therapy [h.s.]

Eight

Harry's point of view

I watched Emma ascend the stairs, and then looked towards Zayn. He gulped down the rest of his coffee, and placed his cup on the counter. He took a breath, and smirked at me.

"So how'd you land that one?"

"What're you talking about?" He laughed, while I remained oblivious.

"You know, Emma? God, I'd kill to hook up with her." I froze, realizing what he was talking about.

"I'm not sleeping with Emma," I clarified.

"Not yet," he smirked.

"Zayn, I'm her therapist. It's nothing more than that."

"You're her therapist? Then why the f*ck is she in your house?" I sighed, sitting on a stool.

"I had to get her out of her home environment. Have you met her parents?" He laughed, throwing his head back.

"Sure have. They're...interesting."

"Yea, and they treat her like sh*t. I had to get her out of there."

"Understood. So why does she need therapy? Is she that messed up?"

"She's not messed up. She's just," I paused, "sad. It's normal for a girl her age."

"She didn't seem too sad when I walked in." I let out a breath, staring at my hands. I was growing tired of his foolish, yet clever comments.

"Well I've been helping her. Her depression is manageable, the key is just to keep her mind busy."

"Aren't you a smart ass? Using words like 'depression,'" he said jokingly, hitting my arm lightly.

"Just using the correct term Zayn."

He took a seat beside me on a stool. He leaned his elbows on the counter as I did, and turned his head towards me.

"So now what? You've got a hot, depressed girl living in you're house. Aren't you going to take advantage of that?"

"No," I said sternly. "I'm not like that anymore."

Zayn and I had been pretty good friends as soon as we met each other at that music class. He had a really cool sound, and he complemented mine as well. We hit it off, and continued to hang out. We'd go bars every Friday, get drunk, and then take girls home. I wasn't proud of it, but it was just a typical college guy thing to do. Once I graduated and got a job, and I rarely saw Zayn. He disappeared, and I hadn't seen him since he showed up on my doorstep tonight.

"Not like that, eh? Well I still am, and if you're not getting with Emma, then I sure as hell will."

This had gotten too far.

"What the actual f*ck Zayn? She's 17!"

"So what? She's sexy as sh*t, and I bet that pretty little mouth of hers could do wonders." He smirked, and licked his lips. I was completely disgusted by thoughts he had going on in his head.

"She's going through a rough time right now, and the last thing she wants is to have sex with a grown man."

"You don't know that."

"I'm pretty sure any idiot can realize that. Just promise me you'll leave her alone?" He sighed, shaking his head.

"Sure, I'll leave her alone."

"Good. I'm going to bed. The guest room's up the stairs, and to the left. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks mate. I appreciate it," he said, although I wasn't sure if he was sincere.

"No problem. Night Zayn."

"Night Harry."

My feet felt like weights as I trudged up the stairs. Tonight had been a long night, and all I wanted was sleep. I walked into my room, stripped down into my boxers, and climbed under the covers, sleep taking over me quickly.

***

"H-Harry?"

I jolted awake and looked up, my eyes meeting with Emma's tearful ones. My heart ached at the sight; I hated seeing her cry.

"Emma? What's wrong love?"

"I-I had a b-b-bad dream."

Seeing her in this state made her look so vulnerable, so innocent. She puts up these walls, and acts as though she doesn't care, making you forget that she's really only still a kid.

"Come her." I sat up, and crawled into my arms. She placed her head on my bare chest, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered after some silence.

"No," she said quickly.

"Alright, it's okay." I stroked her messy hair, as her cries became softer.

"Believe it or not," I began, "sometimes I get nightmares from drinking coffee. That's why I don't normally drink it before bed." She looked up at me through her lashes.

"Tonight was my first time having it."

"I'm sorry I gave it to you."

"It's fine. I actually quite liked it." I smiled and kissed her head.

"So what now? You ready to go back to sleep?"

"Would you mind if I," she stopped mid-sentence.

"Stayed in here? No problem. Make yourself comfortable." I moved to the side and allowed her to get under the covers the way she wanted. Once she was settled, I laid down next to her. To my surprise, she scooted closer to me, and rested her head in my chest.

"You good?" I whispered.

"Very good."

///

I hope you're liking this!! I'm going to try to be more active and  update more frequently. don't forget to vote, and comment. I'd love to hear what you think.

p.s. pillow talk is amazing

-Maddie