Sails and Styles (Completed)

Chapter 27

It's not until I open my eyes lazily, that I realized that I had fallen asleep. I must have been more tired than I realized. I can tell it's still light out though so I must not have slept for long. I hear noises coming from the kitchen. I look beside me, and Harry is not here so it must be him. I see his suitcase open at the foot of the bed and I grab one of his t-shirts out of it and slip it on. I don't bother with a bra or underwear and walk out to the kitchen.

"Holy shit!" I yell and jump backwards when I see two people who I don't know in the kitchen. I try to yank his shirt down to cover more of my body. How the hell did they get into the apartment? Where's Harry? Is he hurt?

"Babe! Babe!" Harry says rushing over from the living room. "It's okay. I hired them to come and cook us dinner. Thought it might be nice to stay in our first night. Just the two of us," he says with his hands on my arms looking down at me.

I look at him and then back to the people in the kitchen. I now realize they are wearing chef's clothes. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest. My panic taking longer than usual to settle. I feel Harry reach up and wipe my cheek with his thumb and that's when I realize I'm crying.

"Baby, are you okay? I was with you and you were asleep, and I just stepped out for a minute to make a phone call. I'm sorry."

I self-consciously wipe my face of the tears and look between the kitchen and Harry.

"I j-just t-thought...and then you weren't...t-they just surprised me is all," I barely get out.

Harry looks like he is going to say something, but I interrupt him before he can, "I'm going to go have a shower and get dressed." I kiss his cheek gently and walk back into the bedroom, hoping he won't follow me.

Luck is on my side today and I make it into the shower without him questioning my reaction. I stand in the hot water and think about why I did react that way. Ever since I saw those pictures Tim sent; I have been on edge. I feel like I'm being followed everywhere. That there are eyes constantly on me. And not just in public, in private as well. I even checked this bathroom for a camera before I stripped down. My paranoia isn't soothed by the fact that I'm almost certain it was my ex-best friend who took those pictures of us in the hot tub. I don't think it was a coincidence seeing her that day. My parent's place is pretty secluded, and you would have to know the property to know where to go to get that picture. I think she had been following us for a few days. It hurts more being betrayed by people you thought you could trust.

When I come out of the shower, Harry is sitting on the bed waiting for me.

"Hey, are you okay?" he says looking at me with concern on his face.

I don't let my eyes linger on his for long. I know if I do, I will tell him everything about Tim and the photos. He doesn't need to worry about that. I can take care of it. I have to.

"I'm fine," I say slipping past him to my suitcase. He grabs my hand as I walk by, stopping me.

"Are you sure?"

I carefully lift my gaze to his eyes that are searching my face, looking for answers in it.

"Positive," I lie, and try to put a smile on to convince him.

His lips pinch together, and he moves them back and forth like he is deciding whether to let it go or not. I can't stand this visual interrogation any longer and I pull my hand free and continue to get dressed. I feel his eyes on me, but not in the usual sexual way. It's how he looked at me those first few days on the boat. Trying to figure me out. And I know I've unintentionally put walls up. I'm not purposely trying to hurt him. I'm trying to keep him safe. Keep us safe. I just want this photos thing behind us so we can move on with each other. Then I don't have to keep anything from him. I hate lying to him.