A/N: fair warning I love how the two of them operate, anyways. ENJOY!
SCARLETT'S POV:
I wake up in an unfamiliar bed, and my head spins for a few moments as I sit myself up. It might be unfamiliar but damn I wouldn't mind sleeping in it forever, what the fuck is this made out of? Clouds? I put my hands down, and scoot myself up, and right away I know I've fucked up. Music starts playing, and it sounds like I pressed buttons. Electric curtains start rising next to me, and I whip my hands around quickly, trying to dig under the sheets to find the source of everything in this room waking the fuck up. Didn't know I was sleeping in a smart house. I try to sit myself up, and tangle in the sheets, causing myself to fall and hit the floor, still in fact tangled in the white sheets and white comforter. I groan loudly, and sigh, opening my eyes. Well there's the remote... I continue moving my eyes up, and in front of me.
My breath leaves my body as I do. The electric curtains have risen, showing me quite literally the most beautiful view of California I've ever seen. All the lights are pretty, and glowing, and I feel my jaw physically drop. Maybe I'll stay here. The floor is nice.
"Scar?" I hear Harry's voice, and remember where I am right away. "Are you okay?" I hear him as he opens the door slightly. I can't see him though considering I'm on the floor on the opposite side of his large bed. I didn't even know they made beds this size.
"Down here." I speak. I hear footsteps, and around the bed walks Harry who is still dressed in his white button down and slacks. He's no longer wearing shoes anymore, just socks. I follow his legs up to his torso, all the way to his face.
"May I ask why you're on my floor, and why I heard you scream?" He asks.
"Well did you hear a scream before a thud?" I ask, and he nods once. "Well then I'll leave it to you to decipher what happened." I tell him, and groan as I push myself up. He takes my arm, helping me up a lot quicker than what I anticipated. I move with his strength, and end up with my chest pressed straight to his. We stay like this, me looking up at him the five or so inches that separate us, and him looking down on me with an intense but still warm stare. I look away first, still remembering our conversation from earlier, still feeling upset about how it went, and still hating him for leaving. I move backwards, and sit myself on his bed once more, facing forward to look at the city. He picks up the remote, and turns off the music, throwing the small thing on the side table.
"Scarlett.. Please, let me be your friend, let me help you." He pleads, and I shake my head.
"I won't allow myself to let you be my friend right now." I speak truthfully.
"Why not?" He asks, obviously not taking no for an answer.
"Because I adored you, but I don't need you anymore. Friend or enemy." I lie, knowing I don't want to say no. The only thing holding me back initially from a friendship was my anger, and I am angry, so angry that he left, that he stopped talking to me, that he came back rich, and I'm struggling. I'm angry that Sierra is sick and that there's nothing I can do to fix it, and I'm not letting Harry come back in my life when it's this disheveled, and his is this perfect. It's not going to comfort me, it'll only make me feel worse. Either way, he hurt me, and to make it fair to myself I can't ever give him the opportunity to do it again.
"You didn't need me in the first place Scarlett. You really have never needed anyone." I feel bubbling, red hot anger rise in my chest.
"But I did. I did need you. Who are you to tell me who and what I needed Harry, especially so soon after you decided you wanted to be in my life again? I did need you, and you needed something more than me, so how about you just fuck off okay? Let's just end this right here." I get up, and walk around him, and down the stairs. I hear him sigh, but I don't hear him move. "Don't follow me!" I yell, and I don't hear footsteps which is a good sign. I reach for my shoes, and know right now I'm about to look like a complete idiot walking around with heeled boots and a sweat set on but my jeans are nowhere to be found, and my sweater is air drying so this is my only option.
I put the boots on, and grab my bag, pressing the elevator button. I wait, tapping my foot, and the moment it's here I step in and press the first floor. I don't even know where I am in the city, but a walk in heels will be well worth it to get far away from him. The door starts to close and I see Harry at the top of the stairs, his eyes hitting me.
"Scarlett, you can't be serious right-" The door closes, and he's running down the stairs, but I'm gone now so it doesn't matter. I rush once the elevator doors open, and walk through the lobby as quickly as possible. I keep my arms crossed over my chest, and I take a right. I have absolutely no sense of direction, and I don't even know where I am right now. I keep my arms crossed and walk down the street, it's decently dark, and this was majorly stupid, but I seriously do not care. I keep walking, and cars pass by quickly, just as people do. Street lights as well as building lights illuminate everything around me, but I don't stop to look.
He pissed me off.. What other logical thing was I supposed to do besides storm out of his apartment like a child? I keep walking, and just as I feared a car slows down beside me.
"No, I don't have time to talk about our lord and savior jesus christ thank you for asking!" I yell.
"Scarlett, stop throwing a tantrum now." I hear his voice, and I hold up a middle finger to his car. "You're holding up traffic." He yells at me.
"Actually, you're in the car therefore YOU are holding up traffic." I whip my head around and notice the black range rover. My jaw drops. "You pompous asshole!" I scream, and keep walking.
"Why am I a pompous asshole? What did I do now?" He asks through the open window.
"How many fucking cars do you own?" I scream back.
"I'll tell you if you get in!"
"No!" I scream.
"Get in the car now Scarlett." He yells.
"No!"
"You don't even know where you're going, you look insane, get in the car!" He yells.
"Leave me alone!" I yell back.
"Fucking hell." I hear him curse and roll the window up. I hear the tires screech, and I feel as though I've won until I watch him whip into a spot on the side of the street, and park his car. I turn around, and start walking the other way. Before I can get too far I feel hands on my waist turning me around, and lifting me up. Before I know it I'm thrown over his shoulder, and he's walking back to his car.
"Put me down before I start screaming that you're kidnapping me." I try to look behind me but he smacks my ass, and I yelp.
"Not a chance darling, I'd keep your mouth shut and accept the free ride before you piss me off Scarlett." He speaks in a low voice but it's loud enough for me to hear it over the street noise. He walks straight back to his car, and opens the passenger door, throwing me in haphazardly. "Do I need to buckle you in too, or are you going to act like an adult now?" He asks, and I glare at him as I reach for my seatbelt. He closes my door, and walks around to the drivers side, getting in his car.
"You pissed me off." I mumble.
"Yeah, well you pissed me off too Scarlett." He mumbles back. I cross my arms, and he turns the car on but stays parked. "Do you want me to drive you home, or do you want to stay with me tonight?" He asks in a softer tone. He sounds incredibly defeated.
"I should be home with Sierra." I tell him truthfully.
"Sierra isn't going home, she told me when we were at the restaurant earlier. That's why I didn't take you home initially." He explains. I don't like my apartment when it's just me inside. Not because I don't like to be alone. I just don't like to be there alone, especially not at night when there's a lot of street noise, and police sirens, and lights. I don't sleep well knowing Sierra is gone, and I'm not. That's part of what my sleeping pills were for but I- "You don't have to go home. Stay, and I won't talk to you Scarlett, I'll leave you alone, I just want to know you're safe." He speaks, and I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He's got his head in his hand, and he's leaning it against the car window.
"I'll stay." I speak quietly.
"Thank you." He sighs, and pulls away from the parking spot. We sit in silence as he drives around the block and back into the parking garage next to the apartment building. Once he's in, he drives to a gated area of the deck, and once he's in he parks his car in between the audi he drove before, and pretty dark blue car. I look at it next to me, and I know I'll probably dream of that car. God it's beautiful. I get out of the car, and am aware of how fucking stupid I look wearing these shoes with his sweat suit, even more so now that I'm shamefully following him back into his elevator and into his apartment.
"You can go back upstairs. I'll dry your clothes, and make sure everything is ready for you in the morning, and I'll take you know, just let me know when you're ready. I'll be down here." He speaks, and throws his keys on the glass table with a sigh. He barely pays me any mind, and I feel that sinking feeling in my own chest once again. Dammit. I quite literally have gone two entire years not feeling bad for anyone but myself, and cutting my feelings off and all it takes is one fucking week of this asshole to come back into my life for me to start worrying about other people's feelings? He throws himself down on the couch, and I contemplate walking to him, but I convince myself not to.
I'm stronger than this. Just because he's hot, and available, and obviously working incredibly hard to have me as a part of his life doesn't mean I have to give in to him at all right? Just because he's visibly upset, and sad doesn't mean I need to comfort him, and come to some sort of agreement with him. I walk past the couch and towards the stairs, but the moment I step on the first one I stop myself again with a sigh, Don't be a shitty person Scarlett, go talk to him...
I turn around, and walk back around the couch on the opposite side. I sit down next to him, and take off my shoes. I know he notices how close I sit to him, I know he can not only feel me sitting here but probably see me. I throw my hands in my lap, and he has his hands crossed over his chest which makes the muscles more prominent, and more mouth watering, and I shouldn't be gawking over him while he's sad.
"I'm sorry." I apologize.
"If you're apologizing for anything besides storming out of my home like a child then don't bother because it's not needed." He tells me.
"I was apologizing for the storming out part." I tell him.
"Apology accepted." He agrees, but keeps his arms crossed, and I remember this is why we were such good friends. Because he's the calm, and I'm quite literally every ounce of chaos. I also hold grudges and he forgets it almost as soon as it happens. Another reason as to why this isn't something that could work between us.
"Please sleep in your bed tonight.. I can take the couch." I tell him, and he scoffs. "There's no chance is there?" I ask, and he shakes his head.
"I'd be no gentleman if I made you sleep on the couch." He tells me.
"You're not making me do anything." I fight back, and he sighs.
"I'm not sleeping in my bed with you here darling." He shakes his head.
"Then we'll both sleep on the couch." I furrow my brows, and he actually laughs.
"I forgot how stubborn you are." He shakes his head, a smile still on his lips.
"I think I'm more stubborn now actually." I tell him.
"Oh do you? Really?" He asks.
"Yes really."
"I'll take your word for it." He smirks and pushes himself off of the couch.
"Where are you going?" I ask, crossing my legs on the couch.
"You don't think I'm going to sleep in this do you darling?" He asks, and when he turns around I notice his fingers working the buttons of his shirt open slowly, showing off more of his savory chest to my eyes. I glance down and back up quickly.
"I don't know.. Maybe you want to wake up ready." I shrug, and reach forward for the remote, avoiding his body. He walks past me, and as soon as I hear his feet on the stairs I breathe again.
I lay myself down on the couch, and make sure I'm giving enough room for Harry, but also secretly hoping that he stays upstairs. I turn on the TV, and rest my head on the couch, looking forward. I turn it to the game show channel, and Family Fued is playing. The living room is now filled with the voice of Steve Harvey. I've never had a problem with the guy, personally I think he's pretty funny. It truly doesn't matter what I think if we really look at the bigger picture. Steve Harvey will never care how I feel, he'll never even know so why develop an opinion in the first place?
I hear feet hitting the stairs, and coming closer and closer, and though I wished for him to sleep in his own bed I knew he'd be back down here. I don't see him yet, or feel the couch move, and within a few seconds I see Harry, and he has a fluffy blanket in his hands. He lets it unravel, and then places it over me. I cuddle into the blanket, and feel the couch dip down. I look up to see him lying on the opposite end of the couch, his feet near mine. He's wearing grey joggers, and a plain white tshirt, and I know he doesn't ever sleep with shirts on. He didn't two years ago at least.
"You don't have to wear your shirt." I speak softly, and turn back towards the TV, looking at Steve Harvey, and the Piper family answer questions.
"Excuse me?" He asks.
"I said you don't have to wear your shirt to sleep..." I tell him again.
"I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable." He tells me.
"I'm not uncomfortable... You are right now though. Do what you want, I was just trying to help." I tell him, and turn the volume up. I feel the couch move, and next thing I know there's a shirt landing on my face. I take it off my head, and roll my eyes, throwing it on the ottoman. I glance back at him as he situates himself, and I notice the tattoos again. He had most of these, but a lot are new, and I wish I didn't want to look but I do. We sit in silence, and watch the show together.
"Name a kind of suit that would be inappropriate at the office." Steve speaks.
"Birthday."
"Chicken Noodle." I look up at Harry at the answer he just said, and he looks at me, and then back at the TV.
"Suit, not soup you moron." I laugh, and throw myself back on the couch, hearing his laugh.
"Whoops." He smirks, and before I know it, we're both yelling our answers at the TV, and even yelling at the contestants when they say something stupid. And just like that life feels like it just fell back into place but I know it's not real. I know this feeling isn't going to last only because I refuse to let it.. I got too comfortable last time. Far too comfortable.
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A/N: AGAIN I REALLY JUST LOVE THE FREAKING WAY THEY OPERATE SO MUCH I-
Also Harry is so adorable in this, and so level headed. Boyfriend material if I've ever seen it. (,:
I love you all, see you soon! *virtual hugs*