Into The Fire [H.S.]

39

Harry's POV

I watched her sleep. I'm frustrated. I'm angry. I'm ready to strangle someone.

Of course her first thought is that I don't want her anymore. She has no self esteem. She acts like a bad ass. She is a fucking bad ass. But her confidence is pretend.

She can't see how much she means to me. She can't see how much she means to all of us. She can't see that she is everything.

I will admit we've all been going a bit overboard. Smothering her. It's because we're worried.

I'm angry at her for lying to me earlier. I'm angry at her for a lot of shit. I'm just fucking angry.

I want to hash it out. I want to yell at her. I want to punish her. I want to tie her to our bed and fuck the anger out of both of us.

There's a lot of shit I want to do. But it will have to wait.

I watch her sleep until her mum comes upstairs and knocks quietly on the door.

I look up at her and she smiles sadly at me. "Dinner is ready. Want me to wake her?"

I shake my head. "I'll do it."

"Thank you Harry." She looks me right in my eyes. "You're a good man. You take good care of my daughter."

I nod at her. But I can't speak. I'm not a good man. I take care of Echo because she's the only thing that matters to me here. I take care of her because I'm selfish. I can't lose her.

I wait until her mother walks back downstairs before I plant a kiss on Echo's head. "Little shit..."

"Is there a fire?" She mumbles.

She doesn't like to be woken up. Not unless it's with my mouth, or my cock. "No, baby. Dinner is ready. Your mum requested us."

She sighs. "I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep."

"I'd feel better if you ate." I'm trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

The way she sits up and narrows her eyes at me, tells me it's not working.

"Sure thing sir." Echo moves out of the bed. "Anything else I can do to make you feel better."

I follow her into the hallway. Get into her space. Press her against the wall. "You can get on your knees, open that pretty mouth, and suck until I come all over that beautiful face."

Her breath catches. She stares up at me with fire in her eyes. "You think I won't?"

"No baby, I know you will. But you won't do anything until I say so." My bring my hand up to rest at her throat. "I'm going to make you beg for it." I press my lips against hers.

She melts into my kiss, into my touch. A sigh escaping her lips. Her fingers come up to tangle in my hair. She kisses me back just as fiercely. When I pull away she lets out a groan of frustration.

I press my forehead against hers. "I miss you too."

She searches my eyes with hers. Her fingers still tangled in my hair. "Promise?"

She needs this reassurance. She needs it as much as I need hers when I doubt that I'm not good enough for her. I'm not good enough. There are too many skeletons in my closet. Too much bad shit. Shit that she shouldn't ever be exposed to. Because she is light, and I am darkness. But I'm selfish.

I'm too selfish to give her up. I need her the same way I need air. Only more so. She makes me better. The way that she looks at me sets me on fire. She calms me. She lights me up. She is everything good in my life and I cannot let that go.

I rut my hips forward. Grinding against her. "Feel me, baby?" She lets out a desperate moan. "I promise."

"Harry..." It's a gasp, it's a plea, it's a cry of desperation.

"Soon, baby." I press my lips to hers and pull away. "You need to eat. Then I will take you home and split you in half." After we hash all this shit out. Because we need to.

I never thought I would be the rational one in the relationship. But I know Echo. I know if I let this fester it will build. It will build to the point that it pushes her away.

I won't let that happen.

I refuse to.

I'm not going to lose her.

-----

Dinner with my family is... awkward. Tense. Full of unsaid words. Emotions. The air is thick with it.

Everyone keeps glancing at me. Watching me. Waiting for me to explode. Start crying. I don't know what. But's getting on my fucking nerves. Finally I've had enough. I place my chopsticks by my plate and look around the table.

Everyone I love. Everyone I care about. This huge family that has chosen me.

"Stop it." My voice is soft. It trembles a little. Because I don't do well with shit like this.

"Mija..." My father starts.

"Papi." I look at him. "Stop it. All of you. Stop treating me like I'm going to break. Stop hovering, stop smothering, stop avoiding me. Stop crowding me. Stop whatever you're doing to cope with this. Or help me cope. It happened a long time ago. I don't want to give him power over affecting my adult relationships with people that I love. And that's what he is doing. I'm okay. I'm happy. I'm adjusted... enough. Please just... treat me like normal. Like you never found out." I beg them. "I can't take this anymore. It's making me crazy. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss life before they you all knew how broken I was. So please... knock it off."

Jai winks at me. "Miguel got a tattoo of the Virgin Mary on his ass."

Miguel turns to my sister. My dad smacks him in the back of the head. Cho starts laughing. Until Miguel turns to her. He gets an evil look in his eyes. "Cho and Niall went at it behind the shed this afternoon." He makes a rude gesture with his hands.

Cho's mom smacks her in the back of the head and starts yelling in Korean. Cho looks at Javi with frantic eyes. "Javi let some girl service him in a church pew during mass."

Oh god. That leaves me and Jae. Jae is married. His wife is pregnant. He doesn't so stupid shit like the rest of us anymore. Which means...

Javi looks at me. His eyes fill with something I'm not sure what it is. It's a cross between sorrow and mischief, and guilt. Then he looks at our parents. "Echo and Harry got married in Vegas."

I start cussing at him in Spanish. My mom starts yelling in Korean. My grandparents all start talking at once.

Javi and I start throwing things at each other across the table.

Harry wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to him. He's got that smirk on his face. His lips find my temple, and he intertwines our fingers together.

This is normal. This is what I needed.

I look over at Jai and mouth thank you.

She nods at me. Her eyes bright with tears. Love you.