His hands were all over my body, which each breath he took I felt him sucking the oxygen out of my lungs. The sounds of the club were drowned out as we created our own personal worlds with each other, even as we pushed through the crowd to the back door where my relief awaits me.
Harry's lips couldn't detach from mine, it was as if he knew this place like the back of us hand as he walked us both backwards until I felt the door hit my spine. I let out a gasp, fluttering my eyes as I broke the kiss to look back at the door, but Harry only reattached his lips to my neck where he nibbled at the sweet of my skin while his hand found the doorknob to free us of our pleasurable agony that we created.
My feet that were once sturdy on the thumping ground now tripped backwards as he pushed the door open and I felt the cold air hit my skin, bringing me back to where we were. The sounds of our feet scuffing against the pavement filled the alleyway as he pushed me out of the building, leaving the music drowning in the background until the door shut behind us and muffled the loud noises all together.
With my heart thumping in my chest, I tried to focus on the way his cherry lips were leaving marks on my skin to claim me as his own, his tongue laying flat on the bruises that he left behind on my neck while his hands traced around my hips and found their way to the backside to grip my ass hard. Trying to muffle the moans were no longer in the cards, his heat was intoxicating and I couldn't fight it any longer, he had me where he wanted me. I was his prey and he caught me in his trap, though I never wanted to leave it.
I would happily die here, tangled in his webs.
"God, you taste so good," Harry broke the silence, mixed with the slur of the tequila that effected his voice. He rose his head only slightly to check if anyone was around, at least he was that decent, and when the coast was clear he took my waist and pushed me behind the dumpster to hide the sight of us.
A dumpster? How...romantic.
I had to thank the alcohol that was in my system, I typically couldn't really smell anything when I was drunk, not that it mattered. The last thing on my mind was the dumpster besides us, no, I was staring into the eyes of the devil who would inevitably take my soul and devour it with each strained moan and groan that went past my lips. His lips curled into a smirk, mimicking the Cheshire Cat, but in a much more tame and erotic way.
"I want to take my time with you so desperately," Harry used his knuckle to tilt my chin upwards, eyeing the flustered features of my doe eyes and reddened cheeks. He clicked his tongue lightly, looking off to one side, then the other, "But we have to be quick, don't we?"
"That's how it always seems to go," I agreed, remembering all the other times that we had to be quick. We never got a chance to take our time, though it was no one's faults, we just get ourselves so worked up in the wrong moments that we need to take what we can get with each other.
Another click of his tongue, his fingers disappeared into the roots of my hair, pinching it slowly to create tension against my skull as he pulled me forward. I winced, but it felt lovely, it was something I had only done once or twice, but I couldn't lie when I said I liked the pain. His thumb pressed hard onto the bottom of my lip and dragged it down slowly to show the bottom of my teeth.
"It will be the longest quickie that you've ever had." Harry whispered between us, his eyes went dark into the shadows that appeared over us. He didn't waste no time, his arm was wrapped around my waist and his lips were back on my mouth as he feverishly kissed poisonous liquid onto my tongue.
His lips were soft, hot, sweet, wet. Lapping over mine, I could hear the grunt that rested on the tip of his tongue where his throat failed to keep it. It's utterly embarrassing that I was soaked just from the heated kiss, I could feel the burning in my stomach and my thighs were clenching to keep myself from shaking. Harry's nose nudged mine, it was cold compared to his lips, I felt his hot breath travel down my cheek and down to my chin until his nose found a spot against the kiss of my lips.
"Open your mouth, Angel."
I was hesitant, standing still with a curious pinch. He towered over me, pulling himself from me to study me while his fingers danced their way from my stomach, up to my chest. It felt like I was anticipating something; well, I was, but the nerves weren't dying down and I needed him to stop taking this so slow—why was he going so slow? Couldn't he see how much I needed him? I needed him. He was teasing me. I hated being teased.
Fuck.
"Breathe, baby love," Harry chuckled lowly with pinched bushy brows, "It's just my fingers. Need that pretty little mouth open for me, okay?"
"I am breathing," I retorted short of breath, I couldn't help but to swallow thickly at the feel of his fingers resting on my chin until I felt them tapping on my lips carefully. Harry gazed, tilting his head as he waited for entry, and I parted my lips with my tongue only slightly sticking out a little past my bottom lip.
"Good girl," Fuck, he's gonna kill me, "Keep breathing for me, alright?"
His took a step towards me, I felt his hips flush right against mine; his aching member was still hard and still very much looking for attention. Fluttering my eyes shut, his two fingers dipped into my mouth until his cold rings hit the top of my lip and the tips of his fingers were resting at the back of my tongue. Breathing through my nose now, with half-lidded eyes, I gazed up at him for what to do next.
"Angel, my god," He was sarcastically sympathetic with his words, taunting me as he pumped his fingers in and out of my mouth; watching very closely at the spit that gathered around his digits until it was dripping with each pump, "Wish you could see how beautiful you are right now. Losin' my fuckin' mind."
The way he called me his Angel, I could feel the edges of my shoulder blades burn from the force of egoistical wings that only got bigger from each stroke.
My tongue worked under his digits, wetting it more for him, to which I earned a low growl from him. Harry's face was pinched with pleasure, even if we weren't doing the physical part yet, he loved to tease just as much as he loved to fuck; that was very apparent. After a few more pumps, my mouth fell empty without his fingers inside of them and he forced his thigh between mine, using his foot to kick my feet apart until they were wide enough for him. My fists were balled at each sides of my hips, eyeing his two dripping fingers as they disappeared under my dress.
"H-Harry," I shivered, biting down on my shaky bottom lip while finding my balance with one hand stretching out to grip his white button up. Harry only nodded with sympathy, I felt his two fingers graze up and down the lace of my underwear slowly, pathetically wet and clit swollen and aching so bad that he could feel it above the cloth.
"How long you been like this, honey? So long, hm? Need attention?" Harry was now inches from my face, towering over me and the only way I could face him was to tilt my head completely back to look at him.
I'm so embarrassingly wet right now.
The way he's talking to me isn't helping.
He's staring at me as if I was some sort of five star dinner, he was ready to eat me whole after a long day of nothing.
"You're such a fuckin' tease," I shook out, my free hand grabbing his wrist warningly as my brows furrowed together. He let out a dark chuckle, nodding soft as his fingers gripped my hair tighter and slowly rocked my head back and forth in dominance. He had full control over me, I didn't need to be bound and tied for him to have it; he can have it.
Have it all, by means.
"Don't like it when I tease you?" He clicked his tongue while his fingers pushed my panties to the side. I could feel my cheeks get hotter now, my eyes couldn't stop blinking, I was so close to heaven if he just moved his hand a little more to the right—and by prayer, I felt his two pads right directly on my swollen clit.
"Mmmh, right there..." I purred out with a crooked smile, my flat hand rubbing up and down the exposed area of his chest while his fingers rubbed circles around my heated area. My thighs were now relaxed, but my toes were curling to keep me from coming undone so quickly.
"Right there? Yeah?" Harry pulled my hair a bit more harder, watching as my jaw unlocked and fell open in pleasure. I nodded softly, batting my eyelashes desperately, "So precious, bet you're so—ah, soaked, there it is."
I nearly whined out when I felt his fingers dip into my entrance, this time my thighs closed. "Don't get shy on me now, dove. Open your legs, let me make you feel good." Harry kissed the bottom lip of mine while his foot kicked lightly at my foot to spread my legs once more, to which I did, but I found myself clinging onto his shoulders while his fingers wormed their way deeper into my hole.
"Oh my god, it feels so good," I breathed out in a whiny pant, a shake of my head. My mouth was so dry, I couldn't find myself to create the saliva when he had me panting with each pet of my g-spot. His two fingers moved in a 'come hither' motion inside of me, switching to a soft pet, and I could feel his knuckles brush against my clit with each thrust in and out.
"I know," His mouth was by my ear, lips kissing underneath the shell until he got bored of it and moved his lips further down to the other side of my neck where he hadn't made a mark yet, "It's so hot how wet you are for me, Anna. So milky. So fuckin' creamy."
Anna.
Dear God, please say my name again.
What was he doing to me? No man had ever made me feel like this before, my stomach was burning and we weren't even finished yet. My fingers were dug deep into the padding of his shoulder padding, leaning my head forward to rest on his neck while he still kissed the exposed skin of mine. Each graze of his knuckle against my clit nearly sent me over the edge, I could feel my hole weeping and drenching his fingers down to his rings and knuckles. Shit, I could even feel it gathering around the crevices of my bottom.
"Harry, I need to cum," I pleaded breathlessly against his skin, gripping the curls in the back of his head tightly as my hips anchored downwards to grind against his hand desperately, "O-oh, please, please—"
The fireworks in my stomach were lit, I could feel it burning the ignition all the way down to the anticipation of its explosion. I was nearing my high, whimpering, whining, panting against his skin until I felt his fingers leave my hole completely. My eyes shot open, sucking in a harsh breath while looking back at him with pinched confusion.
"Don't—"
"No," Harry said plainly, shortly, which ticked me off. He wasn't nearing his end, he wasn't about to reach his high like I was. It was easy for him to say no, but for me, I was clenching every part of my shaking body, "I don't want you to cum yet, the fun has just begun."
"Harry, please—" I pleaded out.
"I said no," Harry clicked his tongue, pinching his brows together while stroking my messy hair back, "Can you be good for me? If you can be good, I'll make sure you're the first to get off."
I gritted my teeth, pushing my back against the wall as I tried to steady my breath. "Please, do something, baby—I need something." I whispered through a breathy moan, holding my stomach while batting my lashes at him.
Harry watched me squirm, he liked watching me wanting him. He had something that I wanted and he wasn't going to give it up so easily, or so I had thought. Saying nothing, he shrugged off his coat and exposed his forearms where his cuffs were rolled up. His tattoo's were prominent through the white sheer fabric, the veins in his forearm were burst and bulging with each movement of his arms.
Carefully, he wrapped the coat around my back and pressed me firm against the wall so my dress didn't get dirty. Licking over my dry lips, I watched as his fingers undid his belt and then worked on his buttons until his pants were open and loose around his waist. His gray briefs shown as he just barely pushed his pants down enough to show it, there was a wet spot where his leaky cock had been trapped for sometime.
"You want it?" He pulled me out of my trance, when I looked up from his cock to lock eyes with him, he was standing a distance from me while his eyes locked on mine.
"You know I do." I hissed out, looking side to side embarrassingly before taking a step towards him, but he tsked me and shook his head.
"Stay," He was stern, and I felt my throat start to close as his hands started to move once more. I looked down, watching as his hand disappeared into his briefs while his other hand pulled them down enough until he was exposed in front of me. My mouth was watering at the sight in front of me, for the first time in a while, I thought that I could get down on my knees for this. His cock was angry red, enlarged from arousal. Beads of pre-cum leaked from his tip as his hand worked on it slowly, with each swift move his cock would twitch while the blue veins in his shaft bulged from his skin.
"Don't do this to me," I told him softly in a half beg, my fingers were clawing into my thigh as Harry stroked himself in front of me, "I want it. Is that what you want to hear? I want it."
There was a long silence, Harry tilting his head forwards with his eyes zoning into mine, a smirk twitching on his swollen lips as he let out a soft grunt.
"I don't know what you're talking about," He played the fucking switch uno card on me, I knew what he was trying to do and this was no longer fun for me. It was only fun for me when I was teasing him, but now that it was happening to me, I wanted to reach out and strangle him.
Drawing from his large hand, his fingers were wrapped tightly around his shaft as they moved up and down his cock, his skin moving over the tip of his cock to push out the arousal that beaded from his hole. The veins in his hand were bulging from his skin, muscular tone of his forearm stiffened and sculpted as he shifted back and forth to pleasure himself in front of me. It was unfair. This was unfair. I wanted him, anywhere, in my mouth—inside of me. Why did he have to do this to me?
"Come here..." I breathed out, grasping out towards him with open hands, eyes narrowed fix on him, "Come fuck me."
"You want me to fuck you?" His voice was strained with a moan following after, his thumb was teasing the tip of his cock as he took a slow stride towards me and I felt my heart flutter, "How bad do you want it?"
I groaned out, nearly holding my face in my hands, the anticipation was fucking killing me, "I want it so bad, please, I—I'm really wet, please? Please?" I begged with a whine, and Harry's lips curved into his signature Chesire cat smile as he continued to step towards me until my back was flat against the wall and his body was pressed against mine.
"Whatever you want, Angel," He breathed against my lips.
Relief washed over me, his fingers hooked under my dress and rolled it up just enough to expose my panties. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I pulled him into a deep kiss, and he obliged greedily while his tongue worked through my lips and massaged against my tongue carefully. My jaw slacked, leaving my mouth open enough for his tongue to fuck my mouth in anyway he wanted it to. His fingers hooked around the lace of my panties, nearly tugging them down my thigh, but there was sudden hesitation before I felt a sharp rip against my skin that made me yelp out.
"Ow! What the—?!"
I looked down to see my now ripped panties in the palm of his hand.
"I'll buy you more." He cupped the underside of my jaw and brought me back into the feverish kiss, leaving me no room to fight him back on the ripped underwear. Everything happened to fast after that, my legs were parted and I felt his hips flush against mine as his strong hand wrapped around my thigh and brought it up to sit on his hip.
His pubes were poking at my stomach as he took his cock into his hand and shifted it between the heat of my desperation, the muscles of his v-line shifted the moment his tip eased against the arousal that smeared against the center of my core. Harry's breath hitched, one hand placed against the wall as he closed his eyes.
"What am I going to do with you?" He asked breathlessly, shifting his tip through my folds--up and down to feel the warm arousal that he was faulted for.
"Fuck me," I dared, "Fuck me hard, Harry."
Mutters of curse words hissed through his lips while he grabbed the back of my neck and brought me closer to him, his lips attached the side of my jaw while he eased his angry tip past my folds and slid in with ease. The pressure between my thighs and stomach nearly took me out, I felt his body stiffen against mine as his breathing picked up with his silent pleas of worship over my body.
"Fuckin' hell, Angel," Harry moaned against my skin as he pushed further into me, the warm walls of mine were snug around his thick cock. He pressed his knee against the wall behind me, hoisting myself up until he forced both of my legs off the ground to wrap around his hips. With my back against the wall, he spread my legs wide enough to get a good angle before he made me sink down fully onto his cock; bottoming out.
I was utterly fucked, full of him, he was so thick and big, it made my muscles cry from how good it felt. The sweet release of pleasure, but Harry wasted no time, in one snap he brought his hips back and thrust deep into me. With stilled hips, I watched with half-lidded eyes as he pulled his cock out to show the glistening arousal that coated his pretty, but angry, dick. Snapping his hips forward once more, he started to set a hard rhythm while the muscles of his abdomen flexed and contorted with the glistening sweat that beamed from the soft light of the street lamp.
"Ah, fuck!" I cried out, reaching out to grab his shoulder as he set his pace. I told him to fuck me hard, and he was going to do just that. His brows were pinched together tightly, eyes nearly shut as his head tilted back in pleasure while he used my weight to bounce myself on his cock while his hips met the thrust at a hammering pace. His Adam's apple bobbed while trying to swallow the profanities that dared to rip through his sweet sculptured throat, muscular and thick, he kept swallowing it until a loud moan ripped through him.
"That's right, take my cock like the good girl you are." Harry strained out, snapping his hips forward to fuck me out of my mind. I couldn't tell what was up or down anymore, my eyes were pinched shut, the gravity of my body bouncing on his cock while he fucked into me made my toes curl in the high heels that were a bit too tight for my liking.
His moans were other-worldly, they were ripping from his throat, each grunt and groan while he worked his cock deeper and deeper inside of me. I was sure to get a bruising from the way his hips were snapping hard against my core, the ultimate pressure of his tip brushing against my g-spot with each motion, the creamy arousal that coated his cock was now spreading around the crevices of my skin and mixing into the hairs of his pubic bone.
Harry took my hand from the back of his neck and placed it firmly on the front of his throat, "Choke me, Angel. P-please," He nearly begged breathlessly, the hold on my wrist was firm and steady as he locked his gaze on mine.
"W-What? I—I've never done that before," I whimpered softly.
Harry slowed down his thrusts, just enough to pinch the sides of my fingers where they laid on his neck as he nodded towards me gently, "The sides. Squeeze the sides. Be a good girl and choke me, okay? Gonna make me really fuckin' hard if you do."
Have I been choked before? A few times, yes, but I'd never done that to anyone before. I didn't care to do it, as long as it brought him pleasure--as long as I was doing it right, it didn't matter.
"O-okay."
I squeezed both sides of his neck carefully, watching his jaw drop while he picked the pace up faster. I held it for a few seconds, then released to let him breathe. I kept doing that a few times, his brows were pinched tightly together, I could see the sweat start to form on his forehead from the extra exercise.
"Harder."
"What?"
His eyes shot open, darkly gazing towards me as he brought his face closer to me, "I said harder. Choke me harder."
A smirk curved on my lips, smashing my lips against his while squeezing the sides of his neck harder, like he wanted. Harry whimpered under my touch, making a ripple of pleasure swim through my stomach. His kisses became more sloppier, more heated, more desperate with each time I squeezed the sides of his neck, he was cursing under his breath while his rhythm became more sloppy, more frantic and desperate for the high he was reaching; maybe it wasn't the high he wanted, but it was close enough to it and I was going to be the one that gives him his natural high.
"Choking me so good. Harder, Angel. Take my breath away." His pleads became more high-pitched and begging for more, his cock was pulsing inside of me, massaging my walls naturally with his soft vibrations that he had to offer.
Is it normal to see stars? I'm seeing stars, Jesus is that you?
"Fuck, Harry." I gritted through my teeth, pushing my forehead against his while he snapped his hips, then began to roll his hips desperately for the friction. My fingers pressed harder, the color in his face stilling and draining only slightly before releasing, earning a big breath from him.
The rolls of his hips against my core was pressing against the swollen nub of mine, massaging it and taking away the ache and replacing it with the magical stardust in the sky. One of his arms wrapped around my waist, his other one clutched tightly on my shoulder as we both reached the climax of our actions. Our breaths were unsteady and staggered, desperate, our mouths clashing against each others though the kissing was non-existent, we ate each others moans until we were full of each other. I cried out, feeling the thick ropes and pumps of pleasure that strung along throughout my clit. My stomach was sucked in tightly, my breath stopped while Harry coaxed me.
"Cum on my cock. Make a mess." Harry finally said, but I didn't get halfway through his sentence before the flood gates opened and I felt myself empty onto his cock.
"F-Fuck, I'm cumming—God!" My vision went black, toes curling as my legs wrapped tighter around his waist while bearing through the rapid feeling shooting through me.
"Fuck—fuck yeah you are, my god, soakin' my cock so well—" Harry strained out through his thrusts, watching as my arousal flooded around our skin.
Electricity, ecstasy, whatever you want to call it--All of it, it was flowing through my body and blurring my vision so intensely that I felt my body stiffen and my heart stop. Harry pressed his forehead against my shoulder, snapping his hips faster in and out of me, the mess I made was now wearing clear on our skin, all over our thighs and pubic bones. He cursed to himself over and over again, giving himself one last snap until a loud moan ripped through his throat and I felt his thick ropes of arousal empty deep inside of me, his hips twitching while he clung to me for dear life.
I was a empty shell, in a good way, I was riding the high and holding onto him as we both tried to catch our breaths together. Harry's chestnut curls were stuck to the sweat of his forehead, chest rising and falling in desperation to breathe in the air around us. When he fell flaccid, I felt himself adjust out of me, but still hold onto me carefully, yet tightly.
"That was..." I breathed out, hoarse, my legs were like noodles and I wasn't sure how he expected me to walk after this, "So good, fuck."
Harry nodded, pressing a short kiss to my forehead as he set me down slowly.
"Anna..." He breathed shortly while trying to fix the mess of my hair, his brows still pinched tightly as his nose flared from steadying his heavy breathing, "God, what you do to me...I can't even explain it. You're amazing."
I let out a soft chuckle, though it wasn't that funny now that I was mentally thinking about asking him to wheel me around in a chair for the rest of the night. My legs were sore and I could barely stand without them shaking violently.
"You don't have to," I told him, shimmying the coat off my back before using the sleeve to wipe his forehead that was laced with sweat, "I feel it too."
Harry smiled gently, suddenly back to his soft ways. It was insane how he could go from this tall dark man that rails me till I'm nearly writing my own will to being the soft man he is on the inside.
"Is it—is it God?" He pointed towards the sky with a smirk.
Did—did he just quote Fleabag to me?
"You didn't just—"
"It'll pass." He hummed, a chuckle escaping him as he fixed my dress till I was covered.
"Oh, you're an asshole!" I swatted at him playfully, both of us a giggling mess with each other.
Honestly, I didn't want it to pass.
Ever.
"Where the fuck have you two been?" Niall stood from the booth, Pete and Gracie were both cuddled up with each other in the booth and the bottles we had ordered earlier seemed to be going quickly.
"Smoke break." Harry said shortly, gesturing me into the booth.
"For half an hour?" Niall squinted his eyes.
"We had two cigarettes." I added, clearing my throat as I tried to ignore the eye contact that Niall was having with me.
"They were fucking!" Gracie almost screamed out across the bar, her hands flying in the air with a giggle.
"Gracie!" Me and Harry scolded.
"Ooops, sorry..." She giggled.
While Harry poured us some shots, I squinted my eyes at her to give her a once over. She looked utterly fucked, maybe having her drink after losing a boyfriend wasn't the best idea, but she was an adult and could do whatever she pleased--it doesn't make me any less worried though.
"How many shots has she had?" I turned towards Niall with a scolding pinch.
"Uh, I don't know. I stopped counting after five."
"Have you given her any water?!" I scolded.
"I tried, but she won't drink it unless it's in a fucking shot glass! She's wasted! I've had to pry the bottle from her hand multiple times!" Niall slurred, waving his hand in front of his face.
I rolled my eyes. Leave it to the boys to try and do anything creative in this place.
I grabbed the shot that Harry poured for me and downed it quickly, slamming it back onto the table before grabbing the canteen of water on the table and pouring it into Gracie's shot class.
"Gracie! Take a shot!" I yelled over the loud music, pushing it towards her with a urging smile.
Gracie could barely hold her head up, her eyes were fluttering as she perked her head up and looked down at the shot glass of water in front of her.
"Ohh, hell yeah!" She slurred, taking the shot and downing it with ease, "Another one! Another one!"
And that's how the rest of the night went. Feeding shots of water to Gracie until last call. Me and Harry had a few more shots, but not many. After the exercise, or nearly numbing my legs to death, we were both tired enough that even the tequila wasn't doing much for us but making us more sleepy. At some point I had laid my head onto his shoulder and cuddled up next to him while his fingers worked on my thighs to ease the pain from earlier. I hadn't even noticed that I fell asleep in the loud club until Harry woke me up and the lights were faded in the bar and the music was no longer playing.
"Mmm?" I murmured.
"Time to go, Angel." Harry said softly into my ear. It easing enough to make my body fall back asleep, but I turned my head towards him and pouted.
"Carry me?"
"Carry you?"
"Mhmmm..."
Harry sighed softly, snaking his arms around my body and underneath my legs before hoisting me into his arms and holding me tightly to his chest with a grunt.
"You're lucky you're cute." He strained.
"Mhmm and you're lucky you got laid tonight."
Harry's eyes widened softly, then squinted down at me with a purse of his lips.
"Touche."
"Wait, where's Gracie?" My eyes shot open, looking around to only see the two of us walking out of the bar alone.
"She's asleep, you both fell asleep actually. It was kind of cute, but then Gracie woke up and puked on Pete and it's a whole thing." Harry tried to hold back the laughter, but I heard him laugh underneath the cover of a cough.
"Mmm...she drank too much."
"Way too much, but don't worry. We will take care of her, make sure she gets a glass of water and a pain killer before she goes to sleep so she doesn't wake up hating herself." Harry said as he sat my bum into the back of the van where the rest were, then scooted himself into the seat next to me.
I looked back to see Niall and Pete having some sort of drunken conversation while Gracie was curled up against the glass of the window, her arms hugging herself tightly for warmth. It was a bit chilly, I didn't know how she could go the night without a jacket.
Harry wrapped his arm around my body and pulled me close to him, he was warm and it made my chest tingle. Doing this with him felt so domestic, the feeling he gave me every time that he touched me, looked at me, it was like a spark of a nervous-cupid-like firework that was bound to shoot off into my insides. I didn't understand the feeling, I could only incorporate it with a sense of infatuation.
But in that moment, I wouldn't want to find myself in any other place. In his arms is where I wanted to lay, he was so warm and it felt like a safe haven for my body to seek shelter. I couldn't tell if that was a bad thing or not.
I guess I was never good at listening to my heart whenever it was screaming at me.
When we got back to Niall's Venice home, my jaw nearly dropped when we pulled into the drive-way. It looked like something out of a movie, the size of a fucking castle. If it wasn't for the sun that was barely coming up over the horizon, I wouldn't have been able to clearly see the exterior of it. I still couldn't believe that we had stayed out so late.
The inside of it was like something you would see in a Royal's house. It had a very neutral colored decor, full of sage greens, burnt oranges and soft browns to pair with. The walls were high, covered in art that looked to cost thousands of dollars. I didn't even notice the grand staircase in front of us until Niall and Pete resided up the steps from beside me.
"This place is beautiful," I oozed quietly, looking back at Harry who was helping Gracie limp herself into the house, "Oh, god, she looks like a mess."
"She's out of it." Harry strained, fixing her arm that was around his neck as he tried to keep her walking. Her head was hanging down just slightly, awake enough to make her walk, but not awake enough to fall asleep.
"Is she gonna be okay?" I felt nervous, I'd never seen Gracie like that before.
"She's just very drunk, that's all." Harry gave up trying to make her walk, instead scooped underneath her legs and hoisted her up bridal style with a grunt.
"Oh, okay..." I frowned.
"Let me take her to her bedroom and we can go to ours."
Sharing a room again?
I couldn't complain, I had wishful thinking that we would share a bed again. I had noticed my sleeping patterns had been so much better whenever Harry was here with me, instead of the regular restless sleep that I usually got. While he was getting Gracie settled into her own room, I found a empty room next to hers and took place into it with my luggage. Carrying luggage up a grand staircase isn't as easy as you think, especially when you've packed more than what you needed, which is always the case for me.
If I didn't pack my bathing suit in the near of winter, then what's the point? What if I wanted to do an Ice Bath?
Have I ever done one before?
No.
But that's not the point.
I peeled off the dress like it was glued onto my body, the amount of sweat mixed with other bodily fluids from the night made me feel utterly disgusted with myself. I was a walking billboard for some sort of stick glue at this point. I threw my hair up into a bun and found the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, the entire bathroom lit up with soft lights. It was dimmer than the club we were in, I was thankful that my eyes weren't penetrated with bright lights after the night I had.
"Anna?"
"I'm in the bathroom!" I called out as I fixed the shower to run water, then settled myself against the counter as I waited for the water to warm up.
Harry came from around the corner, eyeing inside of the bathroom before taking a slow step in, "Uh, Gracie is in the room. She passed out after taking some medicine, made her drink some water too."
I nodded soft, "I'm worried about her..." My voice trailed off as I picked my nails. She was my best friend, her boyfriend—my best friend, just died. There had to be more to do for her than what I was already doing.
I felt like I wasn't doing enough.
"I'm worried about you," Harry said as he slipped out of his jacket and placed it on the hook that was on the door, "You haven't been telling me anything, you know? It's not healthy to keep everything that's been bugging you in."
"I know that," My voice feathered under a breath, blinking half lazily. I didn't want to think about everything that'd been happening, not now. Not while we are in Venice. This was a vacation and I needed some time to relax before I just throw myself off the deep in, "Do you want to take a shower with me?" I turned my gaze towards him.
"Well, I am a fan of reserving water," Harry said sarcastically with a shrug of his shoulder, a feathery smile splaying on his lips.
"Mmm, a man that cares about the Earth. Very sexy," I retorted with a roll of my eyes.
Harry chuckled softly, strolling towards me until he was beside me. His fingers feathered over my exposed collarbone softly, zoning in on the glimmering sweat that had accumulated over the night. Sighing, he placed a soft kiss to the side of my jaw and whispered into my ear, "Just wait until you see the collection of recyclables I have in the apartment."
I couldn't help but to let out a snort, slapping his hands away from me playfully with a chortle.
This is the man that I like?
That makes sense.
He's as much of a dork as I am.
"It gets the girls every time," Harry snapped his fingers with a wink, his open mouthed grin on display while I readied the shower for the two of us.
"I'm sure it does," I mocked him as I got undressed out of my undergarments, then stepped into the hot shower with a groan. It was warm in vast contrast to the weather outside, it was like a warm hug.
"It got you, didn't it?"
I rolled my eyes once more.
"Jokes on you, I didn't know you recycled until now."
Stepping under the shower head, I wet my hair and face thoroughly, letting the night wash away in the drain until it was a long lost memory. After a few moments, Harry slipped into the shower with me, I could see his hands visibly shaking as he tried to share the water with me for warmth. I moved away from the shower head, gracious enough not to let him freeze so I could wash my hair. When he silently thanked me for the water, he turned around to face towards the wall and I was once again faced with the welts of scars that scattered his back.
I tried not to think about it, but when faced with it, I felt guilt sink into my stomach.
"Does it hurt?" I whispered.
Harry stilled in the middle of washing his body, sparing me a glance with a turn of his head.
"Not anymore." He breathed, contorting his body to wash his back, but unable to reach all the parts. I took a step forward, soap still in my hair while I took the rag carefully and started to work on his back softly.
Zoning in on the scars, I could see them more clearly, some were more visible than other. Using my pointer finger with the rag, I traced over a long scar, feeling Harry's breath hitch and still with one hand placed against the wall.
"Am I hurting you?" I peeked over his broad shoulder, watching as he trained his eyes down at his feet.
"No."
His voice was quiet and low, my hand continued to rub his back in soft circles. I couldn't understand how someone could hurt someone like Harry. He was too precious, given his past, it wasn't ever his fault that he was put into positions that forced him to become someone he's not. He was just a child, or lack thereof, but he was still young. How could someone do this to their own child?
"Do you want me to stop?"
There was thick silence in the air, his breathing becoming unsteady with each intake as he stared at the wall ahead of him. Slowly, he turned around and gave a weak smile, "I think it's clean enough."
I nodded.
After we got out of the shower, I changed into some shorts and a baggy shirt to sleep in. Usually I didn't like sleeping in beds that weren't mine but the sun was now more prominent in the sky and this bed never looked more inviting. I had a lot of fun, but clubs weren't my thing. I was more excited to see what else Venice had in store for me.
Harry was last to get into bed, and when he did I was fighting my eyes to stay awake until then. I was adamant about curling up next to him to fall asleep with, it was the only way that I would feel safer. He wore nothing but his briefs, which I didn't mind, his body was warm from the shower and I liked the skin to skin contact. He laid on his back, silent as his eyes closed shut and let out a huff. The distance between the both of us killed me and I needed to be closer to him, it wasn't more-so a need, but a compulsion. Like if I wasn't closer to him then my body would burst into flames.
"Hey." I whispered out.
"Mmm?"
I scooted closer to him, letting out a soft whine while wrapping my arms around him. One of his eyes poked open, they were bloodshot from the amount of alcohol and lack of sleep, but a small smile still spread across his lips while he took me into his arms and rolled over onto his side to face me. A happy sigh blew from my nose, I could smell his scent that made it's own home in my chest.
It's been that way for a while, it seems. When I thought about home, I always thought about the smell of it--my mom's house always smelled like vanilla with a pinch of dust and settled furniture that hadn't been moved in years similar to a basement but just a pinch.
Now whenever I smell a cigarette that laced with vanilla and mint, perhaps a hint of cedar wood, I thought about home. Harry smelled like home. His arms were more inviting than any family gathering that I'd ever attended and more enticing than any open door that could be opened for me. It was a strange feeling.
"I don't know what this is anymore." I admitted out loud, bravely, even if I didn't know what I was going to say next, Harry always seemed to rope it out of me.
"Don't know what?" Harry's nose was dug deep into the roots of my head while my face buried into his collarbone and upper chest.
"I don't know," I whispered softly, closing my eyes as I tried to tune into the unsteady beating of emotions that hammered in the pit of my stomach, "This feeling. It's weird."
Harry pulled back silently, training his gaze down at me with a frown, "Do you want me to sleep on the other side of the bed?"
"No, no, stay," I rushed out frantically, having a hold on his arm while I scolded myself mentally for not saying what I really wanted to say; even if I had a clue of what it was.
"You're acting weird, is everything okay?" Harry used his elbow to sit upright on his side, brows pinched in worry.
I sighed out, laying flat onto my back while staring up at the ceiling. Is everything okay? Well, no. It's not, but I didn't wanna say that. I wanted to say what was on my mind, but my mind was jumbled up with nothing but Harry and the way he made me feel. It was like he was hammering my heart, or like squeezing it tightly with his own hand.
"I'm not ever sure about anything when I'm with you," I admitted, letting my head roll to the side to look at his confused expression, "It's intense though. Like—like a punch to my gut."
There was a silence that felt like years, Harry just studied me as if I was some text book and he was readying for an exam. Emerald eyes pouring over every detail of my features, down to my clothed shoulders and torso until the blanket covered my waist, then looked back at me with some intense stare.
"An intense feeling, you say?" He got cheeky with a tired smile as he eased down into the bed, scooting his body closer to me while laying his hand onto my stomach, "Describe it to me."
"Oh, c'mon, don't do this. It's late—we haven't even slept yet," I waved my hand tiredly, pulling the blankets over my shoulder as I rolled onto my side to face him, "Just forget I said anything."
"No, no," He rushed with a click of his tongue, pinching his eyes together in a 'you're not getting away with that' sort of manner, "Tell me. You can't just start this and then try to go to bed. That's not how it works."
I huffed, "It's not that I don't wanna talk about it, it's that I don't know—how, I guess..."
"Try." Harry held my hand softly, slowly interlocking our fingers together while pulling them to his chest. His heart was beating slowly, the first time I had felt it beat this slow in a while. Every hug I had with him, every time my ear was pressed against his chest, it was hammering and frantic. But this was calm and serene.
I couldn't focus on my words, not while I stared him in the eyes. His emerald eyes were bright now, the sun was just barely shimmering on the color to make it pop and I felt the grassy color against my body as if I was laying in a field of freshly sprung grass.
"It's like feeling..." My free hand was fingering at the sheets, trying to distract myself from his intense gaze while I shuffled through the vocabulary of words I'd seem to had lost, "Scared in a way? Scared, but content, yet thrilled."
"What are you scared of, Angel? I'm right here. 'M not going anywhere." I believed him because the tone of his voice was so sure, plus after all we had been through, I'd hoped he wouldn't leave. I needed him not to leave.
"I'm scared of you leaving me," The words left faster than I could hold it back. I could've slapped myself for being so vulnerable in that way, I'm so used to everyone always leaving me; mistreating me. I haven't been afraid of anyone leaving for so long, the feeling I was very much used too was now sticking a sharp pain in my chest.
Harry placed a kiss to the back of my hand, unlocking his fingers with mine softly before placing my palm dead against his still-beating heart; surely as some metaphor, some sort of solace or poetic moment, then pulled me so close that his face was inches away from mine and I could hear his steady breaths that he took.
"Do you feel this?" His hand pressed harder onto my hand, brows furrowed softly in sincerity. I gave him a short nod, parting my lips to say something—but I pressed them tightly together instead. "This heart has been through many, many things in life. I've always tried to find something—anything, to keep my heart beating. Life had no meaning, we live and we die. Don't you think?"
Swallowing thickly, I tuned into his heartbeat as it started to pick up ever so slightly, "Life has some sort of meaning, I mean, it would be sick to just live and die. You can't tell me that you don't have nothing to live for."
"That's what I thought too," Harry brought his fingers up and caressed the side of my cheek lightly, his eyes following the movements tentatively, "I didn't have much when I moved to Madrid. The only people I saw were at church and maybe a few people while I'm out in town, but other than that I was rotting away in my apartment by myself—that was until I met you."
"I never noticed you, really. Not that much," Harry continued, treading lightly with a soft pinch of his face while he thought about what to say and what not to say, "I knew you were there, but I didn't know you were there. I've always tried to find some sort of deeper meaning in life, something worth living for—" He stopped for a moment, pressing his lips together while cupping the underside of my jaw and locking eyes with me with meaning, "I would never reduce someone's life to a reason, but you, my dear Angel, gave me reason."
Me?
I'm not special, how could I have possibly been someone's reason? Life long pranks have made me think this was some sort of get-up. A joke. But the look in his eyes were sincere enough to make the strings of my heart tug and tug until my vision blurred with emotions on the waterline of my eyes.
"Till this heart stops beating," Harry patted my hand on his heart, leaning his forehead against mine as both of our eyes fluttered shut from the sudden closeness, "I will never leave. Not unless you tell me to leave."
"Oh, Harry..." I sniffled through a weak smile, pressing my lips against his in a gentle kiss while wrapping my arms around his neck.
It hit me. All at once.
The feeling I've had for the last few weeks haven't been some sort of fear of abandonment, the dizziness wasn't from that, no. I was falling head first into the clouds without a parachute, but God was the fall so freeing; his presence in my life was like walking on puffy clouds and with each step I would sink further and further until my body gave weight to the cushion underneath me.
"Don't ever leave me," I whispered desperately with a tug of his curls, shaking my head against his.
"I don't plan on it," He kissed around my jaw softly, then peppered his kisses around my cheeks then back to my lips, "Gonna have to kill me before I ever think about it."
"So this is it? This is the feeling?" I rushed out with wide eyed browns, a curved smile on my lip as I mimicked his motions and put his hand onto my heart.
"Say it," Harry closed his fist into my shirt, littering more kisses around my skin that created clusters of goosebumps behind him as he moved onto different patches.
"I—I like you so much," I feathered through a breathy smile, hiding my face into his chestnut curls. His reaction was a approving hum, could feel his smile widen on my cheek through toothy kisses.
"Say it again."
"I like you." I giggled out.
"Again."
"I like you, Harry! So much it hurts!" I exclaimed between the two of us, to which he suddenly grabbed my hips and threw me onto his body so suddenly and forced my torso onto his with a tight hug, "Harry!"
He kept a tight hold, rolling us over onto the bed so now he was on top of me and I was back in my same position. There was a cheeky grin on his lips, even if the exhaustion had worn on both of our faces and our eyes were fighting to stay open, this was the adrenaline rush that kept us both awake.
"Never thought you'd say it," Harry coo'd sarcastically, placing another kiss to my lips with a satisfied hum, "Cause now you're never getting rid of me."
"Didn't plan on it," I coo'd back to him, pursing my lips in adoration while sighing out tiredly, "I think I've always liked you. I'm just catching up to my emotions."
"You had me worried for a second," Harry admitted softly, anchoring himself down onto my torso so his head laid on my chest, legs intertwined together as his eyes closed, "Wouldn't know what to do if you didn't like me back. Maybe move to another city. Find another occupation. Maybe become a florist this time."
"All because I don't like you?" I chuckled softly.
"I'm a very dramatic man, Anna," He tilted his head to look up at me, "One time I moved schools because a girl rejected me."
"Was it the puke girl?"
Harry pinched his eyes, pursing his lips to the side with a half smirk, "That's enough of that. Go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."
"So it was the puke girl!"
"Shhh! Bed!"
A/N
oh wow thank you for 70k on this book! it means the world to me!!! the amount of support i've gotten the last week has been incredible and i once again am speechless but i hope that you guys are enjoying the book!
i wanted to give you guys another update for the holidays. do you really think i was going to leave you guys on the cliffhanger? xx
love u all so much !!!! again thank you thank you thank you!! xx