No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

74 - The Front Pages Are Your Pictures

I facetimed Harry the following morning when I woke up, to find him drunk and giggly on the deck of a luxury yacht in the Caribbean, beaming happily from in between Anne and Robin. 

"You're having a good time, then?" I yawned, propping my phone up on the bathroom counter while I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush.

"Yeah, it's soooo relaxing," he drawled. "I miss you like crazy though."

"Barf."

"You shh," Harry frowned, looking away from the screen at someone I couldn't see. 

"Dude, it's all we hear. We get it, you love her. Give us a break already."

"Baby they're all picking on me," he huffed, looking into the camera and pouting. "Kendall keeps moaning."

"Aww, Squidge," I said softly, glowing inside. "I think it's sweet that you're missing me."

"Aren't you missing me?"  

"Are you joking?" I demanded. "You're all I can think about. I even dreamt about you last night."

"Really?" His voice adopted a husky tone. "What kind of dream?"

"Ew! Harry! Get a room if you're gonna talk dirty."

"I'm not talking dirty! Jeez, will you back off?" Harry snapped, presumably to Kendall. There was a scuffle and then the screen wobbled as Harry stood up and muttered, "Night Mum."

"Night, sweetheart," Anne's voice replied, and the phone shook sickeningly while Harry strode along a wooden deck before the sound of a door closing could be heard, and his face reappeared on the screen. "Sorry about that," he mumbled.

"It's OK... is everything alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, Kendall's just being a massive pain in the arse," he huffed. "She's down in the dumps because her boyfriend isn't talking to her. She was facetiming him earlier today and I was in the background, taking the piss out of her, you know like we do - purely platonic. But they had a blazing row because he thought we were flirting and she ended up in tears after he hung up on her."

"Oh, that's not good," I frowned.

"Yeah, well, since then she's been snappy and irritable and she's pissing everyone off," he muttered.

"Go easy on her, she's probably feeling like you're rubbing her nose in it," I reasoned.

"In what?" he demanded.

"Well, in our happiness," I explained. "If her relationship is rocky, how do you think she feels hearing us all loved up? Cut her some slack."

He lay down on the bed and propped his phone against the pillow and sighed. "Why are you so amazing?"

"I was born this way," I teased, flipping my hair and grinning at the screen.

"Seriously. You're amazing. I love you so much."

"You're drunk," I smiled. "But thanks, I love you too."

"They say your true feelings show when you're drunk," he reminded me, and I beamed at him shyly. 

"You should go back and join the others," I said. "I have to get in the shower. We're heading out in half an hour and I haven't had breakfast yet."

"Nah, I'm gonna call it a night," he said, yawning. "I've had enough for one day. Irving arrives tomorrow so I need to be well rested."

"OK. Good luck, and let me know how it goes," I said softly. "I'll be thinking about you all day. I love you."

"Love you too, baby," he mumbled.