Aurelie. [H.S]

CHAPTER 30

25 November 2017

Shanghai

Aurelie's POV

I should have stuck to my vow of not drinking last night. I had maybe one, two, three too many, and now I'm feeling the consequences.

"Harry." I grunt, rolling over in bed to face him.

He mutters something inaudible before opening his eyes and placing his hand on my cheek. "What, Ellie." he bellows in his morning voice.

"I think I might be hungover."

Those few words alone snap him awake more than a pint of espresso could.

His back rises completely from the bed so that he's sitting up, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arm muscles.

He then scoots closer to me, inspecting my face like you would do a damaged painting.

"You look like shit." he says truthfully. "Let me take care of you."

"Oh thanks, don't you just love being told that you look like shit when you wake up?" I say sarcastically, secretly knowing that he didn't mean any harm by it.

"Let me take care of you." he says again. "What's wrong? Does your head hurt? Your muscles? Are you thirsty?" he puts the back of his hand on my head like a nurse would in school.

"I just feel like shit." I shake off his head and hide under the duvet.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be back and helping you." I feel the bed dip, and hear him rustling around near the wardrobe.

The door opens and then closes, signifying that he's gone out. I take advantage of my free time by trying to catch up on my sleep.

When he returns, I'm fast asleep and in an even crankier mood. "Harry." I reprimand him as he tries to take off the duvet, "I'm dying."

He laughs. "Not quite. This will help, come on." he pets my head comfortingly.

I begrudgingly let him help me sit upright, pinching my temples whilst I get used to the change of light.

"Drink this and take this." he holds out a bottle of lucozade and a few tablets.

I pull my face but do as he says, only realising how thirsty I am once I actually drink the fizzy liquid. I nearly down the whole thing in one.

"Easy tiger." he laughs, "You need some comfort food. I got some toast, did you bring your Dad's marmalade?"

I nod. Ever since I was a child, my comfort food has been white toast, butter and homemade marmalade. Harry discovered my love for it in St Barts when he found a jar of marmalade in the empty fridge and was confused as to how it got there.

It's strange because they're foods that I feared individually so for so long, but when they were put together, I couldn't love anything any more.

"In the mini fridge already." I tell him, cringing at the pain in my throat as I try to speak.

I feel heavy. Any small movement feels like I'm spraining a muscle.

He quickly kisses my forehead and then wanders off to assemble my comfort meal.

I hide under the covers again, wondering how I'm supposed to be able to do my job today. Speaking of my job...

My phone starts to ring, and the noise deafens me. "Too loud." I groan, pushing my head further into the pillow.