Evening the Score // Book One

Chapter 32

Connection. Actual physical contact. Elena's tears were still there but for a completely different reason now.

Harry squeezed her ass, pulling her up onto her tiptoes as he turned them around and lowered her onto the bed, keeping their mouths fused together. Elena tipped her head up while he peppered kisses down her jawline and neck. The heavy weight of his body on top of hers was exactly what she needed to feel.

She ghosted her fingers up and down his sides, smiling to herself when she felt him shiver. Despite all the issues between them, she could still make him feel like this and it was the best feeling in the world.

Harry threaded his fingers through hers and secured her hands under his. He needed this. He needed the tie to her again. It would fix everything between them wouldn't it? If he made love to her right now, in his childhood bedroom with his whole family downstairs? He could forgive her. He could let go of his anger and resentment.

He pulled his lips from her neck, his forehead pressing against her shoulder while he heaved in deep breaths.

He could forgive her.

Elena's eyes opened as she focused on the ceiling above her and blinked. Her chest was also heaving. What was happening?

Harry's eyes closed for a moment. For all his assurances to himself that he could come away from this moment, after having made love to her and go back to the way things were, he knew he couldn't.

He pushed himself up onto his hands, his eyes staring down at her,

"I'm sorry." He apologized before he pushed back and stood up.

Elena stayed lying on the bed. She took deep, shaky breaths as she tried to keep a handle on her emotions. But it was no use. Tears slid down the side of her face.

Harry's shoulders slumped. He leaned forward to grab his clothes off of the bed, taking one more look at her before he walked into the bathroom.

Elena covered her eyes with her hands and burst into uncontrollable, silent sobs.

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Elena got herself dressed and presentable once Harry left the room. She could do nothing to hide her red, puffy eyes so she would just have to explain that the allergies were doing her in even though she didn't have any.

Elena felt like the already thin thread she was holding onto was unraveling quickly. She'd been so close to getting back everything she needed, only to have it ripped from her again. It was more than she could take.

Being this fragile, this emotional and unstable was not something Elena knew. Elena's only love had been soccer and soccer wasn't emotional. It was balanced and easy. Soccer was there whether she paid attention to it or not. Soccer was what she knew.

All of this. All of the turmoil, all of the drama was never something Elena had dealt with before. And it was quickly becoming clear she wasn't good at it.

Elena wasn't good at relationships. Which is probably why she'd been single for so long. It hurt to admit that. But there it was.

Elena was unable to split her focus between soccer and the man she loved. It was one or the other. And because of that, she'd hurt the only thing she never wanted to hurt for anything.

Elena stepped down into the kitchen, her heart swelling when the sounds of Harry's family laughing entered her ears. This family was also something she'd never experienced. She so wanted to be a part of all of this, but Harry's continued stonewalling was a good indication she never would be. Even if Gemma and Anne both wanted her to be.