Uncle Harry

-14-

Harry's thumb keeps running over my hand as he still holds it between us on the cold, hollow wood of the deck. The feeling would be enough to intoxicate me if my head wasn't already swimming in gin and sweet wine. I don't bother to sit up yet and decide to stare at those taunting, twinkling stars a little bit longer because I know there is no way I can look at him right now to have this long-awaited conversation about what has been slowly brewing between us. He probably couldn't look at me either. I wiggle my toes to make sure they haven't gone completely numb in the cold, murky lake.

"How did you know I was out here?" My voice is almost inaudible, yet extremely gravelly from shouting to talk at the club all night. Sobbing a moment ago must have not helped it either. I can still feel the sticky, salty trails remaining on my face.

"My security system sends notifications to my phone to let me know when the front door, garage, or deck doors open and shows me video feed from the cameras outside. I saw you when you got home and again when you snuck out here." His voice is equal to mine in volume. He's always had a little bit of a rasp to it, but not much more. Something tells me he didn't spend enough time talking to his date tonight to scratch up his throat like I had.

"So you came all the way down here and ditched your girl upstairs?"

He doesn't say anything right away, just sighs through his nose. My legs and arms run rampant with gooseflesh from the cold biting at me. This robe offered nothing and was absolutely useless to me when I had nothing on underneath. "I couldn't bring her back here, Mallory." I couldn't help but feel a massive sense of relief that she wasn't anywhere near here right now. His hand turns clammy and his voice is shaky when he continues to talk. "Look, I want to say to you what I tried to earlier, okay? I figured now would be as good a time as any since we're alone and the others won't be home for a bit."

"Okay," I can barely say.

Harry can hear my teeth chattering in my mouth and can feel the shivering in my shoulders that is radiating down to my hand. He lets go of my hand and gets up to move, gesturing me to sit up so he can sit directly behind me. My back is pressed up against his sturdy chest and since his legs are longer than mine are, his feet reach the water once again next to mine. One of his arms holds me around my middle, and the other comes around to place his hand on top of mine. This is now the closest we've ever been to one another and I'm feeling nervous again.

"That better?" He asks into my ear as he rests his chin on my shoulder. "You seemed bloody freezing."

Of course it was better. How could it not be? The heat coming off of him immediately ceased my trembling. Having his arms around me like this seems like it could put me at ease no matter what. Like they were meant to protect me, shield me from everything. "Much. Thank you." I tilt my head against his in appreciation.

He clears his throat for the second time tonight and gets ready to finally tell me what he's thinking. "Mal- like I was tying to say on the boat, talking to you these last few months..." He takes a deep breath. "I knew something was off with me. Getting to know you has been really great for me and it's been so easy between us since day one. I don't know if it's because we didn't grow up with each other, it probably is, but you've never felt like... like my niece. I feel a connection to you... but you don't feel like family to me. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes." I answer honestly. "I know... I know exactly what you mean."

"When I saw you for the first time at the wedding, I thought you were the sexiest thing on two legs I've ever witnessed." I chuckle lightly in his hold at the memory of him wanting to ask me out and he squeezes me gently to shut me up. "And you know I felt like a such a fucking idiot when Arielle told me you were my niece. But when we started talking every day and we got to know each other better, I didn't feel like such an idiot anymore because I found a good friend in you. Was so excited to talk to you that I planned my work meetings and phone conferences around your call. But then, uh... I was having these dreams. You had shown up before every once in a while, harmlessly, but one night it was... sexual in nature and I found that I- I didn't want to wake up. When I did, I was so sick with the thought. I was disgusted with myself and figured my subconscious was toying with me." I knew the shameful feeling all to well. It probably ate him alive and made him not function properly like it had done with me.