Rachel's POV
Harry stands staring back at me in the middle of my living room, his hands behind his back and moving his head a little to the music sounding from my phone. God, does he look good today. He's wearing his most see through white tee, the one he likes to give me to wear and thinks I don't realize it, black jeans, his silver and blue boots, and his hair looks so fluffy. Unable to pick me up today from uni, he told me he would text me after work, but he's turned up here instead I suppose.
His tired eyes take in my sight, bugging out and looking much more awake at the towel wrapped around my body.
Insecurely, I pull up my towel and call his name, awaiting an answer to my previous question and he snaps out of his stare, clearing his throat.
"Thought I'd pay my beautiful girlfriend a surprise visit. Then, when I discovered you left the front door open after ringing the doorbell multiple times," he picks up a pair of my clean undies and hangs it on his finger, smirking, "I decided I ought to come in and give you a stern talking to as well."
I run my fingers through my hair, getting it away from my face and bite my lip, before quickly snatching my polka-dotted garment from him with my free hand.
Harry looks down at the other garments resting on the couch in front of him and fishes through what I folded, picking up the lacy piece Hayley gave me for my birthday. My cheeks heat up and I feel my embarrassment levels rising.
He unfolds it and holds it up, "Now what have we here?"
"Harry?!" I reach across the couch between us to grab it but he holds it higher. I drop my phone on the couch and hold up my towel on my body as I jump to reach for it. "Harry, give it to me!"
"Ah, ah, ah. No, baby. Don't 'Harry' me, tell me why the door was unlocked?"
"I forgot it, okay?" I stand down, placing a hand to my hip.
I honestly swear I forgot to lock the door.
He shakes his head in dismay, "How easily some creep could've come in here to see you dancing around in simply a towel..."
"Yeah," I steal the garment from him when he doesn't expect it. "Some creep.."
"You're glad it's me, you know it," he says.
I roll my eyes, fighting my smile.
"What is that noise?" Harry steps forward and picks my journal off the couch, tries to open it but I take it away from him as well.
"Besides the music," I pick my phone back up too, "I've got the shower on. I was about to get in."
"But a little dance party first?" he teases.
I laugh as he walks around the couch to be in front of me. "When you're home alone, you take the opportunity!" I shout.
I drop my notebook back on the couch and dance as the song 'Temporary Fix' comes on, holding on to my phone with one hand and my towel with the other. I jump around, singing along to the first verse, and getting a smile from my boyfriend.
"You are absolutely adorable," he chuckles, reaching for my hand with my phone in it and twirling me around, then pulling me to him.
He rests his forehead on mine. "I'm surprised you like this song of ours so much, quite naughty of you don't you think?"
"I love your whole album, but this song does stand out, with a few others. And hey, I'm not the one who wrote these 'naughty' lyrics, I'm just appreciating them like any other fan," I state matter-of-factly.
This song is definitely more mature than the others, but I absolutely love dancing to it. Harry's verse is my favorite. The song it's quite...alluring.
"Hm.. you say we're home alone, yeah?"
His lips begin to curl into a sly smile when I nod.
My boyfriend ever so suddenly picks me up swiftly, wrapping my legs around his waist, and attacks my lips with his, sending a speeding rush of lust through my veins. My arms wrap around his neck in longing of touching him like this again.
He breaks from the kiss and whispers, "Then no one can watch me be your permanent fix."
How does he always know the right thing to say?
My lips are again covered by Harry's, and I find him carrying me to my room, then unsteadily taking a turn to my steaming bathroom from the heat of the running water. I involuntarily groan when I'm pushed up against the wall in my bathroom and get my towel ripped from my body, hearing it fall to the floor. Then I assist Harry with his clothes, and once his shirt is off I groan again at the sight of him. He runs his hands through my hair, kicking off his boots, jeans, and boxers.
"Breaking the bet?" I ask between kisses.
He laughs, dragging his lips and kissing periodically from my lips, to my jaw line, down my neck and to my shoulders.
Harry meets my eyes and smiles, wriggling his brows. "We're alone, nobody will know. It's our little secret."
As the song continues to play, Harry goes as far as lip syncing with the song as he carries me into the shower, shutting the curtain and placing me against the wall again as the water drips all over our sides. The song's lyrics put this moment on a whole other level.
Our breathing becomes hitched with the steamy, hot air. I gasp for breath when Harry sucks on the skin of my neck, nearly leaving me marked. We've been in this place before, but I didn't let anything happen because I was afraid, and injured with that damn cast. Now, I can't believe I might be getting it on in a shower, in secret.
Who the hell am I?
Someone who's a freaking rebel.
Zoning out of my thoughts, my hands travel from his tangled, wet hair, down his muscular back roughly, scratching barely to get something more from him. I hear him grunt a little and feel his body shudder when he kisses below my ear, and my eyes automatically shut. Everything is foggy, my mind, the atmosphere, my vision, and yet the clearest thing our need for each other. I rest my head on the wall as Harry takes over, running his hands along my body. He tightens my legs' grip around his waist and takes both of my hands and raises them above my head, using one of his hands to keep them pressed against the wall, and the other to hold me to him as he continues his kissing fest that takes place all over me. I let him continue taking control. My stomach tightens, a sensation I've missed and welcome.
My climax is nearing, and Harry senses it, going the next step with his actions. He kisses my lips, asking for permission, and I nod. His body pushes mine against the wall, and his hand that was holding my body up moves closer to where I'm craving to be touched. Ever so quickly, a rush of cold air hits both of us as the sound of the curtain moving stops our movements.
I open my eyes and look behind Harry and find Hayley with her eyes open wide, staring at us. Harry turns back and mirrors her expression, then rushes to shut the curtain as I shriek, "Hayley?!"
I unlatch my legs from Harry and set them on the floor of the shower, then open the curtain enough to fit my face, and peek out to find Hayley grinning wide like a damn idiot.
"What the hell?!" I yell in her face.
Immediately she puts her hands up in surrender. "Hey, I got home, heard a lot of music, the shower running, and I thought you were wasting the water! I simply came in to see if you were really showering, your bathroom door was open, but I heard noises..." she starts laughing. "Had to check what the bloody hell was happening! Also had to check if you were breaking the bet."
Then she whispers, "But shagging to 'Temporary Fix'? Now that's a new one I gotta try. Maybe since we won I'll bring my bio friend home..."
"Hayley, if you don't shut up, I will strangle you," I seethe, getting angrier by the second. "We did not break anything. Nothing happened, we swear."
"Really? Because from what I saw—"
"Hayley!" I bark.
She laughs, clenching her stomach before she gasps for air. "Alright, as long as nothing went in anywhere, then you technically didn't break the bet. But if you want to win, Harry's got to get out of there." Hayley crosses her arms.
I shut the curtain a little and look back at Harry, finding him hiding awkwardly in the furthest corner, his hands covering his package, yet looking hotter than ever to me. I admire his bulging muscles under the water and snap myself out of it. His lips are curled into a nervous smile, and I can't help but smile and shrug at him.
"I'll get out, babe. Finish up in here, I'll be waiting outside," he whispers.
I open the curtain slightly again and find my annoying cousin still there, waiting.
"He's going to get out, just give him some privacy to. So, get out."
"Feisty Rachel... now I know it's really bad to interrupt you during—"
"Hayley, get out."
She backs out of the room and shuts the door, apologizing. Harry steps out and grabs a towel, wrapping it around his waist. I continue to peek out of the shower and look at him as he picks up his clothes.
"After you shower, I'll take a quick one, since I've sort of already taken half of one. Is that okay?"
"Yes that's fine, your shampoo and stuff is still here so I'll see you in a bit."
Harry steps to me and kisses my lips, whispering an apology before placing a soft kiss to my nose. "I'll see you. I know you enjoyed getting caught, it was exciting, huh?"
"What?! No!" I defend myself, pouting.
He laughs, leaving my bathroom. "Whatever you say, princess!"
Fine, I'll let him deal with my cousins just for that remark.
But... I'll admit that was an interesting turn of events, being the one getting caught in this house.
I take my shower in a bit of a rush. When I get out, I find the pair of lingerie there waiting for me, knowing Harry must have snuck it in here on purpose. Reluctantly I put it on and change into a pair of shorts and a UCL shirt I bought recently.
Exiting my room, I find Harry lounging on my bed, still in his towel, waiting for me.
"I had to hide in here, your cousins both had a lot to tease about," he smiles at me, giving me dreamy eyes when I walk over and sit on my bed.
"Well I'm glad you're in here, after all you're only wearing a towel."
"Jealous are we?" he mocks me.
I roll my eyes and shake my head as he pulls me to him to kiss me. I sit back up after we break away, and cross my legs.
Harry suddenly has my notebook in his hands and I freak, wondering how he got it.
"I've been trying to keep busy waiting for you."
"Yeah," I take my Creative Writing journal away from him again, "Not with this though."
"Why?"
I open my mouth to answer, but close it quickly. What do I say? It's not like no one sees what I write, my teacher does, which would drive Harry mad if he knew Mister Porter sees it but he can't.
"Well, I'll show it to you when the time is right."
We stay quiet for a couple of seconds and I bring my notebook to my chest, holding it under my crossed arms. Harry breaks our silence.
"You're cheeks are still red? Getting caught really got you excited."
"It did not!" I fib.
"It's okay, babe. I'll get caught with you anytime just to see that wild look in your eyes. It's driving me crazy right now," he points at me, and his eyes are definitely mirroring mine.
"Is it?" I tease, letting go of my notebook and crawling over to him.
"Yes," he welcomes me, then suddenly Harry sits up and slides off my bed to his feet. "But since you didn't like getting caught, I guess I'll be showering."
I let out a whimper, my skin dying for more of his touch. Just any of his touch. I'm going absolutely mad and I know he is too, but he wants to seem stronger than me, my sly boyfriend.
He notices I'm upset and cups my chin as I'm still on all fours. "Won't take me long. Oh, and Hayley told me to tell you to go out there when you're done, she is waiting for you."
Great...
"Will do," I tell him, then he leaves me at the bed and walks to the bathroom. I step out of my room just as he shuts the bathroom door.
Heading over to the kitchen, I find Jen and Hayley in there preparing snacks. As soon as I walk in, both go, "Ooohh!"
"Shut up!" I whine.
Jennifer walks to me and winks, "Honestly, I'm jealous of Hayley. She won at life from what she witnessed." Then she rushes out of the kitchen and down the hallway to her room before I can slap her.
Hayley cracks up, "Five whole seconds of magic is what I witnessed."
"Hayley, don't talk about it...." I near her, then sit myself on the counter next to her.
"Fine, I'll spare you," she sighs. "Here, cut you up some fruit as a peace offering."
I reach for it but then pause, remembering why I skipped lunch earlier in the first place.
"Come on, I didn't poison it," my cousin laughs. "It's just watermelon, some apple, and grapes. Jen went shopping before coming here."
I take it and thank her, and she puts a lid on the rest of the fruit she cut up and places it in the fridge. Hayley steps out of the kitchen and I make the quick decision to put the food back in the fridge, and place my dish in the sink.
If I am going to take this seriously, then I need to do what is right, right?
The rest of the evening runs somewhat smoothly. My cousins order in a pizza and I'm forced to eat a piece so I don't look odd in front of Harry and them. We have a few awkward silences, which I'd rather have instead of teasing over the shower mishap. Each of us split to get ready and changed for bed, but promise to regroup and have more of a chat.
We move this night in with Hayley and Jen to the living room, talking about school. Harry intently listen and asks questions of their studies, and I realize how far we've really come. My cousins who freaked out about me dating one of their favorite pop stars, are now having a normal chat with him in the living room without squealing or crying. It's like we're all a big family, really. Harry considers them great pals even, is what he's told me. I used to be so scared of dealing with the life of a celebrity boyfriend, and now I'm here so casually relaxing with him around my family.
How did we end up here? Everything is so, calm again.
"Rachel?"
"Wha–?" I return to reality.
Harry giggles at my obliviousness of what conversation I apparently am involved in. "I was talking about how I plan to make up our anniversary to you. We thought you were sleeping, since your head has been lying on my chest and your hands were covering your eyes. I called your name to make sure you were but you were just zoned out I guess."
"To make sure I was sleeping?"
"Well I mentioned an idea for your anniversary make-up and we needed to make sure you didn't hear," Hayley speaks up.
I shake my head, "If it came from you, it's probably super inappropriate or something you'd care for."
"Don't get so pissy, love. Also don't jump to conclusions, you don't know what it is," she huffs. "Interrupting you two in the shower was the worst for you, I don't like this Rachel."
"Sex-deprived Rachel," Jennifer adds in the mix, making everyone laugh but me.
"Noooo," I groan, curling back into Harry's chest and shutting my eyes.
"I think someone's tired. May I take you to bed?"
He questions, kissing my forehead.
I nod my head against his chest, "And stay with me."
"And stay with you," he repeats.
"But no one on top of anyone," Hayley says.
"Or moans of any kind," my other cousin laughs.
I whisper desperately, "Take me away from them, Harry."
"Right away, love." I feel my body get picked up in Harry's arms and raised higher. I open my eyelids slightly and see Harry and I making our way around the table in the living room and around Jen and Hayley, down the hallway. One of my cousins shout "Night lovebirds!" and I roll my eyes.
I find myself lying down on my bed, and Harry gets in next to me, getting us under the covers.
"Did she really give you an idea for our special day? You going to listen?"
"I've got this planned, and Saturday night just got a whole lot better for you. Don't worry about it, I want to do something just perfect for you, for us. I owe you that." He cuddles me in his arms, placing a kiss to my cheek. "After all the shit we've just been through, that I put you through, I'm making it up to you for sure, Rach."
The thing is, I don't want something extravagant. Yes, everyone loves getting spoiled every once in a while, but I can't take much of the high life. I was never too spoiled and didn't care to be. Especially with all of this Harry's-ex-came-to-town-and-ruined-our-day-and-almost-our-relationship drama. A date doesn't have to be a night out on the town, it can be just as perfect as staying in and spending the whole time on the couch without getting prepped up to go.
"Okay, I—" I begin, but when I look over to Harry, he's already peacefully asleep, and my body is sure enough tightly enclosed in his protective arms, right where I love to be.