The Bad Boy

Chapter 159

Harry's P.O.V.

I can't seem to sleep. Like, at all. I was never too big on sleeping in the first place so mostly I sit out in the living room and watch TV while Gemma sleeps. Tonight, some reality bullshit that's masquerading as entertainment is playing.

I'm in that state half way between sleep and the real world when there's a knock at the door. I get off the couch and walk over, pulling a black t-shirt on to match my black basketball shorts as I walk.

When I open the door, the last person I expect to see standing there is looking back at me.

"Stephanie?" Is the most coherent sentence I can form.

"Yeah." She says quietly. All of a sudden her eyes pop open wide. "I should go."

She turns and bolts off down the hallway, arms pumping. Thankfully my brain has caught up to reality and I can think correctly enough to chase after her. Luckily I'm faster than she is and catch up to her quickly. I reach out and grab her wrist, stopping her.

"Harry let me go." She orders, tugging in a thinly veiled attempt to release her wrist from my grasp.

"Stephanie you're the one who showed up at my hotel." I raise my eyebrows at her.

She swallows hard. "It was a mistake. I'm just going to be going now." She jerks hard and manages to pull away from me.

Before she can take off running, I reach forward and wrap my arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground.

"HARRY!" She yells.

I remove one hand from her waist and slap it over her mouth. Then, I walk her back to the hotel room, closing the door behind us.

"Stephanie, if I put you down you have to promise not to run away or yell." I say.

She nods her head. I release my grip and set her on her feet. She turns to face me.

"Do you want to tell me why you came over here at this ungodly hour of the morning?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" I offer.

She shakes her head again.

"Okay, do you want to sit on the couch with me then?" I try again.

This time she nods her head yes. I walk over to the couch and she follows, sitting down on an entirely separate cushion from me.

"You sure you don't want to talk?" I ask one more time.

She just shakes her head.

"Okay, fine. Here's the remote." I hand it to her. She takes it and switches it to Disney channel before tucking her legs up to her chest and situating herself into the corner of the couch.

Stephanie's P.O.V.

I'm so worn out from my run to the hotel that I'm not thinking properly. I just need to rest for a few minutes before I talk to Harry. I'm glad he stopped me from leaving, I don't know what happened. It's like I suddenly got cold feet.

Harry and I sit in silence and watch Girl Meets World, which is actually surprisingly good for a Disney channel show. After one episode I feel like I've regained some of my strength.

"Okay, I think I'm ready to talk." I say, muting the TV and going to stretch.

As soon as I stand up it's like all the blood has rushed out of my head. I wobble a little before crashing down onto the carpet, landing flat on my butt.

"Steph? Are you okay?" Harry asks, kneeling down in front of me.

I nod. "I'm fine. Just sleep, and food, deprived."

"What should I do?" Harry asks.

"Will you sleep with me?" I blurt.

He looks shocked. "Excuse me?"

"As in, lay in the same bed as me and go to sleep. Please?" I don't even feel one ounce of shame, begging like I'm doing.

He still looks shocked. "Yeah, yes, yes. Can you walk?"

"Probably not." I admit.

Harry just scoops his arms under me and swiftly stands up. He walks us into one of the rooms to the left and lays me on this huge bed.

"Can I get you anything?" Harry asks.

"Water and some ice, please?" I ask.

Harry nods. "I'll be right back. Bathroom is through that door." He points towards the left corner before walking back out of the room.

I sit up on the edge of the bed and kick off my slides, and then my shorts. It's ridiculously hot in here, and I'm wearing boy-shorts anyways. Harry walks back in moments later, carrying a plastic bag full of ice and a bottle of water. He hands them both too me.

"Is it hot in here to you?" I ask, opening the bottle of water and taking a sip.

"Yeah, Gemma's body temperature is being thrown off by this whole pregnancy thing." Harry rolls his eyes.

"Gemma's here?" I ask as he pulls off his shirt.

"Yeah. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to see you." He half smiles. "You can take off your top you know, I'm not going to be perverted tonight."

I pull my top over my head. I have on a black sports bra under that, so it's not the least clothing he's seen me in.

"Do you want to lay down?" He asks.

I nod, setting the water bottle down on the nightstand. I scoot backwards on the bed and lay down on top of the covers. Harry walks up the side of the bed and lays down next to me.

"Can I hold you?" Harry asks bluntly.

I scoot over towards him and turn onto my side, back to him. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into the space between his chest and his legs, which are bent at the knees. I could almost cry from the relief of the rough pad of his thumb making small circles over my stomach.

Harry takes the bag of ice from me and places it gently over my eyes. I feel him move the hair from the back of my neck and place a kiss there.

"Sleep, Stephanie." He murmurs.

As much as I want to stay awake just to savor the feeling of being back in his arms, my eyes are so heavy that I can't help but follow his command.