TABOO

Ten.

"Bad Things" - Camila Cabello & Machine Gun Kelly
"In My Head" - Jason Derulo

In the three days since our Fourth of July party, I can't even look at Harry without thinking about the next time we might have time to get together again. I find myself yearning to be near him, yearning to feel his body on mine, inside mine.

I keep having to remind myself that this little fling we have going on is only physical and eventually it will have to come to an end. Now is not the time, though. I want to have him again, feel him pushing into me again, and ravishing my body like no one ever has before.

"Have you been looking around? Have any ideas yet?" Dad is saying as I come down the stairs.

"I hope you'll stay around this area. You've been away for far too long." Mom chimes in as I enter the dining room.

Harry sits at the end of the table, staring intensely at his phone as he nibbles at a half eaten muffin. "My agent is meeting me here at noon and she's going to take me to see some properties that she had in mind."

"What's going on?"

Mom, Dad, and Harry all look up from what they're doing, noticing my presence.

"The dead has risen." Dad comments.

"I was tired."

Harry wears a knowing smile on his face, his eyes darkening when they lock with mine. Does he know I haven't been able to sleep well since what happened between us? I sit down in the chair at the opposite end from him and grab a muffin from the center bowl.

"I'm going to start looking for my own house today. Want to tag along so I can have a second opinion?"

I look at the time and then at my pajama clad body. "Give me twenty minutes."

A half hour later, I'm rushing out the front door to catch up with Harry. We're riding in his Range Rover and following the real estate agent to the different houses. Once in the rover, the tension between Harry and I is so thick that we could cut it with a knife. I don't know what to say or how to act, despite what happened with us three nights ago.

"So, um, I. . ." I stutter.

Harry laughs. "Lighten up, Stella, it was just sex. Don't overthink it."

Exactly. It was just sex, I repeat to myself over and over again in my head. I stay silent until we pull into the long, twisting drive way of a huge house fifteen minutes later. We step out of the Range Rover and follow the agent to the front door.

I watch the way Harry introduces himself, his firm handshake, and how he looks her directly in the eyes when he speaks. As we make our way through the house, marveling at the expensive architecture and high ceilings, I listen to Harry and the agent's conversation. He seems smart, articulate, and well educated. His vocabulary is so much different than what I remember before he left.

Harry likes this house and the huge estate that it sets on, but wants to see a few more. We repeat our actions at three more properties before heading back home. Again, the tension is think inside the Range Rover. I catch myself staring at him from across the center console, my eyes taking in the smooth skin on his neck. I raise a hand to my own neck, fingers dancing over the makeup that covers the marks Harry left on me.

"Let's go grab something to eat before we go home?" He suggests.

"Yeah, Chinese maybe?"

We drive across town to Chef Peng Buffet and find an empty booth. After the waitress brings our drinks, we go fill our plates and return to our seats. Harry's hand rubs up my thigh beneath the table, and when I look up from my food, he winks at me.

So, I'm not the only one who wants a round two?

"What are your plans for tonight?" He asks me. His thumb rubs circles against my skin, distracting me from my delicious chicken and broccoli.

You, I want to say, but that's not true. I have a meeting with a modeling agency for head shots and trials. After that, Jade and I are having a girls' night at her place. As much as I would love to hook up with Harry again, it wouldn't be tonight. I explain to him my plans, and we both sigh.

"What about tomorrow night?" I ask.

He lets out a long breath and rolls his eyes. "I have a lot of things I need to get done. I'm meeting up with a director from Warner Brothers with Dad, and attending an over night shoot for an upcoming action flick."

We both eat in weary silence for a few long minutes. My body is craving his, no matter how immoral or wrong it is. He makes my insides scorch and melt, pushes me to my limits, and then keeps going. He makes me feel good. We live together, so why can't we find any time to do what we want without someone being around to catch us?

"We should go on a vacation." I say around my fork. "Just the two of us."

"How will we explain it to Mom and Dad?"

"I'll tell them I realized how much I actually missed you while you were away. You can tell them that we've both grown up a little and now we want to get the chance to reconnect with each other, just the two of us. We'll tell them how important family is to us, and that this vacation will strengthen our sisterly-brotherly bond."

Harry cackles at my explanation, throwing his head back. It's a lovely sound.

"Oh, we'll reconnect alright." He says, smirking. "When is this said vacation going to take place?"

"I would say now but our schedules won't let that happen. How about next week? We can leave on Monday."

"And where to?" Harry asks.

"I haven't got that far yet." I answer.

I find that Harry and I are leaning towards each other across the table. His wide green eyes are staring right into mine, and I could get lost in his gaze if I'm not careful. He looks down at my lips, and we both jump back as someone approaches our table.

"More water?" The waitress asks me.

"Next week, your body is mine, again." Harry threatens when we're alone again.

How am I going to survive a week?

((Let me know in the comments if you're liking this so far. I know this chapter wasn't very eventful, but the next one will be for sure ;) ...As always, thanks for reading, and please vote. ❤️❤️❤️))