Marvels Of Fate

Sinful Deed

"Get the kebabs!" I yell to Liam, taking out a plate of freshly marinated beef patties. Niall is positioned in front of the barbecue grill, flipping over another batch of beef kebabs. I place the plate on the wooden table beside him and grab the plate of smoking hot chicken patties for the people who have too much drama stored in them - Rain. Today, Liam and Kate have arranged a barbecue for the fam and the boys. Everyone is here except for Harry and Liam's dad.
"Another smoking hot dish!" I announce, placing the plate on the long wooden picnic table. Kate rubs her hands together, grinning.
"You guys are doing a great job!" She says, winking at me. Laughing, I head back towards the grill to help Niall.
"Ah, the griller of the fam is here!" I hear Louis exclaim, as Niall places another two kebabs on the grill. Grinning, Niall turns and hands me the spatula.
"Now it's up to you and Harry to keep the wolves content." Niall says, gladly taking off towards the picnic table.
"What?" I ask, confused. However, Niall has already taken off his apron and looped it around Harry's neck. The supposedly famous 'griller,' places his keys and sunglasses on the table, before trudging over towards me. Harry doesn't even look into my eyes, as he comes over and stands beside me. He holds out his hand, silently asking for the spatula. I hand it over, taking a step back.
"Is there more coming out?" Harry asks, after flipping the batch over once.
"Yeah, I believe so." I murmur, glancing towards the kitchen, where Liam's handling the marination and prep. "Apparently, we are feeding wolves." I glance over at the people who are eagerly munching up all of our hard work.
"Yeah, barbecue's for this family...are hard work." Harry agrees, staring at the meat on the grill as if it's his lifeline. Ever since he's come, he hasn't looked at me once.
"I can tell and now I seriously regret volunteering to help out at the grill." Liam motions for me to come over and take another plate of beef patties. Throwing my head back, I jog over to him.
"Please don't let your lack of teamwork with Harry reflect on our lunch." Liam says, grinning.
"We won't," I assure him. "That's personal and this is business." Hastily, I rejoin Harry's side. Freddie comes over to us, his face smeared with chocolate ice cream.
"Hey, wait!" I say, bending down and grabbing a towel off the table. "Clearly someone's been having a blast with chocolate."
"Dad gave," is all Freddie says, before running towards where Louis' placed his toys. Impatient and hyper as always. I stand up and turn over to look at Harry's progress. He's staring at me, spatula held mid-air.
"What?" I ask, my eyes darting towards the charcoal black kebabs. "Fuck, Harry!" I hiss.
"Shit!" He curses, hastily taking them off the grill. "Um...sorry."
"For what?" I question. "We've got loads of kebabs."
"No...for nothing." Harry mumbles, giving a slight shake of his head. "You look good."
"Thanks." I say, giving myself a cursory glance. I'm wearing a black strapless one piece that's complemented with thigh high shorts. It's just the right outfit for this heat and the task that we had to do for today.
"You've become more daring with your style choices." Harry comments, leaning against the table.
"Yeah, with time I've gained confidence and in a way shredded off the fear of others judging me." I say, shrugging my shoulders. "What's the point in fretting over what people think, when you won't even see them again?" Harry nods his head.
"True," he whispers.
*********
"Need help?" Harry asks, entering the kitchen. My hands are soaking wet and immersed with soap, as I wash off the remains of lunch from the dishes.
"Sure. Can you please dry those off and place them in the cabinet? I don't want to leave anything for Liam and Kate to do." I say, flicking a stray strand of hair off my shoulder. Harry comes over beside me, and grabs a dishcloth. He gets to work on the wet dishes, while I continue to clean the remaining ones.
"Everyone really enjoyed the food," I say. "All thanks to you, Chef." Harry smiles, staring at the counter top.
"Thanks, I guess. Though Niall and you did a lot," Harry says.
"So you heading home after this?" I question, trying to lessen the awkward air in the room.
"Yeah, I guess. Rain's already gone," Harry replies. "She...doesn't do that well with everyone here."
"Yeah, I can tell. Maybe you should ask the others to put in a little more effort." I shrug my shoulders, unsure of the solution to that problem.
"Nah, I need some peace of mind as well." I frown, furrowing my brows.
"Peace of mind? From your other half? That doesn't sound right," I say. Harry scoffs.
"You're one to speak." I purse my lips, and turn on the tap. Harry grips my forearm, turning me to face him. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm immune to being rude and...forget it." Harry flicks his wrist, leaving my arm.
"No, Harry, let's not. You need to ask yourself why are you rude? Why have you incorporated this trait in yourself? This isn't you," I insist.
"You don't know me, Mus." Harry spits out, clattering the dishes so that the sound resonates throughout the kitchen.
"Fine, I don't!" Harry grips my forearm, tighter than before and turns me to face him. Before I can figure out what he's trying to do, Harry's lips are on mine, begging me for compliance. My eyes widen, and I place my wet fists on Harry's chest. For some reason, my body isn't pushing him back. I want to, because this is wrong. Again! But no, I just don't have it in me to break this perfect moment. Harry lets out a soft moan and grips my waists, pulling me closer. Why does the wrong thing always feel so right? I hear footsteps thudding on the stairs and hastily step back. The next moment, Liam walks in, cradling four water bottles in his arms.
"I swear a pregnant woman consumes more water than is required for a shower." Liam says, placing the bottles on the counter. Oblivious to the sinful deed that just took place in his kitchen, Liam fills the water bottles and then leaves. Harry and I finish up the dishes and then I head up and he heads out. Nothing more is said. Nothing more needs to be said.