The Artist [h.s.]

seventeen

The silence had improved substantially within only a few days. When a few weeks had come and gone, they were talking again, just like they used to.

Their sex life didn't improve much at all, but that didn't matter because sex wasn't everything and love was enough. Carter went to work more frequently and came home with a smile and Harry painted for hours upon hours, his masterpieces slowly regaining their color as his world returned to its true brightness.

Bright rays of sunlight streamed through the blinds that they'd forgotten to close the night before, Carter hummed as she traced ink that was set in his skin. Weekends were their therapy days, days that they would spend together without worrying about work, or family, or anything, and where they would just relax.

After a while, Carter spoke softly, she had noticed that she'd never given him her promise in the same way that he'd given his to her, "You don't have the same tattoo."

Harry looked down to where her fingers rested just above his heart, his lips pulling down, "You're right, I don't."

She lifted her eyes to meet his and he could see the sadness as clear as he could see the light streaming through the window, "I'm sorry. For a lot of things really, but I'm sorry for the way that I left you because I let my mind get the best of me."

Harry reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, his lips pressing to the top of her hand seconds later, "I know, sweetheart. I know. And I still want to marry you, even if you still think that I don't."

Carter's vision blurred slightly as tears threatened to fall, "I still don't deserve you and all that you've done for me."

Harry shook his head and brought his free hand up to catch the tear that had escaped from her left eye, "Yes you do, Carter. You deserve it all."

"How can you say that after all that I've put you through?"

Harry smiled down warmly at her, his free hand placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Because I love you."

Carter sat up as best as she could and pressed her lips to his, exhaling through her nose at the contact and closing her eyes. To her, even the simplest kiss, was a heavy dose of medicine and an unforgiving addiction and she felt so much better once their relationship had started to mend along with their emotional state.

She didn't have to say anything for him to understand and he kissed her back sweetly. The familiarity of his lips cleared her mind and sent a welcomed warmth through her veins. For the first time in a while, she felt like she deserved to be loved and she let herself drown in it.

Midnight, however, was feeling quite neglected and decided to jump up and onto the bed and rub her face against Carter's. She meowed loudly and circled around to do it again. Carter pulled away from Harry's intoxicating kisses and laughed softly as she picked up the growing kitten.

"You're so needy!"

Harry sat up as well and pressed a hasty kiss to her lips and repeated his earlier statement, "I love you."

Carter smiled as she scratched behind Midnight's tiny ears, the kitten purring loudly in her lap, "I love you too."

They ended up staying in bed for most of the day, eating mac and cheese for lunch, playing with their kittens, cuddling and stealing countless kisses.

Harry held Carter close and hardly ever let her move very far, but she didn't mind because her favourite place to be was in his arms and the heat that his body was producing had a tendency to make her sleepy.

She didn't want to sleep though and forced herself to stay awake. Carter pressed her lips to the bottom of his jaw and squeezed his hand.

Harry was half asleep and he smiled softly at her actions.