The train ride to Scarsdale took a little over three hours for me to arrive to Harry's hometown. The relief I felt when the train slowed to pull up to the platform was immediate and I stood, stretching my arms over my head. The ride hadn't been too bad, and I'd sit through it again if it meant I could avoid my dad driving me here. When I mentioned I was leaving early to come visit Harry, he wasn't too happy and had been against me leaving the family early. I guess my mom felt guilty for everything that went down with Karley, because she was able to talk my dad into being okay with me coming. Though, after he said he wanted to drive me here himself, that had started a whole other argument. It took a lot of convincing, but he relented when I pointed out it would take over an hour to get here by car, and another back. It seemed the very picnic I wanted to avoid, saved me from an awkward introduction between Harry and my dad.
I hike my duffel bag higher on my shoulder as I make my way through the station. I'd texted Harry before my stop to let him know I was minutes away from reaching my destination. His reply was immediate to let me know he was already waiting for me in the parking lot right off of the ramp. I feel nerves gathering at the thought of seeing him again, even though it's only been a short number of days since we last saw each other. I feel giddy, and slightly nervous. I don't know if that's something I should worry about but I'm too busy with these feelings to over analyze them.
As I round the corner of the station and into the lot, I'm momentarily distracted by the old buildings that surround the street. It reminded me of old German architecture that it almost felt as if I were in a whole different country as opposed to New York. My home town wasn't a poor neighborhood but in comparison to this...it was dull.
"Avri."
My head turns so fast at the sound of my name I think I may have given myself whiplash. Eyes darting briefly around the lot, they catch on Harry standing on the sidewalk just feet away. He grins wide when we make eye contact, his hands buried into the pockets of his dark blue jeans. The sweatshirt under his coat clings to his pecs and I can't stop myself from flinging myself at him once I'm close enough. His scent-, vanilla, amber, and something just pure masculine engulfs my nostrils. I inhale like a freak, arms tightening around his shoulders as he lifts me off the ground, chest rumbling in a deep chuckle.
"Are you smelling me?"
"You always smell good. I missed it."
"I missed you." His voice is gentle and low, deep in my ear. I feel his lips graze my neck before he lightly kisses me there. Turning my head, I meet his gaze and match the grin on his lips.
"I missed you too."
He leans in and presses a long kiss to my lips, arms around my waist hugging me to him so tight I don't think it's possible for me to get any closer. He tastes like mint and cookies, that a moan involuntarily slips from me and he laughs against my mouth. I pull back with a glare before he sets me back on my feet, arms still holding me to him. I play with the curls at the nape of his neck that peek out of the faded pink beanie on his head.
"Maybe we should save that for later." He says and I laugh, playfully punching his shoulder before bending to pick up my bag I dropped on the floor. Harry takes my bag from me, swinging the strap over his shoulder and intertwining his fingers with mine. "How was the train ride?"
"Long, but uneventful. I was reading a book on my phone and listening to music."
"Yeah? What book?"
I blush hard as I follow him to the car and look at the buildings as we pass them. "Just a fanfic."
"Why are you blushing about it?"
"I'm not." I blush harder, ears turning red and Harry is laughing out loud now.
"You are. Was it pretty steamy?"
"So steamy." I admit and begin to tell him the plot of the book as we make it to the car. I slip into the passenger seat and as the minutes pass and we make it further into town, I lose focus of the conversation. I'm taking in my surroundings, thinking about how Harry spent half his teenage years here and how this place helped shape him. We pass an ice cream shop that seems pretty busy even at this time of year, but I'm picturing Harry there with a group of friends in high school. He strikes me as being one of the cool kids.
"Who else did you hangout with in high school? Do you still keep in touch with anyone else besides Liam?" I ask, suddenly wanting to know about his life here. I only know the Harry he is now and parts of his past but it dawns on me that I know very little about the days he spent here.
"I came here my Junior year, kind of late to really find a 'crowd' but I had a group I stuck with during my last two years of school. Liam obviously was part of it, but no, I don't exactly keep in touch with them anymore."
He sounds a little bitter about it and I look over to see his lips are pressed into a flat line but other than that, he looks unbothered. "How come?"
He doesn't respond right away but when we reach a red light, his gaze drifts to a group of friends hanging out outside of a café across the street. "They were more of my dad's crowd. The kind of people he wanted me to hang around, I mean."
"What kind is that?"
"The snobby, rich, kind."
"Ah." I nod and lean back. I know all about the snobby rich, we had a few of those at my high school and we didn't exactly get along. I guess the average didn't fit in with that kind of crowd. "Were they not nice?"
"Definitely not."
"So then, why'd you hang out with them?" I can tell my questions are starting to get to him when he sighs heavily, but bless him, he continues to answer me anyways. I see that he's trying with me and I respect it a whole lot.
"Because my dad wanted me to. Most of them were the children of my dad's new business partners, or anyone that would benefit my dad." He pauses, shifting in his seat and I can tell that this topic makes him slightly uncomfortable. "After my sister...well, I didn't put up a fight over who he wanted me to hang around. It was too fresh."
"That must have been tough. I can't imagine being around people I don't actually like just to satisfy my parents. Can you imagine? Me, forced to hangout with Karley?" I scowl and just as I hoped, it makes Harry laugh.
"I'd imagine that you'd end up in multiple school fights with her if that were the case."
"You're correct." I grin, earning one in return while he shakes his head. I settle further into my seat, taking in the view of the small cute town. "It looks nice here though. Very different compared to Plainview."
"It's alright."
"What kind of things did you and Liam get into?"
He snorts and raises an eyebrow at me and I've decided, I don't want to know anymore. "Okay, so, girls?" I cough and wave my hand. "Besides that. What'd you do for fun around here?"
"House parties, smoke, drink." He smirks at me when I roll my eyes. "We did what any other teenager does. The only difference was our parents let us spend their money on it."
"Sounds very Gossip Girl." I sigh dreamily and Harry shakes his head in amusement. We continue to talk about his teen years that were spent here and he has the nerve to point out a park we pass to tell me that's where he had his first sexual encounter with a girl named Vicky. I roll my eyes at that, laughing when he tells me about a time he tried to steal from a store we see because of a dare, only to chicken out. He got stuck having to do a worse one in result.
I can tell when we get close to Harry's house, the mood in the car shifts. Harry becomes quiet, and seemingly nervous the closer we get. I let him work through his emotions, sitting quietly in the passenger seat as he drives down a narrow road before bypassing a gated entrance and turning into a long driveway made of pavers. We're going uphill, but I know this is heading towards his house when I see nothing but land and trees surrounding us.
"So, we're almost there. Don't like freak out on me, okay?" Harry says carefully, and I arch an eyebrow at the side of his face.
"Why would I fr-...?"
The question dies on my tongue and my mouth literally drops before I promptly close it, when I see Harry's house. Sorry, no, mansion. The mansion up ahead is by far, one of the most stunning houses I have ever seen. The light gray building is at least forty feet high and there are, god, maybe twenty different windows in the front of the mansion? They're surrounded by black trimmings, and as we round the fountain in the middle of the driveway, I see the large black front door matches.
"This, is your house?"
"My dad's." Harry replies firmly, putting the car in park and unbuckling his seat belt. I tear my gaze away from the mansion and meet his eye, a guarded expression on his face. "It's his money."
"I know." I say carefully. "But you still grew up here. It's just you three?"
He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "Yep. My dad always goes overboard. This place is too big for three people but, I guess it helped me avoid him. Easy to hide in there." He shrugs, then shoves the door open before stepping out. I get the feeling he has more to say about his father but I drop it for now, not wanting to put Harry in a sour mood before I've even managed to step foot in the house.
I slip out of the car and grab my bag, shutting the door behind me. Harry's already waiting for me on my side of the car, reaching out to take my duffel from me again. As we head up the walk way, my gaze sweeps over the front of the house to take in the well-trimmed bushes and the gray stones decorating the walls. When I glance at the windows at the far left, I see movement inside and furrow my brows when the curtain falls into place.
"Are your parents here?"
"Nope, they always take off after Thanksgiving so I haven't seen them since. Just the maid and cook are here."
"You have a maid and a personal chef?"
His arm comes around my shoulder as we reach the front door, a chuckle vibrating into my arm as he leans into me. "I don't. Parents, do."
"Right." He laughs and unlocks the front door before stepping inside and holding the door for me. I step in, and refrain from allowing my mouth to drop when I see the large front foyer. While Harry closes the door behind me I take a moment to look at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, right above a glass circular table that sits in the middle of the room. A vase full of white roses is in the middle of it.
"Wow." I comment, looking around the front room, to the white staircase off to the far right and down to the marble floors that were shining as if they'd just been cleaned. "This is amazing."
"I haven't even given you a tour yet." Harry grins and grabs my hand, pulling me across the front entry and further into the house. "Come on, I'll give you a quick one."
He leads me down a hall and into a wide-open kitchen, that's also white with black marble counter tops. There's a large island in the middle of it and for a moment, I think how my mom would appreciate a kitchen like this. She loves to cook.
"This is the kitchen," he waves his hand through the air and releases me, walking to the refrigerator and opening it. "Do you want something to drink or eat?"
"Water is fine." He nods and pulls a Voss water from the refrigerator before handing it to me. I arch my eyebrow when I see the brand. "Voss?"
Harry rolls his eyes but I try not to grin at the pink that arises in his cheeks. "I don't do the shopping around here."
I laugh and let Harry lead me to the next room, which is the living room. There are tan hardwood floors, an off-white ginormous rug, and plush cream-colored couches surrounding a coffee table. An eighty-five-inch screen TV sits on top of a stand, and the windows I saw from outside surround the walls. I can see Harry's car outside from where we stand.
"That TV must be great for baseball season." I whistle low and Harry smirks, pulling me past the said TV and into the foyer again.
"Try football season."
"You're a football fan?"
"Yep. Big Green Bay Packers fan. You?"
"I prefer baseball."
"Yeah? What team?"
"The Yankees, obviously." He laughs as we head up the stairs. "You're not a fan?"
"I enjoy it, but I don't really have a favorite team." He glances down at me briefly while he moves up the stairs ahead of me. "I suppose I can support your team."
"You better."
Harry stops on the second floor and I pause, trying to gauge my surroundings when I see three long hallways all leading in different directions. Someone could get lost in here, and that someone would be me. "I feel like I'm going to lose sense of direction in this house."
"It just takes some getting used to." He moved to the right hallway. "Just remember my room is off to the right of the stairs."
I nod and follow Harry, glancing at the paintings hanging on the walls as we pass. They're all different- random, but I have to stop myself from stopping to study them and find out if they're by any artists I'm familiar with. I don't doubt that they're expensive paintings.
We stop in front of the third door from the stairs and Harry opens it. Immediately, I'm engulfed with the scent of Harry and I know without looking this is his room. I walk in behind him and look around the wide space that could be considered a master bedroom. There's a king size bed with gray sheets along one wall, a nightstand beside it, a large dresser on the far side of the room and a sliding door that leads to a balcony. The TV in here is almost as big as the TV downstairs.
"This is where you slept in high school?" I ask as I walk around the room, eyes sliding into the bathroom attached. It's not as large but it still has a bathtub and a spacious counter.
"Yeah. This was basically my hideout when I didn't want to be around my parents."
At his comment, I take the opportunity to really look at his room. For someone who hates being home with his family, his room is very personal. There's a Packers poster on one wall, a shelf that holds various books and DVD's, and another shelf with a cat figurine. I shake my head with a small smile at a smaller poster that has a cartoon Jessica Rabbit on it, posing with a cigarette in hand. Another small poster of the Beatles hangs above his bed.
I move from one side of his room, to where his night stand is when I see the picture frames by his bed. Furrowing my eyebrows, I move to pick the bigger frame up when Harry suddenly rushes in behind me and snatches it from my hand. I look at him in surprise to find his face flushed in- embarrassment? He hold the frame facing his chest and away from my prying eyes.
"What's the matter?"
"I put this here when I got here a few days ago." He defends and the confusion grows when the blush on his cheeks spreads to his neck.
"Okay...and?"
"And don't laugh."
I nod, and he hands the picture back to me. The air in my lungs rushes up and I gasp quietly when I see the picture in the frame, is one of me. I know instantly that it was from the day we went into New York City, when we were at the Top of the Rock. My feet are crossed at the ankles, hands tucked into my coat pockets and I'm laughing. Nose scrunched, eyes pinched in the corners, and my hair flying around me from the wind. I remember laughing at Harry squatting to get different angles of me and at the time, I found it ridiculous but looking at this photo-, well it's a damn good one. Harry is talented.
"You have a photo of me next to your bed?" I ask softly, looking up at him when he nods.
"I brought it in case I missed you a lot."
"Did you?"
"You know I did."
I'm smiling and put the frame back down, my eye catching the second smaller frame. It's an old picture, one that looks like it had been torn at one point but was taped back together. I pick it up, and know right away that it's Samantha. She looks like a mini version of Harry.
"Sam?" I ask quietly and Harry moves in closer to look over my shoulder. I see the movement of his head out of the corner of my eye as he nods and I run my finger over the picture, over the toothy smile on her face. "There's no other pictures of her around the house."
"No," Harry confirms gently. "My dad threw out every photo we had of her after she died. He didn't want to be reminded every day of her death, so he just pretends she never existed." He reaches for the photo and I let him take it, looking up to watch him as he stares at the picture. He looks sad, but also resigned. "I managed to sneak this one out of the trash. The others were shredded."
I frown, and feel a wave of sorrow for Harry. For years, his parents have made him feel guilty for her death and in the process, left him to grieve it alone. Who has he had to talk to about it all these years? No one, and the way he is begins to make more and more sense. The difficulty he has being vulnerable and opening up. He's been taught to shut down, he's never been allowed to express how he feels.
"I'm sorry, Harry." I say softly, resting my hand on his forearm. He tears his gaze from the picture to meet my eye and I'm hit hard in the chest with the look in his eyes. Devastation. "Your parents shouldn't have erased her. Her memory still means something." I say fiercely, my anger towards his parents leaking into my words. "You should be allowed to miss her. To grieve her. And they're shit for not being there for you, but I always will be. You can talk to me about her whenever you feel like, okay?"
His gaze intensifies and he doesn't move for a moment. I feel it in my stomach when his nostrils flare and his lips part, his hands moving to rest the frame back on the nightstand without looking away from me. Green eyes hold mine before running over my face like a soft caress. I swallow hard when he steps into my space, the back of my knees hitting the edge of his bed in result. A strong arm encircles my waist, while his other hand cups my cheek. Thumb running over my bottom lip, he sighs heavily and leans his forehead against mine.
"I want you so bad, it's not even fucking funny."
My mouth parts at his words and his eyes drop to my lips, following the trail of his thumb running along it. I don't mean to, but my tongue barely touches the tip of his finger and then, he's groaning. He leans into me and closes the small space between us, pressing a gentle kiss to my mouth. It's sweet, caring, but quickly it turns into something hot. He's kissing me so hard It hurts almost as much as it feels good. I lose my breath and try to match his pace, arms crossing behind his neck while his hand cups the side of my neck.
I take a second to breathe, a small gasp falling from my mouth as he keeps his lips busy on my jaw. "Fuck, Harry."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do." He says breathlessly and I laugh, but it turns into a moan when he sucks the spot on my neck that really gets me going.
"Oh my god." I groan and Harry's hands move to my waist, lightly pushing me back until I fall backwards onto the bed. I bounce once, biting my lip to keep from moaning at the sight of Harry standing between my open legs, looking down at me with half lidded eyes. He's pulling his jacket off, tossing It on the floor and the sweatshirt follows. Before I get a chance to really ogle him, he's on me in a second. Leaning on one arm while his hand grips my jaw, he kisses me roughly and steals my breath. I return his passion, curling my legs around his hips and rolling my pelvis into his. I can feel he's hard and moan when it rubs me through my jeans.
"You're something else, Avri." He says against my mouth, hands shoving my coat off my shoulders. I lean up halfway to help, then fall back when it's off. Harry's hands move to my shirt, pushing it up until it's under my neck and then, his lips are on the mounds of my breasts. His kisses along my bra-line, and I'm so wrapped up in how good it feels that I don't hear the bedroom door open. Harry's hand his halfway down my pants when the sound of a throat clearing, makes us both freeze.
Instantly, my arms cross over my chest to cover myself and Harry leans further over me to shield me from the doorway. He looks over his shoulder and based off the hard expression on his face, I know it's not someone that is welcomed.
"Do you know how to fucking knock?" He growls, reaching for my coat beside us to pull it over me like a blanket.
"I did. It seems, you were too preoccupied to hear it."
I stiffen at the sound of the deep voice that reverberates off the walls. I'm not thinking when I sit up, a reflex to see who is standing at the door. My hands clutch the coat to my chest, but based off the unimpressed expression on the man standing across the room, I know my hair doesn't look appropriate. Red hot embarrassment flushes through me and with one hand, I try to smooth it down but Harry's already there, hands moving over my hair while still looking at the man at the doorway.
"Doesn't give you an open invitation to enter. Do you mind?" Harry says harshly and the man, who looks a whole damn lot like Harry, arches an eyebrow at Harry's tone. Harry stiffens briefly and breathes in and out through his nose. "Please."
"Very well. I'll let you two get acquainted." He nods and his salt and pepper hair moves at the action. His blue eyes study me in distaste, lip curling like he smelled something bad. "Bring your friend down so we can, properly meet."
He leaves and it takes Harry a moment to gather himself, his breath rushing out of his mouth as he runs his fingers through his hair, tugging. He looks pissed off and guarded all over again. I watch him pull his shirt back on, mouth pressing in a hard line as his gaze keeps flickering to the bedroom door.
"Was that your...?"
"My dad." He finishes and nods. "That's him."
~~~~~~~~~
Hello!
I made a 'Love You Goodbye' playlist and have been listening to it while I write. Def puts me in the zone and mood :) this song above is one of them!
How did you guys like the chapter? Thoughts about how Avri's time at Harry's is going to play out?
Please vote and comment, I'll update again soon! :)