Heartbeats || H.S. [ONGOING]

{twenty-nine}

The next morning, Harry and Niko took a run together at Harry's suggestion. He thought it might make her feel a little bit better about not being able to fit into her dresses anymore. Unfortunately for Niko, it was all that was on her mind as they ran up and down the beach.

She wasn't focused on the fact that she had an amazing diamond ring on her finger. She wasn't focused on the fact that her amazing fiancé was running right next to her. All she could think about was her damn body.

She hated being a girl sometimes — over-analyzing things like body image. It was like females were all programmed to hate their own bodies or something. It was sick and twisted and she hated it about herself, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Race you to the shower?" Harry suggested with a devilish smirk on his face as the two of them walked into the house.

"Harry..." Niko said with a deadpan look and a roll of her eyes, causing him to scoff playfully at her as the two of them kicked off their running shoes.

"I'm gonna win!" Niko said a moment later as she took off toward the bathroom, psyching him out.

"Nikola!" Harry yelped from behind her, but quickly ran after her.

When she felt his hands grip onto her waist just before she reached the bathroom door, she let out a shriek of a laugh. Harry picked her up from behind and pulled her body to his with his arms fully wrapped around her.

"Harry!" She giggled loudly.

"You sneaky sneak," he growled playfully in her ear as he set her down on her feet.

"Let me go, cheater!" Niko giggled as she tried to pry his arms from her waist. Harry let out another loud scoff.

"Cheater? Ha! You're the cheater!" He laughed just as he let her go, only to push her to the side, trying to bypass her.

"No!" She yelped and giggled, trying to use her whole body to block the bathroom doorway.

"Nikola Banks!" Harry growled through his teeth as he tried to fight his way around her.

"No way, Harry Styles! I win. I made it here before you," she laughed triumphantly, but still tried to block him from getting any further into the room.

"You cheated your way here," he chuckled as he stopped fighting altogether. She let out a laugh before turning to face him.

"Doesn't matter. I won," she told him with a wide smirk on her face.

Niko was completely joking, but she loved silly moments like that with Harry. She hoped they were still that playful when they were old and gray.

"If that's how you want to win..." He conceded, cocking his eyebrow at her as he gripped onto her sides, pulling her body to his.

"As long as I win," she reiterated, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as she leaned in to kiss him.

"I win in other ways," he breathed against her mouth before kissing her again.

When Niko felt Harry's hands on the back of her thighs, she let him pick her up before she wrapped her legs around his waist. Their mouths didn't leave one another's as Harry flipped on the light and walked her toward the bathroom counter. Only when he set her down on it did they break the kiss.

Harry gripped onto Niko's tank top a moment later, pulling it over her head before he leaned in for another amorous kiss.

"You're so beautiful, Niko. Everything I've ever wanted," he cooed against her lips as his fingertips gently grazed her bare sides.