Harry || h.s.

3.0- Harry

I let my hand brush over my jaw as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a reddish-purple bruise where fletcher had hit me, my lip still red and swollen from the split he had made. Karen had taken one look at me and known what had happened. "I don't understand why you boys always lean towards violence to solve your problems," she had muttered as she peeled potatoes for dinner.

but my problems hadn't been solved with a few hits, if anything it opened a can of worms I didn't want to look at.

fletcher had come early to help set up with the dinner. his wife and baby, sitting in the living room with the twins watching a movie as Karen forced both of us into the kitchen together to help.

the room was deadly silent.

fletcher and I on different sides of the kitchen, Karen always between us. his lip was split just as mine was. I so badly didn't want to be there at that moment. fletcher wouldn't even look at me as he went around doing tasks Karen had asked of him.

but when sam and Rosie arrived he was instantly chipper.

sam ran to hug fletcher, him tossing her in the air as Sam started to talk his ear off. Rosie came in, hugging Karen and then hugging fletcher.

fletcher passed sam to Karen who left with her to the living room. Rosie moved to give me a hug as well. she was wearing a white dress that came down just to her knees, her sheer black tights making me swallow hard.

I felt fletchers eyes burning a hole into my back as she hugged me. felt them as I tried so hard not to pay him any more attention.

"sams so excited for shepherd's pie tonight, it's her favorite," Rosie smiles moving to pull out glasses for the drinks. silence follows. I was washing dishes, fletcher putting the pan in the oven. Rosie between us as she filled glass after glass with ice. but still, it was silent.

"Are we just going to stay making the air extremely awkward?" Rosie asks not even looking at us as she tilted her head filling a glass with water.

"I'm not making it awkward," fletcher muttered shutting the oven and turning on a timer.

"nor am I," I say and Rosie nods her head, lips pursed as she takes in our lies.

"sure sure," she mutters, "and I know its none of my business really and by me saying that I hope we don't bring me into the arguments," she looks to fletcher who rolls his eyes at her. "because I have forgiven and so the I'm upset for Rosie card is off the table,"

"I'm allowed to still be upset," he mutters as I keep washing the dishes.

"I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings all I'm saying is that you don't have to be mad on my behalf,"

"stop using your teacher talk on me," fletcher sighs leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. "I'm not your student and this isn't me being upset he took my pencil,"

I scoffed and Rosie and him both turned their head towards me. fletcher with a glare and her with a plea.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore rose," fletcher says tongue running over the cut on his lip.

"and I don't want you both fighting each other, as much as you're upset with him, he's here now and trying. just promise you won't go having another fistfight,"

"promise," I say as I turn off the water.

"I guess ill try," fletcher mutters pushing off the counter and making his way out of the kitchen.

Rosie rolls her eyes going back to filling up the glasses with their drinks. I dry off my hands, leaning against the counter watching her. we stood like that for a few seconds until she bit her lip trying not to smile. "staring is rude, did anyone ever tell you that?" she jokes placing the last glass down before looking back at me.

"I was not staring, I was admiring," I shrug trying to hide my slight smile.

"admiring?" she crosses her arms.

"uh hu," I step closer to her before slowly circling my arms around her. she moves her arms to loosely hang around my neck. i dip my head down softly placing a kiss to her ear before whispering. "when did you decide to torture me with those tights?"

she laughed clear as a bell, her chest shaking against me as her fingers twisted in the curls at the base of my neck. "torture? do you like them?"

"yes I do," my hand falling to grip her hip, thumb pressing and then circling as she leans into me.

"you do know they are just tights right?"

"okay maybe its just my hormones but honestly rosie," I lean closer once more, pressing my lips to her ear so no one else could hear me as I said, "I want so badly to tear them off of you,"

when I pulled away her face was flushed, trying to bite back her smile she shoved at my shoulder. "Definitely your hormones," she whispers.

i wondered if it was time that had changed the way we acted now. never before would I have said something like that to her when we were in highschool, back then I was too scared to even think about holding her hand. maybe it was because we had had sex, knew each other in so many ways that now we were comfortable with one another. maybe it was because we were older, both different than how we were then.

but I knew I wasn't the only one thinking in these ways as she stood on her toes to ask me, "then what would you do, once they are gone," her breath fanning over my neck, making me swallow as I tried to control my thoughts.

but before I could answer she was being called into the other room.

thank you for reading <3