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River woke up in her bed some time later, feeling groggy and still completely drained even though she was pretty sure she'd slept quite a while. She didn't remember falling asleep, and she definitely didn't remember making her way to her bedroom.
Her brain felt foggy, even as she sat up in bed and glanced at the sun streaming in through the windows. The curtains were drawn in a way she hadn't done herself in a long time. She usually did her best to keep the sun out so that she could try her hardest to sleep the day away. Her eyes landed on the chair in the corner of her room. There was a blanket draped over it and a half-empty bottle of water and an iPhone she knew wasn't hers sitting on a table near it.
Only then did the full memory of the day before flood back to her. Harry had been there. He'd brought groceries and made her a lovely dinner and offered her the best conversation she'd had in a long time. They'd drank some wine and she'd... oh God, she'd told him everything. She'd told him all the things she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to talk about.
"H-Harry?" she called into the apartment, her voice hoarse and small. She'd cried a lot the night before and it had definitely taken its toll on her voice. She could barely push his name up and out of her throat.
She didn't expect him to still be there. She almost assumed he'd forgotten his phone in his rush to get as far away from her as possible. As far as emotional baggage went, she had an entire plane full of it. There was no way he still wanted to be involved with her. Surely, he'd left and would probably never speak to her again.
But then as if by magic, there were footsteps in the hallway and his lanky frame appeared in the doorway. River blinked hard, sure she was imagining him. When she re-opened her eyes, though, he was still there. He smiled, stepping into the room.
"Sorry. I meant to be here when you woke up but I was just taking a quick shower, I hope that's okay."
His thickly accented tone was music to her ears and she nodded.
"I-it's okay."
"How are you feeling?"
"Honestly? Awful. I feel... drained, like my brain won't turn all the way on and I'm tired mentally. I was... when I woke up I was sure you'd left," she admitted, and he nodded and closed the gap between them. He perched on the edge of her bed and offered her a small smile.
"What do you need? Anything. I'm here," he told her, and she shook her head.
"But... you were supposed to fly back today."
"Originally, yeah. But I called this morning and pushed my ticket out for a week. There wasn't really any reason I was flying back, I don't have any commitments or anything, and I'd like to spend more time with you, if that's okay with you," he told her, and she shook her head again.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her mind flashing with all of her issues like it was playing on a movie screen. Surely he couldn't actually want to associate himself with all of that, right? But somehow, he nodded.
"I'm absolutely positive."
"Okay, I... will you just cuddle me?" she asked. It was the first thing that came to her mind and as soon as the thought struck her, it was all she wanted. He smiled, nodding.
"Definitely. I think you'll find I'm a fantastic cuddler," he told her, slipping under her sheets with her.
He arranged himself against the headboard and she melted into him, burying her face into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"You make me feel safe," she whispered, surprising herself. The words had been almost inaudible and she hadn't even meant to say them. She was immediately embarrassed by them and hoped he hadn't heard. For a long moment, it seemed he hadn't but then his arms tightened just a bit and he kissed the top of her head.
"Good. You deserve to feel safe, angel. You make me feel safe too, for the record," he whispered back.
Normally she hated pet names and thought they were completely cringe-worthy, but something about the way he said it and the sincerity behind it made butterflies rise in her stomach. She smiled, leaning her head down onto his chest. He readjusted just slightly and she closed her eyes to listen to the steady beating of his heart.
"Harry?" she questioned his name a few moments later. She'd almost been asleep, but suddenly had the urge to not miss a single moment of their time together.
"Hm?" he mumbled in the back of his throat, sounding like he was almost asleep himself.
"Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, and she shrugged against him.
"Being here. Being you. Listening to me."
"It's an absolute honor," he told her, kissing the top of her head again.
She lay there wide awake for a little while longer, not at all surprised when his breathing eventually slowed and he started snoring lightly. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat again, letting herself drift off to sleep too.
