Emmeline woke with a start, feeling like she desperately needed a shower and a quad espresso. Letting out a groan she wiped at her face, ignoring the smudges of mascara on her knuckles as she glanced over at the form in the bed next to her.
"You need to get moving. I have stuff to do this morning, and you have a flight to catch." Emmeline said, averting her gaze back to the ceiling.
"What, you have plans with your other boyfriend today?"
"No, I have no boyfriends. Why are you even still here?"
"Just giving you a hard time, love. I know the drill. No need to give me your feisty eyes." Harry smirked, having no shame in his nakedness as he stepped out of the bed to gather his clothes.
She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to enjoy the sight. "I'm serious, Harry. This can't happen again. I'm pissed at you, anyway. You totally outed me to Chris."
"He's not your father. You can lay with whomever you want." Harry rolled his eyes. "Besides, I think he's a bit occupied- forget it. What do I know?"
"No he's not my father, but you're breaking our rule. It's bad enough that Haley knows now, because we promised we wouldn't get anyone else involved in this. People equal complications."
"Whatever you say, darling." He approached her, now in pants with his shirt balled in his fist. "It won't happen again."
"It won't," Emmeline muttered beneath her breath.
He didn't hear her as he swooped down, that suave confidence in his grin as he kissed the crown of her head, fingers ghosting over her hair for a brief moment before he retreated.
It was becoming obvious with his demeanor toward her that he was banking on her always coming back to him, his feelings for her definitely extending beyond the friends-with-benefits agreement the initially formed.
Over the duration of their arrangement, they had only two important rules; don't get caught, and don't catch feelings. While Emmeline had no problem operating in secrecy, Harry had fallen into an increasingly difficult battle with keeping emotion out of what they shared.
Texts became more frequent. Occasionally a phone conversation, one that lingered more so on personal topics and less on arranging the next meet-up. The last time they tangled he had almost stayed the night, and so Emmeline had vowed to herself to step away. A relationship was the last thing she'd wanted.
She had been sticking to that oath she made herself so well until Sebastian Stan had worked his way under her skin. And then Harry had been there at Haley's, a promising and charming distraction despite how much he frustrated her.
It was also because of Sebastian that she couldn't do this to Harry any longer.
Last week, Sebastian had done the honorable thing and brought her home after her karaoke outing, and although her memory was fuzzy on that night the state of her bedroom had clued her into just how much of a challenge that must've been for him.
However, when she walked out of her bedroom clad in only a pair of panties and a worn Marvel t-shirt, a startling sight had awaited her. Sebastian sat casually at her island counter, propped on a stool with a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other as if he also lived there.
"Uh?" She sputtered, groggy enough from the lingering booze in her system that she couldn't quite form a coherent sentence.
"There you are, sunshine!" He grinned, all messy hair and rumpled clothes but looking well-rested, nonetheless. "Good to see you survived the night. I was about to check on you."
