Capture (A Liam AU)

Six

"I'm sorry." I whisper regaining my composure as I lift my head off of Harry's strong chest. He smiles down at me with his green eyes.

"It's not your fault Emma. Honestly it was the least I could do." Harry shrugs off my apology wrapping me back into a hug. I breathe him in comfortingly as he holds me before letting me go once again. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asks.

"I'm fine." I smile reassuringly at him.

"Good," His hand reaching up tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I watch as he bites his bottom lip, his eyes trained on what he is doing. "I would hate to see my new neighbor hurt, I'm kind of fond of you already." My hand finds his as he holds my cheek tenderly. He looks like he wants to kiss me, I wait for him to, but he doesn't. I squeeze his hand slightly letting him know it would be ok but he winces in pain.

"Oh, God. You're hurt!" I exclaim as I hold his hand in mine examining his bruised and bloodied knuckles.

"It's not that bad." Harry says pulling his hand from mine.

"You might have broken it macho man."

"Emma, I didn't break it, I'm fine." I pull him into the kitchen setting him down on the barstool as I opened the freezer pulling out a bag of frozen veggies.

"Frozen peas? Really?" He smiles as I turn back to look at him. His hand sits on the counter as I gingerly put the bag down on his knuckles holding them in place. "Isn't that like only done in the movies?" He asks watching me.

"Oh shut up and just keep your hand still." I laugh at him as he smiles back at me. My stomach starts to growl as I realize I hadn't had anything since my lunch this morning.

"You hungry?" I ask him as he sits hand under the bag of peas across the counter from me.

"No, you don't have to do that!" Harry waves off the gesture politely standing from the stool.

I grab a pot from the cabinet and set it in the sink to fill it with water. "Please, let me, you deserve it."

"I can help." Harry moves around the counter to come to help me. I grab a wooden spoon setting the pot on the stove and clicking the burner on, then with the spoon I hold it out pointing at Harry as he stops where he is.

"The only thing you're going to do is sit your ass back down and put those peas back on your possibly broken hand."

"It's not broken, and even if it was, my hand doesn't warrant dinner."

"Honestly it's the least I could do." I parrot his words back to him as he grins realizing his defeat sitting back down and sliding the pack back over his hand.

"What's on the menu?" He asks as I ponder the question thinking of what I have in the apartment, which due to the whole living out of boxes still thing isn't much.

"Spaghetti?" I say finally raising my eyebrows up as the question leaves my lips.

"My favorite." He answers.

I begin to cook as we talk, him leaning against the island one hand holding his head up and the other buried under the thawing bag of peas, as I move around the small kitchen preparing our meal.

"How was work?" Harry asks as I drop the noodles into the large pot of boiling water. I smile at the question as he actually seems so interested in my life.

"Well, a mixed bag I suppose, I love my new job and coworkers."

"Cool!" He says happily. I move to the fridge pulling out a bottle of wine and grab the corkscrew from the island drawer. "Why the mixed bag then?"