One Plus One

Chapter Forty-Four

I was busy in the kitchen when I could hear shouting coming from my living room. I neared closer to the door to try and hear exactly what was going on but I jumped back at the sight of an enraged Harry storming into the hallway.

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine." he spoke, both bluntly and harshly.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"Leave it, Marlie."

"But-"

"I said leave it!"

I jumped back into the wall at his raised tone. His jaw was tight and his eyes had lost their sparkle. I was wary to move closer, but my need to know what had upset him gave me the push to close the distance between us. Harry turned his head from me, causing my heart to beat rapidly. Had something been said about me?

Harry's grip on his phone caused his knuckles to turn white, contrasting greatly to the cuts that had still yet to disappear completely after that dreadful night. I cautiously place my hand on top of his, trying to get him to release the phone but he snatched his hand away.

"H-have I done something?" I asked, my voice wavering.

"You didn't tell me."

His voice was low and filled with anger.

"T-tell you w-what?"

Harry screwed his eyes shut at my question. His head remained in the opposite direction to me.

"That that little fucker, Jamie paid you a visit."

"Nothing happened, I didn't need to say anything."

"Marlie, he got into your house, he waited for you. What's to say he won't do it again?"

I began to feel sick. I had never seen Harry so angry. He was scaring me.

"And the worst part? He threatened you. He threatened you and you told me everything was ok, nothing to worry about."

"There isn't."

"Yes there is, Marlie!"

The chair flew backwards and toppled over as he stood. Harry's voice bounced off the kitchen walls, echoing in the otherwise quiet space.

"You have no idea what he is capable of."

Harry paced over to the kitchen sink, leaning over it and trying to control his breathing. Tears of fear were stinging in my eyes. One escaped as I screwed my eyes shut in pain. I looked down and noticed I was doing it again. I was scratching. Raised red marks covered my wrists, one of them bled were I'd reopened an old cut. I was quick to hide my wrists as Harry spun around.

"Why did you lie to me?"

Harry's voice was calmer but was laced with hurt.

"I...I just..."

"What did he say to you?"

I stared at him, words unable to fall from my lips.

"Tell me what he said, Marlie."

I felt like I didn't know the person standing in front of me. He had completely transformed. He bore no resemblance to the guy I was falling for, except for appearance. But even that had altered slightly. His eyes were narrowed, curls pushed back from his face and every muscle tight. This wasn't the Harry I was used to. This Harry scared me.

"Who told you about him?" I asked tentatively.

"Brody. Lily told him. You tell her, but you don't tell me?"

The annoyance in his voice was apparent. The distance between was decreasing once more, this time Harry neared me.

"Harry, please." I begged, hoping to get back the playful Harry I longed to see.

Harry's features softened when he saw the tears creeping down my cheeks. His anger at me was still evident. I was scared to talk in case I provoked another outburst from him.

HARRY'S POV

I could see she was scared. It was like she was trying to push herself through the wall she had backed so far into it. I backed away slightly, hoping it would calm her. I couldn't understand why she hadn't told me what had gone on. She had no idea what Jamie could do. I knew all too well.

"I can't protect you if you don't tell me."

"It's not your job to protect me, Harry. I can look after myself."

"But he could fucking kill you!"

"Yeah? Well maybe I should let him."

Marlie silenced me. The only sound was her sniffles. My heart pounded violently in my chest. What would make her say something like that? She was trembling and I could see movement of her hands behind her back. It didn't take me long to figure out what she was doing.

"Marlie-"

"Don't." she warned, stopping me from moving forward. "All of this is my fault. It'd be better if he'd just get it over and done with. I can't seem to do anything right."

Her wrists emerged from behind her back. Her skin colour was no longer visible. It was bright red and looked sore. She was wincing but carried on despite the pain shooting up her arms. I ignored her protests of my nearing her and pulled her hands away from her wrists.

"Please, stop this, Marlie."

I raised the reddened skin to my lips, lightly sprinkling kisses over the cuts and scratches. Even with the lightest of touches, her eyes screwed shut.

"Let me in, Marlie. Let me keep you safe."

Her head fell into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, encasing her in a protective hug.

"Please just trust me."

"I trust you, Harry. I'm sorry."

Her voice was shaky and raw with emotion. I held her tighter, her words filling me with warmth. The more she told me she trusted me, the more I believed her and the closer I felt to her. The reputation that had been created for me was slowly slipping away.

"I'm gonna get in the bath." she mumbled into my chest. "Shall we save water?"

The seriousness of the previous situation seemed to just drop away instantly. I slid my hands from their resting place on her back and cupped her thighs, lifting her so she wrapped her legs around my waist.

"I'll take that as a yes."