“That’s ridiculous.” I scoffed and I watched him suppress a smirk.
“Is it? You practically grappled Rava off you?” I shook my head.
“I told you he creeps me out.” I heard him laugh a little and frowned deeply.
"Cmon, I can't tell you anymore, I will be shot." He dropped my eye contact and reached to touch my arm in a comforting manner. “You good yeah?” I shrugged at his question and felt my phone buzz in my pocket.
“I’ll be fine, out in a second.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and watched as he left me alone in the room. I swiped my phone and read the message.
Haz: Stay safe. Stay at Alfie’s tonight. I’ll see you when I get back.
I shook my head. How did he know what was going on? I placed my phone back in my pocket and made my way out of the backroom and back behind the bar. Hopefully looking less like a ghost. I was almost instantly pulling pints. I’d missed this from my college days.
Rava was hanging around the bar with his friends, Sophia was perched on the bar stool the other side chatting to Callum and Nancy was drinking her way through all of her tips. The punters loved her. I smiled at her and watched as she took another shot. She wasn’t drunk, just a little merry and I couldn’t blame her. It had been a shit week. The barbell rang for last orders.
"Already?" Arlo raised his eyebrow at Alfie, who was making his way towards where I stood.
"I'm afraid so." Alfie had been flirting with a pretty brunette lady all night, I've watched as he fumbled with glasses and tried his hardest to be slick. I whispered in Nancy’s ear.
"Stay at Alfie's with me tonight?" She frowned and shrugged.
"Fine, but only because I was supposed to get a lift home off you and I’m too pissed to drive home." She didn’t sound impressed with my last minute change of plans. Her tone sounded harder than normal and I watched as people began to order and drink their last ones of the night. I couldn’t help but sit and people watch. It was, after all, one of my favourite past times.
I could hear commotion coming from downstairs, my eyes felt too heavy to open. I tried to wrestle with my inability to sleep and tried my hardest to get comfortable again, I tossed and turned. It was getting me nowhere. I placed my head on the pillow once more and felt what I thought was Sophia trying to tell me how she too couldn’t sleep. I was wrong. I took in a deep breath and could smell his aftershave, I smiled to myself as he wrapped his arms around my waist as he crept them underneath my pajamas. I was half asleep. I rolled over to face him and kissed his lips softly. I’d missed him. I’d missed the feeling of his arms like this more than I cared to admit.
“I’ve missed you Miss Holt.” He whispered in my ear. This was by far the most settled I’d been since he’d been away from me. I drifted back off with my head resting against his.
Friday
I awoke unexpectedly. There was a warm feeling coming from the other side of the bed. I rubbed my eyes and turned to see a very asleep Harry. My heart thudded as I watched him. His perfect heart shaped lips moved slightly to let the air in and out of his lungs, his chest moved in unison, the winter sun was almost beaming off his slightly darker complexion. I ran my hand along his perfectly shaped abs and jumped slightly as he caught my hand in his. His eyes opened slightly and he smirked down at me.
“Don’t do that Avaya, you might get yourself into trouble.” He grumbled and I couldn't help but giggle. I ran my lips against his jaw line and whispered,
“Where have you been?” He was now tracing his fingers over my back lightly and looking into my eyes.
“Just sorting some stuff out.” I studied his eyes, there was a reminance of the crimson colour in all of the corners. My chest tightened with fear. I knew what he’d been doing while he was away. This business wasn’t just logistics. There must be something else going on with all of them. I watched as he lay back and stretched out his sleepiness.
“You really need to stop putting that stuff into your system.” I sniggered, finally confronting him about this felt exhilarating, I finally felt a little better. I needed him to know that it made him a horrible person. I needed him to know how much he frightened me when he was off his face on it that night. I rose from the bed and felt myself being pulled back with force. He was now pinning me beneath him. His expression was that horrible unreadable monster once more.
“I’m trying Avaya.” His words were stern and I shook my head as I tried to wriggle from his grip.
“Don’t Avaya me, you’re not trying hard enough!” His cold stare went through me, my skin stood on edge and my breathing started to become more erratic as his grip tightened around my arms.
“Do you know how hard this is!?” He paused. “No of course you don’t, Miss I’ve never touched anything in my life.” He released my arms and now I just felt hurt. “You have no idea of my past, you don’t understand what this addiction is like.” I watched him sit on the edge of the bed, I lay in the same spot, my breathing eventually calming down. I sighed. I didn’t understand how hard it was. I'd never had to contend with anything like that
