AN: this chapter is very important.
Lmao good luck.

I was actually starting to believe that pettiness could rub off on a person.

And maybe I was getting too ahead of myself going into this petty war when Harry was clearly an expert.

But I was still so so bitter over that FaceTime.

The one time I leave him and he was back to how he was before we even met.

I made sure to walk around in those super short pajama shorts Harry bought for me, the ones that he really loved as he sat on the couch, stone still, trying to keep his wide eyes straight ahead of him, pinned to the wall as I walked around, humming.

His spine was completely straight, broad shoulders rigid, knuckles white and a layer of sweat forming over his brow as he attempted to control his breathing the closer I got.

Deciding to push him to his limit I went over and sat on top of his lap, a sharp intake of breath coming from his part at our close proximity as I then laid down and turned on my stomach so my butt was right in his view while he made a strangled, high pitched sound at the back of his throat, keeping his eyes on the wall.

He reminded me of that one meme of that one super red, veiny kid attempting to hold back a cough or sneeze.

Now that I have an iPhone with unlimited data to go on social media, I actually know what a meme is now.

Don't know if I'm happy about that or not.

"I hate you so much." Harry said through gritted teeth, jaw clenched, chest rising and falling slowly in shallow dips as I turned my head back, resting my face against my folded arms smiling at him, shimmying my butt slightly as clutched onto the couch cushions underneath us like his life depended on it.

"If I touch you then you're just going to stay mad at me longer right?"

"Yup." I confirmed.

Harry closed his eyes at my response, looking like he was about to cry at any moment as I evilly cackled and rolled myself over his growing hard on.

This wasn't all my fault though.

Harry started getting irritated by me as well, so some days it would be me annoyed by him or him annoyed by me.

I tried making peace the next day when I saw him eating some type of healthy yogurt bowl with lots of granola and fresh fruits, my eyes falling to my own breakfast, which was just a simple piece of toast with jam.

I went around the counter to where he was seated, his gaze on his bowl before he made sure to look out the window, ignoring how I was approaching him as his sharp jaw worked to chew and swallow his food.

"Switch?" I asked, resting my face against his bicep, raising the toast to him, eyeing his food.

He stopped chewing to give me a side ways glance with a straight face, unamused as he looked past the toast and straight to me.

He then slowly turned his head to look back at the window, continuing to eat as I poured to myself.

"Switch?" I said, my voice smaller than before as I bumped the end of my toast to his lips.

Surprisingly Harry opened his mouth at the offered food, making me smile as I reached out for his bowl with my other hand before he brought his teeth down on the bread, turning his head and quickly taking it right from my hand as he pulled his bowl away from me.

He then fast walked away, my toast in his mouth and his yogurt bowl still in hand as I stood there in the kitchen with a slackened jaw.

Harry just became more and more stubborn, trying to get back at me ten times worst for the whole shorts punishment I pulled on him.

I stayed shielded from the sun underneath the hood of the golf kart, watching Harry play tennis in those amazing white shorts he always wore, his hair pushed back with a headband and his signature sweater tied over his shoulders while he played.

Even though we currently weren't on the best of terms, I still missed my boyfriend and I'd just have to be happy with watching him and silently supporting him while ignoring him at the same time.

Nearing the end of the game, the hazel haired girl in the bouncy tennis skirt he was playing with went over and talked to him, twirling the end of her pony tail, overly laughing at every syllable that left Harry's lips which Harry himself noticed, raising a brow as I watched them from the shade across the tennis court, no longer looking at my phone.

"You seem to have such a big stamina, I bet you could play all day." The girl breathlessly complimented him, making me scrunch my face at her words in a "what the fuck" expression.

Harry slyly turned his head to look over his shoulder back at me, probably checking if I was listening -which I was- as his green, mischievous eyes connected with mine, a smirk forming over his face before he looked back at the girl, his back facing me.

"Yeah?" I heard him say, my eyes squinting at his flirtatious tone, knowing he was really putting on his charm as he leaned against the pole of tennis net.

He kept looking back at me as they talked, raising his brows suggestively before we both exchanged passive aggressive smiles with one another, dropping them immediately at the same time and glaring at each other until he moved his eyes back to the girl.

He was really trying to push me with this one, and by the time the girl suggested that he should "come over" sometime, I was officially pushed.

I tucked my phone into my back pocket, jaw set tightly as I got up, getting out of the golf kart Harry left me in in my cropped, cut muscle tank and ripped jeans, catching every suburban local around like always, especially the girl talking up my man as her eyes shifted to me over Harry's shoulder.

With the way Harry's body straightened slightly in excitement, I think he could tell I was walking over without even looking.

I subtly grabbed his butt when I got there, making him jump and release a small grunt in surprise that he quickly covered with a cough against his fist, biting his lip to keep from smiling while the girl looked at me, completely oblivious.

"Oh good, just what I needed. Could you refill this for me, I'm parched." She grinned, assuming I was a worker as she sent me a genuine smile, trying to hand me her empty plastic bottle as Harry raised his brows and laughed into the back of his hand, looking straight at my face more than amused with my reaction.

"Sorry but, I don't work here." I broke it to her with a shrug, thoroughly surprising her as her eyes widened and she lowered the bottle in her hand, lips forming a small 'O.'

Harry was still trying to stifle his laughter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry-" She began with a hand to her heart.

"It's fine. I'm just here to check up on my boyfriend." I smiled, the initial surprise growing even more as she blinked at me with a stunned expression before looking over at Harry for comfirmation.

He smiled, slinging his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer against him.

"Oh, oh wow." The girl breathed out in disbelief.

"Yeah." I nodded, keeping a tight smile.

"Yeah." Harry echoed by my side.

"Sorry I don't mean to sound so shocked it's just- I would never have-"

"Same." Harry and I said in unison, since we too would have never guessed we'd end up together before we exchanged looks.

"How long have you guys -you know- been together?" She pointed between Harry and I with furrowed brows.

"Two years." I responded in a curt tone.

"Almost three." Harry proudly added.

She nodded slowly in acknowledgement, forcing a smile as a tense silence settled upon the three of us.

"Three years, you two must be very happy." The girl tilted her head to one side like some type of possessed doll, her ponytail following her movements as I blinked at her.

"Yeah." I said before we all became quiet once again, smiling at one another.

Silence.

"Anyways, I'm going to go make out with my boyfriend over there now. Bye." I waved at her, keeping my friendly demeanor as her smile immediately fell and I grabbed Harry's hand in mine.

"Oh you are are you." He smirked, his whole attention on me as he intwined our fingers together, his dimples showing as I dragged him away from Malibu Barbie, making sure to cross the tennis court and lean against the farthest wall all the way in the corner under the shade, putting Harry in front of me.

He placed one hand on the wall behind me, caging me in with an almost devilish smiles, his eyes on my face before he leaned closer, the tip of his nose brushing against mine.

"No." I stubbornly said with puffed cheeks, turning my head quickly so his lips would land on my cheek instead as he made a face.

"You said we were gonna make out." He pointed out with furrowed brows.

"Only because that girl was trying so hard to flirt with you. We're just pretending cause I'm still mad." I said with an evident frown, making a show of narrowing my eyes at him as he scoffed.

"You are the most annoying, stubborn-"

"Tilt your head and put your hand on my waist she's looking." I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling his closer as we glared at one another, our faces only inches away as if we were making out when in reality we were whisper arguing.

"You know some people say jealousy's the ugliest trait." Harry gripped my waist but we continued to bicker.

"You know what else people say is ugly, my foot up your ass if you think you can try and go and flirt with other girls." I deadpanned, making him chuckle, his lips getting dangerously close to mine.

"I said some people. I personally think you being jealous is hilarious."

"I'm dying of laughter."

Harry peered down at me, bringing his hand off my waist to trace my lower lip.

I bit him.

"Jesus woman- I already said I was sorry." He hissed, quickly recoiling his finger back with a face as my frown deepened.

"No. No you didn't." I cut him off with my sharp voice, a stunned look appearing over his face at the sound of the evident hurt in my vulnerable tone.

"You didn't say sorry. That's what's been bothering me." I finally admitted, crossing my arms over my chest, avoiding his gaze.

"I thought I did." He reasoned in confusion.

"No, you didn't." I angrily sniffled for effect, looking at him briefly only to narrow my eyes and look away.

Harry thought for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure I did." He said.

"And I'm pretty sure you didn't." I countered, and thus the arguing continued.

It was the fourth day of Harry and I fighting ever since I came back home, it was funny because we still wanted to be around one another but we just did it ignoring each other.

I followed Harry to his tattoo laser removal appointment downtown, he's been working on getting rid of each and everyone of them one by one for a while now, even before we met.

He didn't really like tattoos on himself (or anyone aside from me according to his words).

He told me he only got tattoos to spite his mother and so that way there would be an evident difference between him, Arlo, and I think he said something about his dad.

Harry doesn't talk about his family often.

Ironically, there was a tattoo shop right across the clinic Harry was going to, and I thought it'd be a good idea to finally get the tattoo I've been wanting since I got on the plane to go back home.

Harry followed me in of course, going on his phone pretending to text someone else or scroll through social media, occasionally glancing up to check if I was close enough to him just like I did when we went to his appointment.

He only really payed full attention when I told the tattoo artist the location of where I wanted the design on my body.

"You want it where?" Harry butt in, leaning his hand on the counter with wide distressed eyes before he looked at the bored tattoo artist.

"She wants it where?" He repeated in a strained, high pitched voice.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to take your bra off just as a precaution so it doesn't get in the way if you want the design under your breasts." The thin, inked guy said, obnoxiously chewing his gum, checking the picture of the tattoo I wanted on my phone as Harry quickly moved in front of me.

"What do you mean she has to take her bra off? There will be no taking off of her bra, none of that, no." He began, pointing at the guy before pointing at me with a firm glare.

"I want this tattoo." I simply shrugged.

It was true, if I had to choose to keep this one tattoo I was getting and get rid of all the others on my body I would.

This was the only tattoo that really meant something to me, something more than just an accomplishment or goal.

"Do you not have any girl tattoo artists available?" Harry continued to insist, looking more than uncomfortable as the guy blankly stared back at him.

"It's just me." He responded.

Harry inhaled slowly, gritting his teeth before we made eye contact.

Just by looking at him I already knew he was making up some type of plan that didn't involve me showing my nipples to anyone.

"Oh boy." I mumbled.

"Could you move your finger?"

"Could you move your eyes away from her breasts?"

"Harry he's the tattoo artist, what is he going to do, tattoo me while covering his eyes?"

Harry was quiet for a moment.

"Can you do that?"

"Your hands are already covering my boobs." I pointed out, laying down on the slanted bed, the tattoo artist on my left, running the needle across the skin below my breasts that Harry was covering on the right side of me, his large hands splayed on each boob like some human bra.

Him and the guy continued to argue, the worker informing Harry that he needed to lift his hands a little to get the details right and Harry insisting that the worker shove the needle up his ass.

Halfway through Harry began to get bored, his broad shoulders aching as he rolled them, making sure to keep his hands over my boobs which he began to squish and un-squish together out of boredom.

"Having fun." I blandly said, staring at him.

He narrowed his eyes at me, pursing his lips and letting out a "hmph," looking away with a raised chin, not talking to me.

He then went back to squishing my boobs, groping them lightly while the tattoo artist and I exchanged brief looks before he continued with the design across my skin.

I might have fallen asleep sometime in between, the buzzing of the needle the only sound in the room with Harry's occasional humming before I woke up, finding Harry's eyes solely on the tattoo below my breasts he was still covering, completely in awe.

Now he noticed what the tattoo- or tattoos were.

When I was finally finished getting inked and the tattoo artist left the room, I looked at the slightly reddened skin and the black design of two swallows identical to Harry's fading ones on his chest sketched in black and dark green ink under my breasts, happy with the outcome.

I brought my eyes up from the tattoo to Harry with an expectant expression, watching the dazed look on his face as he studied the design on my body before looking up at my face, locking gazes.

"Sorry if it's weird I just- I wanted to have something apart of me that would always remind me of you, and I don't know," I began, feeling my face heat up under his intense stare.

"I really liked the swallows on your chest and since you're getting rid of all your tattoos I just thought- it would be like I'm holding this tattoo for you. That I'll always have a part of you with me." I fumbled with my words, finding this more difficult to say out loud face to face in front of Harry.

His hands were still on my boobs by the way.

Right until he took them off my chest to grab me and pull me into a hug, pressing me against his body where I could feel the racing beat of his heart.

"That's one of the most meaningful things anyone has ever done for me, or because of me." He breathed against my ear, holding me tighter, my eyes closing in comfort as I smiled, releasing a small sigh of content.

I wanted to tell him I loved him, loved him so much it physically hurt sometimes but I chose to stay silent and just enjoy the moment.

His lips grazed the shell of my ear, causing a pleasant chill to run down my spine as I snuggled closer, still smiling before he said in a soft, knowing voice;

"I have something to show you when we get home."

Even though I promised myself not to tell Harry that phrase anymore so he wouldn't feel pressured or rushed into anything, at times it just came out so naturally that I forgot.

"You never fix your wallet." I said once we got home, laying on his bed and trying to fix and rearrange all his neglected Gucci receipts and diamond, elite credit cards.

"I have too many cards to count. You can take one of them if you want." Harry's boisterous voice carried from his walk in closet as I sighed, shaking my head even though he couldn't see me as I neatly tucked all his cards, one of them catching my attention as I studied the black plastic rectangle.

"Hey, hey Vee." Harry called me again as I closed his wallet, placing it down on the nightstand.

"Yeah."

"Tell me you love me again!" He trailed off in an excited voice.

My brows furrowed and I blinked in confusion.

"Um.... I love you?"

"No... like how you usually tell me." He whined, still in his closet hidden from me as I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Harry, I love you." I reiterated, sounding more sincere with the soft, warm tone I was using before something red peeked out from the closet.

Harry still hid away from my view inside his closet but with one hand he held out the red balloon out in the open doorway for me to see, the one I had given him before I left with the capitalized words 'I Love You' written across the surface.

He then turned it around, revealing the other side that was once blank but now marked with the words 'I Love You Too' in his own handwriting.

"Oh my god." I breathed, placing my hands over my parted mouth in awe, causing Harry's head to peek out from the door with a proud smile.

"You know how to write." I said, my hands falling to my chest as I faked a look of astonishment causing the beaming grin on his face to immediately drop as he gave me a look.

"Oh, so you want to be like that then." A dark, slightly aggravated smirk spread across his lips, his tall frame fully coming out of his closet as he let go of the balloon, letting it hit the low ceiling as he advanced towards me on the bed.

I smiled when he went on top of me, scrunching up altogether, hiding my face as he tried to kiss me making me laugh and snort underneath him.

"You know I love you. I love you so much." Harry said, gently gripping my chin so our eyes would meet.

I nodded, too happy to even form words as I gazed up at his handsome features, to the defined slope of his nose, the sharp edges of his jawline, and the dark green eyes that were trained solely on me.

"I'm sorry." He then apologized, nestling his face slightly against my tatted neck for a moment.

"I'm sorry for being so reckless while you were gone. I missed you so much and I would never be disloyal to you." He told me in his soft voice, brushing a stray curl away from my face as he dipped his head down, closing his eyes and pressing a tender kiss to my forehead.

"I know you wouldn't." I sighed, knowing he couldn't see the frown on my face before he raised his head again as I placed my hands on his cheeks.

With a look of the purest admiration and love on both of our faces we finally let our eyes close and our lips meet, and just the contact of our passionate kiss was enough to unravel any doubts or restraints.

A small exhale left my lips when Harry's kisses traveled down to the side of my throat, then to the peeks of my chest before grabbed the hem, silently instructing me to arch slightly to relieve me of my shirt.

Our clothes were soon discarded, Harry making sure he was gentle when regarding the plastic wrap across my upper rib age where my new tattoo still was as he pressed me against the bed.

His actions became needy and wild, his teeth capturing my lower lip as he watched  it snap back with a low groan of approval, continuing to kiss me while my hands tugged at his hair as he blindly opened the drawer to the nightstand besides us, hand delving into the condom box he insisted to buy when I moved in with him.

I was already panting, his tongue running along my neck and my heart thrumming erratically at the sight of him producing four condoms from the drawer, quickly slamming it close and placing the small packets on the nightstand before he wet his fingers with his tongue, dark eyes trained on my face as he brought his hand down to the spot between my legs.

When he slipped the first condom on the bed moved with our keening bodies, whimpers and groans filling the air along with the sound of skin slapping against skin, all the while Harry repeating how much he loved me under his breath as he rocked his hips into mine.

Even when we reached our highs his stamina never failed to surprise me as he discarded the old condom and got the second one from the nightstand.

"Lay on your side." He gruffly instructed, sweat gleaming across his taut skin as I shakily followed his instructions, heavy lidded and exhausted myself as he laid on his side besides me, my body jolting in surprise when he grabbed my leg, hooking his arm around it, bringing it up spreading me for him as I felt his tip nudge my opening.

He then slowly filled me with him, my mouth parting and eyes fluttering as he watched me with a slackened jaw, a strained expression of pleasure on his face before he began to fuck me sideways as I fisted the sheets, his other hand on my breast, skimming his thumb across my nipple.

My body bounced with every thrust as I cried out his name, his lips sucking and biting at my neck.

The third condom he rolled on he made sure to return us back to missionary, our sweaty bodies close together as he rested his forehead against mine, going slow.

I could see it in his eyes, the way he was looking at me with a primal gaze and the way he was cupping my chin, tilting my head up to look at him as he thrusted.

It was the typical "you're mine" kind of claim I was expecting to leave his lips, however the next words Harry uttered in a soft groan surprised me altogether.

"I'm yours." He told me in a husky voice, his nose brushing against mine as I gasped, my back arching when he hit a spot deep inside of me that made my toes curl.

"H-Harry." My voice was strained and I screwed my eyes shut, overwhelmed with the feeling of him between my legs, the both of us breathless.

"I'm yours." He repeated with such emotion in his voice I had to open my eyes to look at him, finding his own closed tightly, brows creased in concentration and lower lip capture in his teeth as his cheeks flushed, pulling himself out until only his tip was in.

"All of me." He breathed, then sinking back into me, slowly, as if to feel every inch of him until he buried himself inside of me and I clutched onto his shoulder, moaning.

"I love you." I found myself saying as he quickened the pace, hugging me to him but violently pounding into me as the bed creaked.

"I love you too." He groaned into my ear, kissing me as we cried out into each other's open mouths, spilling over the edge and climaxing together as we held onto one another, riding out our highs.

Thankfully Harry was letting me take a quick break to catch my breath, one last condom on our nightstand to save for later as we were left on the bed panting, my head on his chest as he held me in his arms.

We talked, but it wasn't just how long we talked, it's about what we were talking about that truly mattered.

Harry finally opened up more about his family, about his past with his mother and brother, his mom's mental illness, the reason he couldn't tell me he loved me at first and the reason he got tattoos hoping that his mother wouldn't touch him due to her distaste for them.

"Arlo moved out at sixteen. He couldn't take it anymore, with my mom and everything. I wasn't ready to move out- I was and still am spoiled, I didn't know how life outside of worldwide vacations and private jets was and I wasn't ready for that change. I begged him to stay, to not leave me with her but he chose to only look out for himself and move out." Somehow by the end of Harry's venting I was the one holding him, his head resting against my chest with the sheets over our naked, tangled bodies.

"That was when I knew I couldn't rely on him, he just left me. Didn't even visit to make sure I was okay." He said as I held him closer, the frown on my face seeming permanent at the thought of Harry in his teenage years, dealing with all of this by himself.

I ran my hand through his waves of brown hair, massaging his scalp to soothe him.

"But I know I can rely on you Vee." Harry said in a soft voice, closing his eyes as I resisted the urge to cry.

No, no you can't.

"You're oddly quiet." He suddenly said with a teasing smirk, opening his eyes to tilt his head up to look at me.

"Just a bit sad thinking that you actually went through that is all." I said, which was partly true as I scratched his head lightly before pecking his lips.

"No one deserves that, not you or your brother." I told him, hugging him close to me as he relaxed in my hold.

"I'll protect you, I promise." I whispered under my breath, more to myself than to him as he chuckled, completely oblivious to the serious look on my face and the hidden meaning behind those words.

"Hey, I never asked you how thanksgiving was at your moms." Harry noted as I tried not to stiffen.

"So, what exactly were you doing on Tuesday November 22nd at 4:24pm while I was piss drunk on a yacht hm?" He raised a brow at me, nestling his face into my neck and wrapping his arms around me as I stroked his head of hair, my chest heavy with guilt.

"You know, just at my mom's place." I lied.

TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 22nd 4:24pm

I ended the FaceTime with a sigh, upset at the sight of Harry with all those beautiful women on that yacht even though I had no right to get mad.

Not when I was lying to him.

"This was such a mistake." I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands as I laid on the creaky bed of the motel we were staying in.

"What was a mistake?" Ethan's voice asked from the bathroom.

"This. Us. Them." I vacantly responded, staring up at the cracked ceiling above as Ethan came out of the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel fresh from the small shower.

"Why do we keep doing this?" I questioned as I sat myself up, not knowing if I was asking myself or him as he leaned against the wall, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest, watching me.

"It was going to happen sooner or later." He said, voice void of any emotion.

"But they don't deserve this, Harry and Polly don't deserve this, my god they actually think we're spending Thanksgiving at my moms when we're here in this fucking motel fucking everything up." I blurted out in anger and frustration, throwing my hands up in the air as Ethan's jaw tightened at the mention of Polly.

"We can't just undo what we've done together Ron." He cut me off, voice sharp and loud as my breathing came out uneven, his hard glare meeting mine.

"What we've been doing." He said in a softer tone, taking a step forward making me look away.

"You knew that time when I was drunk and you confessed how you felt and Harry interrupted us that everything would change." Ethan pointed out as I kept silent, gripping onto the stiff mattress, digging my nails into the sheets knowing he was right as I finally brought my gaze up to look at him.

The door to our bedroom suddenly opened, catching both of our attentions as Gus stormed in, a hard, aggravated look on his face.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off with the sharp sting of Gus's hand slapping me across the face, my head going to the side as Ethan stood there, grimacing and Gus grit his teeth, his small body standing in front of me while I shrunk.

"You think you can get away with giving me a fake credit card? Huh? I specifically told you to get Harry's credit card number -you don't think I can see a fake one in all my years of living, raising you." Gus snapped, voice loud, his face so close to mine that spit was landing on my cheeks as I cringed back.

"Why can't you be more like your brother huh, what the fuck's going on with you. We're professional con-artists, we don't fuck up like this, not the way you're doing." He continued to scold me, gesturing over to my brother Ethan who stood at the side, unable to do anything as I slowly brought my head up to look at Gus with a pained expression, letting my timid apology leave my lips in an uncharacteristically weak tone.

"I'm sorry dad."

AN: The floor is plot twists
Me:

Confused? As you should be, but if you know my plot twists they slowly unravel until everything is clear and you're left wondering why you didn't see it before.