birds // hs

26. Lights *

After Harry told me he loved me, I had to run to the bathroom to throw up again. Talk about bad timing.

"Not the best reaction I've ever gotten," he laughed as he held my hair back for the millionth time tonight. "But definitely not the worst."

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, laying my head on the cool tile floor as he handed me a washcloth. "I didn't get sick because-"

"I know, baby," he grinned with a small kiss to the back of my head. "Don't worry about it."

It was a little awkward after that because of the elephant in the room: the small fact that I hadn't said those three very important words back to him. It didn't seem right to confess something like that when I was on the floor of the bathroom, throwing up like crazy with a washcloth on my forehead. Definitely not the right time.

"Ready to go back to bed?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "I'm fine here. I should probably just sleep by the toilet."

"Are you sure? The bed seems a little bit more comfortable."

"I'm sure."

"Okay."

He turned away and I was just about to reach up to get a towel to drape over me when Harry returned, his arms full of blankets and pillows.

"What are you doing?" I laughed as I watched him move the rug aside and lay out all the blankets. "I'm sick, Har. You shouldn't be sleeping with me."

"I already did," he reminded me with a smirk. "And I don't care that you're sick. I spend all my time around stupid college kids who can't afford medication so they show up to class with the damn flu, or worse."

"But..."

"The only 'but' I want right now is yours," he grinned, draping his arm and leg over my body as I laid my head on the pillow he brought me. "Now go to sleep. You need a full eight hours."

"What if I don't want to?" I challenged even as my eyes began to flutter closed.

"I'll put you outside on the balcony."

"Harry!"

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, nuzzling his head into my shoulder. "I forgot you were ill."

"Hmph."

"Don't be sassy."

"Hey, Harry?"

He opened one eye and looked down at me. "Yes?"

"What are you going to do to that boy?"

"What boy?"

"Joseph, you know the one who-"

"I don't want to talk about that," he cut me off sharply. "Go to sleep, Rachel."

"Harry-"

"Rach, don't," he nearly growled at me. "I said I didn't want to-"

I squeezed his hand in mine and kissed his neck lightly. "Harry, please. Just let me explain."

"I don't want to hear about how you got piss drunk and fucked some dumb jock. Just let me go to sleep without that image in my head."

"It's not like that," I explained quietly. "Harry, I swear. I got drunk and he took me upstairs to make out but I didn't know there was another guy waiting up there. That's why I ran away."

"There was another boy there?"

"Yeah. He tried to..."

He let out a deep breath and hugged me a little tighter. "Fuck. They didn't...do anything did they?"