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"Take off your shirt and jeans" I said, turning around to close the door of the studio, quickly turning the key in the lock to make sure nobody would've accidentally come in and got the wrong idea, even though I knew we were currently alone in my house. I turned my head, discovering that Harry's dark shirt was already abandoned on the chair in front of my desk.

He looked up, and for a second our eyes met. He stared at me intensely, his fingers playing with the zip of his dark jeans, before slowly pulling it down and undoing the button, easily sliding the pieces of fabric off his long legs and stepping out of them when they hit the floor.

I bit my lower lip, trying my best to ignore the seductiveness of his action, before hesitantly walking towards him, my gaze focused on his face. He glanced at me again, his irises piercing into mine, and my eyes shied away from his, resorting to staring at the wall behind him.

In an attempt to be able to look at him freely, I stepped past him, turning around and looking at him from behind. "Stand straight" I said quietly, noticing the slight tilt in his pose, and he quickly straightened himself up. "Don't move" I said, moving the curtain a bit to the side to make sure the light was entering the room in the right way.

We stood in silence for a few seconds while I gave his back a little glance, quickly deciding that the contrast of the lights and shadows on his bare skin wasn't that good, considering that his back was turned towards the window.

I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before stepping closer to him and hesitantly putting my hands on his hips, encouraging him to take a few steps to his left and turn around a bit so that the window was to his side instead of behind him. I quickly retracted my hands as soon as I was done, feeling warmth spread through my cheeks as I took in the remembrance of the feeling of warmth against my palms. "Turn your head to the left a little bit" I said lowly, clearing my throat quickly when my voice shook slightly.

He did, glancing at me from over his shoulders, his dark pink lips slightly parted as his apparently soft gaze burnt through me.

"A little less" I said faintly, looking down at the floor, not being able to stand his stare, but also knowing that, since he was staring at me, he would've noticed me looking at his back. I turned around quickly, taking the camera that was over the dresser behind me and pointing the lens at him, discovering that he'd followed my request and was now staring out of the window, his dark hair covering his eyes and part of his face from my point of view.

I looked at the screen of the camera, realising fast that, considering his position in the room, it would've been almost impossible for me to manage to fit his whole body in the picture. I pursed my lips, deciding to simply take a picture of his higher half, which would've also allowed me to focus better over the anatomy of the muscles of his back.

I was about to take a picture when I realised that the dark band was a bit too high, harshly cutting off his lower back. I slowly put the camera down, the sound of it hitting the wood of the dresser resonating in the silent room. "Can I pull the band of your boxers down a bit?" I asked, nervousness rushing through me as soon as the words left my lips. "So that in the shot it'll look like you're naked, it'll seem way more intimate that way" I added quickly, hoping to save the situation.

He nodded, careful not to get out of the position I'd put him in, a little chuckle leaving his lips at the evident embarrassment in my voice. "I can always take them off" he stated, his words making me blush almost instantly.

"Don't you dare" I said quickly, my breath short, hating the way his simple words could make me feel. I slowly stepped towards him, taking a deep breath before carefully sliding my fingers in the band of his black boxers on either side of his hips, trying my best to ignore the softness of his skin against mine and gently pulling it down a bit so that it was resting against his coccyx. "You have dimples on your back" I said quietly, staring in surprise at the way the light hit the two spots at the bottom of his spine.

"I've never been told" Harry said, a faint hesitance in his voice, turning his head a bit to look at me. "Is it a bad thing?"

"Not at all" I said quickly in a faint whisper, shying away from our closeness and taking the camera again. "Alright, stay still" I told him, pointing the lens at him again and quickly snapping a picture, before taking a step to the side to see if I could've got a better angle. After a couple more pictures, I was pretty sure I'd covered all the angles I could've covered while standing behind him. Knowing that it was for the competition, I quickly decided that I wouldn't have drawn him in a position that would've made his identity obvious, and lowered the camera, checking the pics I'd taken to make sure they were good.

"Okay, you can get dressed" I said after a while, after having analysed every single one of them thoroughly. I went back to look at them, picking one of them and deleting the others, before looking up again and seeing that Harry was already dressed, and was closing the button of his jeans. "Let's go back in my room."

•  •  •

"How's it going? At home" I asked him, giving him a side-glance, observing the way he was staring at the ceiling while pretending to stare at the picture I'd chosen.

We'd been in my room, on my bed, for about an hour, a small silence over us as I'd started my sketch. I'd took a pillow from my white couch and put it against the headboard, leaning against it and putting my sketchbook on my thighs, while Harry was lying down between me and the wall, barely paying attention to what I was doing as he seemed to be lost in thought.

He turned his head to look at me, one of his hands playing with the fabric of his shirt over his stomach. "They still want nothing to do with me" he said faintly, his gaze drifting off into nothing as a little frown found its way on his chiselled features.

"It isn't your fault" I said gently, putting down the sketchbook in my hands to look at him.

He shrugged, propping himself up on one arm and looking down at the little space on the white blanket between us. "It is, though. Nobody wanted me but they took me in anyway, and I ruined everything in return."

I twirled the pencil in my hands, thinking of what to reply. Harry had never struck me as the kind of person to worry that much about his surroundings. It was weird to realise how little his usual behaviour really had of him. "I'm sure that's not true" I said softly in the end.

"It is" he said sharply, surprising me with the quickness of his reply. He looked down almost instantly, realising how curious his answer had been. "Uh..." he started, looking up to stare in the direction of the window as he often did and pursing his lips, not seeming to be so sure about sharing at first. "After... everything, I wasn't exactly the easiest to deal with" he said in the end, seeming to slowly take in the meaning of his own words as he spoke. "Raising a child is hard, especially if he isn't yours." He furrowed his eyebrows, looking down as he thought of his past. "They weren't my parents, but they acted like they were, and it pissed me off. They expected me to forget everything. I kept skipping school, doing stupid shit and arguing with them when they told me to get it together." He let out a little sigh. "They always brought me back."

I slowly nodded, taking in what he'd said. It wasn't exactly a surprise, given that he'd already told me that he'd gone through some rough years in the past, but it was still a new piece of information. "How many?" I asked quietly in the end.

"Three families in two years" he replied lowly, his gaze focused out of the window again.

"I'm sorry" I said gently, grazing his side with my fingers for a quick second in hopes of being somewhat reassuring.

He shrugged, the look in his eyes letting me know that he wasn't as indifferent to the whole thing as he was pretending to be. "It was my fault" he whispered, more to himself than me, before clearing his throat. "Maura never tried to be my mother. I suppose that's why it worked out" he concluded quickly, before straightening himself up and looking at the sketch that I'd forgotten on my thighs. "It looks nice" he said, changing subject fast, as if he'd regretted having opened up about such a thing.

I looked down at the quick sketch as well. "Thank you" I said, respecting his wish and dropping the subject as well.

"Do I truly look like that from behind?" He asked, leaning in a bit closer to look better at the sketch. If it had been anybody else, I would've shielded it from view, but it was Harry, and I knew he didn't mind if it looked a bit awkward while it was still being drawn.

I smiled at the question. "No, you're more beautiful" I replied, immediately feeling like slapping myself when I took in the word I had used. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like that word" I said quickly, hoping that it wouldn't have ruined his mood.

He brushed it off. "It's fine, coming from you." He gave me a hesitant glance, before finally clarifying what his dislike of it was about. "It's all I am to everyone. It's the only reason why people like me, I find it extremely trapping."

"You're more than just beautiful, Harry" I said gently in reply, and he gave me a little nod, not exactly seeming to accept my words, but acknowledging them. I went back to my sketch, looking up after a couple of minutes just to discover Harry was staring at me.

"I think you're beautiful" he said gently, surprising me, lying back down on my bed again and staring at the ceiling. "Unfortunately I can't draw, so I'll have to make sure I'll never forget you" he added quietly, as if he was speaking to himself.

I furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding why he would say such a thing. Was Zayn right, and was it only a matter of time before he grew bored of me as well? "Why would you forget me?"

He kept staring at the ceiling, but gave me a little shrug, acknowledging my question. "You won't stay with me forever" he simply said, as if it was obvious.

"Why?" I asked, even more confused than before. I had no intention of leaving him, I couldn't understand where he'd got that idea from. It kind of made no sense, in my opinion. Was he just assuming that he would've eventually done something bad and that I would've left him, or was there something more to it, that I was yet to know?

"Because you're too good for me" he replied, his words not doing anything to solve my confusion. How could he say such a thing? If I had to be honest, he was the one that was way too good for me, not the other way around. Why did he think so negatively of himself? He'd surely made some mistakes in the past, but he seemed to think that they affected him as a person way more than they truly did. How could the opinion of himself of someone like Harry be so low?

"I'm really not" I replied quickly, knowing better than to ask all the questions that were swirling in my mind. It would've just pushed him away, and I certainly didn't want that, especially in that moment.

"I think you are" he replied, a small silence following right after, in which he seemed to be pondering something. "Will you kiss me, if I ask nicely?" He asked in the end, glancing up at me, making my eyes widen at the sudden request.

I hesitantly leaned closer to him, putting my hand on his chest, and left a kiss on his lips, a slight blush spreading to my cheeks in the second our lips touched. I quickly resumed my position, giving him a shy glance.

"I meant, kiss me" he said, sitting up to be at my same height.

I gave him a wary glance, but didn't move.

"I see" he mused, leaning in closer to me, my heart skipping a beat when he brushed my hair back, uncovering the skin of my neck.

I whelped when he wrapped his arm around my waist, quickly pulling me closer to him, brushing his lips up my neck in a taunting way, his perfume annihilating my senses, a little smile curving his lips when he felt my breath hitch in my throat at his action.

"Do you want me?" He whispered lowly into my ear, his hot breath hitting my skin as he brushed his hand against my side, seeming to revel in the reactions he got from me. His touch left my neck, but it wasn't long before he brushed our lips together, quickly enough to make it feel almost accidental, but not enough to stop a feeling of want from bubbling up into my chest. I turned my head to meet his lips, but he moved away to kiss my neck, leaving my wish unfulfilled, a little smile on his lips again when he realised he'd already won. "Then make me yours" he said into my ear in a low moan, before I finally turned my head and pressed my lips against his in a harsher way.

He brought me closer to him, making our chests hit and bringing us down on the bed, my back pressed against the mattress as his tongue delved into my mouth in an almost urgent way, making my heart beat faster and feel as if it was about to stop at the same time. I intertwined my fingers in his dark curls, making his mouth crash against mine again when he broke away to catch his breath, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as he fell back against me, pushing me into the mattress harder. A low moan left his lips when I accidentally tugged at his hair in the heat of the moment, and he sat up quickly, bringing me up with him.

I put my hand over Harry's, stopping his actions as his warm hand sneaked under my shirt. "It's too soon" I said, breaking away from the kiss just to say those words.

He hummed, leaving a trail of kisses down my neck as I spoke. "We won't do anything you aren't comfortable with" he whispered against my skin, his blunt nails slowly sliding up the bare skin of my spine and making goosebumps form on my skin. "I just want to..." he murmured, letting his voice drift away as his fingers grasped the fabric of my shirt on both sides of my waist, easily lifting it up and sliding it off.

As soon as the shirt fell on the bed next to us he wrapped one of his arms around my waist, bringing me closer to him as he lifted my chin with his other hand, his lips finding mine again. He gently bit on my lower lip before sliding his tongue across the seam of my lips, deepening the kiss again and making my toes curl. I put my arms over his shoulders, my fingers intertwining with his dark curls as I brought him closer, his hands sliding up to play with the clasp of my bra, but not undoing it.

All of sudden he turned us around with a flick of his waist and I found myself on top, my thighs on each side of his waist. His hand found mine, undoing the grip I was inadvertently holding on the side of his black shirt and putting it over the first button in a silent invitation. I parted from the kiss again, giving him a confused glance but following his wish and undoing the first button, the shirt opening up to show part of the tattoos under his collarbones. I bit my lower lip, undoing the second as well, looking up to meet Harry's mint green irises as I did. I slowly continued undoing the buttons of his shirt until I was finished, Harry's face hidden in the crook of my neck as he left a kiss under my jawline, my breath hitching in my throat as I felt his tongue graze my skin as he gently sucked on the spot.

He sat up, his arm around me to keep me from falling back, and I slid the black fabric off his shoulders, feeling my hands tingle as I came in contact with the warm skin of his chest. My eyes travelled down the line of his neck and between his collarbones as I bit on my lower lip, allowing myself to take in his beauty. He glanced up slightly, closing the distance between us to kiss me again, his hand gripping my thigh before he brought me closer to him, his bare chest touching the light fabric of my bra. Our lips parted again as he grazed my neck with his lips, his hair tickling my jawline.

I bit my lower lip as I put my hands on his bare shoulders, hesitantly pushing my hips down against him, hoping to elicit some kind of reaction from him. He hummed lowly, his tongue wetting the spot of my neck he'd been sucking on, warmth spreading through me at the sensation mixed with slight ache. I tried it again, the second time with a little more determination, feeling his smile against my skin.

"Is this working?" I couldn't help but say, instantly realising how dumb my words probably sounded. He probably knew too how ridiculous they were, and yet he didn't move away.

He left a little kiss under my ear. "Maybe with a bit more drive, a bit closer" he whispered before lightly biting on my earlobe, his hand travelling down my spine to push my hips closer to his.

I groaned, putting my head down on his shoulder. "I tried, I give up" I said hopelessly, my fingers gripping his shoulder tightly in embarrassment as a low chuckle left his lips.

"In that case, I hope you won't mind if I use the restroom" he said quietly, making my cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

"Free to go" I said, my cheeks feeling hotter by the second, lifting up one of my thighs and moving to the side to free him. I side-glanced at him as he stood up, disappearing out of the room, and I lay down on the bed when I was sure he couldn't see me anymore, glancing up at the white ceiling.

That was embarrassing. Why had I even tried to go there, perfectly knowing that I probably wouldn't have committed to it? Harry surely had had better than me in the past, and that frustrated me even more. I was sure that even Janette had managed to take it home successfully - it wasn't a hard task, surely. I just sucked at that. I hoped Harry wasn't mad, or disappointed in me. He hadn't seemed either, but who knew what truly went on in his mind?

I groaned when my phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I lifted myself up on one elbow to check the text that had just arrived, quickly picking the phone up when I realised that it was from the same unknown number.

I bet he hasn't told you about his daddy, has he?

I furrowed my eyebrows. How did they know about Harry's father? I knew that something was up with that side of his family, considering that he'd refused to talk about it, so how could that stranger know anything? And most importantly, why were they texting me about it?

I frowned, staring at the notification. The only people that seemed to have an interest in setting Harry and I apart were Zayn, and Aiden. But then again, even though Zayn surely disliked me, what would've come to him if he'd managed to do so? He'd already left Harry. Did it mean that Aiden was the one texting me? If so, how had he got such information about Harry?

For the first time, I wondered what would've come up if I'd searched for Harry's name on the Internet. Despite my curiosity, though, I knew I could've never done such a thing. For some reason, Harry seemed to trust me - to a certain degree, at least - and it would've been just wrong to break his trust, and his privacy, to discover what the unknown person texting me was talking about.

I sighed, unlocking the phone and locking it again, making sure the notification wasn't appearing on the lock screen anymore before putting it down on my nightstand again.

Artwork hit 1M reads! This is so incredible, thank you so much! Thank you so much for reading/voting and commenting on this story, it truly means the world to me!

I hope you liked this chapter x

Miki

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