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Chapter 105

You taught me the ropes,
and you taught me to love

— Troye Sivan, The Good Side

. . . .

After Harry and I clean ourselves up in the bathroom, we head back out to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Lilly's still fast asleep in the bedroom; however, it was difficult to find the small mass of her body amongst the blankets. In the preparation of breakfast, Harry cooks, and I retrieve whatever ingredients he needs.

"Will you put the food on the plates? I'm going to wake up Lilly to eat."

I nod, and he tosses the tea towel from his shoulder onto the counter. I serve the French toast on three plates and pour a glass of milk for Lilly and coffee for Harry and me. He walks back out with Lilly on his hip and her head sleepily resting on his shoulder.

"Come on, Lil. You can take a nap later on, alright? It's time to eat your breakfast."

He sits her down on the barstool and sets her plate and fork in front of her. I slide her glass of milk in front of her, but she has a miserable time trying to remain awake.

"I'm sleepy, daddy."

"I know, love. You shouldn't have stayed up so late."

"I wasn't sleepy last night."

Her motor movements are sluggish, and her head leisurely rolls down so her chin is resting against her chest. Her eyes droop, as well, and she jolts awake when she starts to tip forwards.

"Lil, are you okay? Do you feel sick at all, or are you just tired?" Harry presses his hand against her forehead then cups the side of her head with a gentle touch.

"Tired," she says simply.

"Alright. Come on, love. You're going back to bed." He circles around the counter and lifts her up into his arms to take her back into the bedroom to let her rest.

"I hope she's okay," I tell him when he walks back out and takes her seat.

"She'll be alright." He reaches for his plate and mug of coffee from the opposite side of the counter and replaces Lilly's dish with his own. "So, is there anything else you need to have built before I leave?"

"I do want some single shelves put up on the wall above the tv, but I don't have any, so I'm going to have to buy some."

"Well, when Lilly's up and has eaten, we can go buy some."

When he sets his coffee mug back on the countertop, I reach over and take his hand in mine. Then I say, "Thank you again. You're being very supportive despite hating me moving away."

"I want this transition to be as painless for you as I possibly can. It's time for you to be on your own, and I need to get over my own selfish needs and try to understand yours."

"Thank you. I appreciate you being here with me and helping me with all of this shit going on."

He smiles at me and bends his fingers to fold with mine. He replies with, "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I made you do all of this by yourself?"

He leans in to kiss me then rotates on his seat to face me. His left hand gropes my thigh while the right one rests on my hip, his fingertips grazing my skin underneath my t-shirt. His touch is warm on my body, his lips plush against mine. I never want the kiss to end, but it does, then rekindles for a second when both pairs of our lips touch once more.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you more."

. . . .