The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

29 - Work Hard, Play Hard

"Waking up beside you I'm a loaded gun."

– One Direction, No Control

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When you were fast asleep, your soul made up scenarios in your head that you wished would happen, or your mind simply processed the incidents of the day.

While your brain was still working, your body was at ease, completely relaxing. However, relaxing was easier if you were actually comfortable.

These last few days, I had spent the nights on rough and craggy grounds, with the sounds of nature disturbing my dreams. I ended up feeling a little exhausted, even though I didn't need the rest.

The beautiful girl lying in my arms had made it bearable, lifting up my mood at the crack of dawn.

But I just couldn't deny the fact that sleeping with Elaine lying half on top of me on a warm, comfortable bed made everything better.

Her soft puffs of air fanned my bare chest, her hair falling all around her head like a halo. In her sleep, she looked completely at ease, and with all the makeup gone from her face, I could admire her natural beauty even better.

My fingertips traced her forehead, soft trails following down the length of her hair. She was so painfully beautiful, every little inch of her reflecting her perfection. I yet had to find any faults.

I had woken up next to a girl more often than once, now rather forgetting every memory. Not a single one could even come close to the feeling rushing through my body when my eyes slowly blinked open to face another day.

We were still in Milan, resting on the king-sized bed in a hostel Elaine had found somewhere along the way, and rays of sunshine were warming my face.

Confused and dazed, I looked around in surprise. I had slept longer than I had intended to, never feeling any better than the moment we had arrived in this room. Every minute was engraved into my brain forever, every second providing happiness and bliss.

One moment I was watching Elaine sleep, the next I was gone off to dreamland as well. How Elaine was still asleep seemed to be incomprehensible, but it just gave me another opportunity to study her features.

Elaine shifted in her sleep, dragging her body more on top of me. Completely unaware of what she was doing, her left knee brushed my crotch. Although the friction was soft and didn't hurt me at all, it made my skin tingle all over.

I closed my eyes and groaned, feeling the blood rush in one particular direction.

I might be dead, but I was pretty damn sure that Elaine was killing me all over again.

The way the fabric of my shirt had ridden up while she was sleeping and exposed a bit of her stomach that I could feel against my hips made it even harder for me to stay still.

Counting sheep in my head, I tried to pass some time, but not even that could take my mind off the uneasiness settling over me.

I shuffled and shifted carefully, trying to jostle her off me, but I failed miserably.

Still fast asleep, Elaine turned around once again, this time ending up on the mattress with only her head still on my chest.

I took a deep breath, relieved to finally be able to hop out of the bed. Still trying my best not to wake her up, I made a beeline for the shower, once again turning the knob as cold as possible.

Right after I had wrapped a new towel around my waist, the door flung open. "Do you think they have bacon in t- oh my gosh, sorry!" Elaine squealed, covering her eyes with her hands.