(Irresistible Ch. 66: The Boxer and The Nervous Wreck)
After last night with all the liquor and sugar consumption and aggression, I really did expect to wake up with a raging hangover and spend most of my day in bed with Mia. And even with a splitting headache, that would have been a day well spent.
I was convinced. I was going to wake up in agony.
Hell, I walked into a glass door, did a striptease, and played dress up with my girlfriend, it should have been physically impossible for me to wake up at my usual time...early.
But here I am, awake and uncomfortably sober.
It happened almost instantaneously. I woke up with a groan, rolled over to escape the sunlight streaming in, planning to bury my head in Mia's hair when I saw them, the light bruises on Mia's upper arm where that lowlife manhandled her last night, and bam, I was very awake and clear headed.
He needs to be taught a lesson.
I couldn't be close enough or hold her tight enough. As irrational as if is, I wish I could wipe him from her past completely. I want to fix the unfixable, but he's not going anywhere even if we never see him again.
Edmund is a part of her as Carolina is a part of them.
It's odd, I don't think I've ever been so clear headed just after waking up, but seeing my girl hurt was so shattering to me, I was completely awake and ready for the day.
Good thing too the second I step out the bathroom, mother nature getting the best of me, I hear Mark, my trainer, ring the buzzer to be let through the front gate.
I manage to pull on a shirt and a pair of shorts and get down the stairs unscathed by the time he starts knocking on my front door.
I tell him about last night, the fact that I'm not the least bit hungover as he had assumed, and how appalled I was, and still am, by the fact that Mia doesn't enjoy carrot cake. It makes him laugh as he sets up and it gives me a few moments without the image of Mia and that smug fuck that she has to call an ex-boyfriend.
The way he handled my girl makes my blood boil.
No one, and I mean no one, gets to put a hand on my girl except me and even then she will be a ready and willing participant. She enjoys my touches, I know that and the second she doesn't I'd stop and figure out what's wrong.
That's what good people do.
I really wish I got a good swing in on him. Unfortunately now, Mark will get the brunt of my aggression but that's what he's here for. He's a mate, he gets it.
Luckily he can handle it and I have to admit that a smirk crosses my face at the thought that Edmund wouldn't be able to.
All I want is to forget about that bastard entirely but that's not going to happen, now is it? It's like I said, he's always going to be a part of Mia's past as Carolina will always be a part of mine. I can't change that, unfortunately, but I can find out how the two of them got into the party.
I know Jeff too well not to be convinced that security was tight last night. No one got in without an invite so it must have been an inside job. I can't see any of my friends sneaking them in so all I'm left with is to assume that Edmund and Carolina heard about it through the grapevine, nothing is ever a secret in this city, and then bribed someone who worked at the restaurant for admittance.
Yes, I'll admit it is a bit of a long shot theory-wise but it's the only plausible solution.
My friends wouldn't do something like that to me or Mia so it had to be someone at the restaurant.
Shame, I really liked that place.
At least our time with our exes didn't spoil the whole night. I can still see the soft smile on her face when I took my walk of shame back to her after I had slammed head first into the glass door with the intent of taking a dip in the pool...was going to convince Mia to skinny dip with me.
As I walked back to her with my tail between my legs, she was trying not to laugh but she couldn't contain her grin.
Such a beautiful smile, I remember thinking it was like sunshine in the middle of the night.
She didn't tease me as I might of if our roles were reversed. Mia just wrapped me in her arms and guided the two of us back up to our room for bed.
I want all my nights to be with her, equally as calm and peaceful, not letting the negative aspects of our world creep into our bubble.
All I want is Mia... my Mia.
Unfortunately, even with the beautiful memories, I hold of our time together, the thoughts of all the unpleasantness still comes through.
With every punch comes a different thread of thought.
I know Mia and I'm sure she was different before we met, of course, she was, but how could she have been attracted to a man like him?
We all do stupid things when we're young, I guess.
But then again people change so maybe Mia wasn't the one who changed their connection.
It must have been him.
Which only means that the prick I confronted last night must have been a decent human being at some point. Mia wouldn't have had anything to do with him overwise, even if she was young and dumb and in love.
Jesus, could she really have been in love with that guy?
I'm gonna have to find out somehow.
If she's anything like me, and I hope to god she is, then she didn't know what love really was as a teenager. Hell, I only know what true love feels like because of her. Sure I thought I knew before Mia and I crossed paths but now that I have her in my life, I have the real answer.
At least Mia had the good sense to dump the guy, eventually. He obviously has no sense if he let her leave, if he let himself turn into someone she would hate.
'My one and only previous relationship ended badly', that's what she said over dinner at mums. 'It was over before it began'.
Jesus, my girl can be bloody cryptic.
She did get one thing wrong though. Mia said he couldn't find her and didn't care if he did but that was the opposite of the truth.
He was looking for her, he does care.
It gives me the worst feeling.
She's not in danger, is she? At the very least Mia won't ever be alone with Hunter and me around.
The worst part of all of this is that she had no idea he was looking. I know Mia wasn't lying when she told my sister she thought she was safe from him but obviously, she wasn't...isn't. Because there is no way he came to that party looking for me. Carolina was but Edmund was looking for Mia and somehow he knew about the two of us.
How did he find out?
I continue with my punches, swapping angles and shifting intensities, following Mark when he gives me instruction. Physically it's an incredible release but it's doing little to ease my mind.
It must have been the pictures from the airport.
We did well considering the situation.
Luckily, Mia was so covered up that it's been impossible for people to find out who she is and considering the detective skills some of my fans have, their failure to discover her identity is a testament to Mia's efforts. Of they just lost interest before they found her but either way she doesn't have fans banging on her door yet and I'm thankful for every day that doesn't happen.
Once it starts, it will never end and it will all be because of me and that guilt will sit like a rock in my gut for the rest of my life.
But Edmund, he knows her. It's not a stretch to think he could recognize her even all bundled up as she was.
Why the powers that be thought of bringing our two exes together makes no sense to me but as the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure... not that anyone is trash. Carolina, for all her faults, is still a person, but... fuck it, you know what I mean.
Treat People With Kindness... unless Mia's prick of an ex-boyfriend pushes your buttons.
He'd deserve it. That guy really needs to get what's coming to him. He not only hurt my girl but I'm jealous of all the time he got to spend with her.
They must have been happy at one point. They must have cared for each other and I hate that. I don't want to think of my girl sad and alone but he doesn't deserve her kindness or her care and affection.
I want all of her and I know it's irrational but I want those years, I'm jealous of those times they shared, of all the moments only he got to spend with her.
I can't go back and change it so it's idiotic for me to linger on the thought but it's there and it hurts. It hurts to know that once she thought of him as hers and then see him turn into that.
Mia must have been so hurt by it, regardless of the reason and I wish I could take that away as well, although I never will.
The punches I'm throwing get harder the longer I think about all of it. I'm stuck in a frenzy of following instruction, throwing punches, and raging thoughts.
I can't believe he did that to her, he won't get away with it.
And then I feel, that click that has been haunting me for well over a year now. I take a step back to catch my breath, the pain shooting from my wrist up the length of my arm.
Stupid mistake.
Honestly, I probably could have avoided the injury if I had spoken up when it first happened. But one aching wrist wouldn't have changed the fact we were filming in the water all week and one knock turned into a few bangs and before I knew it I was being seen by the onset nurse three weeks later with a wrist swollen to the side of a plum.
I was given a temporary fix, one that would get me through filming and beyond if I didn't go to extremes but it was always going to end up here again and now I have to tell Mia about a surgery I wish I had a year ago.
She gets so nervous and the last thing I want to do is add fuel to that fire. Especially after everything.
I can go for months without feeling a thing and then one day my punch is just a little bit off, as it just was, and it'll ache for days. I've been meaning to get it looked at, especially before the tour starts but I've been a bit preoccupied with a certain new author and her big brown eyes.
"How's your wrist man?"
I can't help but smile at the thought of my shining distraction as I pull off my gloves. "It's still bothering me a bit." He nods and grabs the gloves from me so I can have a quick cool off from the adrenaline of the workout.
And then I feel a much more welcome pull in my chest. Like my own heartbeat, I suddenly feel Mia before I actually lay my eyes on her. I don't know what it is, but like my love for her, this sense if the closest thing to magic I'll ever experience.
Her eyes are trained on me and I smirk when it takes her a minute to pull her jaw off the floor and actually walk over to where Mark and I have been sparring. There's a golden shine on the surface of her skin, her blonde hair soaking up the sun's rays making it shine.
There were a few bumps in the road last night but it ended well, actually, given the inebriated state I was in it ended more than well, but nothing could match how I feel this morning. It's the simplest thing, she's merely walking toward me and I feel like the luckiest man alive.
I might have been the one to sit down at her table when I first spotted her in the busy Venice Beach cafe, but she's chosen me. I'm under no illusion that she would have allowed me in her life if she didn't want me around.
Mia chose me, plain and simple and because of that, I am one lucky bastard.
"Morning love," the pain in my wrist fades away when I reach down and give her a quick peck on her lips. Yes, I want to kiss her harder and if it weren't for Mark being here I'd probably do so but that glass of OJ she's holding looks so good.
"Hey," my girl whines with a pout on her lips as I pass back her now empty glass.
"Mia this is Mark, been training with him for ages," I wrap my arm around her and give her a kiss on the temple, knowing she's annoyed that I've taken her drink but I'll more than make up for it later. "Mark this is my girlfriend, Mia."
"It's great to finally meet you."
It stills my heart to see them shake hands, both Mia and Mark smiling as they greet one another.
It's a good thing they seem to like each other because we'll be spending a lot of time together on tour. You better believe I'll be dragging Mia out of bed early in the morning for a workout. I spend hours in the gym sometimes and I'm not about to waste that time not seeing her stretch and run in skin-tight leggings.
My trainer sends me a wink before turning to pack up all the gear.
He's a really good guy, known him for years. He first joined the team during the later years of the band, we struck up a friendship and when I went solo I knew he was the only one I wanted to come along on tour.
And after the events of last night, I need people I can trust around me and I know I can trust Mark. For one, he wasn't at the party last night because he was at home with his wife and daughter and second, he knows a lot of my shit, boxing is simply another form of therapy in my book, and none of what I've told him has been shared with any sort of media outlet.
I would have been screwed if any of it had. I have a loose tongue when I'm in the middle of trying to beat the crap out of him, totally screwed.
"It was great to see you, Styles, and even better to meet you, Mia," he finishes up not a minute later, swinging his sports bag over his shoulder and giving me a farewell pat on the shoulder. "Be sure to let me know about the tour schedule."
"Of course, man. Drive safe."
I turn to my girl and catch her already looking at me, a blush rising on her cheeks.
"Why does he need to know about tour?"
"Because I'm hoping he can come along with us." I thread our fingers together with no further explanation and lead her over to one of the double loungers by the pool. She takes a seat, immediately shifting over to make room for me but the view of my girl laid out in the sun, watching me, is too good to miss.
I think I'll look at her for a moment more.
"You know, this..." I motion to myself and I'm very pleased to see that Mia follows along perfectly, her eyes slowly widening the longer she looks and I'll tell you this, Mia looks for a long time. "It doesn't just happen."
In response, she throws her head back in a fit of giggles, not because it was particularly funny but because it's affecting her, MIa's feeling it. I know Mia all too well and I'm feeling it too. Just being close to her makes sparks fly.
The moment I sit down on the end of the chair, my body immediately thanks me, my muscles soothing the moment the pressure is off.
"So you had a good work out then?"
"Ya, it's always god to pound something every once in a while."
Does that sound dirty or is just me?
I grab her hand and play with her fingers just as she always does when she's nervous.
I'm a bit nervous. I have so many questions and a lot to tell her, there's so much I almost think we have to have a proper sit-down and just get it all out. That would be the mature thing to do at the moment, but it could get messy and upsetting and it's such a lovely morning... no, now's not the right time. I'd much rather just veg out with my girl.
"Although, maybe next time you can take a break from drooling over me and join in. Now that would be fun."
"Harry, I was not drooling."
She tries to shove me away but I'm not having it. Mia was drooling, there's no shame in it, I metaphorically drool over her all the time, so I reach out and wipe the corner of her lip. "Nope, I still see a little something right here."
"Harry, you are such a child."
"Oh, those are fighting words," I tease as she puts her hands on me again, but it's different this time. This isn't just a playful nudge. This time Mia stalls, her palms pressed firmly on my chest, eyes glued to the very spot before they flicker back up to mine.
"If you joined in you might have a better shot at overpowering me."
She snorts through her nose and I smile, loving how relaxed she is with me now. In the beginning, my girl was so rigid, jumping at every one of my touches but now she's initiating contact and giving as good as she gets and it's nice.
Moments like this make all the drama worth it.
"People don't think your jokes are all that funny but that was hysterical."
"I don't see anything funny about the prospect of you all geared up and ready to take me on, love."
I might start actually drooling. Mia, hands wrapped up, clad in athletic gear, her hair up and her skin glistening with sweat... christ, drooling isn't my biggest problem at the moment if you know what I'm talking about.
I shift in my seat, turning 100% of my attention back on her as I try to deflate the intense throbbing in my shorts.
"Harry I think we've firmly established that exercise and I don't mix," I beg to differ, I'd love to spar with my girl and hopefully end up rolling around the mats and partake in another form of exercise. "I could barely get through a long walk on a beach without you having to carry me home."
Ah, yes, good memories.
"Mia it would barely be exercise. Let me teach you how to punch at least," yeah, I'm really starting to like this idea. Getting all kitted out and rolling about on the mats... yeah, really like this idea.
"Oh, maybe turn it into a little self-defense thing."
Or some naughty wrestling... we'll just see how it goes.
"Stop distracting me. We were talking about you."
You're always a distraction, my love. Just returning the favor.
"You were pounding those things pretty hard."
"Ya, I had to release a bit of tension," I answer gulping down the rest of my water. I don't want to sound like a typical guy and I'll be patient as long as I need, but with all this tension, both good and bad, it was either pounding the pads or pounding her... in a good way, in a very naughty way, in the way that would have both of us walking funny afterward.
Christ, it's hot out here.
"I thought it would be better to do that supervised."
She catches the harshness in my tone before she even admits it. I can see it in her face. The playful mood we were existing in slowly fading as the conversation I delayed just a few minutes ago starts rearing its ugly head.
"Harry, are you alright?" Mia asks grabbing my hands and setting them in her lap. "Have I done something?"
My girl, my Mia... she can't be serious.
It's him, that prick I had the misfortune of meeting last night. It's the fact that he grabbed her and invaded her personal space, threatened her and manhandled her.
It's the fact that I got caught up in my own party that I allowed him to mark her, as no one should ever be.
When I turn my gaze to her, I find her gaze soft and worried, probably overthinking as I take too long to answer.
"Mia it wasn't you." It could never be you, my sweet Mia. "I..." but I can't seem to say the words out loud because those bruises are my fault just as they are Edmunds.
I'm her boyfriend, her partner, her protector and I could do something about it this time but I was too late. With my position I can't do much of the typical boyfriend stuff with and for her but this I could have and I fell short.
Ever so gently, I brush my knuckles over her upper arm, pushing the fabric away to reveal what I woke up to this morning. The bruises aren't too dark but I can see them, I know they're there, I saw him cause them and it makes me sick.
I should have been there. I should have been able to stop this.
"I woke up to these." I lean in and press a soft kiss on the darkened skin. "I'll never let him do anything like this to you again."
That's a promise.
"Oh Harry," she quickly pulls the fabric down to cover it up but I'll never unsee it. It'll be my driving force until he gets what he deserves. "I'm sorry I forgot–"
"Don't you ever apologize for him. I should have gotten to you faster."
Where I expect her to argue with me some more, she remains silent. Her big brown eyes stare back at mine with a sad expression, my lips pressing into a line as if she's physically having to hold the words back.
I'll give in to most things for her, I have no problem saying she's right and bending to her will, but this, I will not back down from. Mia is not to blame for that fucker's terrible behavior.
"Last night wasn't the best," she says softly, catching me off guard. "But it could have been worse."
Her eyes stayed glued to our tangled fingers, breathing slowly and not daring to look up at me. I hate what the lack of eye contact alludes to but I might explode if I don't find the truth.
I know I said I'd let Mia take her time opening up to me about the more difficult things in her past but this, him, I need to know.
"Did he hurt you like this?" I ask, somehow managing to get the words out of the back of my throat, trying my hardest not to sound over affected by it. This is about Mia's experience, not me. "I mean did you have bruises like these when you were together."
She shakes her head but I'm not convinced. "No. He was a sweet boy when we first met," that's hard to believe. "We cared for each other," she shrugs at this passing through as if it's hard for her to believe that he acted the way he did.
It breaks my heart.
"It was his father who turned him into such a monster," she goes on, still not daring to look me in the eye. "My dad got me out of it all soon after he found out who they really were."
"Which was?"
"He was the kind of man who had to project his dominance over everyone and everything. His character was so severe that people were terrified of him. It was the only way a man could rightfully call himself a man, he thought and he taught that to his son."
My jaw is tight and my whole body is tense by the tie she finishes, I can feel all the rage bubbling up again.
"So did he or did he not hurt you, Mia?"
"Just the once before last night," I squeeze my eyes shut in a moment of emotion, holding her hand a bit tighter just for the reassurance that she's here with me and safe. "His father was into some really bad stuff. The night the police raided their house I was there and Edmund was trying to–" why did you stop. My eyes blaze into hers, begging for her to go on. "He didn't get very far. I still had most of my clothes on but I had a few bruises like these after."
"That fucking bastard."
Everything falls into place all of a sudden. Her quiet lifestyle, the reason she likes to be alone and doesn't have any social media. This prick marred her to the rest of the world closing herself off in the fear that all people are like him even though it's the complete opposite of that.
Most people are good... some pretend to not be which boggles my mind but given the chance, kindness shines through.
"Harry, it was a long time ago," she tries to distract me, with a reassuring smile on her face. "And I'd rather not waste any more of our time on him. He's gone. Both he and Carolina are gone."
Oh, Mia, your jealousy is peeking out.
"But Mia he tried to–"
"No Harry. I'm not trying to make light of what happened between me and him," she interrupts me before I can go on. Her voice is so calm, far more relaxed than I would have expected from her but she's been dealing with this for longer than I have. I might hate it but she's learned how to live with this. "But I've handled it, I've accepted it, worked through it, and now I've moved on. So please don't make a bigger deal of it that it is."
My want to know everything that transpired between them is great, but my need to get that sad look off her face is greater.
But I can't come up with a way to make her smile. All I can think of is to apologize for the twat that put the expression on her face in the first place.
"I'm sorry, love. I just can't take the fact that he hurt you."
"Harry, it was only the one time."
"Twice after last night and that shouldn't even matter," I snap with little control.
This isn't a game to win, Styles.
"You don't treat people like that, especially someone you're supposed to love."
"I never loved him," she admits with a smile, her thumb brushing over my knuckles as her cheeks heat up. "You're the only person I've ever said it to."
All those years together and she never loved him?
Well, well, well... that does feel good.
"Yeah?"
"Yep, you're the only man who has ever crept his way inside my lonely heart."
"I did not creep into anything, love. You willingly got onto the back of my motorcycle."
A shocked expression stares back at me and it makes me smile even wider. She was a very willing participant, a bit nervous and constantly questioning her own actions but she came with me.
My charm worked on her even if she won't always admit it.
I will look back fondly on the day for the rest of my life. It's the perfect story to tell the grandkids when they ask how grandma and grandpa met and I won't have to embellish it or puff up the details because it was perfect from the moment I sat down at her table to the moment I left her in my guest room with some warm clothes and a bowl of rice.
"You met me not 30 minutes before and then you practically begged me to leave with you. There is definitely something a little weird about that."
"Says the woman you hopped right along with my plan."
And I've got her.
Her pouts her lips to the side, grabbing my hand and pulling at the bits of tape that I still have wrapped around my wrist before releasing a long breath.
Even in complete silence, I am perfectly content with her. Just wonderfully happy being in her presence, even after the conversation we just had about Edmund.
Ugh, I even hate his stupid pompous name.
She starts to peel away the tape, gracefully and carefully unwinding the sticky fabric from my skin. It's a kind gesture, intimate and maternal... not in a weird way, it's simply soothing.
"Does that hurt?"
"Not really, you kind of get used to it."
I tense up a bit as she continues to unwrap my hand but she's so gentle and I calm almost instantly. It's the injured one so I appreciate the care she's taking with me, not that she knows it aches a bit... alright, it aches a lot but I'm not going to admit it. I'll pop some painkillers and think about it another time.
"What about your wrist?"
Her question hits me suddenly. I certainly wasn't expecting that. How long was she standing there watching me?
I don't answer at first, watching as her fingers brush over the inside of my wrist before she moves her gaze back up to me.
"You told Mark it was still bothering you."
"It's nothing to worry about love," I shrug hoping she'll just take my word of it and not worry too much. "A little injury from filming."
"Dunkirk? That was so long ago."
"Mia, love, it's nothing to worry about," I hold her face in my hand and press my lips to her forehead. "Yes, we were doing a little stunt when I had to pull myself along this huge boat and it got caught on something. Very minor."
"Harry, there is nothing minor about what you just said," Mia scolds me, looking very worried and disappointed. I'm definitely going to have to keep the surgery from her now, she's getting way too concerned over this. "And you were just boxing?"
"Yes?"
"Oh, Harry. You need to get it checked out."
I have and you're not going to like the solution.
"Mia, it's really nothing."
"Harry it's been ages since you filmed. Please get it checked."
How can I say no when she's looking at me like that?
She looks like a sad puppy with those big deep brown eyes staring up at me as she cradles my hand in hers, brushing the skin with her fingertips before giving it a kiss and moving on to my other hand.
"You know I can do that Mia."
"I know that," she chuckles continuing with the task at hand. "But I want to."
Can my girl get any more perfect? Not that I want her to do things for me, I don't need her to do anything, it's the fact that she wants to. That care and support is priceless, something Carolina certainly didn't do when we were together.
"I liked watching you, too" she mumbles as if I won't be able to hear. Silly girl, she must know by now that I see and hear everything when it comes to my girl.
"Oh really," I say in a light and fluffy toon, dancing my fingers up and down her legs. "Why's that then?"
Please tell me, love.
I can't think of anything better than Mia describing how aroused she is whether it be from my sweaty shirt or the naughty dream she might have had last night. I don't really care, I just want to hear it.
Unleash the naughty beast, Mia, I know it's in there.
"You're smart, you can figure it out," and likes she timed it perfectly, she pulls off the last bit of tape with a bit of a bite.
"Nope, Gemma got all the smart genes," I shake my head vigorously like a loon, making her giggle. "I'm a bit of a donut so I need you to explain."
"You can't make me say anything, you already know what I'm talking about."
Hmm, being a bit defiant, are we, love? Think I'll have to change that.
"Oh really," I taunt her a bit, having to control the smirk that wants to break free from the confused look on her face. "If you want to keep wearing that shirt you will."
"Excuse me? You can't undress me out here."
Oh my sweet darling Mia, we'll be doing a lot more than that out here one day.
I absolutely love how innocent she is. It's such a turn on and the fact that I'm the one who gets the corrupt her, to experience all these new things with her is like the bright red cherry on top of the cake.
Mia is going to be an adventurous one, I know it. She might not believe it but Mia has been far more adventurous than she gives herself credit for.
There is a devil inside this cute pink polka dot clad girl here, and I cannot wait for Mia to release her.
"Well, love, that's my shirt," I say lowly, dragging my fingertips over her exposed collarbone just to watch the goosebumps bloom over her skin.
I have to stop myself from smirking along with the devil on my shoulder who's already gotten Mia undressed in his mind. "What if I want it back?"
"Harry, you put this on me last night," she gawks at me, pulling the fabric off and away from her body as if to show me but all it really does is exposed more of her chest to me and she's wearing one of her pale blue bras. She thinks they aren't sexy but she has no idea what those cotton cups and tight lace bands do to me.
It doesn't matter where she bought them, I certainly don't care. They still do some very evil things to me. Many cold showers have been needed these last few months, I'll tell you.
Exceedingly good for songwriting though.
"You wouldn't let me not wear it."
Ah yes, my dress up doll, Mia.
I must say that was a new thing for me last night.
Sure, I've been drunk loads of times, with my friends and with woman, but I've never been in a real, honest to god relationship, I can't say I know why my brain went there but I just needed to see her wearing my clothes, claiming her in any way she'd let me.
The thing is Mia has never been obvious when it came to wearing my clothes. When they got the chance, most girls would proudly wear something of mine and honestly, I never minded as long as I didn't have any sentimental tie to their chosen piece of clothing.
Mia is a different animal.
She's sneaky, taking a sleep shirt from me here or a pair of boxers there. I always noticed sooner or later but she never ventured too far past that.
Last night was the final straw, I want her in all my clothes. A few more cocktails and I would have dressed her up like Joey in that episode of friends where he puts on all of Chandler's clothes as if to say 'see world, Mia's mine and you can't have her.'
Needless to say, I hadn't drunk enough and I didn't have enough energy to do that so I settled for one of my favorite pink tops.
She looks wonderful in pink, match made in heaven, we are.
"My drunk self was really stupid then," I really was. There is only one thing better than seeing Mia in my clothes and I completely neglected to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Why do you say that?"
"You were in an agreeable mood, I should have gotten you naked."
"Oh goodness me," she knocks her head back dramatically laying her forearm over her eyes. "You're such a boy."
I grab her hips and pull her on top of me, shocking her and exciting me. "Ya, I'm pretty sure you like my boyish tendencies love."
"Harry, what are you doing?"
I smash my lips to hers hoping that she'll relax and settle down in my lap. I'm longing for the contact, I'd give my left arm for it honestly and still, the fact that she's holding herself up after all this time is adorable.
It's a dick love, not a machine gun.
"Mia," I smile against her lips, holding her warn cheeks between my hands. "Relax a bit love."
"I am."
I don't know what I love more, the fact that she's hovering over my lap as if my dick is made of lava or her pained response, imploring me through gritted teeth, I might ask, that she is relaxed.
My silly Mia.
I didn't think I could love you more and then she makes me chuckle like this. Mia is always a surprise and it's an honor to get to know her every day.
And what's just as good is surprising her.
In one fell swoop, I pull her against my sweaty chest, wrapping my arm around her middle and securing my fingers in her hair to keep her close.
She shrieks.
I chuckle, against her mouth.
She squirms and chuckles and shrieks and pushes away from me and it's delectable. The kisses keep coming, anywhere I can reach, against her blush cheeks and her supple neck. I'd go down lower but in my frenzy to have all the contact I can, Mia manages to push back just enough to scold me.
"Harry don't," she laughs, her eyes squeezed shut as she throws her head back in glee. "You stink."
"You just said you liked seeing me all sweaty."
I might as well share it.
Yes, I'm childish but you can't beat how this feels and I'm not talking about the feel of her breasts squashed against my chest or the glisten of sweat on her collarbone and neck that I leave when I sweep my damp hair over her. My childishness also causes her hands to be all over me... she's pushing me away from her, it's still a contact that spark shocks down between my legs.
I'd like to get you all sweaty as well... calm, Styles, she's a lady, treat her as such.
"I said I liked watching you work out," she pouts. "That doesn't mean we need to share bodily fluids, Harry."
Sweet Jesus, so good but too easy.
A few flicks of her hips hard against mine and I wouldn't have come at that. Do I dare broach the subject... now?
Seems a bit odd, having just been talking about her abusive ex-boyfriend but I'm so intrigued to get her reaction. We're gonna have sex soon, not just because I'm desperate to be close to her and show her how I feel but because it's a natural step forward in our relationship.
I also know that she wants to as well, she might not admit it to me or herself now, her fears still getting the better of her but the moments coming, I know it. And it will be bloody fantastic when it does.
"Your innocence knows no bounds does it?"
"God Harry," she slaps my chest with a disapproving look. "You go from protective boyfriend to horny teenager in two seconds."
"What can I say? It's one of my many talents," I wiggle my brows at her suggestively before pulling her against me again and sealing out lips together, swallowing the squeal before she can argue further.
"Mia, you'll have to get over it," I roll my forehead against hers after a few good kisses. "You can't have all this without a little bit of sweat."
And then she goes completely silent.
Now I can't be sure what's going on in her head but by where her eyes are glued on her hands pressed on my chest, her fingers subtly flexing over the muscle that I'm desperately trying to flex, I can guess it's something naughty.
Maybe it's when I touched her... or is she thinking about when she touched me?
'You don't get to touch me until I get to make that thing twitch, again,' that's what she said, rather colorfully and completely out of the blue. It was a great moment.
One of my favorite memories of us, one of many and she's definitely thinking of it because her jaw is basically in my lap, it's hanging that loose.
"Yep, I knew it."
At the sound of my voice and the touch of my thumb on the corner of her mouth, Mia breaks from her trance, her eyes focusing on me as if a deer in the headlights.
So bloody innocent."Knew what," she asks almost breathless, further convincing me of her naughty thoughts.."Oh, nothing, you just started to drool again," and with a shocked look on her face and a smirk on mine, I roll us over and devour her lips with mine.
___
A/N: This and the next few chapters might be my favorites ever!Probably because I can relate to Mia more than I'd like to admit and would love a sweet caring cheeky guy like Harry. No wonder I spend my free time inside writing rather than outside trolling for men.
Museum Harry is back. What a perfect date that would be with him
The painted nails and the massive pinky ring and the curls askew and a huge cozy sweater... all ingredients for a major Harry cuddle I think.
Okay, I'm not a huge fan of people taking sneaky pics of Harry but they are out there and we all see them and he did take other pics with fans this day so I do'nt feel so guilty for loving it so much. It's the way he's standing. In my head he's asking the gallery owner "so, what's the price point for that one? I'd love it behind my sofa." and then it would be some rediculously high price that he could obviously afford without batting an eyelash and all would be good in his world. Gosh, the places my mind goes.
As promiced this is the first chapter of three to be published tonight! The next two will be up shortly!
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All the love, C.