lovelorn - wroetoshaw

chapter 20

^^no, the holy water memes will never die^^

BELLA

Running a towel through my hair, I try to add pressure and ring the water out of my wet locks. But with the big blocky cast on my hand, I'm not doing an efficient job. "Harry, can you come help me with this?"

In the reflection of the mirror I see Harry walking through the doorway, hair still damp and disheveled, and covered in a loose light grey dressing gown. His eyes trace down from the wet mop that is my hair and down my body, only for his mouth to form into a deep frown when he spots the white towel covering me. He walks closer to me, taking the hair towel out of my hands and ringing out the water. "Is that good?" he politely asks, pecking my shoulder gently.

"Yeah, thank you baby." I grab my hairbrush off the sink countertop, turning around to head into my room. I throw the brush temporarily on my bed, dropping my towel and opening my wardrobe. Harry's lounging on my bed scrolling on his phone, but I still notice how his eyes pop up when my towel hits the ground. I ignore his eyes burning against my back and grab my dressing gown so I can cover for a bit while I pick out an outfit.

I hear my phone chime from across the room, making my head dart back instinctively. I grab my hairbrush and sit down on the edge of the bed, unlocking my phone and reaching for my phone, before remembering my casted hand. The brush is quickly scooped up behind me, and I feel light strokes on my scalp. He's moved so he's sat with legs on either side of mine, gently combing through my damp hair.

The exchange is silent, but words just feel unnecessary. I've never been a particularly silent person, in fact I've always been an extrovert. Harry's quite shy around new people, which I find very endearing. Its an odd experience, meeting someone so similar yet in many ways polar opposite.

I open up my photos app, flipping through the photos Elliot and I took this morning. Favoriting the best one and creating a group chat for us and our mums. Harry's movements freeze behind me, and I can sense him restraining from poking me with questions. Our reconciliation is still fresh, he probably doesn't want to push me.

He moves the hair off my shoulder and rests his chin there, breath gently tickling my neck. As much as he tries to hide it, his face is an open book. Despite his hate for discussing feelings and his inability to pick up on others, his all lie in plain sight.

Sighing, I tilt my head and place a reassuring kiss on his cheek before explaining, "He's my childhood best mate from Essex. His name's Elliot, he's our age, and he's gay. So turn that frown upside down." I finish, rolling my eyes lightly at his sensitivity. "I'm just texting the picture to my mum."

He seems content with that answer, placing a light peck on my shoulder. He always does that, not that I'm complaining. My lips quirk into a smirk, head shaking as a relization pops into my head.

"What what's wrong?" He asks, unwrapping his legs from me as I turn around to face him.

"I just realized- you're gonna have to meet my mum"

His face twists in confusion, "What do you mean, I have. Many times."

"No I mean like, offically. As my boyfriend." I explain, holding in a snicker as his face drops. "C'mon H, it's not like my mum's very scary. And besides, you already don't have to deal with meeting some overprotective dad!"