Always A Pleasure [Book 2]

Seven

As the two of them stood in the kitchen, drinking wine with one another, Harrison wanted to ask Katherine about her doctor's appointment, but thought better of it. If she wanted to divulge any information about it, he would rather she tell him without coaxing. If she didn't, that was her prerogative.

Instead, he asked another question that had been on his mind for quite some time.

"Tell me, how are you feeling about living here with me?" He asked, and Katherine giggled bashfully in response.

"I've lived here for almost eight months, Harrison," she pointed out, causing him to breathe out a laugh.

"With me, since you've been back," he reiterated.

"Honestly?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I would like nothing but your honesty," he told her sincerely.

"It was hard getting used to sharing a room at first," she explained with a smile.

"As I very well know. I've actually never shared my bed with anyone before," he said, smiling back at her.

"You haven't, have you?" She asked, and he recalled the conversation they had about him never being in a relationship before her.

It wasn't something that felt foreign to him, since he never actively had a girlfriend. But he realized after their conversation that it would be a bit odd to other people that he never settled down at any time in his life.

Being with someone exclusively and sharing a life with them was just never something he strived for, until Katherine. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her.

"I have not," he said, taking the last sip of his wine before filling his glass again.

"And how is it going?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow in intrigue.

"I like watching you sleep," he told her honestly. He watched as she bit back a smile and he couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.

"You're okay with sharing a room now?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

"Of course I am," she breathed, leaning in to kiss him.

The wine was making her more affectionate and he honestly didn't mind, which was new for him.

"You're comfortable enough?" He questioned, looking into her hazel eyes. She giggled, smiling back at him.

"Perfectly comfortable," she assured him.

Harrison could tell, in those very first days after Katherine moved back into the flat, that she felt uncomfortable in his space. He did everything he could to help her adapt to the situation, when he himself was feeling uncomfortable too, because he wanted her there. He wanted to put her at ease as best he could and hoped that he soothed any apprehensions that she had.

After a couple of weeks, it was obvious to Harrison that she had found some sort of contentment with him and felt more relaxed in his presence, which he was grateful for. He only wished that he was able to adapt as quickly as she did. But he was working on it everyday.

He made it a point to be more affectionate with her, even though it was so far out of his comfort zone. Growing up without such a thing did little to teach him about love or any kind of healthy emotion. At nearly thirty years old, he was wading through new emotional territory everyday that he never fathomed he ever would.

Before Katherine, he was set in his ways. He didn't get close to anyone. He used the opposite sex for one thing, and one thing alone. And he was fine with that for quite a while.