Baby Doll (Harry Styles)

Chapter 16 - Morning

I woke up with a glow. The morning was chilly and I was wrapped up in the softest, comfiest quilt. It held that familiar masculine scent that I had recently grown accustomed to.

The bed was too big for me. Too big even if my family were to share it. But I'd never felt this snug and comfortable in the morning. I hadn't had a sleep this undisruptive in ages. I wondered if a spell had been cast in this room to make me feel this way. I didn't want to get up.

My eyes were still heavy as they flickered open. My head sank into the feather pillow underneath as I rolled over to the right. The pitter and patter of raindrops outside were music to my ears. It drew up serene images in my head and I felt at peace. I was engulfed in the body of the bed when I tugged the quilt over my head.


Just as I was about to fall into slumber again, I heard footsteps in the distance. Then a clink sounded near my ear. I became wide awake and sat up on the bed, the quilt slumping down my waist. Mrs Briffen stood by the bedside table, her eyes dilating as she took in the sight.


"Thalia?" Her eyebrows furrowed in apparent confusion. She positioned a coffee mug beside a melted candle stick. The smell of caffeine saluted my nostrils and I was suddenly hoping that the warm drink was for me.


"You..." She stuttered. "You and Harry, you..."


I narrowed my brows, shaking my head. "No. It's complicated, but no. Nothing happened. He isn't even here." I lifted the thick blanket to assure her.


"That's because he's in the shower." Her thumb directed my vision to the bathroom door. I felt my eyes grow almost as wide as Mrs Briffen's when I noticed that the bathroom lights were on, and the indistinct sploshing of water could be heard.


Had Harry slept in this bed? I remembered falling asleep after he left, eventhough I struggled to stay awake until he came back.


My thoughts reeled back to last night. I remembered Harry leaving the house after I made the revelation, and my mouth suddenly became dry. What had he done? Maybe he had already confronted Richard. Maybe Richard was already on his way to my apartment with his henchmen.


Mrs Briffen gave me a small nod before toddling out the room. I combed my hair with my fingers, hoping it wasn't a complete mess. My heart shamelessly skipped into a frenzy at the sight of Harry when the door flung open. His brown hair was soaked, water dripping onto his bare shoulders.

He was clad only in a towel as it hugged him around the hips. The muscles in his back flexed when his arms stretched to retrieve a smaller towel from the drawer. He brought it up to his damp hair, ruffling it with the material. His tattoos still made me feel uneasy, as I wasn't used to seeing them.

The black images and words that covered the width of his chest reminded me of Richard's thugs. They were tattooed as well. They took me away from my family, and one of them had even attempted to take advantage of me. I hated any kind of reminder.

My breath caught in my throat when Harry turned to me. His bright eyes were in contrast with the rest of his body. He disappeared into the dressing room.


I was just about to scramble out of bed when he appeared again, this time fully clothed. He wore black jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was beginning to look scruffy again as it gradually dried with time.

"Morning." He flashed a smile at me.

"Where did you go?" That was all I wanted to know.

"Chill out, I was just in the shower."


"N-No. Where did you go last night?"


Harry's eyes travelled down to my shoulder and his gaze lingered there. I didn't realise that the neck hole of my sweater had dropped down my right shoulder until his finger hooked the woolen material and pulled it back up. I shuddered as Harry's finger touched my bare skin with the action.

"Join me for breakfast. I'll tell you." He said and walked out of the room.

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