What happened to a few hours, mate?" Louis' tone hinted at annoyance as he raised his eyebrows. He was leaning against the wall, clearly having been waiting for us.
After assuring Harry that another run to the store could wait and he'd all but forced me to take pain medication to relieve me of some of my period pain, he had explained that Louis urgently needed us at the agency. Urgently as in, let's take our sweet time and kiss for five extra minutes before we bother with driving.
Granted, I wasn't complaining, but Louis looked unhappy.
"That fucker Clyde is what happened," Harry grumbled back, and within seconds his arm was around my waist, holding me close to his side as if the grungy man would just pop up and hold a knife to my throat again.
Louis' mildly irritated expression turned into a shocked one. "Clyde? As in the guy that you took in about two years ago? That Clyde?"
"Is there another fucking Clyde?" Harry snapped back.
"Harry," I said condescendingly, glaring up at his tense face in disapproval. He let out a frustrated breath, one hand coming up to his face as he shook his head. "I'm just pissed off," he stated angrily. I could practically feel how stressed out he was, the upset feelings emanating off of his entire body.
"Louis," I glanced over to meet his blue gaze, "could you give us a minute?"
He met my eyes and sighed. "Alright," he agreed. I waited until he had retreated inside and the doors had shut behind him to turn to Harry, who had paced a few feet away. He was kicking at the loose gravel in the ground, shaking his head as he muttered something incoherent to my ears.
I slowly approached him and sighed when I heard what he was saying.
"Fucking worthless... I'm so fucked... why do I even try?..."
I felt Harry's body tense as I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. "You're not worthless," I mumbled as I laid my cheek against his back. "Stop saying stuff like that."
Harry sighed and I felt his palms rest on top of mine. He entwined our fingers before pulling me around so that I was in front of him. I glanced up at him before leaning against his chest. Large hands combed gently through my hair.
"How the fuck am I going to do this?" he breathed. "How am I going to get Gemma back when I can barely keep you safe?"
I pulled away and stared up at Harry. He gazed back blankly, completely still as I placed my hands on either side of his face. "You can do this," I said, but before I could continue he was shaking his head at me and shifting his gaze. "Look at me," I whispered.
It took him a few moments to finally comply.
"You can do this," I repeated softly. "You need to have a bit more faith in yourself, Harry. Believe that you can do this and stop acting like you're useless and worthless, because you're not. Everyone in that building looks up to you. You're their leader and they look to you for guidance. They need you... I need you."
Harry sighed as my palms dropped away from his face. I was prepared to make him walk inside with me but he bent down, his forehead pressing gently to mine. "You've got me," he whispered, his hot breath tickling my face.
I knew that Louis and the boys were waiting for us inside. I knew that there were things we should be doing, things that were important, but Harry had this way of making all of those worries disappear. I pressed my mouth to his and he slowly parted my lips, his tongue wetting them.
I shuddered against him and he smirked at the reaction before guiding sloppy kisses down my neck. The simplest touches from Harry were enough to have me shivering, but I would blame it on the cold.
"Harry, we have to go inside," I breathed. My words conveyed that I wanted to stop, but in reality, I didn't, and Harry seemed to know this as his large hands moved slowly down my back. He pulled away, raising an eyebrow at me as he skimmed my butt. I was about to open my mouth to say something when he was suddenly lifting me up. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my ankles.
"We really have to go inside," I pressed as he continued to trail kisses across the expanse of my neck and jaw, but my tone was breathless and my fingers were knotted in Harry's curls.
"Oi! I thought when you wanted a minute with him you were going to talk, not make out!" Harry rolled his eyes as he set me down abruptly and Louis walked over, glaring now at me, though I could see the playful light to his eyes.
"But I like making out with Harry," I defended, blushing as soon as I realized what I had said. Both Louis and Harry smirked as Harry's arm wrapped tightly around my waist and pulled me flush against him. "Then we obviously shouldn't stop if we're both enjoying ourselves--"
"You two can make out when we get home," Louis muttered as he pried us apart. "Right now we need to get down to business."
"We were getting--"
"Harry!" I squeaked out. Immediately my hands were covering my eyes in embarrassment and I heard Harry chuckle as he removed my shield.
"Don't be shy, love," he grinned.
"Okay!" Louis clapped his hands together. Our gazes glided over to him. "I feel like I'm dealing with hormonal teenagers right now!"
"You sort of are," I admitted. "I'm only nineteen."
"But Harry's twenty, he should be able to keep it in his pants," Louis grumbled, shooting a pointed glare at his friend. His statement sounded horribly inaccurate considering the fact that I don't think age particularly mattered when it came to that, but it seemed as though he was just coming back at us with whatever popped into his head.
Harry merely shrugged as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. "I have kept it in my pants, actually," he said. "But I mean... we could change that soon." I shivered as his teeth grazed the skin at my neck, his tone taking on a suggestive edge. "My car's got tinted windows..."
"Alright, that's it! I'm done!" Louis' covered his ears and started singing 'lalala' repeatedly. I laughed at his antics, grateful that he wasn't really mad at Harry and I.
I turned my head and placed a kiss on Harry's cheek before escaping his hold. "Come on, before Louis goes insane," I said. Louis grinned triumphantly and headed back inside. I was about to follow, but then I noticed that Harry was lagging behind.
"Come on," I repeated as I smiled at him. I entwined our fingers and squeezed his hand, but he didn't move, instead raising an eyebrow at me. My smile dropped. "What is it?" I asked quietly as I got closer to him.
"I meant that," he said quietly as he abruptly pulled my body tightly to his. If I had wanted to move away, I couldn't as he held my hips securely with his large hands. His dark eyes met mine briefly as he bent down and began to slowly kiss at my neck. "We could change that... we should change that."
"C-change what?" I stuttered, but I knew exactly what he was talking about. The smirk that settled on his lips told me that he knew that too. He leaned up, pressing his forehead against mine. "You know what," he whispered.
I stared at him for a moment, but my focus was solely on his hands as they trailed down my sides. "Not right now," I mumbled, my fingers wrapping stiffly around his wrists. "Not here... but soon."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Y-yeah."
Harry's expression softened immediately, the lust clouding his eyes dissipating. "You don't have to," he said hastily. "I was just--"
"Being a normal guy," I filled in with a nod.
"No." His brow furrowed and he looked down for a moment, looking as if he were trying to come up with the right words to say. "I just want you. It's not really about getting some, though, you know, that's nice too. It's more of... I want to be connected with you, in every way."
I blushed. "I want you too."
"Well, obviously, I'm irresistible." I rolled my eyes as Harry grinned at me before planting a kiss on my cheek. "Okay, let's not keep Louis waiting any longer," he added with a sigh. I could tell that he was reluctant, and it made my skin tingle to know that it was because he had other activities on the brain.
I hadn't been back to the agency since Harry and my little episode there, but nothing had changed. There were still people everywhere, on computers, wielding weapons. It was odd to see a gang in such a seemingly civilized environment.
I noticed Ed sitting in front of a random monitor and he shot us a smile as we passed, which I returned gratefully, before Harry ushered me back into the room I had been to during my last visit. I didn't have a name for it. It was just the place that overlooked the interrogation room. It was always dark and there was a control panel near the window that looked into where Aspyn sat, her hands cuffed behind her back and attached to the bench she sat at. All of the boys were crowded in the room, and they looked up as we entered.
"It's about damn time," Louis grumbled.
"Got any fresh hickeys, Alice?" Niall added, his grin cheeky.
"Fuck off," Harry muttered, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips. "What're we doing?"
It was odd that Harry didn't know, considering he was the leader after all, but then I remembered that it was Louis' idea that we were acting on. I figured that if anyone out in the main office had asked who was leading the plan, they would say Harry, but behind closed doors, I felt as if the other boys could push their boundaries a bit.
"Well, Aspyn agreed to talk," Louis started, and I felt hope ignite in my chest, "but only if she's talking to Alice." That hope deflated, especially when I heard Harry's teeth snap together. His grip tightened on my hand.
"No," was his icy reply.
"Harry, she might have information about--"
"I said no, dammit," Harry growled. "All she's going to do is mess with Alice's head and I'm not going to just let that happen."
"We'll be right here," Louis argued. "We have earsand eyes in the room. She might actually--"
"No."
I knew that nothing anybody said was swaying Harry. His mind was set. He didn't want me in contact with Aspyn.
"Harry." My voice was soft as I turned to look up at him. He glared back down at me, his entire body tense. "I think I should go in there."
His eyes widened in anger. "Are you fucking insane? The things that she could say--"
"I know what you two have done together," I cut across him, and I saw Liam raise his eyebrows out of the corner of my eye but I ignored it. "So what is she going to do? Tell me again? This could help Gemma, Harry."
He stared at me for a few seconds before groaning in frustration, his hand coming up to cover his face momentarily before suddenly his palms were on my face, guiding my eyes to meet his. "Fine," he grumbled. "But if she says one damn thing that makes you uncomfortable, you come right out, or I'll come get you. Understand?"
I nodded in response and he sighed before turning to look at the boys. "Get the recorders going," he told them as he passed me. I followed, surprised when he pulled open a dark door in the corner. I hadn't noticed it, but then again it blended in with the wall. Inside was a short hall, and a door to the left that I knew led to the interrogation room.
"I'll be right in there," Harry told me as we stopped in front of the door. I nodded, but I could see the uncertainty on his face.
"I'll be fine, Harry," I tried to reassure him.
He sighed and pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know," he breathed, and then he was gone, disappearing back the way he'd come.
I took a deep breath, realizing that I was actually doing this now. I was confronting Aspyn, the girl who had been a call girl--Harry's call girl actually--and who had grown attached to him, not to mention the fact that she was Sykes's daughter as well. I could only begin to wonder what she had to say to me, and why she refused to open up about anything unless she saw me first.
Slowly I pushed open the door and immediately Aspyn was looking up, her dark red hair hanging limply around her face. Her lips twisted into a smirk as I entered the room. I closed the entrance behind me and didn't meet the girl's gaze until I had sat down across from her.
She was pretty. That was the first thing that I noticed. Very pretty, and based on what I'd heard, she sounded exactly like the type of girl that the Harry that everyone else knew went after, but that wasn't the Harry that I knew.
"So you're Alice," she raised an eyebrow, the look on her face obviously amused with this fact. "I'd have thought that Harry might have chosen someone with bigger bust, considering he lovedtouching my--"
"You said that if you got to talk to me, you'd help us," I cut her off abruptly, not particularly wanting to hear what Harry loved exactly. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Aspyn smirked. "Mm, a bit feisty, are we? Okay, I'm starting to understand Harry's interest." I just stared at her, waiting for some kind of intelligent thing to come out of her mouth. All I heard right now were things that she was obviously trying to use to work me up, but I wouldn't let her get to me.
"Have you and Harry ever fucked?"
I couldn't help my eyes widening or my jaw falling open. "Excuse me?"
"I said, have you and Harry ever fucked?" she repeated, gazing at me deviously. When I didn't reply once more, she nodded slowly. "That's what I thought. I'm sure he's told you about me before. I mean, honestly, how could he not? We've fucked about, I don't know, I lost track after five... but really, if you haven't yet, you should get a taste of that before he leaves you. I think he's the sexiest in bed. He gets rough and--"
"Before he leaves me?" I cut her off as I frowned.
Don't let her get to you.
"Oh, yeah, Harry has this reputation of screwing women over, you know," she nodded, clearly glad that I had caught the bait. I wanted to leave, to not listen any longer, but something kept me in my seat.
"I already know that he slept around a lot--"
"That's not what I'm talking about," she raised an eyebrow. "Did you really not hear about it by now?"
Don't let her get to you.
"About what?" My lips moved of their own accord while my mind screamed at me to stop listening.
"I'd have thought that you might have run into one of his... victims at some point."
My mind flashed back to the time when Harry had been due to meet up with Louis and I and had never shown, and then Zayn and I had gone out to find him. We'd run into some girl he'd known--Paige, I think her name was. According to her, she and Harry had been dancing together, but according to him, she was a liar. I wasn't so sure anymore.
"See, Harry doesn't just go around having flings," she shook her head, the edge of a smirk on her lips. "No, see he'll stick around for a few months. He'll play the sweet, respectful role... he'll tell you that he loves you. But he doesn't. He'll mess with your mind, get inside your head, and then he'll drop you."
My head was spinning now. Aspyn didn't know the way that Harry treated me. She didn't know that he'd told me that he loved me. I don't even think the rest of the boys knew that. Yet, here she was, saying it all, and twisting something that I thought was so beautiful and special, into something horrible.
I was at a loss of words. I had no idea what to say.
"Aw honey, you look sad," she cooed, flashing me a sympathetic smile. "I highly doubt that Harry's doing that to you. But I mean, you never know..." She trailed off, and there was no time for anything else to be said as the door crashed open.
"Come on, Alice," Zayn's voice was right beside me.
I looked back to see Zayn and Harry stood there. Harry had no expression on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was glaring heavily at Aspyn, while she smirked back at him. Zayn grabbed my hand and brought me out of the room quicker than I would have thought possible, Harry following directly behind.
Zayn let me go with Harry back into the darker room where we could see Zayn taking up my former position on the bench. I vaguely heard her mentioning something about an address before Harry had me pushed back against a wall. My breath hitched in my throat as he pressed his lips to mine.
"She was lying," he spoke between quick kisses. "I've never done that."
"O-okay," I stuttered back. I squirmed in his hold and immediately he released me, taking a step back as he frowned.
"I'm serious," he said quietly. "She was trying to get at you. I've never told anyone that I loved them... nobody but you."
For once, my entire body didn't warm as he spoke those words. I should have felt reassured. I should have leaned up and kissed him. But all I could mumble out was another okay as I hurried past him and moved to stand beside Louis, who gave me a small, almost sympathetic, smile. I knew he'd heard Harry and my exchange.
Just a moment later, Harry came up behind me, and I tensed as his arms slowly wrapped around my waist. His chin rested on my shoulder, just like it had earlier, but I didn't lean back into him, and I didn't turn my head to kiss his cheek. I remained completely still.
"Are you okay?" Harry mumbled in my ear.
"Fine," I whispered back.
But the truth was that I wasn't fine.
I trusted Harry. I did. I knew that Aspyn would try and get at me. I had been completely aware of this as soon as I had walked through that door and sat down and seen that horrible smirk on her face.
But she had planted a seed of doubt in my heart.
And now I didn't know what to think