Innocence Lost (Official)

Chapter 8

I rolled my eyes. "How ironic," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Hey."

I looked back at him again, but this time it was in the typical "I'm bored, so I'm just going to drag my head and my eyes to look at you" teenage way. His expression was one hundred percent stern and he spoke again. "I'm serious, Laney. Sex," he said the word pointedly, probably intending to make me blush, "isn't anything you're ready for." He turned and tossed the condom at what I'm guessing was a garbage bin. "So don't participate, okay?"

He had lost my attention and so I was now playing with the comforter's plush edges; therefore what happened next was uncalled for. The comforter was snatched off me, leaving me cold, and Harry grabbed my wrists. He pulled me up to my feet and I squealed in shock as anxiety once again crept up on me. I looked up at him incredulously and was smart enough to actually stabilize myself on my legs instead of letting myself hang. He held my wrists and then stared directly into my eyes.

"You are to listen to me when I speak to you, Lanaura," he said lowly.

I nodded hurriedly and bit my lip feeling tears spring to my eyes. I felt the more inferior side of me come forward as I said, "I-I didn't mean to upset you, Harry."

His breathing slowed and then the frown in his brow seemed to fade away as his expression became more sympathetic. "Hey," he said softly. He let go of my hands and said, "Don't cry." I wiped my face and he pulled me into him for a surprising hug, sitting down so I was set in his lap. "I'm sorry," he told me. I would've shook my head, but I didn't know exactly what activated these apparent mood swings. He pressed his chin on top of mine so my forehead was to his chin and said, "I'm sorry, Lanaura, I really am. I didn't mean to upset you, either," he apologized genuinely. "I really am sorry," he kept repeating and I was left to confuse myself over how exactly Harry's mind works. "I just- I have a bad temper at times over certain sensitive subjects," he murmured into my hair. I remembered the morning before when he had thrown Sasha out of the room she tried to do Lord only knows to me and nearly shuddered at the memory, glad that he has yet to show that amount of anger towards me.

I sniffled. "So is sex a sensitive subject for you?" I asked, laughing a little.

He chuckled quietly and then said. "No." his hands continued to play with my hair and I think I heard him say in a hushed and thoughtful murmur, "I think it's just you are."

-

Once again Harry was sat in the car driving on the way to the mall with Laney and the other girls. Laney once again was quiet and just in her own world, but he began to notice something he hadn't paid much mind to before. Laney was usually at constant movement. In addition to that there was something very shy about her that was maybe just how she was.

"Laney?" he said to her, keeping his eyes on the road once again. He had to allow his peripheral vision to monitor her.

At the sound of his voice speaking her name she straightened her back. "Huh?" she answered intelligently.

Harry bit back a laugh. "You... You for some reason always look like..." He shrugged. "I don't know." I glanced at her. "Nervous."

Laney's eyebrows rose, but she knew exactly what he was talking about. She looked down at her lap and awkwardly chuckled. She stuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I, uh, sort of have social anxiety?" The statement was more or less stated like a question and Harry's interest was piqued along with confusion.

"Sort of?"

Laney pushed her hair out of her face. "My psychiatrist said it wasn't strong enough that I should look into medication, but I had to do counseling and they put me in these stupid social classes." The last part was spoken quietly so Harry didn't hear. "Or whatever the fuck they were called."