For Your Eyes Only

Chapter 18

Parker POV
I arrive in London, meet Dan the guard; apparently he got a promotion after I told Harry how he helped me get into the hospital, and head off to a house in the English countryside. I have no idea what to expect. I know Liam picked it out so it's probably more realistic than if Niall or Louis had made the choice.
When we get to the house I'm speechless. This is more of a hotel than a house. The grounds must be one hundred acres at least. The driveway is half a mile long; both sides are covered with trees. It all looks like something out of a fairy tale. We finally pull up at the front of the house and it has a massive veranda with white columns. I get out of the car and start to walk up to the door. I wonder if the house came with a maid and butler.
Before I can get to the door it flies open and Niall is in front of me. He has a grim look on his face as he says "Before you come in I just have to warn you he's had a bad couple of days.
He's angry and he's taking it out on anything that moves."
I'm shocked to hear it's gotten so bad. Everyone goes through spells during any recovery, I anticipated Harry having bad days. I didn't however think they would be bad enough to put such a sad look on Niall's face. I put my bag down and ask to see Harry. I figure if it's going to be bad then we might as well get it over with.
Niall walks me to the hallway that leads to Harry's room but refuses to go any further. He shakes his head and says "I want to live to see another day. You are a brave girl I tell ya!"
I laugh a little but I'm not sure if he's joking or not. The door is open so I don't knock. I just say "Harry" as I walk in. At first I don't think he's there but honestly there is about a million places he could be hiding in all this mess. There are piles of dirty clothes everywhere. Stacks of books and open dvd cases cover almost every surface area. The bed is a jumble of pillows and blankets that looks impossible to get comfortable in. I call out "Harry" one more time and still don't get a reply. I look in the adjoining bathroom and find Harry asleep in the tub.
He looks thinner than when I saw him last week. The scars on his shoulder and chest stand out drastically from the pale white of his skin. I think to myself he needs to get out into the sunlight. I knock on the door and he wakes up with a jump. I can tell he was about to cuss me out until he saw I'm not Niall or Liam.
Harry stands up, a little shakily, and walks to me; without so much as grabbing a towel first he wraps his arms around me. We stand there for long time not saying a word; just letting the water from his body soak into my clothes. I think of the first time we met and I can't help but laugh. He leans back to look at me and I say "Well at least it's not snot" as I point out the front of my shirt. He laughs a little too and I hear the raspiness in his voice. He reminds me of someone with a chest cold.
Harry walks into his room and puts on the first clothes he sees. I really don't think they are clean but I don't comment. He looks at me and holds out another shirt "Do you want something dry?" he ask.
"Nah it will dry quick enough." I say. "So how are you doing?" I know it's the dumbest question in the history of questions but I don't know what else to say. After Niall's warning I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Harry shrugs and says "Well I'm stuck in this bloody hell hole of a house with Daddy Directioner Liam always asking me if I took my medicine or if I've cleaned my scars properly; as if I'm some kind of child. Niall only wants to talk about Harper or food and as much I as love your friend I don't need to know about the perfectly pink birthmark above her ass. I just don't need to know that. Louis is back to not answering my calls. There isn't a part of my body that does not hurt and I'm bored out of my mind." He paused long enough to lay on the bed and kick most of the covers to the floor then adds "How are you darling."
I know he's being a little bit of an ass but I decide two can play that game and say "Well Jaime broke up with me even though I didn't think we were even officially together. He wouldn't speak to me the last four days I was home. He got mad that I was coming here and not staying home with him. Niall constantly text me asking about Harper because she won't return any of his messages. Liam messages me because he's worried about you but is more afraid of you at the moment. Did you really throw a book end at him the other day?" I push him over to one side of the bed as I lay beside him and continue "That was really stupid you could have torn something apart in there." I touch his chest and I can feel the raised skin of his scars. "I came all the way across the world to this beautiful house but apparently it got hit with a category 5 hurricane right before I arrived." I end my speech with a smile at Harry.
He leans his head down until our foreheads touch and says "I really missed you."
I look into his eyes; even though they look like one, and say "I really missed you too."
We sit there for a minute not saying anything until I can't take it anymore. I look at him and say "Harry, this room stinks! Like it really stinks. Have you washed clothes since you've been here?" I look around the room again and add "Have you adopted a homeless family and let them use your room as a clothes basket because I don't think you could have worn this many clothes in the time you've been here."
Harry looks around the room as if he's seeing it for the first time. He covers his face as he says "Gemma came to visit and brought me some clothes from my house. We got into an argument so I just kind of threw them down and left them there."
"What was the argument about?" I may piss him off but I need to find out what's going on with him while I have him talking.
"I don't even remember." He replies
"Well at least it was over something important then" I can't help but laugh. I slap his knee lightly with my hand and say "Ok pouty time is over. This room is gross and we have to clean it if I'm going to be spending any time in here." I didn't mean anything by that statement I was just trying to get him to clean his room, but Harry picked up on it immediately.
"So you planning on being in my room a lot? Will you be staying in my bed as well?" He scrunches his nose as he said this. I haven't thought about sex with Harry since I left LA. Now all of a sudden it's all I can imagine happening in that bed.
I throw a shirt at his head and say "Keep dreaming Styles" and go to find a laundry basket.
It takes us almost two hours to clean Harry's room. But when we're done the floor is no longer a health hazard and the smell is gone. We put fresh linens on his bed and now it looks like an amazing place for a nap. I can tell Harry is tired and hurting even though he doesn't want to admit it. I don't to make him feel like I'm trying to baby him so I sit on the bed with my back to the headboard and say "Do you want to watch a movie?"
He comes over and lays down between my legs with his back against my chest. We have set like this countless times while watching movies and it feels like no time has passed between now and the last time.
I think I was asleep before he even chose the movie. I wake up a few hours later to Harry still asleep beside me. I ease out of bed so I don't wake him and go in search of something to drink.
Liam is in the kitchen when I finally find it. "This house is freaking huge" I say as I go to the refrigerator. I open the door and look in shock, there is nothing there but take out containers, beer, and one bottle of water. I take the bottle while giving him a "what the hell" look. "Why isn't there any food in there?" I ask.
"No one but Niall really feels like eating around here and he doesn't cook," Liam said matter of factly. I can hear the tiredness in his voice. I decide then that I'm going to take Harry shopping and we are going to cook something together. I think it will do him good to get out of the house for a bit.
Before I leave Liam I ask "Have you heard from Louis?"
"Not since we got here and he wasn't around." Liam replies.
I shake my head. I don't understand Louis, he obviously loves Harry, but he refuses to do anything about it. I look back at Liam and say "We're having a family meal tonight so don't leave."
I head back up to Harry's room and find him still asleep. I shake his side a little bit for fear of hurting his shoulder. He wakes up and looks at me with a little smirk "I was having a good dream" he says.
"Well you can get back to it later. I need you to take me to a grocery store." I say while standing up.
"Why do I need to take you? I still can't drive." is his only reply.
"Dan the guard can drive us but I don't know anything about shopping in England. I don't know what brands to get to or whats too expensive and so forth so therefore you have to take me shopping. So come on time to leave the Harry cave." I catch myself on the last part and turn to him and say "Has anyone ever told you your name makes anything sound dirty. The Harry cave just something disturbing about that thought."
He smiles the first real smile since I've been here and says "No but most people wouldn't dis a mans name straight to his face like that."
I throw my head back and laugh as I say "Well that's what you got me for baby. I go places others only dream about.
We get to the grocery store with very little trouble. I don't recognize most of the brands so Harry picks everything out. By the time we're done I think we have enough food to feed London. We start putting the bags in the car when Harry drops the bag of eggs. I go to pick them up and he kicks them across the parking lot.
I look up in horror and say "You almost took my head off."
"Yeah well don't get in the way next time." Is the only reply I get. I guess this is the temper I've heard so much about.
Harry gets in the car and I go back inside the store for more eggs. When I get in the car Harry is looking out the window and doesn't speak. When we get back to the house he goes straight to his room without a word. I see too late that I pushed him too hard.
I put up the food while silently fussing at myself. I shouldn't have pushed him to clean his room and go grocery shopping in the same day. He was in pain probably all the time that takes a tole on the body.
I decide to cook alone and to just take him a plate. I make chicken alfredo with garlic bread and a salad. It's not five stars but it's better than the old Chinese and pizza they have in the fridge. Liam and Niall both come in the kitchen when I yell the foods ready. I wonder if this is how single moms feel. Two kids excited to eat ready to dig in and the moody teenager not wanting to hang out with the family. I make a plate and take it to Harry.
He's sitting in a chair in his room looking out the window. I set the plate on the table beside him and walk out without a word.
I go back to the kitchen and make my own plate. Niall and Liam are talking about some random movie and fighting over what line was said by which character. It's such a normal conversation between friends but it's so strange to hear it between them. It's so easy to get caught up in the wonder of One Direction that it's easy to forget that they are real people. We finish our meal in peace and Liam volunteers to clean up. I don't argue.
I go check on Harry before finding which room Niall put my stuff in. He's in the bed and the plate beside his chair is empty. At least he ate I think to myself. I pick the plate up to take back with me when I hear "I'm sorry about today. I was embarrassed that I couldn't even hold eggs and I took it out on you. It was childish and I'm sorry."
I look at him and say "I understand. I pushed you too hard. These things take time. It sucks but that's life sometimes."
"Will you stay with me tonight?" he ask.
I wasn't expecting that question but I answer without hesitation. "Yeah let me find my clothes and change. I'll be right back."
I return to Harry's room in a few minutes and snuggle in close to him. Neither of us actually want to have sex with the other but it's nice being beside him in bed. It's a comfort to not be alone.