself as close into me as possible. Clinging to me with all she has.

"You know, since you've been laying with me, I actually sleep sometimes. I sleep sound, no bad dreams. No cold sweats. I have to put that up to you, Ellen." I breathe out something I've been thinking about for a long time. But when I look down, she's lightly snoring.

Way to ruin a moment Ellen. I smile and kiss her forehead, as if pulling her worries and nightmares out of her and taking them on as my own burdens.

I never ever believed in love or any of that soppy shit until her. But this isn't love, it's something else. Something more than that.

If I had any balls, any courage and any common sense, I would've quit while I was ahead a long time ago. Now I lie to her almost every day. She's in danger, but I can protect her. I know I can. It's my job now. I fucked up. I fell in love with her in. I didn't know she would be like this. Jesus, I chose who I thought would be the most boring and unloveable applicant for the job. I didn't know, I couldn't have seen it coming.

It's not my fault...

A/N: DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA. Lads sorry for not updating in forever I wasn't feeling really good for a while and I wasn't up to writing but I'm back and we are literally 3 chapters away from shit going down and then I'm not quite sure how long's left till the end but.... Dan Dan dannnnnnnn

-C