PULSE [H.S]

066

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." — Robert Frost

When I get home, it's past 11 p.m.

Harry's still up when I get back, which isn't a surprise. I'm pretty sure he would stay up until 5 a.m. to wait for me to get home if he had to.

"Good to see Clove didn't let you get ambushed again," he says as I walk inside.

I roll my eyes. "You need to let that go."

He's in the kitchen, and the whole apartment smells like something sweet. When I get closer, I see that he made blueberry muffins.

I say, "Something wrong?"

"Hmm?" he says, furrowing his eyebrows at me as he pulls a tray out of the oven.

I say, "You told me you bake when you're stressed."

I remember that one day, coming downstairs to a literal bakery in the kitchen. He's a good baker. I've never had the patience for it.

"Oh," he says, "No, the blueberries were about to go bad and I didn't want to waste them. Want one?"

"Maybe tomorrow, I just had ice cream," I say. "They smell great, though."

He asks, "Did you have fun tonight?"

I tell him about it, excluding the entire piercing part and telling him about before and after we went to the piercing shop.

He wraps the muffins up so they'll stay good for a while, and I secretly wish he would bake more just for the sake of the apartment smelling so good. I guess it always smells good, though, since he usually has a candle burning.

Harry walks over to me, giving me a kiss and snaking his arms around my waist. I press my lips against his, tasting blueberries on his tongue. He kisses me with a longing, like I've been gone for days, not hours.

My arms go around his neck, and I rise on my tippy toes so I can reach him easier. It feels so incredible to have someone to come home to, and have Harry to spend every single day with. I couldn't ask for anything sweeter than this.

He pulls my body closer to his, and I wince as my stomach makes contact with his body. Immediately, he pulls back, his eyes filling with worry.

He says, "What was that? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," I say as my heart melts from his reaction to me possibly being hurt. This man really cares about me.

He doesn't look convinced, he stares down at me, face stern, saying, "Why'd you whine, then?"

His hands go to the bottom of my shirt, trying to pull it up, but I step away from him. I say, "I'm not hurt, Harry. I promise."

He takes a step forward and I take one back.

He orders, "Lift up your shirt, then."

I bite my lip, shaking my head at him, a smirk forming on my face. His eyes darken. He looks determined now. This has suddenly turned into a challenge between us, and my adrenaline is pumping.

He lunges for me, but I run away from him. He chases me around the living room, making me scream. I find Scrappy on the couch and pick her up, holding her out in front of me like a weapon.

"Get him, Scraps," I say, "Attack."

Scrappy just starts licking my hand, being completely useless right now. I toss her back down on the couch, and she scurries away somewhere.

Harry's hands reach me, grabbing onto my hips gently but with enough force that I can't run away from him again. He stares down at me, his face slightly annoyed, but he also looks a little amused.