Breaking Slowly // h.s. au

Chapter Forty

Chapter Thirty Nine

*Harry*

Songs-

Ready To Run- One Direction

Top Of The World- Greek Fire

Water continues to run over us. My back bent slightly so I can rest my head on the crook of Elsie's neck, my arms around her tightly. I don't want to let her go. She's acts so strong yet she's so fragile. She barely eats, she barely sleeps because of those stupid nightmares, she gets beaten down every time the last bell rings, and even though all of this is pounding down on her weakening body she still manages to want to hurt herself even more and drag knives across her beautiful skin.

"Else." I whisper against the skin of her neck. We've been standing like this for a while.

"Yeah?" Her voice is so soft, timid even.

"I have to talk to Alex." I say and she stiffens in my grasp.

"No Harry you can't tell him you know." She nearly whimpers.

"Elsie he can't hurt you anymore." I stand up- right and tuck her head under my chin.

"I don't want him hurting you." She looks up at me with fresh tears in her eyes and wisps of hair sticking to her forehead from the water.

I chuckle lightly and brush the hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek, "I can take Alex. You don't have to worry about me." I lean forward and press my lips to her forehead.

"Please don't do anything. It's not just physical pain Harry and I know I sound like an idiot when I say that but it's true. They're capable of making you hate yourself so much that- that-" She shakes her head as streams of tears run down her cheeks.

The water is now growing cold against our skin, hitting us like ice as Elsie pleads with me.

"He can't keep hurting you!" I nearly yell as I hold her at arms-length, "Look at yourself Elsie." My eyes flick to her darkening bruises and back up to her beautiful blue eyes, "I can't let you get hurt anymore, by Alex, or Jane, or... any of them, and I can't let you hurt yourself." I feel my voice crack as I rest my forehead against hers, "I want to protect you. I want to finally have the balls to protect the person I love."

She wraps her arms tighter as a shiver covers her skin.

"Babe you're freezing, c'mon now." I turn the water off and step release my grip on her to reach for towels. I take the slightly damp towel in my hands before handing a fresher one to Elsie as her lips turn a light blue and she's starting to shake. I need to turn the heat up.

"I'm gonna go turn up the thermostat you should go get changed into warm clothes." I peck her forehead before securing the towel around my waist and jogging out to the living room to turn up the heat.

Seventy will definitely heighten my bill... and we can just cuddle into the blankets... I turn the heat up to sixty eight just to give the illusion that I'm not hiking up my heating bill.

The slightly damp and cold towel wrapped around my hips feels heavy as I walk back into the bedroom. Elsie is sitting on the bed with one of my sweaters on and her jeans, her head in her hands causing her wet ponytail to fall in front of her.

My footsteps padding against the carpet are the only sound in the room. I drop the towel to my feet as I grasp the fabric of my boxers and pull it up my legs, the elastic slapping against my skin. Grey sweats are slid onto me along with a t-shirt, adding some heat to my cold body.