Perilous (Harry Styles)

chapter 16

"Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them."

― Veronica Roth, Divergent

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Have you ever woken up all at once, with your eyes wide open?

Only because the feeling in your gut was so overwhelming, alarming you that something was tremendously wrong?

That was how I woke up on a peaceful Wednesday morning.

It wasn't the unconsciously movement of Harry's hand on my stomach, neither was it a dog barking in the distance.

I felt sick to the pit of my stomach, my insides screaming to be ripped away.

With one expeditious flip of the blanket, I ran barefoot to my bathroom, quickly slamming and locking the door behind me.

A string of curses left my mouth while my mind tried to come up with a fast solution for my problem on hand.

Running over to the little shelf next to my sink, my toes lapped against a hairdryer that lay carelessly on the ground, making me yelp out in flashing pain.

"Fuuuck," I screamed, holding my foot in agony. The pain I was feeling right now came close to the pain you felt after stepping on a Lego brick.

My fingers rummaged through my essentials until I found exactly what I was looking for.

Leaping to the toilet bowl, I was about to get down to business when a knock sounded from the door.

"Zoey? Are you okay in there?" Harry's raspy morning voice rang through the wood.

"I'm fine, go back to bed," I tried to yell as nonchalantly as I could.

I accused Harry's sleepiness for his lack of inquiring, but I thanked whatever higher power was responsible for it. His obliviousness came in handy right now.

With my distraction gone, I could finally ensure that not the entirely Mississippi had leaked into my underwear.

Handling what I needed to do, I threw away any evidence of Mother Nature's monthly visit and walked out of the bathroom, the biggest grin on my face.

The sight of Harry leaning in the doorframe to my room startled me at first. His eyes were half-closed and his hair disheveled, the boxers on his hips hanging low and his hands holding him upright, somehow managing to make his position looking effortless.

Without a second thought, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, placing kisses on his slightly stubbled chin.

"Why are you so happy at 5 in the morning?" Harry asked, yawning with a hand in front of his mouth.

I could barely stop myself from saying the main reason – that I was not pregnant. Instead, I simply shrugged and whispered "I'm just happy to see you."

Although it was probably the most idiotic answer ever, Harry smiled and took my hand, leading me back to bed.

He still had around two hours before he had to get up for work. By now, I had the same sleep rhythm as him, going to bed early only to wake up early in the following morning.

After he left the house, I would doze off for a while before I could muster up enough energy to creep into the kitchen.

Without wasting any more time, Harry fell back asleep, probably thinking I would join him in Dreamland, but sleep never caught me again.

I lay awake for the rest of the remaining time, gently stroking my fingers through his tangled hair. Harry's head lay heavy on my chest, his arms secured around my waist.