Forgotten

Chapter 11 ~ Afterglow

Harry's arm snaked its way around my waist beneath the sheet, his rough skin sending shivers through my body. His lips came to rest at my neck, and he planted a trail of kisses from my shoulder to my ear.

"Harry?"

"Mmmmmmm?" he mumbled in my ear. His breath tickled. I could sense that his eyes were still closed.

"I love you," I told him simply.

I felt him break into a wide smile. "I love you too, babe." He kissed my hair, and then leaned over to kiss my lips. The kiss was gentle and warm, his lips moving with mine with perfect precision, capturing the feelings of this afterglow.

It was mid-afternoon by now, and the sun was shining brightly. Harry's thin curtains muted the light, his bedroom awash in a dark blue light. I could make out every curve of his gorgeous face, the light casting shadows in all the right places, accentuating his cheekbones and his beautiful blue eyes. Unforgettable.

The serentity was interrupted when my phone started ringing. Harry groaned but didn't stop kissing me. "Don't answer it," he suggested.

"But it might be important," I said. The ringing of my phone was a sudden reminder of what had happened yesterday. How I'd lost my nephew. Harry had been the perfect distraction, the perfect person to make me happy. I knew it would be Lauren on the other end of that call.

Harry gave me one last chaste kiss before moving to lay on his back. I climbed out of the bed, and I saw Harry move his hands behind his head, watching me intently. My ears were red from embarrassment. I was still stark naked.

I found my phone in my jumper pocket on Harry's bedroom floor, just as it was about to go to message bank.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Mia, hi," Lauren said, seemingly surprised that I had answered.

"How are you?" I asked. I searched for Harry's shirt on the floor and put it on. It was far too big for me, so it covered my butt, which was what I'd hoped for.

"I... can't answer that," she replied.

I nodded to myself as I sat back down on the bed with Harry, crossing my legs in the middle of the bed, my knees touching Harry's side. He put his hand over one of my knees, but didn't go further than that.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't really think before I asked that."

"It's alright," Lauren said. Her voice became monotonous, as though she was afraid to show emotions. "I was just calling to say that we've made arrangements for the funeral. It'll be on Wednesday."

I dropped my head and pressed it into my hand. I didn't want to think about this. A funeral would be confirmation of Logan's passing, even though there was no way it could be denied now.

But Harry's touch kept me from screaming and breaking down into a fit of cries.

"Okay." Without even having to wonder, I knew that Harry would come with me. I would need his support.

Lauren gave me the details of the funeral. It would be in her family's church. She would give the eulogy. It would be a small ceremony, nothing too exuberant. Logan would be laid to rest beside Ethan.

The phone call eventually ended, and I dropped my phone on the bed beside me. I pressed my palms over my eyes, trying to deal with the emotions running through me. The love I felt for Harry, now coupled with the agony of Logan's passing. The change in emotions was giving me whiplash. It felt like I was being thrust back and forth between fantasy and reality.

Harry sat up and put his arm around my shoulders. I leant into his shoulder, feeling his warmth and love radiate from him. He twisted his fingers with mine, and didn't say anything. He just held me. I pushed thoughts of Logan out of my mind, and focused on Harry. I remembered our love-making we'd shared not even an hour ago, and I was able to push the sadness away. Or at least, I kept it at bay.