CEO

29

Eve POV

It's nearly ten at night and I hear a soft knock on my front door. Doug starts barking and I hush him to keep down because of my neighbours that are sleeping.

I slide out of bed and walk to my door. I look out the peep hole and see Harry. I unlock the door and pull it open.

I'm wearing a tank top and shorts and the hallway is very, very cold. My apartment is nice mixture between warm and cold. "Hey." I say to my boyfriend who tugs his hand through his hair.

"Hi." Harry says. "Uh, how are you?" My eyebrows furrow.

"I'm fine." I open the door more for him to fit in. He walks in and I close and lock the door behind him. "Everything alright?"

"I wanted to say sorry for rain checking on you today." He tells me. His voice is low and gentle.

"It's fine." I say.

"No, it wasn't cool of me." His fingers fidget making my eyebrows furrow.

"I felt like I was overstepping anyways." I say honestly.

"You weren't." Harry tells me. His eyes glance into mine.

"You could've texted me saying sorry. You didn't come all the way down here." He lives twenty minutes from me. With traffic it's a thirty minute drive. But since it's night now, I doubt there was any traffic.

"I know." He says. "I um, didn't wanted to be alone." My heart pinches.

"What's wrong?" I ask, my voice is worried. Doug runs over to us and jumps on Harry's legs. He smiles at the dog.

"We can talk in my room." I say to Harry who nods. He picks up Doug and walks to my room. I sit down in my usual spot and he sits across from me. Doug goes on his dog bed. I lower down the TV and look back to Harry who has the same soft eyes.

"If you can't talk about it, then you don't have too." I tell him.

"I uh, should tell you." Harry says. He releases a deep breath and tiredly runs his hand through his curls. "So, you know I have a daughter." I nod. He pauses for a moment. "I also had a wife."

"You guys divorced?" His head shakes.

"They um, both d-died." I feel my throat grow a lump and my eyes sting. "We were on my way to my Aunts wedding 6 years ago. It was the night before the wedding and we wanted to go to the hotel so we didn't have to rush. We were on a bridge and a car rams into the side of us, causing us to go off the bridge. I ended up breaking three toes because I rammed it under the break, but besides that I was fine and I could get out easily.

My um, wife, Jane, told me not worry about her. I started helping her undo her seat belt that was in a knot. She told me to worry about my daughter Elena who was in her car seat. By the time I got Elena out of her seat I didn't realize she already drowned. I should've noticed because I had to keep going up for air and um she's short, since she was three, so water went past her head. I got out of the car and put her on the dirt near the trees then went back for my wife. When I was at the spot where we were, the car was gone." He pauses and his eyes look away from me.

"You can assume the rest I suppose." Harry says.

I rest my hands on top of his. My thumb strokes over his knuckles. "I know me saying I'm sorry isn't gonna do anything, but I'm kind of speechless." I really wasn't expecting that. "Have you not been in Elena's room since?" He nods. A pinch of guilt hits me. "I had to go in there at some point, Eve. It's fine. I should've told you which door was that bathroom."

"Is that why you're moving?" I ask. He nods hesitantly.

"Is it wrong of me?" His eyes meet mine.

"No. It holds too many memories." I say. "Even though they maybe good ones, it's hard."

"Yeah." He murmurs. "I feel like moving would be better for me." I squeeze his hand.

"Was the empty part of the closet your wife's?" Harry nods.

"It took me three years to pack up her clothes. But uh, Elena's room and stuff remains unpacked."

I can only imagine how hard it is for him. At least now I know why he was very certain on us taking it slow.

"When are you moving into the pent house?" I ask.

"Next month." Next month is June.

"If you need help with packing her stuff, just ask me. I don't want you to be doing it alone." I say.

"Really?" His eyes look into mine. They look glossy. I nod. His arms wrap around me and his head rests on my shoulder. "Do you think I'm mentally messed up now?" Harry asks me timidly.

"No." I say. "Between the both of us maybe we can make a sane person." His grip on me tightens.

"Thank you." He murmurs against me.

"For?"

"Not judging me. My biggest fear is that you'll think I'm crazy and leave me." My heart pinches.

"I have no room to judge." I say honestly.

"We're okay?" Harry asks. His voice turns low and muffled.

"Yes." I lean up and kiss his cheek.

"Can I spend the night?"

"Of course."

We both get under the covers. His head rests next to mine on my pillow and his hand interlocks with mine.

I feel his lips touch my shoulder then my neck. "Goodnight Eve." He murmurs.

"Goodnight." I yawn slightly. His front presses against my back and his arm hugs around me protectively.

I've never cuddled before with anyone. I would never want to be in this position with John. I'd feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

My mind thinks to what I'm wearing. What if Harry thinks I'm fat? Or what if he'll cheat on me with girls who are prettier than me? He's never seen what I look like in shorts and a tank top before, now he has.

I hate that John has made me have self doubt and all of these thoughts.

A://N

Hello

Idk what to put here besides thanks for reading x

~lauren