Nina was sleeping underneath a warm blanket, on a large soft bed. She had bandages on her head, and on her knees. Dark circles formed around her eyes, and her busted lip was dry, and bruised. On the side table next to the bed was a bottle of water, and a prescription medication for a brand-name painkiller. Her head was throbbing, and was no longer able to sleep it off.

Her eyes fluttered open, confused as she took in her surroundings. She sat up on the bed, suddenly feeling soreness all over her body. She looked down at herself, scrapes and cuts on her hands and arms. Then she noticed what she was wearing: a large black v-neck, and a pair of dark grey sweat pants.

Then it hit her: Robbie.

Did he take her to his house? Were these his clothes? Nina searched the room for her things, and as she looked, she saw a small futon on the floor with a pillow and an unmade blanket. She looked at the walls of her room, and saw no photographs, only posters of bands, and a few awards. She turned her head to the side table, and saw a framed photo. It was of a young girl, and a younger boy. Nina stared at the photo, and saw a familiar pair of gleaming green eyes, and brown curly hair.

Suddenly, the doorknob jiggled for a moment, and then another moment, and then it opened. Nina backed away, until she was in the corner of the bed with her back against the wall. She waited in anxiety of who was going to be behind the door, and when it fully opened, it was Harry who walked in. He closed the door behind him, and locked it. Nina stared at him, following every single one of his movements.

"Hey you're awake," Harry said. He walked to the bed, and Nina cowered in the blanket.
"Don't come any closer," Nina's voice cracked.

"Don't be afraid. You're safe here," Harry assured. There was a silence as the two looked at each other, both had worry in their eyes. Nina let her guard down a little.

"What happened to me," Nina cried. Her cheeks turned red, and her brown eyes began to gloss over. Immediately, Harry crawled onto the bed and sat beside her. He pulled her into his chest, as she sobbed uncontrollably. Harry rested his chin on top of her head, holding her tight, and rubbing her back.

"Shhh, baby, please don't cry," Harry comforted, "I got you. You're safe right here with me."

"The last I remember was Robbie," Nina stated. The sound of his name angered Harry. "Oh God… he almost, almost…"

Nina couldn't even bring herself to say the word. Harry stroked her hair, "you were unconscious by the lake near Niall's house. It was Leina, Elissia, and I who found you. We came here, and you woke up. Don't you remember?"

Quick flashes of last night popped into her mind. Memories of being carried up the stairs; crying and screaming; Harry dropping supplies on his table; Leina bathing her in a tub of warm water; Leina and Elissia changing Nina into Harry's clothes; Harry holding onto her until she fell asleep-- all these moments flooded her head in one swift rush.

Nina looked up at Harry, "I'm sorry."

"For what? Why are you apologizing?" Harry asked.

"For not trusting you; believing you. You warned me about Robbie and I never listened. If I had just took your advice, I wouldn't be here bothering you, taking your bed, your clothes--"

"Hey, you're not bothering me," Harry stated. "Don't apologize to me. It should be the other way around. I was a prick, and treated you like shit at the party, and for that I'm sorry. I really hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, Harry. You saved me," Nina buried her head into Harry's chest again, letting out another sob. It hurt him to see her cry like this, and he just wanted to make it stop.

"Nina," Harry began, lifting her head with his fingers, "I'm here to protect you. Always... Besides, you look cute in my clothes and you can take my bed anytime you want."

Nina softly smiled, and Harry's spirits lifted. He made her smile, and that's all that mattered to him. He squeezed her tightly, and felt her flinch in his arms. Startled, he let go and looked at her with concern on his face,

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"I'm just sore all over, and my head really hurts," Nina said. Harry grabbed the bottle of water and pills from his side table and placed it in front of them. He took one pill from the bottle and handed it to Nina.

"That's a painkiller. It's pretty strong," Harry informed.

"Who's it prescribed to?" Nina asked, glancing at the bottle.

"My sister. But she doesn't need it. She's in Uni in the U.S. right now," Harry lied. He hated lying about his sister, but there he was, going along with the plan that his dad worked hard to implement. Nina nodded, and put the pill in her mouth, taking the open water bottle from Harry's hands.

"I should go home now," Nina announced, and began to crawl out of bed. She winced from the pain on her knees.

"Hold on, you're not going anywhere," Harry said, grabbing her hips and pulling her back down onto the bed.

"Harry, my parents are probably worried sick about me. Do you have my things? Take me home, please," Nina asked.

"I do have your things, your phone is charging on my desk, and don't worry about your parents. Leina took care of it. She called your sister and told her that you guys would be going on a spontaneous nature hike and won't be back home till tomorrow," Harry explained. "You got great friends. Leina was able to stay calm all last night, and even though Elissia wouldn't stop crying, she still helped out. She really cares about you."

This made her smile. She truly was blessed to have Leina and Elissia as friends. Nina thought having Joleen was the perfect remedy to high school, but she was wrong. Leina and Elissia were nothing but kind to her from day one, and she made a mental note to really thank them when she gets a chance.

"What's going to happen if your parents find me here?" Nina wondered.

"Don't worry, they won't know you're here, I promise. They're both in Dublin for important things. The maids and butlers won't come in here, since there's an intercom in the house-- so if they need me, they'll summon me from the speakers," Harry lightly chuckled. "So it's just you and me babe, and we can do whatever you want. Watch a movie, pig out on junk food, play a game, color… I got crayons!"

"Crayons?" Nina question.

"Crayola. Only the best," Harry beamed. He was trying to make her feel better, and that was more than she could ever ask for. Nina flashed him her signature smile, which made him feel a tad better about the whole situation. "So what do you want to do?"

"Can we watch a movie?" Nina suggested.

Harry's expression morphed into a serious one, as he gazed at Nina. He took her face into his hands, pulled her into him, and kissed her forehead, "anything for you."

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to a full-on movie day in Harry's large room. They sat together, with their backs against the headboard watching both comedic, and Disney films on Harry's big screen. They pigged out on sweets, drank from juice boxes, and laughed about silly things. It was a perfect way to get Nina's mind off of Robbie and the previous night.

By the third movie, Nina was asleep, snuggled tightly in the blankets. The hum of the TV somehow entered Nina's dreams and woke her up. She turned, expecting to feel Harry next to her, but he wasn't there. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and wondered where he went off to. Then her eyes fell on a lump on the ground next to the bed-- Harry. She smiled at his sincerity for respecting Nina's space.

Nina rubbed her neck, the soreness coming back in her neck, head, and body. She grabbed the bottle of pills on the night stand and took another one. As she downed the water, she read the label on the bottle: Gemma A. Styles. Take 1 every 6 hours, until the pain subsides. Nina was about to toss the bottle aside, when something else caught her eye. The prescription date: Sep. 03, 2013.

That's weird, Nina thought. The medication was only prescribed a month ago.

But she shrugged off the feeling, deciding that it was just her mind trying to mess with her, and put the bottle of pills back on the side table. At that moment, Harry's eyes opened. He smiled when he saw Nina looking down at him, "hey sleepyhead. How was your nap?"

"It was good, how was yours?" Harry asked, the raspyness in his voice sending chills up Nina's spine.

"Very relaxing," Nina answered.

"I bet, you have the whole king sized bed to yourself," Harry chuckled. Nina lifted the blankets, and patted the mattress,

"I don't need all this space to myself."

"Nina are you sure?" Harry questioned, "after what happened, I really don't want to overstep any boundaries with you. I never ever want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Harry, you're my protector. If there's any man I can trust besides my father, it's you," Nina professed. These words made Harry feel warm, and happy. There were no words to describe the elation he felt from Nina's acceptance of him.

He stood up from the floor, the blankets falling from him. He was only wearing a pair of sweat pants, and Nina was able to see every sculpted ab, every beautifully inked tattoo, and the strong muscles in his arms that was responsible for catching her every time she fell. Harry was now eye to eye with Nina, and he stared at her with such fervor, that it almost scared her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Nina questioned.

"Because, I-I-I don't know what it is about you… you're able to make me feel things that I can't even understand," Harry expressed.

"Then don't try to understand it. At least not today," Nina said. "Just come lay with me."
Harry nodded his head, and climbed into the bed with Nina. He lied down, and pulled her in close. She laid her head on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat. She wrapped an arm around him, and when she did, Nina swore she heard Harry's heart skip a beat. She looked up at him and smiled. Harry smiled back, and kissed her forehead.

And for that moment, all was perfect.

Notes

Hey all,

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Harry's finally starting to be less ass-y haha. Anyways, please leave me feedback if you have any. Subscribe, votes up (or down if you hate it), and reccomend to your friends. Have a great Saturday and I'll see you tomorrow with chapter 20! Also, did any SoCal people feel the 5.1 earthquake last night? I think I'm the only one who actually enjoyed it haha.

Thanks,

-Erica Jaine <3