Bonded

Chapter Thirty

Isaac drove in silence, as they made their way home. He had waited for Harry before leaving, which Harry had taken as a good sign but when the anticipated conversation about the day's events never came, Harry didn't know what to think. He had honestly expected Isaac to be mad at him, but when he sensed Isaac out, the man just felt .... sad.

"Are you upset with me?" Harry asked as he stared straight ahead at the road. He tried to act nonchalant about it but his nerves were causing his hands to shake.

"No," Isaac answered immediately. "Why would I be upset?"

Harry shrugged. "Because of what happened today."

Isaac sighed and pulled into a semi empty parking lot. He found an isolated spot near the back where they could have some privacy and parked the car. Removing his seatbelt, he turned to face Harry properly. "Why did you tell me everything was your fault?" he asked, as he reached out and grabbed Harry's hand.

Harry looked down at their intertwined fingers. Was holding hands with Isaac always this hard? "I ... I guess, I just really thought it was my fault."

Isaac turned his head away, tightening his grip on Harry's fingers as the deep sadness rolled around within him.

Harry leaned over the centre console, his eyes narrowing in concern as he tried to read Isaac's face. Was this level of unhappiness something a person could just randomly feel one day, or were the accusations of him being oblivious to his partner's struggles true? Were they right when they claimed he never really cared? He didn't want to admit it but there was no way a feeling this strong could come out of nowhere and he had never noticed anything like this within Isaac before. "What's wrong?" Harry asked, squeezing Isaac's hand back.

Isaac pulled back, slowly taking his hand away and hiding behind a smile. "We should go out to eat tonight," he suggested, changing the subject. "Just me and you."

Harry sat up straighter. "Just us?" He asked in disbelief. "What about the others?"

Isaac didn't answer right away, his eyes slowly gliding over Harry's still swollen eyes. Harry's cheeks darkened slightly at the attention, and Isaac reached up absentmindedly, to rub at the pinkness with his thumb. "You've been through a lot today," he pointed out. "It may do you some good to eat now and go to bed early."

"Really?" Harry asked.

Isaac allowed his hand to fall, gripping the steering wheel hard with his other. "Daniel's interview is tomorrow and he's been really stressed about it. I don't want his issues to affect you and make your already bad day worse."

The depressing atmosphere stole any chance Harry had to enjoy Isaac's care and concern. "Okay," Harry agreed with a solemn nod. "Where do you want to go?"

Isaac's smile widened, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I picked the last place," he said, tapping the armrest between them. "This time you can pick."

Harry watched as Isaac continued pretending. Harry wanted to help him, to make things better, but he didn't know how.

"Wherever you want to go," Isaac reiterated after the extended silence. "I'll bring you any place you want."

Harry took in a deep breath, his own heart now feeling heavy. "Maybe we could go somewhere that makes good pasta," he suggested.

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Harry leaned across his bed, and reached for his glass of water but frowned once he realized it was empty. Rolling over, he went for his phone instead, scrolling, once again, through the nothingness that was there. After eating out with Isaac, he was encouraged to stay in his room and try to rest, but the dull ache that lingered in his head prevented him from getting any sleep.