Hiraeth

10.

Waking up I get the feeling I'm not alone, and as I open my eyes and stare into a set of eyes, the events of last night surface and I blush instantly. The fact that I was so blunt is beyond me, and I'm also quite surprised that I so willingly threw myself at Harry even if my body was clearly on alert the whole time. Not that I don't want to be with him, but I think he's right, we need to take things slow. To get to know each other better.

"Good morning," Harry states with a smile.

"Good morning," I reply, smiling back.

"Why are you blushing?"

I huff, "it's silly."

"Em, you can tell me. I want you to be honest with me."

"I'm just a bit embarrassed about last night—the things I said. The things I did. I'm not sure what came over me," I say, yarning as I sit up in bed.

"Don't be," he says.

Part of me wants to kiss him, but I'm not sure what we are and if that would even be okay. He just broke up with Bridget, and I don't expect him to jump into another relationship. Yet part of me does crave his touch.

I get out of bed and head for the bathroom to pee only to come back into the room heading for the cupboard, looking for clean clothes, I'm not sure how to act around Harry any longer.

God, why did we have to make it weird between us?

"What are you doing?" Harry asks, looking very comfortable on my bed with his arms resting behind his head as he observes me, which is making me even more self-conscious.

"I'm going to take a shower," I say, and he gets out of bed and walks over to me.

"You all right?"

I nod, "yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You keep blushing, and you seem all nervous. Do you regret what happened last night?" He asks, and I shake my head in lack of words. It's not like anything really happened. Although I do remember him working me up and my body craving his touch.

"Did you lose your voice all of a sudden?" He asks with a smile, running a hand up and down my arm making goosebumps appear on my skin.

"N-no," I stutter, "I guess I just don't know how to behave around you anymore," I confess.

"Just be you, Em. I don't know if I've told you, but I very much like that person," he whispers the last part in my ear, and my heart skips a beat.

I smile at him, wanting to feel his lips against mine, but I'm too afraid to do so, and as I head for the bathroom, Harry follows. "You joining?" I ask, bewildered, my mind on overdrive.

"Would you like me to?" He asks, licking his lips, and I nod before I can even comprehend what I've just agreed to. My God! Harry is going to see my naked body. Not that I haven't imagined that before, but suddenly the entire situation feels much less sexy and romantic than it did in my head. "Unless you don't want to, I mean I understand if you wouldn't want to-," my rant is cut off when Harry presses his lips against mine and butterflies erupt from my stomach as I'm pushed against the wall.

"Stop trying to push yourself down, I don't see why I wouldn't want to be with you. You're perfect to me," he says, and I freeze.

What the actual fuck? Is he being serious right now?

He smiles at me, "you aren't used to compliments are you?"

I shake my head.

"You gotta use your voice, Em. I don't want you to go all silent on me.