My Tourmaline

Chapter Sixteen

Harry sat down on the sofa, opening his arms out for me to sit in his lap. I did so, placing myself in between his legs, as he retrieved the blanket from the sofa and gently lay it over us, my back leaning against Harry's front, my head on his chest. All the tears had subsided, and my heart rate was slowly returning next to normal. Harry began to twiddle with my hair, softly running his finger nails through it, slightly massaging my head. It reminded me of what Ed used to do when I cried myself to sleep every night. It was a familiar feeling which seemed to relax me further. I reached up, taking Harry's hand away from my head, intertwining my fingers into his so we were holding hands, rested on my lap.

"Didn't like that?" He whispered against my head.

"It was making me sleepy."

I squeezed Harry's hands tightly, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"Shall we go somewhere nice this evening?"

"Like where?" I asked. We hadn't actually gone out properly together before, so the idea of going on a date was quite exciting.

"I have somewhere in mind. Fancy it?"

"Would love to!" I smiled, turning my head to face Harry's, our faces only inches apart.

I prayed in my head that we wouldn't bump into anyone we knew whilst being out. It would mean lots of talking amongst people. I am already known by some old companions from Sixth Form as 'The Girl Whose Mum Died' or 'Summers Friend', and if Harry had a reputation I didn't want to have people drawing conclusions that I am trouble now. Nina knows everyone round here, so it would only get back to Ed and cause drama between him and Harry. It also came to my attention that it would be one of our few opportunities for Harry to stay at mine, as Summer would be back on Sunday. It wasn't that he couldn't stay over, I just think it would be really awkward. So I needed to make the most of this. I also want to discover as much as possible about Harry. He has kept me in the dark about a lot of things, most in fact, and we needed to be open with each other. I feel as if he knows more about me than I do him. Staring into his eyes now, the green emerging brightly, I couldn't help but see something more behind those eyes. Something dark and hidden, dampening that bright green colour to create something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Mum always used to say to me you could tell a lot from people's eyes. I could see love, and kindness, but there was something much deeper behind Harry's eyes, and I wouldn't like to say what.

"What you thinking about?" Harry frowned.

I turned my body around so my tummy lay flat against his, propping myself up with my elbows.

"That night... That we met... How come you were there?" I asked. I wasn't even thinking of it, but Harry seemed to be in a really good mood, so I took the opportunity to push my limits with questions.

"I was visiting my mate, Johnny. He lives down the country lane in this big farm house. I was in the area anyway, sort of, where I met you to get Mums present. Anyway I went to go find the car, and I heard shrieks in the distance.... That's when I found you unconscious on the floor."

I shuddered a little, and I felt Harry's grip become tighter, his arms clenching, pulling me in closer.

"Did he.... did he rape you?"

"If you hadn't have turned up, he would have." I replied, continuing to shudder. I felt myself go pale, and a little light headed.

"I wish I hadn't brought this up now." I sniffed.

"Lil, I've got you now. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

He kissed the top of my head, his leg lying over mine and his arms wrapping right round me so I couldn't move. I nuzzled my head to the side, into Harry's chest. He seemed sincere that he wouldn't let anyone hurt me. I just hoped that promise meant he wouldn't too. I don't think I can deal with heartache after suffering so much with my mum in the past.