A Compelling Motive (h.s.)

thirteen

"So he might be a bad guy?" Tiana asks, sipping her wine. We're seated at one of our favorite Italian restaurants; my necessity to a girl's night having us drop everything to get seats here.

"That's the thing. I have no idea," I admit. "All the things I found were of the past. His hair was long and he lacked tattoos. It was clearly before what he is today."

I take a drink as soon as I finish, thinking about it all over again. Harry has treated me with nothing but respect and care, but as soon as I look him up, I freak out. I've ruined my thoughts of this man; I know too much.

"You have to admit that he's hot as fuck," she says, causing me to nearly spit out my drink. We are thrown into a fit of laughter and I rest onto her as I laugh. She's right; Harry's so perfectly sculpted.

"T, I know that. He's...perfect," I sigh, knowing the fact. All I have to do is forget about what I read.

A man comes to our area at the bar, handing me a glass of wine. "This is from the man across the bar," he informs me, my head tilting to look across the way. My eyes lock in on the same man from the coffee shop a few days ago, my cheeks betraying me as they flush. His blue eyes lock on me and I'm torn out of my thoughts when Tiana hits my arm.

Quickly, I look at her. "Hey you remember who we were talking about? Yeah, Harry," she sarcastically remarks, and I nod. I don't know what just came over me, so I choose to ignore the glass of Moscato sitting in front of me.

"I saw him at the coffee shop the other day," I tell her, her eyebrow raising. She looks over at him and then back at me, her lips pushed together in a way that signifies that she thinks he's cute.

"Have at him," I tell her, and she just shakes her head.

"I try for that man, who clearly likes you, it will not end well for me," she explains, and I shrug. She wouldn't know unless she tried.

I glance back over to him and I find the seat vacant, only to feel someone walk up behind me. Tiana moves up and walks across the room, winking at me before finding something else to do.

"Hey," I hear, but the man comes to replace where Tiana had sat. His blue eyes contrast his skin so perfectly and I give him a smile.

"Hello. Rhiannon," I say, holding my hand out.

"Jackson," he grins, taking my hand and kissing the back. He's very nice, giving me the attention most women want.

"I couldn't help but notice your blue eyes from across the bar. I couldn't forget eyes like that," he tells me, and I look into his eyes.

"So what is a beautiful girl like yourself doing tomorrow night?" he asks, my stomach twisting. I really don't have plans, but my training at my new job begins in the morning. But I'm not about to do anything that jeopardizes my relationship with Harry. We're exclusive; something we've already talked about.

"Not sure yet," I reply honestly. He gives me a smirk, but strong hands grab my shoulders. The actions cause me to lose my breath and I find myself brought to my feet, tumbling out of the chair.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hear Harry say, his tone harsh. I peer up at the two men and I search around for Tiana. She's at the other side of the restaurant and my attention is diverted back to the men.

"She was sitting here with her friend. Wanted to meet her," Jackson says, Harry's eyes burning a glare into Jackson's eyes.

"Not her. She's taken," Harry says, assuming his words would scare off Jackson. But a scene unfolds before me, unlike anything I've encountered before: two men fighting over me. Dodging away out of fear, I run to Tiana and she grabs my hand.

"Let's get out of here," she suggests and all I can answer her with is a nod.

We manage to get out into the street and she tugs me towards the direction of her apartment. Our heels click against the sidewalk and I wrap my arms around myself, feeling cold.

"I think it's safe to say Harry is...protective," she remarks, and I find myself uneasy at how he appeared out of nowhere. It fears me that he's stalking me. I've noticed it before. It's a thought that's been jumbled in my mind for a while, but now it's growing increasingly more evident.

"Rhiannon!"

Tiana looks at me and I find myself unable to turn around, my thoughts paralyzing me. How is it possible that he was there right when a man started to talk to me? It doesn't make sense.

"Do you want me to give you two privacy?" she asks, and I nod. She whispers to call her when this is over and she walks to her building.

Heavy breathing and loud footsteps run towards me, Harry moving in front of me to grasp my arms. His eyes meet mine and he looks nervous, fearful that he's been caught for doing something. But he moves to stand straight, removing his jacket and wrapping it around me. Once on, he keeps hold to connect the two sides to fully envelope me into the warm confines.

"You're following me," I breathe out, his firm gaze focused on me. I can tell he's trying to think of a justification, but I can't imagine what it may be. My breath is visible in the cool air, my body kept in his jacket.

"I want to keep you safe," he simply states, and I shake my head.

"Then you need to trust me," I tell him, beginning to feel uneasy about him following me. This may not be safe for me if I stay in this relationship. If he can't trust me, then there is no relationship. And if this continues happening, then I can't trust him.

"I do," he sighs, "but it's people like him I don't trust."

My lip is drawn between my teeth and he leans back up, moving his arms around me. "How did you find me?" I wonder, so nervous as to what he's doing. He could be tracking me, following me, anything really.

"I was outside your house, and when you left, I went to the restaurant. All I wanted was to see you, darling," he says, and I push my body away from his.

"Then tell me that. Tell me you want to see me and I'll see you," I almost yell, frustrated he can't act normally. This isn't a normal relationship, because he's not necessarily a normal person, but he at least needs to understand where I'm coming from.

"Tell me that you want to go out. Tell me you want to see me. Just tell me if you want to come over to kiss me or to eat dinner, just don't follow me. It's like you're stalking me," I stress, his eyes watching as I unfold. But he seems to be triggered by the last thing I said.

"I'm not stalking you," he says harshly, and I look at him. His eyes lock on mine and I just shake my head.

"You give me nothing else to believe!" I raise my voice, his body standing tall in front of me.

"Rhiannon, I don't know how to be in a relationship. Frankly I haven't been in one in almost seven years. I try to control everything in my life, and the one thing I can't control is you. I know that I can't control you," he replies, and I hate the excuse.

"Just because you haven't been in a relationship in a while, doesn't mean you have the right to follow me Harry," I explain, and he runs his fingers through my hair. He's never had to deal with this type of confrontation before; clearly not something he knows how to handle.

"Just talk to me, Harry. Please," I sigh, his hands moving to grab the edges of his jacket again. I feel him leans his forehead on mine; the action making me close my eyes.

"I've never tried so hard to please anyone before," he admits to me, and I move my head onto his shoulder.

"Just understand that I can't have you following me all the time. I know you want me safe, but I need you to trust me. If you can't trust me, then I can't trust you," I tell him, his head leaning on mine. His hands stay against my chest in an attempt to keep the jacket closed to ensure optimal warmth. He makes it so hard to be mad. The comfort he brings eases me out of frustration so easily. It's the lingering thoughts that stay in my mind that bring me back to reality.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you, darling."

Though his words are meant to assure me, a sense of fear almost comes to the surface instead. I don't know what impact those words acquire, but there could always be an ulterior motive attached to them.

And that fact scares me.