I wake up to a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. My eyes shoot open and I begin to panic.

What did I do last night? Why is there a man in my bed? 

Looking around, I see that I'm in my own room. That's a good sign, right?

I nervously bite my lip as I face the man in bed with me. Relief washes over me when I see Harry's angelic face. He's sleeping with his lips slightly parted. His hair's a mess on top of his head. 

I take a few moments to look at his face. The bags under his eyes aren't a good sign. 

When did he even get here? How did I not notice?

As if he could sense my staring, his eyes flutter open, revealing those green eyes I could stare at forever. His lips form a smile as he looks at me.

"Hey." His raspy voice sends shivers down my spine.

"Hi," I whisper back. Both of us have lazy smiles, basking in each other's company. 

We lay like this for a minute. For a while, I'm able to forget all my pain and sadness. I'm a wreck, but he always makes me feel better.

"When'd you get here?" I snuggle into his chest and his arms tighten around me. I notice that he's actually wearing a shirt to bed for once. 

"Around 3 a.m. Lily let me in."

I smile and kiss his chest. "We really need to talk about her letting strangers in at night."

"We've been talking." He pauses, gauging my reaction. "You haven't been answering my calls." 

I shift away from his arms. He whimpers but I grab my phone from under the pillow and turn it on. He shifts so my head can rest on top of his chest. 

My phone blows up with notifications. I sheepishly smile while Harry rolls his eyes. 

"I miss you." He says softly. 

"I'm right here," I snort, noticing his use of present tense. 

He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. "You're not, though."

Guilt momentarily washes over me. I get these weird, self-isolating moods where I don't want to talk to anyone. You can say this is one of those situations.

Then, I begin thinking about my problems. My lip quivers as I think about the dread inside me. Dread to face my problems, dread that my problems will always stay problems. 

He brings his thumb to my face and wipes away a tear I didn't know escaped. 

"What's going on?" He pleads me to tell him. I stay silent. 

If I tell him about Drew, two things can happen. He can either be nonchalant about the situation, considering he was a part of it, which isn't helpful at all. Or he can freak out on me. He'd probably think I still have feelings for him. 

Based on my reaction, I'd see why someone would think that.

"Okay," he sighs. I feel bad, not telling him things. Then I remember the college topic. Just another thing I'm hiding from him. "Get up."

"No," I whine, shrinking under the covers. As much as I love that he's here, I'm not ready to face reality. 

The blanket is harshly ripped off of me. I groan at the sudden breeze. 

"Baby, I'm not asking," Harry smirks. 

"What if we just stayed in bed?" 

"Oh?" His eyes darken slightly. Good, I have him distracted. "What do you suggest we do?" 

"Whatever you want," I say as seductively as I can, biting my lip in the process. His eyes wander to my lips and I see his eyes widen. I know what it does to him. "C'mon. We can start slow."

He looks at the wall behind me, contemplating his options. He eventually gives in and crawls back into bed. 

I smugly smile, happy I won this fight. 

He takes no time attacking me with his lips. His usual cockiness isn't present, but I can tell he missed me with the way he's kissing me. 

I don't know if he's ready to progress further today. I hope he is, because I've missed him.

Besides, if the makeout is this good, imagine the sex.

I shiver at the thought, really hoping it'll happen soon. 

"You okay?" He smirks as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking about. I weakly nod, not trusting my voice. He pulls me in closer and deepens the kiss. 

He manages to switch positions, him hovering above me. His hands begin wandering while his lips stay on mine. He pushes my shirt up, exposing my stomach. One of his hands trace circles above my belly button, while the other is exploring my whole body. 

His lips finally leave mine and he trails down to my neck.

"Harry," I moan, not being able to take the teasing. He stops and looks at me, his dark eyes scanning my face. "Don't start something you can't finish," I use his words. He used to say that every time we got intimate.

Saying this sets him over the edge. His eyes are so dark, I can't even see his pupils anymore. 

He dips into the crook of my neck and I involuntarily shudder as his tongue explores every nook and cranny. One of his hands has traveled to my chest, while the other rests on my hip. 

Before I ask him if he wants to keep going, his lips leave my body. I'm a little disappointed, and I attempt to control my breathing.

Instead of leaving, he lifts his shirt over his head and tosses it somewhere. I watch as his muscles flex, slipping out of the clothing. 

He smirks before tugging at the bottom of mine. I sit up and let him undress me, a form of intimacy that I'll never experience with anyone else.

His eyes never leave mine as he pulls the shirt over my head. He gently pushes me back toward the pillow. My hands take a minute to trace over his chest and tattoos. Goosebumps form under my touch. 

I meet his eyes and I can tell he's ready.

"Can I pleasure you?" I ask, wanting to confirm one last time. He hardens as I speak and I take that as a yes.

"Fuck yes," he groans. 

Without hesitation, I begin unzipping his jeans. He helps me by pulling them down. Once they're at his ankles, he stands up and pulls them off. He hovers over me again, a sparkle in his dark eyes. 

I move my hands to the waistband of his boxers. I maintain eye contact, watching for any sign of discomfort or hesitation. He closes his eyes and I continue pulling them down, his member practically bouncing out.

He kicks off the leftover cloth and begins kissing me again. This time it's harder, with more wanting.

It's been a long time since we've done it and I want to make it as good as possible. 

Harry's P.O.V

I don't even recognize the woman in front of me. I've always been the top when it's come to sex, but her boldness is something new.

And it's kinda a turn on. 

She grips my dick cautiously. Although I'm submerged in the pleasure, I can't help but notice the glances she tosses my way.

The fact that she's so concerned about my wellbeing makes me know she's the woman for me. I have never had anyone so concerned for me before. Most women assume men want sex all the time, and honestly, I could have maybe pushed past my PTSD.

But I'm glad I didn't. I'm glad she held herself off for me. I genuinely appreciate it.

My head drops back in pleasure as she continues. I moan her name several times before getting the willpower to stop her.

Her brow cocks up. "What?" Her tone is defensive.

"If you don't stop now I'm going to cum." I remind her. Her cheeks turn red and I can't help but laugh. We're literally in the middle of having sex yet she gets embarrassed about...having sex?

I grab her shoulders and lay her on the bed. Her flushed cheeks and swollen lips make her look beautiful. Even though she's lying there in a bra and jeans, she's the sexiest woman alive.

She hastily pulls her jeans off but keeps the underwear on. Her bra and panty don't match whatsoever, but I think it's cute.

"Wait," she squeaks. I wait for her to continue. She clears her throat, making herself sound more confident. "I want you to lay down."

I question her order, but comply. Another handjob? 

She straddles my waist and unclips her bra, her perky breasts falling out. She climbs out from my lap, only to remove her remaining clothes, them hooks her legs around my waist again.

Just the feeling of us being skin to skin has me squirming. 

I'm still confused at her actions. She goes to tie her hair in a ponytail, but I stop her. In a weird way, I like it when her hair sticks to her face. 

She grins and puts the hair tie on her wrist. She reaches over me and grabs a condom from God knows where.  She gives me one last kiss before wrapping the condom around my dick. 

"What are you..." I start but gasp as she takes the role of being a top. She confidently sits as I enter inside her, and slowly begins to move up and down. "Fuck," I moan at the sight.

She gasps as it goes deep inside her. "It feels so... different." 

For a second, I think she's going to get off. Instead, she continues at a steady pace. Once she's comfortable, she begins speeding up.

As the pleasure gets less tolerable, she leans towards me, supporting herself on her elbows. 

Her hair tickles my chest as she gracefully moves, making me shudder. Her breath comes out in pants. 

She speeds up, signifying she's almost done. I spill into the condom as she collapses on top of me. 

"Harry," she moans one last time. She lays on my chest, her body still straddling me. I kiss her forehead and push her hair away from her face. 

We lay like this for a while, steadying our breathing. She climbs off of me and lays next to me, hiding under the covers. 

"How was that?" She nervously asks, biting her lip. All her signs of boldness have disappeared. 

"Worth the wait," I grin. "Fuck baby, you're so hot when you go all dom on me."

She flushes a bright red and avoids my gaze. 

"Shut up," she mumbles like she always does when she's embarrassed. 

I chuckle at her innocence but can't help stare at her in awe. How does someone like me deserve someone like her?

The sex definitely helped loosen her up, but I see the sadness coming back in her eyes. I just wish she would tell me what's wrong. I can't believe I had to find out through her best friend and sister. She's killing herself and I can see it.

"Hey," I nudge her with my shoulder. "Why don't we go party tonight? Maybe you'll feel better." Hesitation radiates off her, and I know just what to say to make her agree. "There'll be drinks."

She instantly perks up. "Okay. That sounds good."

I shouldn't be condoning her alcoholic tendencies, but I won't let it get bad. I'll be with her the whole night. 

We end up taking a steamy shower together.

Literally, the water burns me.

She then goes off to do whatever she needs to get ready. I sit on her bed and watch her scramble through her stuff. She'll occasionally grunt, saying she forgot something at her apartment.

She picks out a pair of ripped jeans and a tank top. She pairs the outfit with Doc Martins. 

I silently approve of her outfit. Of course, she isn't asking, but I admire her style. She has the ability to pull off anything and everything. 

"Ready?" 

I quirk up, ready to leave this house. As nice as it is, it's a little restricting to be staying with your girlfriend's mom. 

Oh, by the way, her mum doesn't know! No one thought it would be important to tell her, so here I am, sneaking around anyway.

Ellie claims it has something to do with her curious nature and all the prying that'll result, but I know that's a load of bullshit. Her mum is the opposite of prying. From what I've heard, she's a very 'mind your own business' type of person. 

I try not to show my irritation as she keeps lying. There's probably a good reason for her secrets, but I hate that it's killing her, and she won't even share her burdens. 

"Let's go," I sigh. She tiptoes in the hallway and gives me the all-clear. We both scurry out of the house. 

My car's parked a couple blocks down. I didn't want anything to seem suspicious. 

She throws a complaint about the walking and I tease about carrying her. That shuts her up and we walk in a comfortable silence. 

My mustang pops up and her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. "Really?"

I shrug. "It was short notice and it's all they had." 

"Okay..." she muses before ducking inside. She stares at the interior nearly the whole ride there. 

We pull into a spaced-out neighborhood. This is prime location for throwing house parties.

El basically jumps out of her seat when we come in. The smell of cheap beer hits me before we're even inside, and suddenly I'm not so sure about the night.

A/N: Ugh, not my favorite chapter :( 

Sorry for the long wait! Don't forget to comment and vote!