Office Hours |h.s|

thirty seven

Maude

The second I found out my first class on Monday got canceled, I texted Harry and asked if I could sleep over. It was already late on Sunday, but after spending the weekend with Lance and dad, I need time alone with H. Not even Cass could help me feel better and she sure did try, considering I came home from dinner crying.

According to my own family, the only thing I'm good for is my body. I've shown them time and time again that I am just as smart and just as capable as the men in my family, but I just keep getting tossed to the side as a silly little slut. Maybe they're right anyways, since here I am, running to my professor boyfriend for validation.

With one more text to Cassidy letting her know I'm okay and I'll see her tomorrow, I put my phone on do not disturb and turn it over on the bathroom counter. With a sigh, I look at myself in the mirror, trying to relax and get my mind off of that god awful dinner and Lance's comments.

Harry was worried about me when I asked if I could come over, able to tell I was trying to stop crying even through the phone. I'm not sure if I would tell him about what Lance said, and how he wants me to spy. I just don't want to give Harry a reason to not trust me, because I would never betray him in that way. He deserves to win this case more than my family does. Clearly my dad feels threatened by Harry for some reason, or else he wouldn't be coming around this often or trying to get me to spy. They only get like this when they know they have the cards stacked against them.

"C'mere love." Harry calls for me from the bathtub, his voice soft but raspy. With a sigh, I let go of my intrusive thoughts for now and turn toward him.

A small smile tugs on my lips at the sight in front of me. He went all out for me, which nearly brought me to tears yet again. He set up candles in the bathroom for us, and after a beautiful, special dinner, he brought me upstairs to light them all and run us a soothing bubble bath. He got in first, letting me say goodnight to Cassie so we don't have any interruptions for the rest of the night.

His stubble is not grown out too much, he keeps it trimmed really neat most of the time. His hair has a soft curl to it, not gelled back like he tends to do it for work throughout the week. My eyes take in his bare chest and his tattoos as he relaxes against the tub. He's so perfect, how do I deserve him?

I cross the bathroom to the tub, and he holds out his hand to help me step into the tub. Once inside, I settle between his legs, smiling as he presses the softest kisses to the back of my head. He dips down to kiss my shoulders, wrapping his arms around me to pull me in even closer. "So perfect, baby. So, so perfect." he mumbles against my skin.

My stomach churns with a feeling of guilt. Guilt that he sees me as someone so perfect, like I'm wearing this disguise or something. I'm not perfect, and everyone could see that but him. He should be with someone who is actually perfect, not me.

"How was your weekend? Busy with work?" I ask, running my hands along his arms that hold me close. My head settles itself against his shoulder, feeling his thumbs rubbing my sides.

He sighs, "I barely made a dent with grading papers. I'm already falling behind with this case shit."

I pout softly, "Why don't you get a TA or something? You're so busy and I know it's just gonna get harder. This way you don't have to worry about grading all those papers and you can focus more on teaching."

"I might have to. I've already dumped some papers that I know are easy grades onto Juliet since she offered to help out a while ago. Hopefully they get done by the end of the week so I could email everyone their grades and notes."

Forcing myself not to roll my eyes at the mention of Juliet, I just nod. "That's good. Who's grading my paper?" I ask, genuinely curious. I know that he's been struggling with grading my papers since we started dating, but I'm not too sure how I feel about Juliet grading my papers for his class.