CHAPTER 24: I HAVE RETURNED

CHAPTER 24: I HAVE RETURNED
I enter the house and start looking around. The sun is about to set, so I rush to the back door to see it.

"Where are you going?" Harry questions.

"Come with me, it must look really beautiful from here," I say, and Harry looks at me, not understanding.

"What?" Harry asks, confused.

"The sunset," I say, and he forms an "o" shape with his mouth.

I take Harry's hand and lead him toward the back of the house.
The view is indescribable, the sun is disappearing amidst the waves of the sea, seemingly venturing into another dimension through its reflection in the blue water.

"This place is magical," I say, gazing at the magnificent spectacle before us.

"It is," Harry says beside me as he intertwines his hand with mine.

It feels strange to be like this with him, although I like it without hesitation, I still feel that we are from completely different worlds.

Harry is like the brightest star in the sky, and I am just an ordinary girl looking at the starry sky.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, getting closer to me.

"About nothing and everything," I say, turning my head to look at him. Harry furrows his brow, not understanding, and I smile. "Should we go for a swim?"

"Should we?" he says, smiling just like me.

"Catch me if you can!" I say as I let go of his hand and run towards the sea.

"Don't tempt me!" he shouts as he runs towards me.

I enter the sea, and the waves start hitting my legs. The water is somewhat cold, but it doesn't matter. It feels good, too good if you ask me.

I start spinning around like a little girl who has just discovered the sea. The salty breeze hits my face and glides across my lips.

I'm happy. I don't know if it's because of the place, because of Harry, or maybe it's both. I don't know, but it feels too good.

"I caught you!" Harry says from behind me as he puts his hands on my waist. "What's my prize?" he asks in a whisper, his lips close to my neck.

"It's me. I'm your prize," I respond without thinking too much, turning to kiss him.

This kiss tastes like salt, and I'm not bothered by it. On Harry's lips, everything tastes good.

Am I so lost? I'm even saying romantic phrases. I'm sure my bitter inner self is on the verge of a diabetic coma with so many sweet words I'm saying.

It's inevitable. When I kiss him, I can only think, say, and feel beautiful things. This man came to shake up my whole world, no, I mean, my whole universe. I'm floating up in the sky like a lightweight balloon, hoping not to fall like a pile of lead. That would hurt.

Harry pulls away from my lips and looks into my eyes with a smile, pulling my body closer to his.

"I love you," he says, surprising me.

"You only love me?" I say to break the nervousness between us, and he laughs. "I love you too, Mr. McBride."

Harry kisses me again, but this time, the kiss doesn't last long as he lifts me in his arms and walks further into the sea.

When we reach a deeper part, Harry lets go of me and starts swimming. I do the same.

We spend some time swimming, playing, and laughing until it completely gets dark, and darkness takes over our surroundings.

We get out of the water, and Harry lies down on the sand. I walk towards him, but before reaching him, I stumble over a log that I hadn't seen and fall on top of him.

My left-hand hits a very sensitive area for him, his groin. I just look at his pained expression, unable to do anything.

"Could you... remove your hand?" he says between sighs and grimaces of pain.

"Yeah, uh... sorry," I say, quickly getting up.

I don't know what to do. I feel so embarrassed, and right now, I just want to crawl under a rock and never come out.

"You just left him without children," my conscience says.

"In that case, we just left ourselves without children," I whisper, and apparently, Harry manages to hear it.

"What?" he questions, furrowing his brow.

"N-nothing. Do you need help getting up?" I ask, approaching him.

"Don't worry, my arms and legs are fine."

"What's not fine is something else," says my perverted conscience, and I just shake my head.

Harry stands up, wincing in pain, and walks towards me.

"We should go inside; it's getting cold," he says, taking my hand and leading me toward the house.

Once inside, Harry lets go of my hand and starts turning on all the lights that were off.

"There are three bedrooms, one with a view of the front, another with a view of the sea, and the last one is upstairs, in the attic. That room has views on both sides," he explains, getting closer to me. "Which one do you want?"

I look at him and start thinking about choosing one of the three bedrooms. But if I have to choose a room, does that mean he'll sleep in another one? I shake my head, dismissing the thoughts, and look at Harry.

"But if you like, we can sleep together," he says, like a typical bad boy, licking his lips.

"I... sleep naked," I say, and Harry's eyes widen, and his cheeks turn from white to red. "I choose the attic," I reply, smiling and walking past Harry.

"Yes, mama!" my conscience says.

"You should take a shower first. The room you chose doesn't have a bathroom," I turn and look at him, furrowing my brow.

"Where will you shower?"

"Why? Do you want to shower with me?" I roll my eyes and grab one of my suitcases.

I walk towards one of the rooms and see Harry laughing and shaking his head. I stop and walk toward the other room, and he nods.

After taking a shower, I step out into the living room and start taking some photos with my camera. When I aim towards the sea, Harry appears, putting his face in front of the lens, startling me.

"Am I that ugly?" I nod, and he furrows his brow. "You're beautiful."

I look at him and leave the camera on one of the furniture. I walk towards Harry and wrap my arms around his neck.

"I'm yours," I whisper inches away from his face, and he looks at me with surprise.

Time seems to stand still when I'm like this with him. My eyes get lost in his gaze, my breathing accelerates with the rhythm of my heart, my skin tingles and my body yearns for him.