"Said you know I love the thrill of the rush."

Song: Serial Killer

Aritst: Lana Del Rey

My arms crossed over my chest as I frowned at the overwhelming pile of stuff that had collected in my room.  It didn’t seem possible that I had gathered so much junk in my apartment, but the proof was right there in front of me.  I’d been trying to sort out what I could take to Harry’s and what could be left to be moved back to my parents’ house when Maggie appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, good, is any of this stuff yours?” I asked, barely glancing at her as I knelt down to start sifting through the pile.  She joined me and nudged a sweater with her toe gingerly as if it would attack.

“Um, I’m just gonna say no and stay out of it,” she laughed, her eyes widening at the sight.  My room had been completely destroyed in my efforts to organize things. 

“I can’t believe you’re moving out,” she said in disbelief.  I frowned as I pulled an unidentified power cord out of the pile before tossing it to the side.

“I know,” I agreed.  “And moving in with Harry. It feels so… permanent.”

“Honestly I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. You were hardly ever here anyway,” she chuckled, throwing herself to sit on my bed on what little space she could find. 

“Me too,” I said lightly.  I was beyond excited to move in with him, just not so excited for all the moving.  I had far more stuff than I needed to bring with, but deciphering what was necessary was the tricky part.  Harry had been absolutely no help when I’d asked, telling me to ‘bring whatever you want.’

“How’d your parents take it?”

“Fine,” I said, shrugging.  “They were just relieved I wasn’t pregnant.”

Maggie burst out laughing, throwing her head back as she did so.  “Oh god, I bet. They’ve always been pretty chill though.”

I nodded in agreement as I started putting the pieces of clothing I dug from the pile into a suitcase.  All I really needed to bring was my personal stuff.  The rest could stay in the apartment until the end of the year when our lease ended and I could move it back home. 

“Hey, you don’t mind if Annie comes over, do you? I haven’t seen her in a while and we were gonna catch up on some TV,” Maggie said casually.

“No, I don’t mind.  Harry’s coming soon to help me pack but I don’t expect he’ll actually do a whole lot,” I laughed, certain he would plop himself on my bed just as Maggie had done.  I stuffed one final t-shirt into the suitcase I had now filled and zipped it shut just as I heard our front door open.

“Hello?” a voice called upon seeing no one right away.  It was Annie. 

“In here!” Maggie returned.  I kept sorting my things as I heard footsteps come down the hall, confusion sweeping through me when I heard two sets.  Had Harry also arrived?

“Ladies, long time no see!” a second voice said, now sounding from my doorway.  My jaw clenched automatically as I recognized the tone, anger seeping through my veins.  I turned slowly to see her leaning against the frame of my door, a casual smile pulled across her lips. 

Olivia.

I was on my feet before I even realized what was happening, my fists balling by my sides automatically as rage bubbled in my stomach.

“What the hell do you want?” I asked furiously. 

Images of her coming on to Harry flashed through my mind in a furious blur.  Her hand on his forearm, her lips at his ear, her body pressing into his.  Things I had seen ages ago the first time she tried and things I conjured from what Harry had told me haunted me now as I glared at her, attempting to melt her with my gaze.

The first time she’d hit on Harry, I’d forgiven her because she really had no idea what was going on between us.  The second time, however, I could not.  She’d approached him that night in the bar when I was there with Ben, the night Harry convinced me to come back to him.  She’d tried to get with him then, talking shit and not caring about me in the slightest like the horrible friend that she was.

“Excuse me?” she said, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” I spit.  Annie was frozen by her side, a confused look on her face.  She took in the glares I was shooting at Olivia before stepping away to join Maggie at my bed. 

“Is this about Harry?” Olivia asked stupidly.  I scoffed in her face and resisted the urge to punch her.

“Of course it’s about Harry, you idiot,” I seethed.  I had forgotten how pissed off I was at her until she was right in front of my face.  “You claim to be one of my best friends then you go hit on him and talk shit? What kind of friend does that to someone?”

“Um, excuse me, you two were broken up,” she said, her eyebrows pinching together. 

“If you were any kind of friend you would have known what was actually going on,” I hissed.  “And even if we were broken up, friends don’t go after their friends’ exes.”

“Honey it’s not my fault you’re playing games with him.  If I wanted to go after him, there’s nothing that says I can’t,” she dared to say, taking a tiny step closer to me. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? Playing games with him? You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.  And then saying there are no rules?  How about being a good person? But of course, to follow that you’d have to be a good person, so obviously that rules you out.”

I felt like I was steaming on the spot as I glared at her, desperate to slam my fist into her stupid, clenched jaw.  Anger so strong seared through my I was certain it was going to melt my flesh off my bones.  I couldn’t remember ever being so livid in my life as her arguments fueled my fire. 

“You’re just upset because you’re threatened by me,” she said, leaning in closer.  This time I actually laughed in her face.

“You’re fucking insane!” I shouted incredulously, my eyes wide with disbelief.  “If you think I’m threatened by you then you’re even stupider than I thought.  You only want Harry because he’s attractive.  You have no idea what kind of an amazing person he is or what he’s done for me.  You’re a pathetic excuse for a friend and a disgusting person, honestly.”

“We’ll see how pathetic I am when I get your man in bed,” she whispered, her voice deadly quiet as she leaned even closer to me, separating us by only inches.  As soon as her words had their impact, I snapped.  My hands shoved into her chest, launching her out of the doorway into the hall behind her.  I stepped forward and pushed her again so her back collided with the wall, forcing the breath from her lungs.

“You-“ I growled, my insult cut off by the force of her hands shoving into my chest in at attempt to throw me off.  Her hands clawed at my face like a whiny little five year old, my own hands gripping her wrists to try and push them down. 

“Get off me!” she yelled, attempting to kick my side but only managing to land a weak blow to my thigh.

“You stupid bitch,” I growled, finally getting her hands under control and throwing them down by her sides.  I pulled my fist back, aiming a punch at her overly made up face, and was just about to swing it forward when a strong hand wrapped around my wrist to stop me.  Another arm wound around my waist, hauling me backwards into a firm chest.

“Halle what the fuck are you doing?!” Harry hissed in my ear, tugging me away from Olivia while I struggled wildly against him.  My legs kicked out from under me as he lifted me completely off my feet and my arms tried to rid themselves of his hold, red blurring my vision.  I was too angry to be restrained. 

“Let me go, Harry!” I shouted, glaring daggers at Olivia who stood panting down the hall.  I couldn’t resist the urge to shout at her. “You fucking bitch!”

“Hal, stop,” Harry said, his arms fighting to get mine under control as he continued to drag me backward.  He had me all the way to the front door now, though I continued to struggle against him.  My breathing came out in ragged pants and I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest, but I still wasn’t satisfied.  I wanted to feel the sting of her jaw connecting with my knuckles and hear the slap of her skin beneath my palm.  She deserved it. 

Her stupid face was cut off from my burning glare, however, when Harry dragged me out of the apartment into the hallway.  I finally stopped struggling but could feel the tightness in my muscles as he cautiously released me.  He spun me around in his grip and pressed my back into the wall, cornering me with his wide body.

“What the hell was that?!” he demanded, staring down at me in shock.

“She’s a fucking bitch,” was all I managed to say, seething on the spot.  I was furious at Olivia for being such a lowlife and at Harry for stopping me from hitting her like I really wanted to.

“Yeah, but why the hell were you about to punch her?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Because! She tried to come on to you and she said all that shit to you and now she…”I paused, my body actually shaking with rage.  “Ugh, she just said a lot of stupid shit about how she would get you in bed or whatever and I just snapped.”

“Hal,” Harry sighed, shaking his head slowly.  His hands ran down the sides of my arms soothingly.  “You know there’s no way that would ever happen.”

“I know, but Harry-“

“No, Hal, she’s nothing.  You hear me?  Nothing.  How could I ever even look at her when I have you, huh?”

I didn’t say anything as I looked up at Harry, my chest still heaving and my muscles tight.  My fists slowly uncurled by my sides and I felt a slight sting in my palms where my nails had dug into my flesh.  One of his hands left where it had been running down my arm to run his fingers across my jaw lightly.  I felt it unclench when his touch moved over it, easing the tightness I’d held there. 

“You’re all I’ll ever want, okay?” he said quietly, green eyes burning into my own intently.  My breath rattled from my chest as I started to calm down, Harry’s presence and touch doing wonders on my frazzled nerves.  His thumb brushed lightly over my lower lip as he waited patiently for me to answer.

“Okay,” I said quietly, nodding and taking a deep breath.  His lips tugged up on one side in a lopsided grin, pleased I’d finally calmed down.  He ducked his head down to press his lips to mine gently, giving me a light kiss.  My eyes closed easily as I let the warmth of him wash over me, soothing away the anger that still lingered in my veins.  After a few seconds he pulled back, his beautiful eyes darting back and forth between mine.

“If I’d have known what a fighter you were I might have had second thoughts about asking you to move in,” he joked, his grin widening to show his dimples in his cheeks.  I giggled once before punching him lightly in the chest. 

“Watch it, or I’ll fight you, too,” I replied as I shot him a smirk.  He chuckled and threw his arm around my shoulder, pulling me away from the wall and into his side.  He lowered his lips to my ear and raised his other hand in front of us as if to give me a pep talk.

“Now Hal,” he started, a conspiratorial grin on his face.  “If we go back in there, can I trust you not to start round two?”

I huffed and shot him a playful glare. “You can if you get her out of here.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he chuckled before pressing a kiss into my temple as he steered me back inside.  Irritation flashed through me immediately as I saw her standing in the hallway, her hands running continuously through her hair to try and straighten what I’d disrupted.  I rolled my eyes at her and resisted the urge to run at her again, Harry’s touch around my shoulders the only thing keeping me in place. 

“Ma’am,” Harry said, his voice very formal and stiff as if he were impersonating a police officer.  I snorted at the offended look on her face as she realized he was addressing her.  “I think it’s best you leave.”

“Please,” she scoffed.  “Like I’d want to hang around with you assholes anyway.  Annie, you coming?”

My eyes darted to Annie, who stood a little further down the hall next to Maggie.  Her eyes widened suddenly at the attention.  Everyone watched her for a few seconds before she finally shook her head no, shifting closer to Maggie.

“No, sorry.  I have to agree with what Halle said…” she trailed off, glancing once at me.  I shot her an appreciative look, pleased she sided with me. 

“Fine.  You’re all a waste of my time anyway,” she spit as she launched herself away from the wall.  She stalked down the hallway, glaring at me the entire time with a hideous sneer on her face.  My hand started to raise to flip her off when Harry stilled my action, his large hand folding around my arm to stop me before shooting me a subtle disapproving glare with a shake of his head.  I sighed and returned my glare to Olivia as she marched toward the door.  She flung it open and whipped herself through.

“Bye, bitch!” I couldn’t help but call just before the door slammed shut.  I grinned in satisfaction while Harry shot me another disapproving look. 

“What?” I asked lightly, giggling now that I’d gotten at least some satisfaction from her departure.  He rolled his eyes lightly and chuckled quietly.

“Oh Hal. I love you,” he said simply, his tone light and amused. 

“Love you too,” I said with a wide grin, rising to my tiptoes to kiss his lips lightly before darting out from beneath his arm. “Now you better help me or this is going to take forever.”

I strolled down the hall, beckoning him to follow as I approached Maggie and Annie.  They both looked somewhat shocked at what had happened but neither were really upset. 

“Holy shit,” Maggie said. “You let her have it!”

“She deserved it, honestly.  She was always talking shit about how she was going to get him ‘any day now’ even before you guys broke up,” Annie said, rolling her eyes.  Anger flashed through me again, giving me half a mind to chase her down and punch her for real, but I subdued it for Harry’s sake. 

“Ugh. Why were we friends with her again?” I asked, laughing in relief that she was no longer there.  Harry appeared by my side, joining our conversation. 

“She likes to party, we like to party… but other than that, no idea,” Maggie laughed, shrugging.

“This is all your fault,” I told Harry, nudging him lightly in the side.  He blinked in surprise.

“What? How?”

“You’re too damn attractive,” I joked, giggling as relief washed over his face when he saw that I was kidding.

“You’re right about that,” he said with a wink, bumping me with his shoulder before letting himself into my room.  He came to an abrupt stop when he saw the chaos unfolding in there.

“I told you I needed help,” I laughed, taking in his surprised expression.  His eyebrows were high on his forehead and his lips parted slightly in surprise.

“Hal, baby, I love you, but all this shit is not coming to our house,” he said, shaking his head.  A wide grin spread across my face at his word choice.

“Our house?” I repeated, taking a step away from my friends and towards him.  He turned toward me suddenly as if just realizing what he’d said.  A smile pulled at his lips as he looked at me.

“It’s our house now, isn’t it?” he asked, ticking his head to the side while he smirked happily at me.

“Yes, it is,” I said, closing the remaining distance between us.  I looped my arms around his neck and felt his hands fold around my lower back as I leaned back to look up at him.  “I just liked hearing you say that.”

“Good, baby,” he said quietly before ducking down to kiss me, his lips folding perfectly over my own as we stood in the midst of all my stuff.  My heart pounded a little faster, the combination of his presence, his words, and the way he kissed me making me feel inexplicably happy. 

“Get a rooooom,” Maggie jeered from the hallway, causing us to break apart as a giggle fell from my lips.  My arms tightened around Harry’s neck to hug myself into him as I diverted my gaze to Maggie and Annie.  They stood in the hallway, wide grins on their faces as they teased us.  Harry chuckled quietly as he hugged me into his chest, not bothered by our spectators. 

“We’ll be out here, away from your PDA,” Annie teased, shaking her head playfully as they disappeared down the hall. 

I turned back to Harry, my arms still locked around his neck.  He ducked down to press one last light kiss to my lips before releasing me.  He took a step backward and stumbled over something on the floor, catching himself at the last second before straightening back up.  I giggled as I watched him, his lips pinching together in surprise while his brows shot upward. 

“Clumsy, clumsy,” I teased, crossing carefully to the other side of the room to start organizing some more.

“Messy, messy,” he shot back as he pushed his hand through his hair, earning another giggle from me.  “What can I take out of here? To go to our house?”

“Um…” I pressed a finger to my lips and looked around.  “Those two suitcases.  I haven’t sorted anything else out yet.”

He nodded, stepping tentatively over my stuff to gather what I’d indicated, nearly tripping once again on the way.  The rest of the day passed quickly thanks to Harry being surprisingly helpful.  We managed to pack everything I would need to live at the house permanently, as well as some random things Harry found in my room that he wanted.  My movie collection, school stuff, a few decorative things, and some other random stuff were claimed to bring with. 

Before I knew it, we had loaded all of what I would bring into Harry’s SUV, which was nearly overflowing with stuff.  The remainder of my things were organized and piled neatly in my room of my apartment, waiting to be brought back to my parents’ house.  Harry’s tidy tendencies had definitely come in handy, easing the process and actually making for an enjoyable afternoon despite the tediousness of packing. 

“Ready to go home? For real?” Harry asked, shooting me a glance from across the console of his vehicle.  I grinned at him as a flutter ran through my stomach at his words. 

“I’m so ready,” I replied. 

We were going home, officially, but in all honesty, I’d been home for a long time now.  Home wasn’t a place where you lived or a building you spent time in.  It wasn’t where you stored your things or went at the end of the day.  Home was where you felt loved, happy, free.  It was where your soul found it’s other half and reveled in the perfect completeness achieved by two people being together that were made for each other.  Home was an abstract idea, and I’d found mine a while ago- my home was with Harry, wherever he may be.

"On the warpath 'cause I love you just a little too much."

This is not the last chapter, though there are verrrry few left, along with an epilogue! Hope you liked it, you know what to do if you did! Also, please make sure you check out my newest story, Anarchy :)