Who'd You Rather? (H.S.) [ONGOING]

Part Seventy-Two

"Um, so... remember the whole situation with the pictures of us on Twitter and stuff... the ones with the Golden Globe and the fans freaking out that we're somehow living together?" Tegan asked Harry, realizing she probably didn't have to explain it all again to him.

"I'm familiar," he said carefully.

"Um, so I found more pictures," she said, biting at her bottom lip.

"More pictures? What do you mean? He only took one picture with us, didn't he?" He asked, referring to the officer they took a selfie with while he was there making a police report for them.

"Yeah. Not that picture. Um, there were pictures published of the two of us at my house," she told him, her eyebrows knitting together as her stomach turned again.

"What?" He snapped immediately.

"Um. Yeah. They're mainly of you packing up my car with all the stuff I packed to come here. But there's also pictures of the two of us leaving my house together," she explained.

"From him?" Harry asked, his eyebrows heightening as he looked thoroughly agitated by the news.

"It's the only explanation," she murmured, nodding her head.

Harry sucked in a breath and let it out harshly as he ran his fingers through his floppy brown curls. Her stress level was heightened just watching him, waiting for his reaction.

"Babe, I'm sorry," he sighed, shaking his head, completely surprising her.

"What? Why are you apologizing?" She asked, furrowing her brows in question. That wasn't the reaction she had expected.

"Because I know it was probably scary for you to find the pictures and realize who took them. I know it's been so hard on you. I just hate that it keeps piling on. When I think I've managed to put up enough barriers to protect you from it, he just hits back with more shit," Harry sighed, shaking his head, looking so disappointed.

"Baby..." She cooed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him to her. She loved him so much.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her for a few moments before they both let up.

"You're so amazing. Do you know that?" She cooed, looking into his perfect green eyes, feeling so much love for him.

"I'm only trying to help ease the burden on you. It's the least I can do," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No. The least you could do would be to do nothing. You are going above and beyond, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it, how much it means to me," she gushed, feeling like she might get choked up as she thought about it.

She felt Harry squeeze her thigh reassuringly as she cleared her throat to ward off the tears that were threatening.

"I took my safety for granted. And it's a terrible feeling knowing it's just... not there... that I wasn't safe. But now, here with you, I feel safe. You make me feel safe, Harry. Thank you," she explained sincerely, meaning every single word.

"You're welcome, kitten. I would do whatever it takes to keep you safe," he told her, wrapping her in his arms again.

"I love you so much," she breathed, pulling back just to smash her lips against his.

"I love you too," he mumbled against her lips before kissing her again.

The two of them began doing the dishes after dinner, which Harry insisted on doing because she cooked, but Tegan would not allow them to be left just for him. So she offered to dry the dishes after he washed them.