Criminal

Chapter Fifteen

It was the day of the supposed transfer of the weapons to the warehouse, and also the first time I'd seen Harry in six days. He'd been in and out at meetings and locked up in his office, or I would be at work and I wouldn't get home until later and he'd be gone still. Then I'd go to sleep alone, and wake up to find his side of the bed warm but empty. 

I was sitting on the couch drinking my coffee, as it was Saturday and my day off, watching a talk show, when the door opened. I whipped around to see the flash of black that was Harry's winter coat, and I smiled to myself and got off the couch to meet him in the foyer. 

I was still in my pajamas and I knew my hair was a mess, but I didn't care because I'd missed him. He looked up after he'd toed off his boots, and the expression on his face dissapeared and he softened, opening his arms to let me press against him. 

He was cold from outside but his skin was warm where it touched me, and I could feel him starting to heat up through his sweater. What I wasn't expecting was for him to practically deflate as he wrapped his arms around me, resting his cheek on top of my head. 

His muscles were tense but he felt like dead weight against me, and I knew he must be exhausted and stressed. I was sure he hadn't had more than nine hours of sleep the whole week, and I wasn't even sure he came home last night. 

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, and he just nodded, holding me tighter. I was out of sorts at that; he wasn't someone I deemed a cuddler, even at the best times. 

"Couch," He mumbled, and I complied, walking backwards with him still wrapped around me until I toppled over the arm, Harry wedging himself between the back of the couch and my body and wiggling until he was comfortable, elbowing me in the process. 

"Ouch!" I squeaked, but he just buried his face in my shoulder and mumbled his apology, pressing in close so that I wouldn't fall off the couch. I was sure we hadn't even been this close; not even after that one night after the club. 

I squeezed my arm around him and let him tangle our legs together, reveling in the fact that I had an arms dealer cuddling me. I almost laughed, but decided if he asked why, it'd be too embarrassing to admit. 

I pushed his curls off the side of his face and scratched gently over his scalp, becuase I knew he at least liked it when I messed with his hair. He sighed out a hot breath along my collarbone and squirmed closer, causing me to laugh softly, out loud this time. 

"When do you have to leave?" I asked after a few moments of just laying with him, his body growing more and more lax as I moved to rub over his shoulders and down his spine before resuming combing through his curls. 

"Half seven," He grumbled, and his voice was thick as it was when he got sleepy, and I knew he would be passed out in a matter of minutes. I just kissed his temple and turned my head to watch the television, Harry's snores rumbling through my chest three minutes later. 

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"Shhhhh," I hissed when I opened the door, because Louis and Niall somehow could always be the loudest even if they were down the hallway. Harry was still asleep on the couch, but he was sleeping light enough that they'd wake him at the drop of a hat. 

Louis squeezed me in his arms before I could stop him, scoffing into my shoulder until I patted his back and let him slip in the door. "Quiet," I warned as softly but stern as possibly, and he mock saluted me before tiptoeing to the kitchen. 

I greeted the rest of the guys, only to discover a few more that I didn't know were supposed to be arriving soon. Eleanor, Sophia, and Perrie were coming to stay over here while the boys did what they needed, so they'd be here soon.