-- Georgia --
As I rolled over in my bed, my wrist brushed slightly against my lips, conjuring the memory of Harry's lips on mine. I instantly began to smile, knowing that I'd see him today. Soon, we'd be able to pick up exactly where we left off yesterday night when my father opened the door. I have to admit, I didn't foresee that happening, but luckily my dad didn't lunge at Harry or try to ground me indefinitely.
I glance at the clock on my bedside table and see that it is almost 8 AM. Harry hasn't texted me yet, so I decide to make the best use of my spare time by making myself look presentable. If I had my way, I'd be wearing an oversized t-shirt and absolutely no pants, but such is not the way of life. Also, my mother would absolutely die if I left this house looking like a train wreck. She told Charlie and I we had to wear makeup by the time we hit eighth grade, as if I was scoping out my male schoolmates to see which one would become my future husband. No, thank you...
About thirty minutes pass as I pick out clothes, apply mascara, and get back in my bed while checking my email. I sigh heavily, dropping the phone to my chest, after I no longer have any more emails to check. A noise erupts from downstairs in the kitchen, letting me know that someone is making breakfast. I throw off the covers and make my way down, phone tightly in hand, to see who's in the kitchen.
It's my mother.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she says, smiling warmly at me.
"Good morning," I reply. "How'd you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you. I'm making blueberry muffins. Our favorite. Do you think your sister will be awake before noon today?" She asks.
I shrug my shoulders and shake my head. Mom sighs heavily and goes back to mixing. I can already smell the blueberries and the batter, making my stomach growl.
"I can't help but notice you're already dressed for the day. Either you woke up a few hours ago, or you have plans." She smiles knowingly at me, causing me to blush in response.
"I...may have...something kind of...maybe going on today," I manage to say.
"Is it Harry?" she asks.
I don't have to respond because it's evident on my face. She lights up and claps her hands delightedly.
"Mom, stop," I say, laughing in embarrassment.
"Oh, come on. No one else is around. And I liked him! I thought he was very gentlemanly."
"Even with all the tattoos?" I ask.
She makes a face, as if she's trying to force herself into saying yes.
"Ehhh, I'm not a huge fan of...body art."
I laugh at her choice of words. Of course she'd call it body art. Of course.
"It's okay. I was thrown off by them at first, too. It's odd because the tattoos seem like they don't go with him at all, with his personality and all that, but somehow...it just fits. Like I couldn't imagine him any other way."
"You really like him, don't you?" She asks me.
I look up at her. She's already put the muffins in the oven to bake and is picking up her mug of coffee to take a sip. The steam rolls off it in wispy swirls from her breath as soon as her lips touch the ceramic edge.
"Yes. I do."
"Georgia's first boyfriend...how adorable," a voice says from behind me. I turn to see Charlie, decked out in a terribly messy braid, gray sweatshirt, and tiny light blue polka dotted pajama shorts. I guess she is in a mood today.
"So, what are the boys doing today? Don't they realize it's football season? Sunday's are reserved days. They can't just uproot your Sunday plans. Sunday's belong to daddy and Drew Breeze. Don't look at me," she put her hands up in front of her. "I don't make the rules."
"I'm sure daddy will be fine with me watching the game somewhere else," I say as Charlie takes a seat next to me at the bar.
"Daddy will be fine with what?" My father said, looking speculatively at both Charlie and I as he entered the kitchen, sporting his special Saints' polo shirt. He's so proud of it, it's sad really.
"With the girls watching the game at Harry's house this evening," mom says to him. He arches his eyebrows at her for further explanation.
"Oh, no. I'm not -- " Charlie begins to say, but I cut her off.
"Of course you are! You're welcome to come with me. I'm sure they won't mind."
Mom and Dad begin speaking amongst themselves. Daddy mentions something about being saddened and a little hurt that neither of his special girls wants to spend the day with him while he grills, drinks beer, and yells at the refs on the television as if they could hear him.
"No, I'm good. I made plans with Blake today, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't want to get in the way of you and your boys," Charlie says, a slight tone in her voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask her. She turns to me to respond, but the conversation is lost when the timer goes off for the muffins, sending mom into a delighted frenzy and Charlie following Dad out the door to the backyard to prepare the grill.
"They're perfect," she coos.
I give her an encouraging smile as I admire her handiwork. While she gets out a cooling wrack, I glance out the window into the backyard. Leaves are strewn across the yard and blowing into the pool with the sweet autumn breeze. Charlie stands next to Daddy with her arms folded across her chest. She glances back at me over her shoulder with a blank look on her face. As she stares back at me, I begin to worry about her words from moments ago. Me and my boys. Had I missed something?
***
Almost two hours had passed with still no word from Harry. I don't want to text him and ask where he is in case he just hasn't woken up yet or for fear of annoying him. Instead, I decide to text Niall to see what's going on.
I get so bored waiting for a response from Niall that I begin re-watching Gossip Girl on Netflix. I don't even have the luxury of hanging out with my dad for a while because he and Charlie left for the grocery store an hour ago to buy food for tonight. I'm still uneasy about Charlie's comment earlier, and have no idea how I should have taken it. It seemed like a subtle snarky comment, as if she were mad at me for something I had no recollection of. I wanted to talk to her about it, but I've lived in the same house as Charlie for almost 20 years now and still don't know how to speak to her.
An entire episode passes, and I check my phone again. Niall hasn't read my message, and Harry still hasn't contacted me. Feeling stupid and lame, I slam my computer shut, coming to the conclusion that I've been forgotten.
But then, the doorbell rings.
I walk down the stairs and open the door. Harry has a single yellow rose in his hand, and he's dressed in all black. I glare at him for a long moment, daring him to speak first as I fold my arms across my chest.
"I am so terribly sorry. I overslept. A friend came over late last night...I'm a shit, I know. Please forgive me?" Harry extends the rose towards me, and I stare at it and him for a moment before turning on my heel to walk back up the stairs.
"Georgia?" he calls out to me. I ignore him and continue to walk up to my bedroom. He closes the door behind him, and I hear his footfalls heavy on the steps as he runs up two at a time to catch up to me.
I have no idea what my plan of action is. I know that if I say something now, it'll probably be really irrational and cruel. I don't want to be Charlie. I don't want to push him away. I want to pull him into my chest and put my lips on his. I want to feel his body against mine. But instead, I stand there pretending to fidget with the stuff in my purse. I'm not even sure I'm convincing myself that I'm busy.
"Georgia," he says again, smiling. What an asshole.
"No," I say.
"Please take it." He extends the rose to me once more.
"No, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because if I take it, it means you're forgiven. It means it's okay that you forgot about me. So no; I can't take it."
He began stepping closer to me as I spoke, and I back up unconsciously until I bump into my nightstand. Harry puts the rose up to his nose and inhales slowly before placing it on the nightstand. His green eyes meet mine with a fire.
"I'm really, really, really sorry. Please don't be angry with me. Just come over and watch the game with me. Maybe stay..."
I panick at his last words. I'd never stayed the night with any guy. Not even guy friends.
"Stay...?" I ask quietly. His hand rubs my upper arm in small oblong circles.
"Just to sleep," he says.
I don't say anything; I just stare at him. As Kallie passes by my door, I scramble to find a legitimate reason not to stay over. I feel terrified, and I'm not sure why. To an extent, I'm aware of why I'm fearful, but on the other hand, nothing would make me happier than to fall asleep knowing he's right next to me.
"I can't stay unless Charlie stays," I say quickly. Kallie stops at the door and turns sharply.
"Kallie!" Harry calls excitedly, turning to look at her.
"No, no, no. Charlie has plans, remember?" she says. I shoot her a look of desperation. She shrugs at me slightly as if she's unaffected by my strife. "Find another scape goat." She smiles at me smugly before heading for the stairs. I should have forced Kallie into coming over with me, but for some reason, Charlie seemed like the more usable excuse considering her lack of communication with Niall at the moment.
Harry folds his arms in front of his chest to show his dissatisfaction at my attempt to avoid sleeping over.
"It's settled then. You have to stay. No baby sitter. Pack a bag, or I'll pack one for you," he says. He walks over to the pile of fresh laundry on top of my bed and pulls a black lace thong from the top. I instantly feel mortified, my cheeks flaming with red, which only seems to excite him from the smile on his face. "And I'll be sure to pack these," he says, dangling them in front of me.
I snatch them away from him in a hasty attempt at pointless redemption, but from the smug look plastered on his face, I know I've only made myself laughable in his eyes. And it saddens me.
"Come on," he says, shaking his hands out in front of him in an attempt to usher me faster.
Disappearing into my closet, I grab an overnight bag and a clean change of clothes before getting my toothbrush from the bathroom. I emerge into my bedroom to find him lying on his back on my bed, arms folded over his torso and fingers laced together to make a tiny tent that moved up and down with the expansion and collapse of his rib cage.
"Ready?" Harry asks.
I nod my head, and he gets up to grab the bag from my hands. When he does, he drops it next to his feet, licks his lips once, and presses his lips to mine. I feel his hand curl into my hair as his fingertips tickle the back of my neck. His tongue grazes mine, agonizingly slow, to torture my deepest hidden fantasies, the parts of me he has yet to see. The parts of me that long to do as Charlie. Primal and confident. Disastrously beautiful, delectably insatiable.
And then he pulls away, picks up the bag, and smirks at me as he leaves the room.
***
We pull up to his blue house and park practically at the end of the driveway. Three other cars, including my own, are smushed close to the house. I recognize Liam's black Yukon, but a small silver Jetta I don't recognize is parked next to my car. Harry grabs my bag off the floorboard from between my legs, grazing my knee with his forearm. A slight tingle runs through me, making me feel like an even bigger loser for actually getting excited over the slightest touch.
I follow him up to the front door and through to the living room where Cara is perched daintily on the red couch watching a football game. her blonde hair is slightly messy and wavy, like she'd showered and slept here. When she sees Harry, she calls his name, beckoning him to come to her probably as a means to get him away from me.
"I'll come back in a second. I have to drop off Georgia's bag in my room," he says to her. She makes a rather over-zealous pouty face in her attempt at being cute, but honestly she just looks pathetically needy. But that's my opinion.
He disappears up the stairs, and I wander into the kitchen, following the smell of grilling meat. Niall is standing by the open oven, pulling out a pan full of sizzling bacon. His shirt rides up a little, exposing the band to his dark gray briefs. Liam is standing by the island, scraping burgers off a George Forman grill. He smiles sweetly at me, his eyes crinkling together with softness.
"Hello," he says.
Niall turns his head to glance back at me with a huge grin on his face as he sets the pan of bacon down on the stove top. Tossing the oven mitt down on the counter top, he rounds the island to hug me.
"Hey, Georgia," he says as he wraps both arms tightly around me. I smile into his shoulder, having missed the warmth associated with his presence.
"This smells amazing just so you know," I say.
"Thank you," Liam says. "I hope you're hungry because we made a lot of burgers. Probably too many. But then again, Nialler over here eats enough for 3 people."
"Hey, now. I'm a growing Irish lad. With an exceptionally high metabolism. Leave me alone."
"Oh, man. I only thought my jokes were bad," Harry says as he enters the room,
"Harry, you're jokes are fucking terrible. Shut up," Niall says. "Besides, that wasn't even a joke you idiot."
"Don't hate me, cause you ain't me," Harry replies.
Liam puts a hand over his eyes in shame of Harry's response, but can't help to laugh. Niall stares open mouthed at Harry until he finally laughs, a loud hearty laugh that echoes throughout my rib cage. He walks over to Harry, pressing both hands to Harry's cheeks.
"You idiot. I love you," Niall says as his presses a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Now, be useful and make the French fries before the game starts."
As Harry preps a pan for the fries, I prop myself up against the island, watching them work around the kitchen. Liam looks up at me to get my attention.
"So where's your cousin Kallie? I tried texting her, but she ignored my message."
"Maybe she's not into you, Payno," Niall says smiling.
"Ha ha, asshole. That's not the impression she gave me the other night when she stuck her tongue down my throat," he retorts. "Sorry," he adds in my direction.
I catch a quick glimpse of Harry smiling at me before my lips twist into an identical smile, conjuring the memory of him kissing me in my room not too long ago. I want him to do it again. I look away quickly, continuing to smile.
"I don't know what her plans are today. She's probably just going to watch the game with my dad and Charlie, I imagine. I mean, she was at home when I left," I say.
"She's really got me working for it is all I can say," he says. "Hot and cold, I'm telling you."
"Well, she did just get out of a really bad relationship."
"I didn't know that," he says.
"Harry!" Cara calls from the living room. He puts the timer on for the fries and goes to join her on the couch. Niall rolls his eyes lazily as he takes a deep breath.
"Was she the friend that came over late last night?" I ask him.
"Yeah. And hasn't left since she got here," he says in aggravation. He stares at me, seeing the angered look settle over my face, and nods his head towards the sink to beckon me over with him. "Come on," he says. "Help me wash the lettuce and cut tomatoes."
***
The Saints win the game by a close call, sending the city into an obnoxiously loud uproar in celebration. I'd been sitting in between Niall and Harry on the couch, choosing to lay my head on Niall instead of Harry who spent most of the night cheering with Cara, enjoying the fact that someone else loved the American sport as much as him. Liam had been rather preoccupied with his phone for the past two hours, until he finally revealed that he was going out to meet Kallie at a bar and probably wouldn't be back for a long time.
"Don't do anything Cara would do," Niall says as Liam makes his way to the door. "Which is basically everything," he whispers to me.
"Hey! I heard that, you twat," Cara says laughing.
"Damn. I best be sure to whisper quieter next time," he says. "Silly me."
She glares at him, and Harry is as oblivious as ever.
"Well, I think I'm gonna shower and call it a night. The city can celebrate for me," Niall says. He rubs my back slightly to let me know he's getting up. I sit back to let him up, instantly feeling colder when my head leaves his chest. He silently heads up the stairs, leaving a glaring Cara in his wake.
She turns back to look at Harry excitedly. "We should watch another episode of Game of Thrones," she says. "But let's go upstairs. I want to lie down."
"Alright. Georgia, that sound okay to you or did you want to do something else?" Harry asks me.
Oh, so now you are concerned about what I would or rather not do.
"Yeah. Sounds fine," I lie. Why the fuck is she still here? Doesn't she have other friends to go annoy?
We go upstairs while Harry turns off all the lights downstairs, and Cara makes a point to show me her overnight bag in the corner of his room. She slips off her jeans and puts on a pair of sleep shorts. I look away, thinking that if I don't I would surely punch her in the throat any minute now. She crawls into his bed under the covers to lie against the inner wall. When Harry comes in, she smiles. Of fucking course. I try taking deeper breaths to calm myself, but she's so irritating. I grab my bag and slip away to the bathroom further down the hall since Niall is beginning his shower in the one closer to Harry's room. Everything was fine earlier, but now I'm just confused.
I change into an jersey tank and soft flannel pajama pants and brush my teeth before heading back to Harry's room. When he sees me at the door, he pats the edge of the bed next to him. I crawl in. They'd already started their next episode. Even though I've already seen this season, I watch along with them until I'm the only one watching. It didn't even take twenty minutes before they passed out.
Niall comes out of the bathroom in his pajamas. As he passes by the door, he looks at me and says goodnight. I lie there for a few more minutes, watching the episode by myself until I look over at Harry and Cara sleeping soundly together.
Carefully, I slip out of the bed and make my way to Niall's door and open it slowly. His blue eyes open to look at me from his pillow, and he lifts up the covers to let me join him. I crawl in facing him and look into his eyes in the darkness of his room.
"You're lucky I have clothes on," he says after a moment of silence.
"Do you normally sleep naked?" I ask smiling.
He contemplates his answer with a questioning moan into the pillow. "Ehhh, no," he laughs. "But sometimes when I'm feeling frisky or really manly, I like to sleep in the nude."
I laugh. "Oh, okay. I promise I'll be more mindful next time."
"I'm sorry she's here," he says.
"Yeah. It's okay."
"No, it's not," he says sternly. "She should be the one without a place to sleep."
I break eye contact with him.
"How's Charlie," he asks after a moment.
"I don't really know," I shrug. "She's been acting kind of odd these past few days. I honestly couldn't tell you." A worried look crosses his face briefly before fading out again.
We lie there in silence until we fall asleep, still facing each other, feeling content knowing the other is there.
***
"Hey," Harry says quietly as I open my eyes. He's smiling at me. I glance over my shoulder to look for Niall, but he isn't there.
"Where's Niall?" I ask.
"He left a few minutes after Cara."
"What time is it?"
"Don't worry. It's only a little after 1 AM. You haven't been asleep for very long. I'm sorry I fell asleep. I'm a shit."
"That tends to be a common excuse for you," I say.
He inhales deeply. "I deserved that," he says. "Come on. Come to bed with me."
I stare at him a moment before holding my arms out. "It's too far awayyyyy," I groan groggily.
He flips the covers off of me and picks me up as I wrap my arms around his neck. Carrying me, he walks into his bedroom and places me down on the bed before returning to the door to close it. I tuck myself under the covers as he comes over to join me.
"You know," he starts. "I prefer being the little spoon, but since I like you so much, I'll let you have the honors tonight."
Harry wraps his arm around me as he nestles his face into my neck. His soft brown curls tickle my jaw, setting every nerve ablaze with his proximity.
"This is what I've wanted to do all night," he says. He kisses my neck, a long sensual linger on my skin, before nuzzling himself back to his previous spot. "Just hold you."
"Then don't let go," I say.
"I won't."