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Abrupt knocking of a clenched fist against wood is what wakes me in the morning, not the gentle beating of Harry's heart against my back, not the blinding sunlight peeking through his blinds, not the erratically repetitively sound of my alarm, but an overabundance of horrid, repetitive knocking.
Not much time passes between the knocking beginning and Harry and I being startled awake, looking as if we've just been caught doing something incredibly risque. My eyes don't have much time to adjust to the brightness of the room before Harry is grumbling incoherently and rising towards his door, leaving me to sink further underneath the thick blanket that was draped around the both of us.
My memory of the night before is rather intact for how much I drank. I remember clubbing, acting like wild teenagers, and I most definitely remember returning to his flat, acting then like the bold adults we are, or strive to be. My cheeks immediately blush at the thought of what happened last night and I thank the heavens that it wasn't just some magnificent wet dream. We didn't go all the way, but we went further than I would have if I was sober. Whilst I should, I don't regret what happened.
"Who the hęll are you?" I hear Harry yell from the around the corner, my attention snapping towards the direction Harry disappeared in. My eyebrows furrow at the interaction with the unknown person, a small amount of fear rising in my chest at who it could be. In general, I try not to let paranoia get to me, but it's hard not to when you have the name that I do.
What if it's a robber? A murderer? Oh God, what if it's the press?
"Hey!" I jump at the sound of Harry's slightly distressed voice and jump up from the couch when I hear a loud thump, disregarding the fact that I'm practically naked as I stand to my feet and cower in place.
My guard is up as I hear the fast-paced footsteps near the living room, my body frozen in fear as I wait for whomever it is to come. I begin to plan my next move: diving over the couch and hiding from the unknown guest, but I don't make it very far before the person comes into a view. A gasp leaves my lips as soon as the person turns the corner, eyes glaring red from anger as my own widen in realization of my own stupidity.
Oh shįt.
"Mary!"
My eyes immediately flicker to the clock underneath the telly another loud gasp leaving my lips as I see the time, 8:29. In my drunken stupor last night I completely forgot to set an alarm to get to the station by eight. I promised Niall one thing last night and I couldn't keep it. There's absolutely no way we're going to make it back to the palace before anyone notices I'm gone. I'm absolutely screwed.
My father is going to lock me in my room until I'm well into my fifties, or he may never let me leave. My mother is going to scream until she turns blue in the face, maybe even until I turn blue in the face. The director of our security team is going to chew me out for my decisions, mistakes, and utter stupidity. I'm absolutely dead; I'll be staring at four walls until I'm old and grey. If we had a dungeon, I'm 100% sure I'd be thrown in it.
"Niall, I am so sorry." I blubber out, starting to freak out beyond my normal level of calm.
Niall looks me up and down, his eyes immediately shifting away from my practically nude body, out of respect, towards Harry who has entered the room rubbing the back of his head. If it weren't for the chaos of the situation I'd probably be panicking at two men seeing more of my body than I'd like, but for now I couldn't care less.
"Mary, do you know this guy?"
For the first time since waking, I get a glimpse of Harry and all his glory. He's lacking a shirt and pants and looks like an actual Adonis. He's more sculpted than I truly remembered and the sight before me makes my mouth water. His muscles almost ripple as his arm is scratches the back of his head, his bicep strong and covered in a layer of black-scribbled tattoos. His once tidy hair is messily splayed all over his head, a few strands falling in front of his eyes. Even with the look of absolute confusion upon his features and sleep in the corner of his eyes he still looks incredibly fit.
Fück, fückety, fück.
"This is my friend, Niall, from the station." I breathe out as I stumble around the room to grab all of my discarded and scattered clothing items. My shoes are on opposites of the room and I'm having troubles locating my shirt. Harry gives Niall a sideways glance, still rubbing, or scratching - I can't really tell -, the back of his head as Niall returns the look. "I apologize for his behavior; he's very protective of me." As I'm hopping back into my skinnies, I jump towards the toilet and dart in front of the mirror without another word to the men in the other room.
Thanks to some sort of miracle, the black wig, whilst a bit haphazard, is still somehow covering my natural hair, looking completely natural; I guess the glue for this lace front wig was worth the extra cost. With a bit of fixing, it looks back to normal, or as normal as can be. My eyes automatically fit lower to my bare chest, a deep blush rising on my checks as I see the proof of last night's romp on Harry's couch.
Dark splotches are peppered up and down my chest, ranging in size and severity. Normally I don't enjoy being marked, as I'm a bit conservative in my PDA, but I can't deny that I actually like the way they look on my body. For the first time in a long time I feel like an actually grown-up. Usually I'm grown-up in the sense that I'm mature and have my ducks in a row, but never grown up in the sense of sex.
A loud bang on the door interrupts me from my thinking and before I have time to open the door, it's already being flung open and I'm being shoved to the side. I expect one man but am greeted with the other.
"I suggest you put this on." Niall's voice is harsher than I've ever heard it, the tone sends shivers down my spine as he thrusts my wrinkled tee into my hands. "What were you thinking?" He demands, shutting the door behind him and crossing his arms over his puffed out chest. "You barely know this guy, Mabel. Do you have any idea the consequences of your actions last night if he had found out your true identity?"
"Well, he didn't."
"You don't know that. There could be photographic proof that Princess Mabel Armitage-Winfield had a wild night out with some commoner -"
"Don't you dare call him that, Niall." He sighs heavily, his anger getting the best of him in that moment. "And he wouldn't do that. I may barely know him, but he's not that type of guy. And also, don't call me by my full name; it doesn't have the effect you think it does." Niall seems to be boiling in place with his anger and annoyance towards me. It pains me that I'm the cause of those emotions and that I could very well be the cause of his termination from our security service because of my actions.
"You better hope he's not, or I'm gonna have to come back over here and kick his -"
"I get it."
"Do you?"
"I do. I am as much of an adult as you are, as you know." My chest rises and falls with every annoyed breath I release. As much as I want to be angry with Niall because of his actions, I can't. He's only here because of me and my stupid choices. He was hired to protect me and he's doing just that right now. I shouldn't be yelling, I should actually be thanking him; but I'm too petty to apologize right now. "Did you hit him?"
"I merely shoved him out of the way. I didn't know if you were in harm or not. For all I know he could've kidnapped you." I keep the thought of the what if of Harry kidnapping me last night and Niall not showing until the morning to myself as I sort my appearance out.
"Go apologize to him."
"Mab -"
"Go! I'll be out in a minute." I order, my hands slamming against the counter of the sink.
In all the years Niall's worked with me, I've never raised my voice at him, nor have I strictly ordered him around. I don't feel comfortable ordering people around, I never have, but especially not Niall. The guilt bubbles up within me the second I yell at him, but I keep my apology at bay as he exits the loo and leaves my sight.
How could I have been so stupid?
What got into my head last night and drove me to do such reckless things? Was it all the pent up frustration of lacking freedom from a young age or was it the rebellion of being an adult on the loose? Whatever it was I can't tell if I'm beginning to regret everything that went down or embrace it.
For the first time in my life I did something that I wanted to do; not something that someone told me to do or asked me to do. I made the decision to do something for myself, to be selfish for once in my life. Why should I feel guilty about it?
"Niall, would you please wait in the hall?"
Both men gaze at me as I enter the room, my posture impeccably straight, as if my true identity was fully coming through. The two men are standing practically on opposites sides of Harry's lounge, scowls on both of their lips. Niall glances at and makes no move to leave the flat, or even the room. With a stern glare in my protector's direction, he huffs and sends a menacingly tough look to Harry before he looks to me again.
"Five minutes."
Harry and I watch in silence as Niall exits the room, our eyes staying locked in the direction he disappeared in. As soon as we hear the door open and close, our attention is back on each other, but still nothing is said to each other. Harry visibly takes a deep breath, his chest raising and falling as a loud sigh is exhaled through his parted pink lips. Even in the midst of all this craziness I still want to kiss him.
"What's going on?" Harry walks towards me, his hands automatically going to my arms as his thumbs caress my skin. As much as I don't want to look him in the eye and lie anymore, I push through, even with him being so sweet and caring. I must finish what I started. "Do you have to go?"
"Yes." I answer, receiving a sad pout from him and it only makes me feel worse. "Look, there's a lot you don't know about me, Harry. I'm not a normal girl; my life is rather complicated, if you can't tell." I try to joke, but it comes off dry. "I feel as if I need to apologize ahead of time for what may happen between us and what I've dragged you into." Harry opens his mouth to speak, but I continue. "I like you, I really do, but we haven't known each other long so there are things that I can't tell you about just yet, maybe not ever; I would like to very much, but I just can't. I'm sorry, but I can't be completely honest with you and you deserve honesty."
"Stop."
"I wish I could be that normal girl for you, but I simply cannot. I'm so sorry if I lead you on last night, because believe me I wasn't trying to. But I don't think we should do this again; I -" Like any cliche film or book you've ever read, my romantic interest decides to shut me up the only way he saw possible, with smashing his heart-shaped lips against mine. I do have to say, it's effective, his way of preventing me from making further excuses. I immediately fall victim to the kiss, disregarding everything I had been saying before and my moral backbone.
"I don't care." Harry pulls away, hands still cupping my face. "I like you, Mary." My heart clenches painfully when he says my "name", the reminder of all my lies excruciating. I may be a good liar, but that doesn't mean telling lies are fun or easy. "I like you because you are different from other women I've met. As for the excuse of your life being complicated, we all have complications in our lives." Not as much as mine. "Maybe I'm stupid for feeling this way about a person I just met, but I don't care. I don't care if you have things that you can't tell me."
"But you should." The overwhelming feeling of crying takes over my body, but I do my best to hide the tears from Harry. I don't want him to see them and I also don't want to be that woman.
"You're not in a relationship, are you?" I shake my head. "You're not dying? You're not a spy with MI6 or the CIA, are you?" Again, I shake my head. "You're not going to use me for money and then murder me, are you?"
"Of course not." Especially because I have more money than you can ever imagine.
"Then I don't bloody care. I want to continue seeing you, Mary, because you're worth it." This time I'm the one to open my mouth and speak, but Harry beats me to it. "Please don't put up an argument, I beg of you."
It's probably all the emotions and events from today and last night overwhelming me to the point where I nod my head. There's the fear of returning home, the sadness of having to lie to Harry, the happiness that I felt last night, and the lust I can't help but feel with his hands are on my body; there's too much emotions for my drained body and mind to handle.
"I have to go." I breathe, standing on my tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to his lips.
"When will I see you again?"
"I don't know." It pains me not knowing the next time I'll see him, if I ever see him again; for all I know my promise to continue seeing, or speaking with him, could be an unintentional lie. I wish I had free reign to just leave the palace on my own when ever I feel like it, but as it's a matter of national security it's not likely that I'll ever get this chance again. "I'll call you when I can." Or if I can. With one last kiss upon Harry's lips I grab the last of my things and leave his place.
Niall and I are silent on our way down the stairs of Harry's place, the only sound the heels of my booties along the concrete steps. I want so desperately to turn and run back, but Niall is quite literally pulling me the other direction, refusing to let go for he knows exactly what I'll try. I refuse to take the lift, wanting to leave slowly. I can feel the tears welling in my ducts with every step we take, but I keep them locked away. I don't need nor want anyone seeing me cry.
As soon as we make it down to the lobby of the building, Niall guides me through the exit, which is when the tears finally start free-falling. They don't fall because of Harry but because of the sight right outside the emergency side-exit of his flat building. My jaw clenches angrily as I look towards Niall, his face full of sorrow as he leads me to the blacked out town car sitting idly by, with two additional well-dressed guards standing on either sides of the opened door.
"They already know; your father called me whilst you were in with Harry. There was nothing I could do."
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