Doctor's Orders

24. Anxiety

I defied Harry and his insistence that I not worry about him. He was having a hard time getting his responsibilities balanced; maybe it was just too much for him, but since when did that matter? Both by his choice, and by the demands of the administration, he would never relinquish this responsibility. It meant too much to him. But I hoped he would learn to process the stress in a healthy way, since what I was seeing was completely the opposite of healthy. Between the occasional late-night imbibing, not getting enough sleep, and being more crotchety at work than usual, it was taking a toll on him. He had snapped at me more than once, and I forgave him, knowing his circumstances. But he had already made a few enemies at work, and that was definitely not the best situation for him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" I asked him as he lounged on my bed, watching me fold t-shirts and shorts. I was leaving for home in a few hours, but my offer was completely sincere, even if I'd have to wait til morning for Harry to be ready. "My parents have a beautiful location out in the country. Serene, breezy, and of course, I'll be there. What more could you want?" I shrugged my shoulder to my cheek, playing the flirt.

"It does sound fantastic, Ell, but I am swamped. I would just be working on this stuff there, and I'd probably drag you down instead of being able to go out and have fun with you." He gave me a little puppy dog face and I couldn't resist climbing over my suitcase to plant a kiss on his ruby lips. Pulling away swiftly intending to return to my packing, Harry grasped both arms and hauled me back to him, situating my body over his. 

"Not so fast," he grinned. "If I have to go four days without you, then I'm stocking up before you leave."

"Stocking up?" 

"On these," he said, pressing his lips to mine and going right for the tongue tangle. One of his hands slipped into my hair, holding my head firmly in place so that I couldn't have escaped his mouth even if I wanted to. The other hand clasped low on my back, squeezing my hips against his. I slowly spread my legs and planted my knees on either side of his hips, enjoying the increasing pressure between mine and his. I rolled them back and forth a little as we kissed and he moaned into my mouth, a sound that went straight through me. However, delightful the situation was, I had to leave soon and our delicious kisses had gone on for far too long, so I finally had to squirm my way out of his grasp. 

Pouting like a small child, he grumbled, "I wasn't finished yet." 

"I want to get on the road before five. I want to beat rush hour out of Chicago, and I hate driving in the dark. Besides, don't you have work to do?" 

Continuing with the child-like pout, he muttered, "Sure, rub it in."

I had opened my windows about half an hour before I arrived home, to let the soft country breeze swoop in to refresh me. There was nothing in the world like driving up to my parents' house in the summer time. A wave of homesickness hit me, even as I shifted into park. I felt I'd been away for too long.