Dead Flowers | H.S.

Chapter Twelve

Staring into space, I waited to feel the bed dip beside me, waited for his warmth to settle in my bones. Yet, it did not. Harry was standing near the door to his bedroom as I laid in his bed, nude, cocooned in his fluffy, yellow comforter.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" I whispered, still not peeling my eyes away from the dust particles floating about the air.

"We need to have a chat."

Finally, I wandered over to him and saw that he wore a look of seriousness. His eyes were hard, dark emerald and lacking any sort of density. Yet, his mouth carried the small smile of the man I knew and loved. He stood tall, rooted into his place liken old oak tree, except his branches were strictly in front of his chest, crossed.

"What shall we chat about, then?"

"You're not very nice to yourself."

I stared at him blankly.

"Elaborate."

He scoffed, pushed his chestnut hair to the top of his head. Leaning back, he pressed his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Why are you so aggravated?"

"Because you're aggravating, Jane."

I sat up, holding the covers to my chest. My heart thumped quickly in my chest, so quickly that I felt it rising in my throat.

He was not the same man he was two hours ago, the one who carefully slipped off the dress I had bloodied.

"C'mon, let's take a shower, love."

For the second time that morning, him and I were in the shower again, this time in his tiny shower that was meant for half a person. It was so small that we had to take turns going under the water, but he let me stand under it for a long time, let the water wash away the blood caking the back of my thighs.

The storm raging on had died down just enough to let a bit of sun shine through the gray clouds. The tiny window above his shower cast upon us weakly, making Harry smile as he stood outside of the water, hair drenched and hanging over his eyes. He was trying not to shiver, I knew.

"Feels good, huh?"

I tilted my chin to the ceiling and stared at the water stains above the shower.

"Yes, it does feel good."

Instead of arguing with him, I shut my mouth. The smile that always found my lips made its presence known. Although tears were filling my eyes, my smile was wide.

Harry said nothing as he stared at me, studied my expression, analyzing my behavior. Sunshine peeked through his curtains and blinded him until he stepped away from it, eyes still narrowed at me.

"You're aggravating because you never stand up for yourself. You're always polite when something doesn't go your way. You treat yourself like shit, Jane, and you left someone because they treated you like shit. Tell me what you see wrong there," he started finally, arms firmly over his chest, "because I see a lot wrong there."