Lie To Me

Lie To Me-Chapter 98

Opening my eyes to the muted light filtering into Harry's bedroom, I couldn't hide the smile on my face.

I was here. WE were here. Just the two of us. Well, three if I counted Max...

I giggled to myself, rolling over to my back. I still couldn't believe Harry had actually gotten me a dog for my birthday! When my mom had told me that it would be the best gift for me, I had no clue what to expect. But he'd gone above and beyond any expectations I could have had...and I couldn't be happier.

As if I'd conjured them up in my mind, the bedroom door opened. "Time to wake up, beautiful!" Shirtless, and looking just as edible as ever, Harry entered the room, a wiggling puppy barely contained in his arms.

"I took this little guy for a walk while you were sleeping, but it seems he's far more interested in seeing you than just hanging out with me..."

Laughing out loud, I sat up, opening my arms to the sweetest little puff of fur that I'd ever seen. Harry let Max down onto the bed, and laughed as he struggled through the blankets to get to me.

Once in my lap, he went straight for my face, licking and nibbling on me as I squealed in laughter, attempting to get him under control.

"I think he takes after you..."

Harry laughed as he sat down beside me, leaning in for a kiss while I fought against Max's attempts to join in. And with his lips on mine, soft and warm, I didn't notice the way Max had managed to bunch up the blanket that had been covering me.

Pulling back, Harry's eyes trailed to my now exposed breasts and the puppy that was currently cuddling up between them. He smirked, "Yeah, he definitely takes after me. The first chance he gets, he's all over your breasts..."

I looked down and laughed along with him as Max yawned big, resting his head against me, more than ready to pass out.

A part of me was a little self-conscious about being exposed to Harry this way. Though he'd seen me naked more times than I could count on one hand, though his lips had grazed nearly every inch of my exposed skin, we were always...active when that happened. We'd never just sat around naked and uncovered before.

I moved to reposition the blanket, careful to avoid disrupting the sleeping puppy curled against my chest. "So..."

Knowing me better than anyone, Harry shook his head at me, smiling in that cute way that made me want to smack him and kiss him all at the same time. "Don't be embarrassed Riley. There is not a part of you that I don't love." His eyes met mine, his voice taking on a much more serious tone. "Completely."

"Harry... I..."

Internally, my mind screamed at me to open my mouth, to tell him exactly how much I loved him, to tell him everything. He'd just given me the perfect opportunity to do it, so why couldn't I seem to get the words to come out of my mouth?

"It's okay." He scooped Max from my arms, and moved off the bed. "Why don't you get dressed, and we can get some shopping done. Although I have food for Max, I don't really have much in this house for us to eat."

I could hear the disappointment in his voice, despite the polite smile on his face, and I wanted to kick myself. What was wrong with me?!? Every time we came to this, every time I had the opportunity to go after what I wanted, I choked.

As I got dressed I continued berating myself. I loved Harry. I knew I did. But...maybe I just didn't love him the way I thought I did. Maybe it wasn't the all-encompassing love I'd always hoped to find with someone. Maybe I just wasn't...there yet...

With a raised brow, and a glare that could take down a small army, my subconscious stared at me. 'Thats bullshit, and you know it. You're head over heels in love with Harry. That's not the problem, here. The problem is, your scared, and you know it...'

I stopped in front of his mirror to fix my hair before leaving the room, fighting against my recently-laid look until I gave up and opted for a messy bun.

I WAS scared. Scared that the strength of my feelings for him would only push him away...

I didn't blame him for it in any way, but Harry did have a history of not falling quite as hard as his female companions, and the problems that arose from that inevitably led to the ending of those relationships. I didn't want that. I didn't want this to end. I didn't want our friendship to suffer from the demise of our "relationship."

However, with what he'd said, Harry seemed to be looking for it, searching for my true feelings about him, about us. And this wasn't the first time he'd said something or done something to get me to open up to him. He'd done it back home too. And he'd looked just as disappointed when I didn't open my mouth then...

Shaking my head as I left his bedroom, I took a deep breath. So much for this week being all about fun. It seemed as though the drama and insecurities that plagued us at home, had done nothing more than follow us to LA...