Orphan

Chapter 78

"Im not sure...Where's the black one?" Harry sat back and ran a hand through his hair which had fallen into his face. The past half hour had been a tremendous pain, not only because of the splitting headache Monique was battling, but also due to the fact that picking out a dress to wear with Harry around was a pain in itself.

About 5 dresses were taken out to choose from. None of them were ever tried on, Harry had had other ideas — thus began the endless raid of the few items of clothing within his wife's wardrobe. Granted, she didn't have much of an array of, anything really, but she was determined to not get too much attention drawn to her, for the fear of wandering eyes causing Harry to start a fight with some unfortunate sap.
"What black one Harry? I just had it on it's too small, my breasts were one jump away from flooding out." Monique let out an exhausted huff as she tugged on the material of the all-too-tight, nude bandage dress.

Her body had changed quite a bit since she had worn this thing, and boy-oh-boy was it evident. "No, the one with the sequins." She stared at him for a brief second, her mind slowly but surely trying to find a way to ease her response of pure 'what the fuckery' to him. "Sequins? You want me to wear sequins to a club? That's excessive. What is this the 1980's?"

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment and looked over the dresses laying on the bed, "Okay try on the red one."
"You mean the one I took out in the first place? My pleasure." He brushed off her sarcasm while she carefully tried to remove herself from the clingy material without tearing the seams of the dress. The red bodycon dress which was the item of Harry's speculation, had been much easier to slip into than the nude one. He hadn't liked the look of her initial dress choice it because it was 'too basic'. Unbeknownst to her, his intentions were to make her look as attractive and flashy as possible – an idea he fought with and continued to fight with. But he needed her to feel attractive. He just didnt really take into consideration that she had to find herself attractive first.

Monique had quickly realised he wanted eye candy, unlike before, he wanted people to look this time - something she definitely did not want. "Do you feel good in it?" He mumbled tilting his chin up as he scanned over her body whilst she fixed the strap earning a distracted 'mhm' from her. "Turn." His voice was a quiet concentration of indecisiveness and confusion.

She turned slowly showing him a full view of the outfit, earning a somewhat satisfied nod. "It actually looks really good."
"Actually...thanks." Monique rolled her eyes tucking a piece of hair behind her ear which had fallen free from her bun.
"I didn't mean it like that, stop it. Stop the annoying insecurity." He leaned back on his arm looking her over before she huffed, "Fine I'll stop. Leave it then I'm not going. Wouldn't want to ann-"
"No, come on." He sighed shaking his head, quickly grabbing onto her forearm as he stood up before she could change back out of the admittingly subtle, sultry garment. She stared up at him, eyebrows furrowed and angry, but eyes filled with disappointment and sadness. "I just don't like seeing you question yourself. I'm not good at this you know that. Just...you look good. You look really good and I want you to see that everyone else will think so too. I just didn't think this dress would catch as much attention that's all." He confessed, the lack of emotion on his face made his sudden openness all the more confusing to her.
"I don't want everyone's attention, Harry. All I wanted was to feel wanted by you, to feel like you wanted me again." She hadn't been able to be this open with Harry in a long time, neither had he been so open to the kind of conversation, so she had planned to make as much use of it as possible. Harry seemed to be at a loss for words, not because he was awestruck and speechless, but because he had no idea how to properly respond to a woman begging to be loved, accepted. "I want you. Nothing changed. I want you."
"Then why are you acting so secretive lately? Why are you hiding your phone, and texting at odd hours, not to mention you're never home and when you are, you ignore me. You speak to everyone...but me. Why is that? When I got home from the hospital and I was all dinged up and pregnant you suddenly change and lose interest and I'm not supposed to be insecure?" Harry shifted his weight on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have things to sort out it has nothing to do with you or how I feel about you."
"Harry –"
"–baby I promise you, it's not you. Please." His entire persona switched as he placed his hands on either of her shoulders gently, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Baby?" She blinked up at him as he nodded, "Don't make it a big deal." He warned, brows still furrowed as they usually were, his face stern but delicate. She nodded pursing her lips and leaning up towards him, he leaned in slowly before sticking his tongue out and licking the expanse of her cheek earning a shriek from her as he chuckled and moved away, before she could react.

"Gross!" She groaned grabbing a pillow from the bed and tossing it at him, he managed to block it with his forearm before picking it up off the ground and hastily walking towards her giving her a whack against the head with it. An action she hadn't seen coming and it ended up messing her hair up in the process. "Stop it!" She chuckled grabbing the feathered pillow from his hands and beating him with it until he collapsed onto the floor and she was sat on top of him continuously beating him with it.

And for the first time Harry felt okay with someone beating him up, especially if it was with a pillow and she was carrying his child, and making him laugh. It was new and it was warm and welcoming. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time. The false anger in her eyes trying their best to mask the laughter pouring from her lips. "Are you ready to...go...?" Niall stood at the door, confusion written across his face as he stared at the disheveled and feather clad Harry. "Uh, just about. We can leave in 10 minutes." He breathed deeply, clearing his throat, unaware of just how breathless this small encounter had made him. Entirely aware of how strange the scenario was for Niall to walk in on, he tried to withhold his composure for as long as possible until Niall nodded and walked off.

"Just saying...this was your pillow." Harry chuckled plucking the feathers from her hair as he stood to his feet and dusted off. "Oh whatever, let me fix my hair and put on my shoes and we can go. Did you smudge my lipstick?"
"No," Harry answered, taking her chin between his fingers and kissing her briefly. "Now I did. Get cleaned up," he threw the remains of the pillow onto the bed ‐ which was basically just a sheet at this point - and turned to head to the bathroom, although not before smacking her fleshy bum, "...sexy." He grinned walking away as a blush crept to her cheeks, continuing to brush her hair.