Dark side of light

20.Bruised

"It would be easier if you just said something" I ushered Harry, because he hasn't spoken a word since Zayn and Niall left his house. And that would be around 20 minutes of silence.

"I'm not going to have a heart to heart conversation with you" he said harshly. Ouch.

"Harry I won't tell anyone" I remained calm, although it's not how I felt inside.

"I don't fucking care!" He screamed.

"Would you stop screaming?!" I asked, screaming myself.

"Why do you have to be so nosy?! Why do you have to know everything?! Tell me!" He stood up from the couch and started pacing around the room.

"Because Harry. I care about you ok?! Get that through your head!" I screamed, standing up as well. It wasn't the smartest idea, because I stood up too abruptly, and since my body was still sensitive from all the pain, my vision went black for a moment and I hit the floor.

"Ella!" Harry rushed to my side and scooped me up into his arms. "Ella can you hear me?!"

"I-I care a-about you" I said, trying to regain my brain's sobriety back.

"Shhh...You shouldn't have even left my room to walk downstairs. You have to rest and sleep" he communicated. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but my body was giving kind of a different signal. He quickly took the stairs up and tucked me under his white covers. They were so soft and so....Harry like. He turned to walk away, but I grabbed his hand and held it firmly.

"If you want me to rest, than do it with me"

He seemed to ponder over my request, but eventually laid down next to me.

"Why can't you tell me?" I asked quietly.

"Because my past is too dark for you to even peak in. Stay away from it. if you really care about me than please, for your own sake don't dig in my past. I've done many things I'm not proud of. Even more that I'm ashamed to admit to myself. So please just...drop the subject" he said calmly and found my hand that rested on my stomach.

"I don't want you to be alone with your past"

"Ella..." He warned.

"Ok. I won't dig. For now"

"Fine. After 'for now' you will have to not dig for another 'for now'"

"Yea, sure" I huffed and turned away from him. My eyelids soon grew heavy and I fell asleep right after I heard a quiet whisper. A barely audible sound, but for my heart it was equally as loud as the church bell.

"I care about you too Ella. I really do".

***

I woke up three hours later. 3 a.m. Fantastic time to wake up. I couldn't stand the pain in my stomach, so I untangled myself from Harry's strong grip and tip-toed down to the kitchen. Everything hurt so bad, but the stomach was the worst. I lifted up the t-shirt Harry gave me to sleep in and saw a bruise. As large as a spread palm, in the very centre of my belly. It was a mix of blue and purple, so nasty it made me want to puke. I covered my body again and pulled a glass from the top shelf. Just as I was about to pour some water into it, my hand shook uncontrollably and the glass slipped out of my hand and landed on the floor, crashing into million pieces.

"Shit" I cursed, knowing that the sound must have woken Harry up. True to my words, the padding of his feet could be heard and within seconds he was in front of me in the kitchen. At the sigh of him I shielded my face with my hands. For a damn good reason. He had a gun pointed at my face after all.

"Ella what the fuck are you doing here?" He hissed.

"Can you please stop pointing at me with this...thing" I mumbled through my hands. I didn't even dare to look and take a risk of seeing the object once again.

"I already have" he said, and I uncovered my face. I looked into his green eyes in which the light of the moon was reflecting, giving his eyes a beautiful glow "fuck. You scared me so much. I thought..." He stopped and followed my gaze that was now fixed on the counter where the gun was resting. "Ella don't" he said and stood in front of me to block the view. "I thought something happened. That someone broke in" he explained. "Why did you drop the glass?"

"I'm sorry. I'll buy you a new one" I said, too shaken up to think straight.

"I don't care about a fucking glass Ella. Its not what I meant. When I said 'why did you drop the glass' I meant what happened? Did something hurt? Was it an accident?"

"My stomach hurts so bad I couldn't sleep and I walked here to drink some water and when I was trying to pour some in, the glass just slipped out, because my hand had wobbled." I explained myself and Harry grabbed me and pressed me against his warm chest.

"How about I make some tea and you just lay down?" He suggested. I just nodded my head and dragged my feet to the soft sofa. A single sob shook through my body as soon as I laid down and Harry was by my side in less than a second.

"Hey, hey what's wrong?" He asked and rubbed my back soothingly.

"He-he hurt me Harry" I finally said that. I haven't had the time to actually register the fact that I was kidnapped and beaten, nearly to the pulp.

He held me tightly and just let my tears soak his black t-shirt.

"I know Ella. I know, and I'd kill him again and again if it was possible, but that scum could only by killed once, oh trust me when I say if it wasn't for the fact that police found him that day, I would slice his fucking flesh and..."

"Harry stop it! Can't you tell I've had enough!" I cried desperately. He shut his mouth immediately and pressed me even tighter to him. "Please just....hold me ok?" I asked weakly. Sobs that shook through my body were causing my stomach to hurt even more. I've never felt a pain like that before.

"Calm down Ella. Shh...shhh, calm down, I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry" he whispered into my matted hair.

I tried to calm down, just to subside the pain and after agonising minutes it finally seemed to disappear. "Are you alright now?" He asked and i nodded. "Can I see your stomach?" If he sees my stomach he will loose it.

"No. Don't...." I attempted to restrain his hand from lifting the shirt up, but it was too late. Harry's features didn't show anger or fury whatsoever. Just horrified expression.

"Ella I-it's so big" he whispered, while running his fingers along my bruise. The fact that his cold fingers were soothing surprised me.

"I know. Could you maybe keep your hand on it for a while?"

"Of course" he said and put his hand flat on the bruise. It felt as if someone erased the pain and replaced it with nice tingling feeling.

"Try to sleep again. I'll stay up and watch over you" he announced and rested his head against the sofa's cushions. The tea in the pot was long forgotten as I fell asleep once again, this time without the company of the pain.