seraphic [h.s]

chapter fifty eight.

Mae.
-

Waking up enclosed by strong arms, a warm chest behind me, deep breathing against my ear— it was certainly not what I had been used to.

Where I would normally want to turn over and fall back asleep, I didn't want to. Not when Harry was behind me. Not when this was all such a big deal. A huge deal. It was Harry behind me. And we had slept so easily, like it was normal. And it would be normal. The feeling. Eventually.

Revelling in his embrace for a minute longer, I then rolled as slowly as I could, without waking him. My new angle had me looking right at him. At the way his lips nestled softly together, a little gap between them letting out the smallest of breaths. His closed eyes looked calm, no movement, just stillness. I let my gaze roam over his face, over his features that I had once pleaded with myself to let go.

His hair was messily strewn against the pillow he was half on, my heart softened at the sight. I wondered why we had to go through what we had, when I felt as safe as I now did, close by him and wrapped in his arms. I wondered why things always had to be difficult before they got good. And even though Harry had explained that things weren't always like that, the world seemed to place an exception on me.

But I was almost fine with it now— I had the good. The man before me. The angel sleeping heavily in the room down the hallway. This apartment. The shop.

I breathed heavily in my spot, mind running wild with thoughts that fought to be heard. It was loud, it always was. But having my sights set on the man before me somehow made me not focus entirely on the frightening elements that made my brain run.

Skimming my eyes over him, I quietly laughed when noticing his feet hung past the mattress. He still looked comfortable though, and I wondered if he was. The stubble along his jaw made a stray butterfly in my stomach kick, I ran a light finger against the roughness, swallowing.

Without making too much of a fuss, I carefully and very slowly, rolled over to my other side and rose from the bed. Checking to see if Harry had woken, he hadn't. He still looked knocked out cold. I gripped the quilt cover and rose it higher on his body. He didn't twitch, didn't open one eye and peek up at me. He continued to sleep soundly, lips parted and breath soft.

I smiled as I turned around, taking calculated steps over to a stray tee on the floor. Grabbing it, I slipped it over my top half and tip toed over to the door before pulling it back mind numbingly slow so that it didn't creak. Once my toes hit the threshold of the hallway, I twisted the knob and shut the door without a sound.

"Good afternoon, loud lungs."

Her voice to the right of me made me jolt, "Jesus, Dee." I breathed, slowly peering over my shoulder at her standing at the door of her room, "Scared the fuck out of me."

She grinned, "You're lucky I'm a heavy sleeper. I did catch the tail end of it though, the fuck you guys doing banging one out so early?"

My nose scrunched and eyes widened, questioning if I'd actually just heard her say what I think she did. "We weren't banging one out." I clarified, the heel of one hand rubbing circles over my eye.

"You sure? Sounded a lot like it." She questioned, leaning a shoulder to the wall.

"Yes, I'm sure. He's- it's- we didn't really get there just yet. Besides, we're taking things slow." The expression Dee was sporting spoke volumes, she knew, she somehow always knew. "Mhm," She mumbled, "Well, after he leaves, you're sitting me the fuck down and telling me all about how that went. I'm assuming there's been a break through?"