blue eyes like blue skies<3 ~l.s

chapter 1

Rain hit the window at a peaceful rhythm that made Harry somewhat content as he sat on the loveseat in the small library. He watched the raindrops drip off the flowers that were growing in a box outside the window he was sitting near, smiling slightly as he thought to himself "April showers bring May flowers." He reluctantly turned away from the serene view before him and cracked open the book of poems in his lap. As it was nearly May, the deadline for the final project for his composition class at the university he attended was looming closer and he hadn't started at all. The assignment was to compose a collection of five romantically themed poems.

When he was first told of the assignment, he couldn't help but feel bitter about it. The thought of his last boyfriend didn't exactly inspire Harry with romantic thoughts.  He had taken to hitting him whenever Harry denied him of something he wanted, which was often sex. Harry had always been more for romantic dates and cuddling before bed. Not meaningless fucking, which was how he ended up spending a fair few evenings with Derek. He whined the first several times and suggested different ways to spend their night, but he learned very quickly to keep his ideas to himself thanks to Derek's strong hands. He thought if he just agreed to giving in to Derek's sexual desires, it would keep his beatings at bay, but it soon became more and more frequent, Harry earning slaps for forgetting to take out the trash and spending too much time at his sister's.

Harry, convinced no other person would grow to love him as he told himself Derek had, put up with the domestic abuse for months, even when his boyfriend came home an increasingly number of nights drunk. And when he came home drunk, Harry knew that meant he was in for a long night of unwanted rough sex. After countless nights of feeling like complete shit, he finally confided in his sister what had been happening in his love life lately, and Gemma in her infinite wisdom advised him to get the hell out of that toxic relationship as quickly as possible.

He tried to let Derek down as gently as he could, not only because he feared getting hurt more severely than he already was, but also because Harry was the type of person who exuded compassion and respect to everyone he knew, even the people who he knew full well didn't deserve an ounce of his never –ending kindness. Derek was less than understanding, to say the least. He quickly grew clingier and rougher with Harry, aiming to frighten him into staying in the relationship.

Harry's hell on earth was put to an end soon after that, on a night when Derek was particularly drunk and horny. He was being rowdier than usual, carelessly knocking things over and causing a loud commotion. The familiar tense knot of anxiety took its usual place in Harry's stomach. He knew just how the night was about to take place and he was dreading every second. He found himself once again half-heartedly pulling away from Derek's resolute grasp on his wrist when Derek aimed a resounding slap to his face. Harry's cheek stung pink and he could feel the tears in his eyes as he allowed himself to be led to the bedroom when the door was broken down. Two police officers explained they've received complaints of loud disruption coming from this apartment, and when the knock on the door went unheard due to the shouting on the other side, they had to force their way in.

Derek ended up getting arrested once the police saw the pink hand print on Harry's face and listened to him explain what had been happening for the past few months. That night, Harry cried himself to sleep out of pure relief that his personal torture was over, that he was free from the boy that had given him physical and emotional scars. He slept restfully for the first time in a very long time.

He'd been single for six months now, and there wasn't a day that wenr by when he didn't feel relieved for escaping his last relationship. Lately though, he'd been wondering often about the thought of having someone to keep him company in his quiet apartment, someone to keep him warm at night.