I wake up the next morning with an instant headache. Everything that happened yesterday just came rushing back and it all became too much.

My life was simple. Quiet. Peaceful.

I worked hard to get it that way and it's like all of it was in vain. But was it really though? He's messed with my head so much that I can't differentiate between right and wrong anymore. I can't even decipher if that's a good thing or not.

Out of nowhere, catching me off guard, my body assumes an upright position when the door to the bedroom suddenly flies open. A shooting pain instantly makes its way to the front of my head.

Yeah, maybe don't sit up so quickly with a headache...

In the doorway stands a, might I say, very attractive looking, Harry wearing a red and white striped apron that I instantly recognized, his hair pulled back into a little bun and in his hand was a spatula.

It caught me off guard because not once has Harry ever came to my room since I've been here.

Well...except for that time...which we shall not think about.

But he has always managed to give me space so that I was able to get what things I had to do, done. He said he didn't want to disturb me.

And yet, after what happened last night, I thought he'd want to keep his distance even more but here he is, casually coming into my room without knocking as he usually does before 10am.

Something's fishy...

But this headache really isn't giving me room enough to care to find out what it is so I guess I'll just play along.

Leaning against the door frame, he asks, "What are you still doing up here?"

I countered with an amused smile, "Is that your apron from the bakery?"

He straightens up and struts, literally struts as if he were on the runway, into my room and gestures to the apron, "Yes, yes it is. Problem?"

"I just can't believe you still have it, " I laughed. Memories...

"And I can't believe you're still in bed!" He huffs with a hand on his hip. I can't help but laugh at how much he emulates a house wife right now and I see him trying to fight a smile under his annoyance.

"Okay, okay. You've had your fun. Now come on down, breakfast is almost ready."

"Actually, I'm not really hungry right now so you can go on ahead without me," I turn him down and start to reach across to the bedside table to retrieve my books, "I've got a date with Biochemistry," I try to joke but all he does is stare at me. That intense stare that always makes me weak in the knees. He stares as though the gears in his head are turning. Like he knows something that I don't and it makes me so nervous that I gulp.

And then like a switch, he says, "Suit yourself," and in his very Harry way, he winks at me before disappearing out into the hallway, intentionally leaving the door open.

That was weird...

I stare at the closed book in front of me, trying to tell myself to open it but I just can't get myself to stop thinking about what just happened. I know he's up to something. Like I said before, subtle is not one of his best qualities. But it makes me curious as to what he's up to, especially since just a few days ago he was so cautious about disturbing me.

Hold the phone!

Goosebumps raise and all overthinking flies out the window at the heavenly smell wafting into the room. Almost hypnotized, my body follows the scent straight out of the bedroom and into the hallway, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Well would you look at that. All it took was the smell of food for me not to end up in a storage closet while trying to find the kitchen.

The scent grew stronger and stronger the closer I got to the kitchen door and when I pushed it open, I swear I felt my knees give out from what in front of me.

There stands Harry in the same apron from before over a white vest and sweats, spatula in hand, over the stove. Cooking.

Bacon...

I'm finding it hard to decipher which one is making me salivate this much. Is it him or the bacon? Oh god, maybe it's both!

He's the definition of desirable with the muscles in his back and arms gently flex and shift through the vest as he totters around the stove, the cute little messy bun and the short curls that fall on the back of his neck, and the tattoos that wrap around his left arm.

And to top it all off, is how he has Mari sitting on the island right behind him, her legs swinging back and fort as handing him piece of bacon to put in the pan.

I stand there for a moment at a complete loss for words, whether it be the scene or my overwhelming craving for bacon that it takes me a while to compose myself. That is, until Harry finally turns around and spots me, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Look who finally decided to come down and join us."

Pull yourself together!

"I smelled the bacon and decided it was time," I shrugged, trying as hard as I could to be nonchalant about it.

"So no date then?" He turns the burners down and gives me a knowing smile, referring to what I said earlier and that's when it hit me.

My jaw dropped in realization, "You set me up!"

"I did no such thing!" He exclaims in the most dramatic-Harry-esc way possible.

"Date? What date?" Mari pipes in while Harry lifts her off of the island and back on the floor.

"Yeah, Uncle Harry...what date?" I smile in his direction.

"Nothing your innocent ears could ever learn to comprehend," He says to her while patting her on the head and my mouth opens in disbelief.

"Did you just-"

"Okay! Breakfast is ready!"

The urge to yell his name and string him alive grows with each passing second yet everything about him right now makes me want to swoon at the same time.

God, I must be mental!

Mari and I take seats next to each other around the island just as Harry places two plates in front of us and places another across from us for himself. Then he piles lots of food on to the plates and my eyes grow wider and wider at how much food he cooked for us. I'm talking pancakes, waffles, eggs, muffins, hash-browns and of course, the bacon.

I couldn't help myself. It was like food heaven.

Maybe it also had to do with the fact that I haven't been eating properly in the past couple of days but who cares!

While scuffing food into my mouth, I say, "Harry, what the hell! This is so delicious!"

I expect him to gloat or give one of his cheeky responses but when he doesn't, I look up at him to already find him looking at me. Just smiling, almost gratefully.

Like he's happy to see me eat? I don't know, it's just weird. In fact, this entire morning has been weird.

"What?" I ask shamelessly with a mouth full of food, "Do I have something on my face?"

He shakes his head, still smiling, his dimples displayed.

"Then why are you so smiley?" I ask skeptically, "Stop being creepy."

He's still smiling, but he diverts his attention to his breakfast.

The three of us finish breakfast in silence until Mari decides to break it.

"What are we doing today, Uncle Harry?"

I look at Harry then he nods his head in my direction with a goofy smile though his mouth stuffed, "Ask your mother"

Maybe it's the bacon. Maybe it's Harry. Maybe because it's painfully obvious that I needed to make time for Mari, I decided to take a break from studying today.

I opened my mouth to say just that, "Actually, I-"

"She'll just say that she's busy and not to disturb her," Mari dismisses almost instantly, her voice filled with dullness and disappointment and it felt like a kick to the stomach.

I'm not sure what my face looked like but the way Harry's expression softened to one of sympathy and seemed to forget all about his scrumptious breakfast while he tried to make sure that I was okay made me think I looked like an injured puppy or something.

"Why don't you decide today. I picked yesterday," The state of the kitchen yesterday was proof of that.

I kind of zoned out of the conversation after that, deciding instead to pick at my breakfast while trying to not let Mari's words get to me. Truth is, they hurt. But she's right.

I zoned back to reality at the sudden weight on my shoulders, now realizing that it was hands. Two hands. Two very familiar hands. Then a few seconds after, his hands move down my arms and his arms from behind come to wrap around my front; his chin resting on top of my head. I couldn't stop my body from relaxing into him at his comforting embrace.

"Don't," he says while tightening his arms around me a little, "Don't let it get to you. She didn't mean it."

I look around only now realizing that we were alone. Mari was gone.

Reading my mind, he says, "She went up to her room to get something."

Oh.

I didn't even realize that she left. Honestly, I couldn't shake that constant guilt that's been haunting me these past months. I needed to do better. I had to make it up to her before she starts hating me more than I fear she already does.

"Hey"

Harry appears in front of me, his hands sliding back up to my shoulders, his eyes determined and forcing me to look at him. "Kids say things they don't mean all the time, Mia. That doesn't make her love you any less."

My head hangs low and a heavy sigh leaves my lips, "But she's right though, Har. You know it. She knows it. I haven't been there for her as I should." I feel him step closer as my forehead meets his chest, pulling me into a hug, "I need to fix this," I mumble into his chest.

"And you will, love" He presses another kiss into my hair and rubs a hand up and down my back reassuringly, "You will."

It took me a while to realize what was going on right now but when I did, I realized that I never wanted it to end. But it had to.

"Hey Har?" He hums in response at the same time my hands come to rest flat on his chest, readying myself to put some distance between us.

We lock eyes as I look up at him, "Should we be-"

I didn't need to say more for him to understand what I was about to say because he lets out a frustrated sigh and takes a few steps back, running a hand through his hair, "I know"

"I don't mean for it to come off that way. I just-"

"I know!" He exclaims. Instinctively, I flinched and he notices, "Mia, I'm sorry."

My hands on his chest he takes in his own, engulfing them with his warmth, "I'm sorry, okay? I just- I know. Okay? I know..."

He shouldn't have to go through this. Because of me. All of this pain and frustration between us is going to end in nothing but heartbreak and I don't know how long I could condone his conviction for.

He's stubborn and will fight for what he believes in. I know this. But I also can't just let his passion go to waste either. He should be putting it somewhere else. Somewhere worth it.

He's young. He should be out there living his best life, not having a care in the world.

He snagged Kendall freaking Jenner for Pete's sake!

But the point is, he shouldn't be here, with me messing with his head, helping me take care of a 5 year old while I get my shit together.

I can't just pretend that what words were spoken last night didn't bother me. And the longer we stand in the middle of his kitchen with so many unspoken words being left unsaid, the more I start to lose my self-control.

So my mouth opens to do its job but what surprises me is when his mouth opens the same time. Now both stuck on the right words to say, I see it in his expression before he makes any other moves because I know my expression mirrored his.

It was a moment where we both just said Nevermind.

I pull my hands from his grip and make a move to walk away. But not even five steps later, I'm changing direction, changing my mind.

And just like before, my mouth opens and he watches me, waiting patiently. Only nothing comes out. It didn't get the chance to because...

"Ready, Uncle Harry?"

I see 'impeccable' timing must run in our genes.