earned it [h.s.]

19.

monaco part threeeee

Genevieve.

"Sand feels funny." I spoke while I wiggled my toes around the sand. I stared down at the small cream-coloured grains we were standing on. Harry was undoing his shoes and taking off his socks as he let out a chuckle, "What?"

I shrugged and smiled to myself, "I don't know. It just feels weird. Can't really compare it to anything else."

Harry jogged up next to me, shoes in his hand. The breeze near the sea was a bit more refreshing than how boiling hot it had been by the pool, and my dress flew around me a little while I tried to keep my hair at bay.

"I've never really been to the beach." I confessed, not looking at him but continuing to look at my feet, "I mean, I've seen the beach. But I've never been on it, or in the sea."

"Well... Beaches aren't easy to come by in London." Harry retorted softly as if giving me a silver lining. I smiled up at him, "True."

"You want to dip your feet in?" He suggested, nodding his head towards the shore a little bit away. The beach was pretty busy but not as touristy as I would've imagined. All of Monaco was actually pretty calm, and Harry assured me it was because it wasn't a weekend.

"Yes." I smiled widely, near skipping towards the water as Harry laughed from behind me, letting me go ahead a little bit. With my slippers in my hand, I slowed down a little when I was almost in the water. I was out of breath a little bit, using my hand to tuck some flying hair behind my ear before I carefully stepped into the water. A small wave covered my ankles and I gasped at how cold it was.

Feeling a hand on my lower back, I immediately knew it was Harry and didn't even flinch. He had been touchy today, and I hated how accustomed to it I was getting. I knew when Blair would be around us and he'd be distant again, it would hurt to some extent.

Even if it shouldn't.

Harry was as unattainable as anyone could ever be. He was married and he loved her, seeking a silver lining in the mess that was their marriage. He didn't want to give up, no matter how unhappy she made him. And it wasn't my place to convince him to do so, even though I sometimes wanted to shake his shoulders and beg him to take the leap and get away from Blair. But I just listened and let him figure it out on his own. Harry didn't need advice from me, especially since I had no idea what I was talking about.

I had been floating and giggling ever since our pool-cuddles, which had made my heart thrash violently in my chest. For one, I had felt dizzy from being in water. I had never swam or gone under water in a pool or the ocean. I avoided it out of fear, worried that I wouldn't be able to make it back up and since I couldn't swim, I wouldn't be able to save myself. But when Harry so gently offered to guide me through the water, I took the leap.

Literally.

I jumped at him. Not my finest moment, but I was a woman in fear and I needed the support. His hands on my waist had felt warm and it took me a while to even realize how intimate the touch felt because I was blinded by my nerves skyrocketing due to being in the water. And when that settled, I felt the full of his palms covering up my bare skin. I didn't lock my legs around him to flirt, but once more it was a reaction out of fear after he made the joke about dropping me.

He didn't want me to let go, an unspoken question with his hand on my leg. So I stayed clung to him like a koala while he wrapped his strong arms around me and held me up.

Once we got back from our dip underneath the water, he was so close to me I could almost taste him. I forgot how to breathe when I looked at his moist lips, so inviting that for once I actually contemplated kissing him. Unlike Blair, Harry did notice my aversion of kissing so he settled on a gentle peck to my neck – which almost had me moaning out if I was honest.