My Little Bird

The dizzying roller coaster of emotion they'd both been on for the past week had taken its toll. Eleanor had left the flat with the rest of the boys to give them some time alone to talk things out, but she had taken an overnight bag with her to Louis's so it was obvious she wasn't planning on coming back. By the time they'd finally loosened their tight grip on each other, they were too emotionally and physically exhausted to do anything.

The joint decision was to go to sleep and leave the rest for tomorrow so at only a few minutes after six in the evening, they trudged up the stairs and down the short hallway to Asher's room. She'd unzipped her suitcase just enough to pull out a baggy tee shirt from the top before heading up in front of Harry and she quickly changed out of the outfit she was wearing, carelessly dropping the clothes onto the beige chair in the corner before pulling the old shirt over her head while Harry removed all of Eleanor's things from the bed that she'd left out. The last thing he picked up was his own gray tee shirt that he'd let Asher have months ago.

He held it in his hands, just staring at it with a deep frown on his face, while she pulled the duvet back and climbed into her bed, humming in contentment at the feeling of the cool sheets against her skin. When she finally looked up to see what was taking him so long to get in the other side, she sighed, leaning up to snatch the shirt from his hands and dropping it at the foot of the bed before she grabbed him by the forearm and yanked him forward until he fell down next to her.

Despite the still lingering tension, he let out a chuckle as he collapsed against the mattress and folded his hands behind his head as he kicked his shoes off his feet and over the edge of the bed. She curled up on her side, facing him, and her eyes focused on the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the thick silence settling between them. Harry hated that silence; he was afraid that if it stayed there long enough, then things would get too awkward.

"I'm exhausted," he said lamely after a few minutes. It was the only thing his mind could come up with with all the other things running through it at the present time.

She made a noise of agreement. "Me too."

Harry sat up from his pillow just long enough to grab the back collar of his tee shirt and yank it over his head before dropping it on the floor next to the bed and maneuvering himself out of his tight black jeans. She watched in amusement as he struggled in vain to kick them off for a few moments before he finally just reached down to pull them the rest of the way off. Once he laid back down against the pillow and pulled the duvet up to his waist, she scooted closer into his side, resting her head on his shoulder as she dropped her hand to his stomach, ghosting her fingertips over the lines of the butterfly inked into his skin there. He seemed a bit surprised at first but then he reached up to grab her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

"I still think this tattoo is stupid," she muttered playfully.

He smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before bringing it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I'm sorry," he whispered, though there was no reason to since they were the only ones in the flat. "I've been a twat."

"Yeah, you have," she agreed with a chuckle. "I'm sorry too."

"You have no reason to be sorry, Ash. None at all."

She tilted her head up to look at him but regretted it when she saw the expression on his face. He was back to looking completely torn up and guilty. She untangled her fingers from his and propped up on her elbow to grab his face, causing his cheeks to squish together adorably as she leaned forward to peck his puckered lips. "I might've overreacted a tiny bit." He started to protest but she cupped her hand over his mouth to keep him from speaking and shook her head. "Don't argue with me, Styles."

Harry's eyes crinkled up and she could tell that he was grinning under her hand but before she got the chance to ask why, she felt his warm tongue slide out against her palm. She immediately jerked her hand away, staring at it in surprise. "Did you just lick me?"

He shrugged his shoulders, giving her a satisfied smile. "That's what you get for tryin' to shut me up."

Asher's eyes narrowed at the boy as she wiped her hand off on the blanket. She remembered when she'd done the same to him and obviously he did too because he'd used her exact words. She pursed her lips as she shook her head. "But you don't know where these hands have been," she finally said, mirroring his old words.

"Yes, I do," he quipped with a grin before glancing down at his own body.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright fine. But I don't know where that tongue has been."

Harry would have been offended at her not-so-sly dig if he didn't already have an answer prepared for her that was just as cheeky as the previous one, if not more. "Yes, you do. And your hand is definitely not the naughtiest of those places." He sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as his eyes slowly traveled down from her face and even though the pale floral duvet covered her from the neck down, she still felt her whole body heat up and her cheeks flush as her mind went back to every time they'd been together. Harry was nothing if not a giver and even beyond that, he was extremely talented at it.

She huffed in embarrassment, unable to think of any kind of comeback where he wouldn't be able to tell that he'd affected her, and flopped back down against him, not caring that she had probably slightly hurt him considering the slight groan that left his lips after she did so. She could feel the vibrations in his chest as he chuckled and he slid his hand under the covers to rub her bare shoulder. "You're cute when you're flustered."

"Shut up." Harry laughed again until she gave him a jab in the side, which caused him to let out a loud yelp and her to smile in satisfaction that she'd made him stop. "You're a dick."

"A dick that you love," he reminded her. "And, yes, that was meant to be a double entendre."

"How charming," she muttered sarcastically. "Why do I love you?"

He squeezed her tighter against his side and kissed the top of her cherry blossom scented head. "Because I'm handsome and sweet and talented and-"

"Humble," she interjected.

"And I love you."

She hid her face in his chest as she let her inner self have an excited squeal for a moment before she lifted her head to look at him again, unable to contain the smile on her face. "I like hearing that."

"I like sayin' it." He smoothed his hand over her hair before tucking a strand behind her ear. "I like it a lot."

"Good. 'Cause I'm gonna want you to tell me often."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Harry chuckled, and she peppered a few light kisses across his jaw before nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck and letting out a soft yawn. He could feel her warm breath fanning out over his skin every time she exhaled and within minutes it slowly evened out as she drifted off to sleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He mulled over the events of the twenty-four hours prior before his exhaustion finally won out and his eyes fluttered shut as he slipped under.

It was the shift of the bed that roused Harry early the next morning. There was a moment of panic when he blindly felt around and found nothing on the other side of the bed that made him think the night before had only been a dream, but then when he opened his eyes, squinting against the bright morning sun pouring in, he saw her sitting on the edge, staring thoughtfully out the large window. He rolled over onto his side, propping his head on his hand as he reached out to run his fingertips down the center of her spine.

Asher snapped out of her daze, glancing over her shoulder and briefly meeting his curious eyes before she turned around completely to lie down with him. She slid her bare legs back under the covers, resting her head on his outstretched arm and he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes before draping his other arm over her waist and pulling her closer. She could feel him staring at the side of her face while she looked straight up at the ivory ceiling.

He slipped his hand just under the bottom hem of her tee shirt, his thumb lazily rubbing circles over her hip bone. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly, his voice laced with concern. He was worried that after sleeping on it, she was changing her mind about forgiving him; the pensive, brooding look on her face scared him.

"Don't get mad," she started cautiously, turning her head to catch the apprehension swimming in his green eyes, which seemed even brighter in the morning sunlight. She reached up to brush her fingertips over the arm draped across her in a soothing manner. "I wanna go see him."

Harry let out a relieved sigh that it wasn't what he feared it might be, but then his brows furrowed in confusion when he realized what she said. "Why would you want to see that prick?"

"I want him to look me in the eye and explain it to me." She wasn't asking for his permission, having already decided that she was going to go no matter what, but she did hope that he understood why she wanted to.

He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before finally giving a small nod. "You deserve that at the very least."

"One more thing." His whole body tensed as she slipped out from under his arm and sat up, turning to face him completely head on and folding her legs indian style. "I want you to come with me."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

He pushed the covers off his body before sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his hands over his face as he yawned. "Because management wouldn't be happy about me being arrested."

She allowed herself a moment to be mesmerized by the way the muscles in his back rippled as he raised his arms above his head to stretch then ran his hands through his wild bedhead. "Harry, I need you with me."

He stilled completely, letting out a heavy sigh before he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. "Do you?" Asher nodded silently, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she watched him stand up from the bed before turning to lean down right in front of her, their faces only inches apart. "Then of course I'll be there." He kissed the tip of her nose and stood up straight, picking up his clothes from the floor and laying them out on the now empty side of the bed. "I'm gonna shower then. Won't be long."

Once he opened the bedroom door and disappeared down the hallway, she flopped back down on the mattress with a sigh. The smell of his cologne lingered on the sheets under her and she pulled the pillow he'd slept on closer to her, cuddling it in his absence. She hadn't planned on falling back asleep, but it wasn't til she felt his fingertips brushing over her cheek that she realized she had. "Wake up, babe," he said softly.

She felt the bed dip under his weight as he climbed onto it and she made a noise of protest, clutching the pillow tighter to her. She heard him chuckle right above her just before he pressed a series of feather light kisses from her jaw to her collarbone. "Come on, love. Time to get up. I'm hungry." His nose brushed against her neck as he attached his lips to the skin just above her collar bone and she let out a soft sigh as one of her hands left the pillow to tangle itself in his damp curls. He pulled back with a grin and she finally opened her eyes but only to pout. "That was rude," she mumbled.

"Come on now," he said, giving her a playful pat on her barely covered backside. "Get up. Get movin'. Let's go find some lunch."

She lifted her head off her pillow to look at him as he rolled over the side of the bed and onto his feet, giving her an exaggerated wink. He was already dressed in the clothes he'd been wearing the day before, his converse already laced up, and his hair already half dry. "Jesus, what time is it? How long were you in there?"

"I.....might've been a few extra minutes."

He looked down from her eyes, suddenly shy, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Is that your way of telling me you jacked off in my shower?"

His lips twitched like he was going to smile but the embarrassment won out, tinting his cheeks bright pink. "It's been a long week," he mumbled. The fact that he was so bashful about this when less than eighteen hours ago he was making cheeky comments about where his tongue had been was humorous to her.

Asher stood up on her knees and reached out to grab him by the front of his shirt, pulling him to her and wrapping both her arms around his neck. His hands hesitantly slid over her hips as she twirled a strand of his soft hair around her finger with a slightly amused smile. "I promise to help you out with that when we get back."

"Well then what the hell are you waiting for?" he asked incredulously, lifting her off the bed and setting her on the floor beside him before he let go of her. "Go, go! Get dressed! Let's get this thing over with so we can come back here!"

She chuckled at his enthusiasm as she walked over to her closet but she didn't remember until she opened the door that it was empty, all her clothes still packed tightly in the suitcase downstairs. "Could you be a doll and bring my suitcase up while I shower?"

Harry raced past her to leave the room and he practically ran down the stairs while she went into the bathroom and turned the shower on, stripping out of her clothes and stepping into the warm water. She hadn't even had time to squirt the shampoo into her palm before she heard the bathroom door open and when she peeked out of the shower curtain, she found him sitting on the counter top impatiently, eyes squeezed shut and biting his lip so hard that he was probably about to draw blood.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. He looked angry.

"Nothing," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Just.....tryin' not to imagine you in there. All t-the water and, um, suds."

"Sounds to me like you're trying to imagine it."

"No of course not," he replied, but the smile gave him away. "I mean, I don't have to try. The image is just there automatically."

She rolled her eyes. "If you had another shower, would that help you be less of a cheeky bastard for the rest of the day?"

The question hadn't even left her mouth completely when he jumped up and yanked his shirt over his head, unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them down his legs as he kicked his shoes off simultaneously. He ripped the shower curtain back and stepped in, the stream of water bouncing off his tan skin as he tightly gripped her waist and pulled her against him, her back flush against his chest. "It wasn't even this good in my head," he muttered, pressing his lips to her shoulder.

Asher chuckled and turned around to face him, lacing her fingers behind his neck. "That's very sweet." His hands slipped up and down her sides as his eyes traveled all over, taking in the view as if he'd never seen it before. "I'm surprised at you. You have a lot more self control than usual."

His eyes snapped back up to hers and he smirked as he grabbed her hips and pushed her back against the cold tile wall. "No, I really don't," he replied lowly before leaning down to connect their lips. There were none of the innocent, soft, and delicate kisses that he usually started out with; instead his mouth was immediately moving hotly against hers, shooting sparks down her spine as their tongues met.

She felt dizzy and weak when he broke apart from her to kiss his way down her neck and he gripped her chin, tilting her head to the side to give him better access before his large hands slipped down her sides, around to the small of her back, and down to cup her backside before moving back up again. Her skin felt like it was on fire, either from his touch or from the pure need of having him again.

And with that thought in mind, suddenly she couldn't think about anything else but touching him. Her hands slipped down from around his neck, running over his broad shoulders before she slowly and gently dragged her nails down his chest. He paused his work on her neck to suck in a deep breath when she reached the impressive v lines and the sensitive skin stretching over his hip bones but before she could move down any further, he grabbed her hands, stilling them as his eyes bore into hers for a moment. He smiled, pressing a simple kiss to her lips.

She felt as if she might faint when he crouched down in front of her and he hadn't even done anything yet; the anticipation alone was almost enough by itself. The stream of water from the shower head hit directly in the dip between the tops of his shoulder blades and the thought occurred to her as the spray soaked his dark curls that he looked really good wet. He grabbed her hips roughly and pinned her back against the tile as he pressed warm open mouthed kisses all over her stomach and down to her hips, his teeth grazing against the bone there. His fingertips dug painfully into her flesh but she didn't mind it in the least as she leaned her head back against the wall and let her eyes flutter closed.

It was a good thing there was nobody else in the flat because she was sure the moan he elicited from the back of her throat with his nimble fingers was loud enough for even the neighbors to hear. One hand moved to press against her stomach, his palm over her belly button as he kept her backed up to the wall while the other began skillfully working between her legs, causing her to gasp and curse under her breath. He kept his head tilted down but his green eyes peered up at her, watching her carefully, and it pleased him that he could cause her to react in such a way.

She thought she was doing well with keeping coherent thoughts until he decided to add his even more skillful tongue to the party. The boy was beyond talented, knowing exactly what to do and when to do it in order to drive her completely insane with pleasure. He swirled it over her clit as his fingers slightly picked up their rhythm and her legs were already beginning to feel shaky as she tangled a hand in his wet curls, letting out a hum of satisfaction.

It was almost impossible not to lose it when he curled his fingers inside her, tapping them against the spot that caused her to involuntarily buck her hips. He chuckled against her, wrapping his lips over her clit and sucking it gently as he pressed his fingertips to the spot again and she gasped at the overwhelming feeling of the tingling warmth spreading out from the pit of her stomach all the way down to the tips of her toes and up to the top of her head. Her whole body felt flushed as she chanced a glance down at him, but the sight combined with the expert movement of his fingers and the careful work of his tongue was just too much.

She attempted to say his name, but it came out as nothing more than a breathy moan and he didn't slow his actions as he felt her whole body began to tremble. Her fingers gripped his hair even more tightly as her back arched off the wall and she ground herself down on his mouth, letting his tongue lap against her core as she gasped and moaned until she finally came down from her high, gently pushing his head away from her as she tried desperately to catch her breath. Standing up straight was not an option just yet, her legs feeling less steady under her than if they were made of jello.

Harry stood up in front of her, immediately catching her lips with his and she slid one hand up his shoulder and around to the back of his neck, keeping him there as her fingertips on her free hand slowly slipped down the center of his chest, over the large butterfly, and down the tensed muscles of his abdomen before reaching his belly button. He flinched but she felt him smile against her mouth and she pulled away from him amused. "Are you ticklish?"

"No," he automatically responded but she brushed over his belly button again and he flinched just like he'd done the first time as he let out a gasp, catching her hand with one of his much larger ones. "This isn't very nice of you, teasing me when I'm in need." He quirked an eyebrow at her before looking down at himself and she followed his line of sight to the rather large problem between them.

"You already got yourself off this morning, buddy," she said, shrugging as she looked back up at him innocently. His mouth dropped open, obviously offended, and he started to say something but his words were caught in his throat when he felt her thin fingers wrap around his already painfully hard arousal. "What was it you were gonna say?" she pressed as she very slowly and teasingly moved her hand up and down his length, causing a stream of curses to leave his mouth as her put both of his hands out, pressing his palms to the shower wall on either side of her body to keep himself standing upright.

"You're a cruel woman," he grumbled, resting his forehead on top of her shoulder.

"You're calling me cruel when I have my hand wrapped around your dick. You sure that's a good idea?"

"Sorry, I just-...Fuck. Could you maybe, I don't know, speed things up a bit?"

"Course, babe. All you had to do was ask," she grinned, but he was too far gone to appreciate her playfulness. His eyes were clamped shut and he was back to biting down on his bottom lip, but she decided that she wanted to be the one biting on his bottom lip so she pulled him back down to her and pressed her lips to his. He reacted immediately, moving one hand from the tile wall to the curve of her hip as she opened her mouth to his, deepening the kiss, and she continued stroking him at a much more satisfying pace.

When he felt himself getting close, he pulled back from the kiss and she occupied her mouth with sucking and nipping at the flesh of his neck. "Fuck," he groaned. "Ash, I'm gonna-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as the muscles in his stomach clenched up and he finally released himself with a low, gravelly moan. She continued to pump him slowly until he reached the end of his orgasm and then she turned toward the water stream to rinse her hands off. When she looked back at him, he was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed as his chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. She smiled to herself and shook her head before she stuck her head under the shower head to wet her hair again. "Now, listen here. You can only stay if you promise to let me actually take a shower."

His eyes popped open to look at her and he grinned as he stood up straight, reaching behind her for the bottle of body wash. "What if I help?"

Asher shook her head firmly. "Nope. That won't be helping anybody."

"It'd be helping me."

She rolled her eyes as she plucked the blue bottle from his hands, replacing it with the pink shampoo bottle. "You can help with this," she said before turning her back to him. He squeezed a small dollop of the cherry blossom scented goo out into his palm and rubbed his hands together before taking a step forward to be right behind her, lathering the suds into her hair which was three shades darker when wet. Her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the few minutes of his fingertips massaging her scalp before he finally finished, turning her back around to rinse out the mass of white bubbles.

She didn't let him help with the body wash, despite many a protest from him, but he was allowed to stay and watch and by the time they both finally climbed out of the shower, over an hour had passed. She wondered to herself how there had even been any hot water left after all that time. Although everything he needed to get dressed was there in the bathroom, he picked it all up from the floor and followed her down the hall back to her room where she would be getting dressed. She securely folded the corner of her black towel into the top where it wrapped around her chest before she unzipped her suitcase and pulled out the first outfit from the top.

Once they were both dressed with shoes on and hair dried and makeup on (for Asher anyway), they headed downstairs and Asher slid her phone into her back pocket, nicking a pair of Eleanor's sunglasses from the coffee table in the living room and sliding them onto her face as she followed Harry out the front door.

She was fine when they left the flat; she was a little less fine when they crossed the street; she was even less fine when they passed a middle aged man with sloppy clothes and an expensive camera. He snapped a few photos of the two of them as they walked by hurriedly and then proceeded to shout out invasive questions about their relationship. By the time they reached the pale sign of Finch's, she was practically shaking with anger and annoyance. She shoved the door open with her shoulder as she pushed the sunglasses back into her wavy hair, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the boy behind the counter who was scribbling something on the small notebook in his hand.

"So what's so secret about watching Doctor Who that you couldn't tell your reporter friend?" she called out to him.

Olly's head snapped up in surprise, as did the heads of about twenty patrons sitting at the circular tables around her. She didn't realize until that very moment that there were other people in the cafe besides her and him and she wondered if they were there because of the article. Finch's had never had more than three people in it at any given time when she popped in for one of her many visits, and suddenly most of the tables were occupied? This had to be the result of Olly's fifteen minutes of fame. She stepped all the way inside and stalked up to the counter, Harry following right behind her, and they both ignored the gasps and hushed squeals that erupted once the customers spotted him.

She had never seen Olly scared, but she had a pretty good idea that the face he was making as he glanced between her and the tall boy next to her was his fear face. He cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded his head toward the door behind him. "What, you don't want to do this with an audience? You're suddenly shy?"

"Please."

Asher rolled her eyes as she walked around the counter and he held the door open to let her go into the kitchen first but she just glared at him until he sighed and went ahead in front of her. Harry was right on her heels, so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. They followed Olly through the kitchen to the very back where there was a small break room, furnished with a wooden table and a mini fridge in the corner. A teenage girl sat at the end of the table sipping her cup of tea but when she saw Harry, she spat it everywhere.

Olly gave her an annoyed look as she apologized for her reaction and quickly wiped the tea up with some napkins. "Emma, could you go man things up front for a few minutes? I have something to take care of." Asher had never seen this angel-faced young girl around Finch's before, but the fact that she was shooting daggers at Olly with her eyes made her automatically good in Asher's books.

"This about the article then?" she asked, raising her eyebrows as she turned her eyes to Asher before glancing at Harry again. Then she snorted rather unattractively. "I knew it wasn't true. Why would somebody fuck you when they have Harry Styles? Jesus, Olly, you're a proper knob. I hope he bashes your face in." She spun around on her heel and left the break room after giving him a glare.

"I like her," Asher said once the three of them were alone.

"Yeah well you can have her. She's bloody annoying." He exhaled loudly as he sank down into the chair Emma had previously occupied before motioning for the two of them to take the seats across from him. "Go on then. Yell at me."

"Yell at you?" she repeated, sliding into the chair directly in front of him and shaking her head. "I didn't come here to yell at you. I just came to ask, in person, why would you do that to me?"

Olly threw Harry a nervous glance where he stood behind Asher, his hands resting protectively on her shoulders and his jaw clenched tightly, watching every little move the boy made. "It wasn't anything personal. It was, uh.....Well I guess there's no point in trying to save face here anymore, is there? It was an easy way to make a few quid."

"You took a picture of me sleeping on your couch to use as proof that I came to your house with the intention of having sex with you. You sold it to a tabloid with the lie attached that I actually did have sex with you. You made me look like a lying whore to the entire world."

"That was never my intention in the beginning."

"What was your intention?"

"Nick a few photos from your mobile when you weren't looking and sell them to the tabloids. They pay loads of money for personal photos of celebrities." Harry shifted uncomfortably behind her as Olly glanced at him again but he kept his mouth shut.

"So you stole some of my pictures. Sold 'em. Got your money. Why couldn't you just stop with that?"

"I was going to, honest. But that day you were in and he rang you-....." It was the day Harry and Abby broke up and she'd dropped everything and left Finch's immediately when he asked to meet her. She nodded silently, waiting for him to continue. "Well I don't know if you remember, but that actress bird he was dating was here too."

Harry looked down at her confused; he was sure she had never told him that she'd seen Abby again. "I remember," she said quietly.

"I guess she heard me say it was him ringing you. Once you left, she started asking me all these questions about you. Of course I answered them. It was Abby Prentiss for Christ's sake!"

"And then?" Asher prompted.

"Well that's when she asked me if I'd be interested in making a few more quid. She said she wanted to get back at you for embarrassing her in the press and since I was already close to you, I was the perfect person to help her. She knew she wanted to get something bad written up about you but she didn't want it to have any ties back to her. That's where I came in."

"So you two formed this plan to make it look like I was cheating on someone who wasn't even my boyfriend?"

"He wasn't yet but we both knew he would be eventually. So we waited. After you were photographed leaving a club together in the middle of the night, holding hands, we knew it wouldn't be long. Then when you showed up here the other day, so upset, it was like you were playing right into our hand."

"And you're saying Abby paid you for it? To take me to the park so you could console me in public where paparazzi could see? To take me back to your house so you could get something on me to use as proof that I was there so you could make up the story that I fucked you? She paid you to do that?"

"Two thousand quid," he replied, nodding.

Harry let out a heavy breath as his shoulders slumped and he spoke for the first time since they walked in. "Why Asher? If Abby wanted to publicly embarrass anyone, it should've been me. I'm the one who hurt her."

Olly chuckled. "You didn't hurt her, mate. She was playing with you. She had a new boyfriend before she even finished packing her shit at your place. Some bloke she met in New Zealand. Fucking with Asher was just a bit of fun for her."

Asher bypassed the new information, instead staying focused on the issue pertaining strictly to herself. "So why did you help her then?"

"I needed the money," he shrugged.

She just looked at him sadly before shaking her head. "I confided in you about a lot of shit. I came to you when I was really genuinely upset because I thought you were my friend. This whole time you were just using my actual life to make money for yourself."

"I'm sorry, Ash. I really did like you when we met. But when I found out you knew them, opportunity just won out."

"Yeah," she whispered before taking a deep breath in through her nose. "Well I hope it was worth it." She tilted her head up to look at Harry, who was still standing behind her. "I'm ready to go now."

He nodded wordlessly, holding out a hand for her to take as she stood up from her chair and she led the way out of the break room and back through the kitchen. The dining area was even more packed with customers now but she barely even noticed them as she breezed through the room like nothing was wrong, Harry right on her heels.

She waited until they were back on the other side of the street and almost a full block away from the cafe before she dissolved into tears. Harry pulled her into a small alley out of view and wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly as she cried into his chest. "Hey, come on now. It's alright," he muttered. "Please don't cry."

"I can't help it," she sniffled, looking up at him pitifully. "I'm just s-stupid. I've been so stupid about so much."

Harry ran the pads of his thumbs under her blue eyes, catching the beads of water as they dripped from her lashes before they had a chance to stain her cheeks. "You're not stupid. We are stupid. Absolute bloody fools for ever making you for even just one second feel badly about yourself or the way you trust people or anything else that you do. Because you're absolutely perfect and there's not a single one of us who deserves to know you."

He was hoping that his words would cheer her up, but when she let out a sob and buried her face in her hands, he cursed himself for somehow fucking it up. "I'm sorry," he shushed her gently, pulling her hands away so that he could see her. "I didn't mean to make you more upset."

"You didn't," she chuckled, shaking her head at the worry in his voice as she rubbed her palms against her eyes to stop them from burning before raking one hand through her long waves. "Thank you."

He smiled, holding his hand out for her to take. "Come on then. There's some lunch at that place down the street with our names on it."