Here We Stand [H.S]

125.*

The following morning, I woke with a start, feeling content and blissful, laying on my stomach with my face buried into the soft silk of the pillow.

Gran always loved silk, I guess it was her generation mostly, but with the heat wave going on right now the coldness of the silky material was cooling for my body.

Or our bodies, should I say.

I moved onto my side slightly, my eyes still blurry as a lazy smile appeared on my face.

I gazed at Harry, finding him still asleep and laying on his front too, his back completely relaxed as he breathed in and out slowly.

I stretched out quietly, cracking my back, as the silk sheet suddenly slid over my body.

The feeling of the soft, cold silk against my naked body made me tingle and suddenly remember last night.

I wasn't normally a needy lover, but last night after dinner and a shower, I managed to convince Harry to make love to me once we were in the safe confinement of my old bedroom.

Even though he was practically shitting himself because of Gran in case she walked in.

I managed to reassure him that we were good, and that Gran wouldn't dare come into my room whilst knowing that Harry was in here with me.

I also had to remind him gently that he had taken advantage of me at his parents' place and that was much worse, to which he agreed with a grin and finally made love to me for most of the night.

I was blaming my needs on my emotions because I wasn't handling what was literally going to come around the corner very well and how I was going to blurt out to Gran that I knew about Ryan and the secrets that had been unfolded in our family the past couple of weeks.

Whatever was heading my way, I knew I needed Harry to be there and to pick up the pieces, because I wasn't strong enough too- even though he was scared just as much as I was.

After Gran had gone to bed, we stayed up most of the night talking about my feelings and fears, his words of encouragement regarding Ryan and my family spurring me on as he cradled me in his arms, endlessly making love to me.

I remembered the look on his face when he relaxed the second I caved in the kitchen, asking him to stay with me in my one moment of uncertainty yesterday.

I guess in a way, Harry was the only certainty that I had in my life right now and even though we had our off moments, I trusted him completely- and I needed him if I was going to do this.

I needed him beside me.

Picking up my phone from the bedside cabinet, I felt my heart sink as I noticed I had a text from someone who I hadn't heard from in a long time.

"Are you home? I just saw your Instagram feed. Isabelle would love to see her auntie Izzy X."

I played with my lip, remembering I had posted a picture of a street with Welsh flags some time last night.

I wondered if I could even text Alex back without Harry so much as even flipping his lid, but there was still so much unfinished business where Alex and him kissing me was concerned.

I had hoped that Harry would be willing to put what had happened to bed on the night I left for London and forget about it.

Hope was putting it very vaguely though.

Closing my phone off, I placed it back down onto the bedside cabinet before turning on my side, alarmed as I saw Harry now awake beside me.

"Hey."