ALIVE [H.S]

Four

I followed Harry into a small restaurant around the corner from where we had met. It was a cute place. With lots of flowers everywhere and white seats. It reminded me of the garden Thomas and I got married in and I swallowed back the lump in my throat. "Here?" Harry asked pointing at a table for two. I nodded and sat down and he sat down across from me. He was nervous I could tell. He was fiddling with the bracelet around his wrist as he looked up at me and gave me a small smile. This man was so weird. One moment he would make rude comments and the next he'd be nervous in my presence. I just couldn't pin him down and it frustrated me.

"Hi!" A high pitched voice suddenly said and I looked up at the girl who was our waitress. She was beautiful. She had long blond hair and deep blue eyes and quite the body. I saw Harry stare at her for a bit and I rolled my eyes at him before she continued. "What can I get you?" She asked with a smile. "One cappuccino for me and a green tea for her." Harry nodded at me and answered before I had the chance to say anything. She nodded and turned around to walk away.

"Why didn't you let me order for myself?" I asked him furrowing my eyebrows. " You didn't strike me as the coffee kind of girl so I just figured." He answered while looking down at the table. He was right. I didn't like coffee and I did always drink green tea, but I wasn't going to give in that easily. "I can make my own decisions you know." I said staring at him. He looked up at me and his green eyes bore into mine. "Don't you like it when a man is in control?" He asked me with a scary grin on his face. I was startled by his words and I think my jaw might have dropped a little as he said them. I quickly regained myself and stared straight in to his eyes as I said, "no I don't." He laughed and looked away from my intense stare. What was wrong with this man?

The waitress came back with our drinks and put them down in front of us. "Anything to eat?" She asked. Harry looked at me and raised his eyebrows as if he was asking me, so I answered, "no I'm good, thank you." And she smiled at us before walking away. I took a sip from my tea as I looked at Harry. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black skinny jeans with brown boots. His curls were tugged into a bun and I could see the tattoos from underneath his shirt. I felt my heart beat pick up again. I had to admit he was very handsome and I caught myself staring at him a little too long.

"Like what you see?" He asked with a grin on his face as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. Fuck. Why did he have to see me staring. I felt my cheeks blush and I quickly looked at the ground. Fuck! I decided to ignore his question and I quickly changed the subject. "Tell me about the thing with the lion." I said. He looked at me with a confused expression on his face asking me to clarify. "That day I saw you in the zoo. You injected a lion like it was your everyday business." I said with a trace of sarcasm in my voice. "Right." He said. He took a sip from his coffee before looking back up to me. "It is kind of my everyday business." He said with a grin. "So what are you then? A vet?" I asked. He laughed at me and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just good with wild animals." He said casually.

This wasn't answering any of my questions and it only raised more. I looked at him confused and he noticed. "Drink your tea Rosanna, I'm taking you home." He said. Wait, how did he know my full name? I didn't care to ask as I finished my tea and got up to pay. "Nope, not happening." Harry said as he grabbed my arm. "Sit down. I'm paying." I tried to refuse but he shushed me and got up from our table. So I quietly sat back down.

What did he mean when he said he was good with wild animals. If he was not a veterinarian then how could he be so easy going around freaking lions? I looked at him standing at the counter waiting to pay. His muscles flexing as he moved his arms. God why was he so good looking. I felt guilt seep into my mind as I thought about Thomas. I couldn't think like that about another man. I shook the feeling off and got up from my seat when I saw Harry walk back over to me.

"Let's go Rosie." He said. I wasn't sure yet if I liked that nickname. But maybe I could get used to it. He put his hand at the small of my back and I jumped at his touch. He chuckled but kept his hand there and guided me out of the restaurant. Once we were outside I turned to look at him hoping he would drop his hand, but he didn't. As I turned around he suddenly pulled me closer to him and I was startled by his sudden move and our foreheads leaned against each other. I smelled a mix of coffee and mint on his breath and my heart started to beat faster. It felt like the world just stopped spinning for a moment and I closed my eyes allowing myself to revel in the moment for just a second as I heard his raw voice. "You are beautiful Rosie. I didn't mean what I said the other day." He whispered. I stood there frozen.

Why would he say this to me now? I felt my knees weaken from under me. I didn't want to move but I also felt overwhelmed with guilt as I stood there so close to him. He brushed his nose against mine and that's when my body regained control and I pulled back. "I gotta go Harry. Thanks for the tea." I said and quickly turned on my heels and walked away.

I left him there confused, but he wasn't the only one. What had just happened? He was about to kiss me I'm sure. I was more shocked by the fact that I was actually hoping he would. What was wrong with me? I was married to Thomas and I wasn't planning on letting him go just when a mysterious man came along.
"Till death do us part." I heard my subconscious say to me. "And he's dead Rose." She said but I pushed her away. I wasn't going to let go of Thomas so easily. I know he was gone and I know we weren't technically married anymore, but I loved him and it felt like I betrayed him.

Harry's POV

My heart started to beat faster as I held her so close to me. What was I doing? I had to stop but I couldn't. Her sweet smell and the way her chest rose and fell made me wanna kiss her right then and there. She was so beautiful. I wasn't shocked when she pulled away. I was a bit disappointed, but I was also kind of happy that we didn't kiss. I didn't want her to get too close to me. If I could give her what she wanted and if I wasn't such a fuck up then it would have been fine, but I was probably the biggest fuck up alive.

I watched her hips sway as she walked away and I felt my body heat up. "Stop it." I whispered under my breath to myself and I turned around. She did something to me that I didn't quite understand. I wanted to follow her at first but decided against it and walked back to my car. I got in and without thinking I drove right to the zoo. I was surprised that this was where my subconscious would take me, but then again I wasn't.

The zoo was already closed, so I walked around it to the part of the gate that missed a baluster. I squeezed myself through and walked straight to the African animals. I sat down in front of the glass that separated me from the lions and rested my forehead against the cold glass wall. I sighed. I missed home so much. I had lived in Kenya until I was fourteen and my parents split up. My dad was a stupid drunk so I went with my mother who wanted to move back to England where her family was. I didn't want to go at first, but I couldn't stay with my drunk dad, so me, my sister and my mom moved back to England.

We had always spoken English at home, so the language was not a problem. It was the people. They were so different and it took me a while to adjust. I grew up pretty much with wild animals in my back yard and I learned their ways quite easily. My dad used to beat up my mom when he came home drunk and I'd always hide in the fields when he did. I couldn't stand to hear her cry.

I looked up from my thoughts and saw a lion approach the glass wall. "Hey Travis." I said as I put my hand on the glass. These animals always seemed to calm me when I was younger and going to the zoo was the only way I could see them now, so that's what I did most of the time if I got angry. Other times I would drink myself numb like my dad used to. Great fucking parenting dad.

I got up and started walking back to the same place I went in and squeezed myself through the gate again. I walked over to my car and drove home. I needed to find a way to stay away from Rose. I couldn't hurt her like I had done to others so many times before. When I got home I took of my clothes and walked into the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror and traced the large scar, that ran all the way down my right side, with my index finger. I will never forget the day I got that scar. I got into the shower and after ten minutes I was back in my room. I got in bed and crossed my arms behind my head as I looked up at the ceiling. Her face appeared in my mind and I closed my eyes.

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AN:
Quite the tension is build up between them and I love it!
Who is curious about Harry's past?
I'll be updating again soon. Hope you like it so far.
Keep commenting and voting!

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