Harry disappears from my side briefly to hunt down some drinks for us, despite the fact that he had already decided that the drinks at these sorts of events are always terrible.

"They've watered it down completely, it's basically cheap boxed wine" Harry huffs as he reappears beside me in front of a large canvas coated in yellow with flecks of gold and green. I take the wine gratefully from him, if it's crap to him then it might be something my unqualified palate will enjoy. One sip later though, the opposite point has been proven.

"That just tastes weird" I try and hide the grimace on my face, I widen my eyes as I see Harry take another sip. "Why are you still drinking it?" He stares down at the plastic wine glass for a second before he raises his shoulders in a shrug.

"It would be rude to not at least try and finish it, plus there isn't really an alternative. I knew I should have snuck a flask in" he murmurs with a slight hint of amusement in his tone. His eyes grow more curious as he focuses them on the art in front of us.

"You like it?" I ask him, nudging his side with my shoulder slightly.

"No, I can't figure out what it is" he replies with a hint of confusion.

"It's not one of those ink blot tests, it's art, it's whatever you want it to be" I reply with a light smile. A ghost of a smile appears on Harry's lips too as his head nods slowly.

"Well I like knowing what things are, I do too much thinking already" He huffs in mock exasperation. The thought is amusing to me; Harry likes things to be straightforward and uncomplicated. I already figured that out when I had to sign a contract with an extensive set of rules, but I guess it's amusing that it's the same with his artistic preferences.

"Alright then, so that's a no, I'm sure we will find something in here" I reply optimistically, my good mood diminishes somewhat as we walk away from the canvas as Harry fishes his vibrating phone out of his pocket. He frowns at the screen before he turns to me.

"I've got to take this, look around I'll find you" He breathes out hurriedly before he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. In a flurry of movement he raises the phone to his ear and makes his way towards the exit, trying to find somewhere quiet to talk.

I scan the room around me, looking for something that peaks my interest when I discover a staircase off to the side leading to the second floor. I move past the small clusters of people and head for the stairs, I'm sure Harry will be able to find me up here when his call is finished.

There's only one room upstairs that contains more artwork, and no one else is in there when I walk through the archway. There are three canvases on the back wall, they appear to be a part of a set. Very large, very delicate watercolour paintings of the seaside. They remind me of my home and it warms me from the inside out. I miss my hometown, though I don't have a home there, I need to go back and visit. Maybe they'll let me take my mum out for the day and I can take her to the beach, she used to love going to the beach before she got sick.

"Beautiful work isn't it?" A disembodied voice surprises me, causing me to turn my body around to the unfamiliar sound. It's a tall older man with sleeked back hair and large brown eyes. He wanders closer to me, clutching his own glass of wine between his long fingers, giving me a knowing smirk.

"Uh, yes it's lovely" I mumble politely in response, turning my attention back to the work. The man stands directly beside me, letting out a sigh as he faces it as well.

"He has some rather beautiful pieces in here, none quite as beautiful as you but still" his every syllable flirts with me, his suit jacket brushes against my shoulder. He's standing so close and I don't really know what to do. I'm the last person who's going to make a scene at Harry's friends event.

"He's an incredible artist" I say quietly as I shuffle over to pretend to get a closer look at the piece on the end. Maybe if I ignore his compliment he will get the hint and leave me alone. The man follows closely beside me, I don't need to look up at him to know he's staring at me, I can feel his gaze on me.

"I've not seen you before, yet you look so familiar. What brought you here?" He asks in a sultry tone. There are very few places I could have met this man; maybe I served him coffee at my old job, or he was at one of the events I accompanied Harry to, but I have a feeling he's just looking for an in with me.

"My boyfriend is good friends with the artist" I say proudly, a soft smile warming over my lips. Harry should be back soon; I need to make this guy go away before he finds me here with this guy.

"Well where is your boyfriend now? If I brought a lovely lady like you to an event, I think I'd have a hard time leaving you alone" He doesn't take the bait, his body following mine as I slowly head over to the archway and back out onto the stair landing. Harry's nowhere in sight, damn it.

"Taking a phone call" I shrug my shoulders and mumble nonchalantly.

"Better be an important call to leave you alone" the man remarks as we descend down the stairs, reluctantly he's still by my side. I'm not going to embarrass him or myself by telling him to leave me alone, but I feel like I've done all the polite things you should do when someone's bothering you. I'm not asking him questions or trying to make the conversation interesting, I've told him I have a boyfriend and I've left the room. This guy is either not reading my social cues, or he just doesn't care.I nod my head and walk over to one of the side rooms hanging more artwork, not answering his question.

"What's your name?" He asks as he brushes past someone in an attempt to keep up with me.

"Elena" I mumble, I can't ignore him, and I'm not clever enough to think of a decent name on the spot. Especially if it turns out he and Harry are friends, and then I'm just being a weirdo for giving him a fake name.

"Beautiful name, fitting for such a beautiful girl. I'm Sebastian" He replies proudly. No Harry in this room either, but at least there are other people around, maybe he'll talk to one of them.

"What do you do Elena?" Sebastian asks me, despite my non-response to his previous statement.

"I'm a student"

"Lovely, what do you study?" His tone sends a chill down my spine, as he seems to be thrilled with my response. I can't quite guess his age, but I wouldn't say he's younger than Harry, so maybe he's in his late thirties.

"Business" I shrug, taking a large sip of my wine.

"Smart and beautiful, the whole package" he murmurs.

"There you are babe, been searching all over for you" Harry's voice is music to my ears as it sounds through the small room. I turn my body to him, the large smirk on his face falls slightly as he sees the man getting a little too close by my side. Sebastian takes a slight step backwards as Harry appears by my side, wrapping an arm around the small of my back and pressing a kiss to my cheek, sending a wave of relief through my body.

"Who's your friend?" Harry asks smugly, holding me close against his side as he looks over at Sebastian, who puffs out his chest and gives him a wide smile in response.

"I was just keeping this lovely lady company, she looked lonely. You two have a nice evening" Sebastian gives us both a nod before he turns his body and saunters out of the room. My head falls to rest on Harry's chest, his sides gripping me slightly too tight.

"Was he flirting with you?" Harry asks me in disgust once we're alone. I nod my head and swallow the lump in my throat.

"I was trying to hint at him to leave me alone, I told him I had a boyfriend and that you were here but he didn't seem to care at all. I'm sorry" I apologise and wrap my arm around his waist, hugging myself to his body.

"It's not your fault bub, with a body like yours I get that guys want to flirt with you. Next time just kick him in the nuts for me okay?" Harry's smug tone causes me to giggle, pulling back from him to give him a quick swat on his arm.

Harry chuckles before he pulls me back into his grasp, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "You're my girl, no one else's" he mumbles quietly, almost to himself.

"I'm your girl" I confirm with him before I tilt my head up, pressing my lips to his in a soft kiss. It goes on for longer than it probably should, with us being in public and all. I try not to let my mind wander back to the contract, the no PDA in public rule as well as the rule that he initiates all PDA in public spring to mind regretfully.

"Come on, we still need to find you some art" I mumble against his lips with a grin as we finally pull away.

It takes a while, nothing seeming to jump out at Harry as meaningful or special. I don't want to force it, make him get something that he doesn't even like. But I think this is such a good idea; a piece of art made by a friend, there aren't a lot of things more special than that.

We arrive at one of the final pieces, a painting of a scenery, it looks like a schoolyard. Curiously, I lean to the side to read the inscription panel just off to the side.

'The schoolyard where I regretfully spent my days as a youth clowning around with my mates more than getting my education. Simpler times; on the left is the fence we used to slip underneath when we would ditch one of our lessons and head to the chippie down the road. To the right is a large oak tree that my mate H would use as his own personal make out spot, somehow roping in a quarter of the student body into meeting him there. They've fixed the fence now and cut down the tree to make room for parking. Now it only exists in my mind'

H, Max called Harry 'H' when we first walked in. I turn around to see Harry typing quickly on his phone, his attention turns back to me as I place a hand on his arm.

"Harry come read this" I tell him quickly as I pull him over to the artwork, pointing to the description to the side. I watch his eyes as they scan over the words, a wide grin covering his face as he glances from the painting, to the description, and back again. We've done it, we've found it.

"It looks exactly the same, that's wicked" Harry remarks cheerfully, his eyes scanning over the large piece of work. That's it, that's the look I was hoping for; a twinkle in those little green eyes I'm always getting lost in.

"Well you have to get it" I say matter of factly, examining the sign to see if there is a price tag. How do you even buy art at an event like this. When I'm about to ask him how, Harry's look of amusement and bewilderment throws me off. "What?"

"You sure you're okay with me getting it? I mean it has my hook up tree in the corner" he states almost proudly with a wide smirk.

"Memories are memories not matter how slutty they are. Besides, you did all that stuff basically before I was even born so I think you're off the hook" His hand lightly resting on my hips begins to tickle my sides before I wriggle out of his grasp.

"Cheeky" he smirks at me.

"I couldn't resist. Now go buy it" I reply, giving him a slight nudge.

"Mhmm, I like this bossy side of you. Let's go buy this so I can get you home and get you out of that lovely dress of yours" he hotly mumbles close to my ear as he takes a hold of my hand, bringing me with him to the other side of the gallery.

"Happy with your purchase?" I ask him as we arrive back at the hotel. I didn't see how much Harry actually paid for the painting, but I don't think it was cheap.

"Very. It will get delivered while I'm away so I'll have to figure out a place to hang it when I get back" Harry replies as I step out of the car. He's waiting for me patiently on the curb as I try and swing my legs out of the car in a certain was as not to flash everyone in the vicinity.

"Stop reminding me that you're going" I pout as we enter the hotel, the staff standing up slightly straighter when they see Harry. I wonder how they'll treat me when he's away; will they relax or will they think I'm the enemy?

"I won't say it again but you know you could..." I cut him off before he offers up New York again.

"I know I could but I can't so I won't" My choice of words make us both somewhat smile as we enter into the elevator, the words bordering on a Dr. Seuss like statement.

"But you want to?" Harry eyes peer at me curiously as the elevator starts to rise. A week in New York with the man I'm probably falling in love with? Jeez that sounds real awful, couldn't think of anything worse.

"Of course I want to, I can't always do what I want just because I want to do it". I will admit that I'm not one of the most spontaneous people on the planet, four months ago I would have described myself as a very basic and boring person. I feel differently now I suppose; I'm more acknowledging of how my past has shaped me and I've opened myself up to new and potentially vulnerable experiences. That being said; I don't quite have it in me to jeopardise my stable future in leu of a more exciting yet unpredictable one.

"That's what I do, life's way more fun when you just do what you want" Harry's cheeky grin brings me out of my potential existential crisis. Yes I'm sure life has been fun for him, but I know that it's also been not kind and full of a lot of hard work to get to where he is. He's accomplished, he's put in the work and now he has it all. I've done not a whole lot, I've still got to do my part before I get to live the high life.

"You get to do what you want because you have money" I reply with a smile as the elevator arrives on Harry's floor. We both exit the box and I excitedly kick the heels off my feet, I managed to stay upright the whole night at the expense of sore ankles.

"And you have money too babe. I told you already, your money troubles are over, all of them" Harry tells me as he takes off his suit jacket, resting it over the back of the couch and ruffling a hand through his hair. His back is to me so I can't read his face, and he can't see the look on mine. I have to admit; when he talks about the future of us so vaguely with me it freaks me out.

Yes I want a future with him, and I think he wants one with me, but we still haven't talked about what sort of future that would be. This all started with a six month contract; at the end of it would I be signing another? Does 'the future' mean forever or for the next little while until he gets bored of me? I want to buy into the fantasy that it's forever; that I could possibly be special enough to get the happy ending. But why would I get to live the good life when my past indicates that I will always be the bottom of the barrel.

"You okay?" Harry's voice draws me back out of my head, his body leaning against the kitchen island across the other side of the room. I nod my head as I pad my way across the floor over to him, the cool marble floor feeling incredible on my feet. He tilts his head to the side and lowers the water bottle he retrieved from the fridge from his lips. I move my body to stand between his and the kitchen sink, leaning my back against the sink.

"You know, I'd kill to get into your head sometimes, figure out what you're thinking. I didn't think I would be the open book one in this relationship" Harry remarks with a soft smile, placing the water bottle down beside him. I want to giggle at the thought of Harry being classified as an 'open book'. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing" I mumble gently.

"Nice try. Come on out with it then" he presses on. This man knows me more than I thought he did, maybe more than I wanted him to.

I shrug my shoulders, keeping my gaze somewhat downwards. "It's not that anything's wrong, it's just that. Well...lately you've been talking about how I don't need to worry about things in the future because you'll take care of it all and it will be fine. And I like that, I really do, but it's just hard for me I guess" I stumble my way through my thoughts, my speech unorganised and confusing to even myself.

"How come?" Harry asks gently, folding his arms over his chest.

"Because I don't like being vulnerable. I've been vulnerable before and things haven't gone well for me as I'm sure you can imagine. It's just scary; I don't want to rely on it only for it to all just go away" I mumble. I hear a soft sigh from Harry that causes me to lift my head.

"Yeah..the money" Harry sighs softly. I narrow my eyes at him.

"No, not the money. You, this...I don't want this to just go away" I gesture between the two of us. "Because I like this, and if it all just went away then that would really suck" Harry's reaction warms my heart, a light smile rises slowly on his lips as he lifts up his head.

"Why do you think I'm just gonna run off? Have I given you any indication that I'm not totally into this?" He asks me quietly, taking a step closer to me.

"No no you haven't. It's not you, it's this whole situation. Nothing about our relationship has been planned or predictable, so it's hard to think of the future between us when it's gone completely differently than either of us thought" he doesn't say anything in response for a while, letting my words hang in the air between us. I don't want him to run, but he might. That's the thing about relationships of any kind that I find difficult, the trusting that they won't just up and leave.

"Look, we didn't have the most conventional start but I think we've done quite well. Couple of bumps in the road but that was bound to happen. And considering neither of us have a lot of experience in this sort of thing I think we're doing good" He points out with a gentle smile. It's weird to think of us both being so new at this. With most of Harry's past relationships lacking the emotional side and being purely sexual, he's almost as new to this as I am.  

I do trust him, it's not about him. It's about the whole structure of our relationship. It's about me, there are certain thoughts and feelings I have about myself that I don't think can ever be changed.

"I guess I just don't like the unpredictable" I give him a half smile as I look up at him, he's chest lightly pressing against mine. "Sorry"

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to apologise for. Life's unpredictable and sometimes it's not fair, but you don't need to worry about me running off and not coming back. I'm very happy with where I am" Harry gives me a half smirk before leaning down to leave a gentle kiss to my cheek. I turn my head to the side and press my lips against his, craving the contact and the rush of adrenalin that comes along with it.

We move quickly; my hands thread themselves through his locks as his hands find my waist, lifting me up to sit on the bench top. We're not quite the same height at this level, but it's pretty close now. His lips become more frantic against mine, my mouth slightly agape enough for him to slip in his tongue. My dress is too tight to allow me to wrap my legs around him so his hands hitch the hem upwards to my waist. Once my legs are securely fastened around his waist, my body is lifted up and carried across the floor to the set of stairs on the other side of the room. My lips leave his and trail kisses down his neck as he jogs up the stairs, effortlessly carrying me along with him. The throaty groan that emits from Harry's lips makes me wonder if I should cover his neck in hickeys like he did mine. The thought of him walking around New York carrying with him the evidence that he's with me is almost intoxicating. Before I can even begin the process, Harry lets out an annoyed grunt as he places me down allowing my feet to touch the floor.

"Where the fuck is this fucking zipper?" He hisses as he spins my body around to examine the back of the dress for himself, having spent much of the journey upstairs trying to find the zip. I let out a quiet laugh and turn myself around, pointing to the side of the dress for him, his curls looking more ruffled after I've gotten my hands on them.

"Finally, been wanting to get you out of this fucking dress all night" Harry says quickly as he makes quick work of the zip. The dress skims down my body and lays in a pool of black material at my feet.

"I thought you liked the dress?" I give Harry a faux pout as I tilt my head to the side, my hands sliding up his chest to begin unbuttoning his shirt. The fabric is so soft between my fingers, I may have to steal one of these while he's away.

"Oh I do, but so did a lot of the other men in that gallery tonight. I don't like other people ogling at what's mine" he states with heavy breath as I slowly work my way through the buttons. I can't help but roll my eyes at his slightly possessive nature, as if other people would try and 'steal me from him'. I manage to push the white shirt over his shoulders and slide it down his arms before his body is pressed up against mine, his lips attaching to my collar bone and pressing rough wet kisses across the skin.

My head tilts up towards the ceiling, my eyelids closing as to heighten the feeling of his lips on my body. It makes me feel drunk, but in the best kind of way. The kind of drunk that promises no hangover in the morning, just some withdrawals and maybe a couple of bad choices. I still don't know if Harry and I are perfect for one another, but it's in these moments where that doesn't matter. All that matters is that we are here together sharing these beautiful moments with one another. And if at the end of it all I realise that he was a bad choice then I know where the blame lies, in the touch of his hands and the sweetness in his kisses.

I slide my hands out of his hair down to his belt buckle, trying to quickly undo them. I feel Harry's breathy chuckle against my neck as I curse at my fumbling fingers, struggling to unhook the button after sliding the belt out from around his waist.

My body is swept up from underneath me as Harry walks me backwards towards the edge of the bed. My back lands on the bed and Harry takes a moment to gaze at me before climbing onto the bed and hovering himself over me.

"You know, you really should get on the pill so I can stop using these fuckers" Harry suggests with a smirk as he takes a condom out of the bedside drawer.

"I already am on the pill" I mumble quietly, the look on his face is one of elation and astonishment.

"You're what? I've been using condoms this whole time and you've been on the pill?!" His shocked tone makes me giggle as I shrug my shoulders.

"You never asked! And I thought you should always use both you know just in case..." I trail off, I don't feel like talking about unwanted pregnancies and STD's right about now. I'm still craving him, he needs to stop being distracted.

"Yeah if you're strangers, but we aren't strangers baby" he points out. "Is it okay if we don't use one?" He asks as he leans his head down to press soft wet kisses along my chest. I nod my head and tangle my hands into his hair, letting out a soft moan as his tongue flicks over one of my nipples.

"T-that's okay" I moan out. His head tilts upwards to peer at mine to reveal a show stopping grin. Man if I knew that it meant that much to him I would have told him weeks ago.

"Fuck yeah" Harry grins as he tosses the condom wrapper back onto the bedside table. I let out a giggle before it's replaced with a moan as Harry rolls his hips against mine, creating a rough feeling of friction between us. I wrap my legs around his waist and press my heels into the back of his legs, drawing him closer to me. One of my hands grips onto his hair as the other is resting on his left shoulder, digging in my nails as he grinds his body against mine. I drag my nails softly across the top of his back and am rewarded with a throaty groan from Harry against the crook of my neck, he loves it when I scratch him.

"I can't ever get enough of you, fuck" Harry admits quietly as he slips his hand into my panties, pressing his thumb against my clit and rubbing it gently. My legs begin to shake immediately, it's like he has a road map of my body. His teeth nip the skin at the most sensitive point on my neck, causing my eyes to squeeze shut in pleasure.

"H-Harry please.." I stumble out a moan as Harry slides one finger inside of me.

"Tell me what you need baby" Harry insists, curling his finger.

"You, please I need you" I reply with heavy breath. I know I'm not the best at dirty talk or whatever they call it but I do my best, he knows what I mean. I wince at the loss of contact as Harry withdrawals the finger out of me and slides my panties down my legs with one hand. I unhook my legs from around his waist and kick my panties off before hooking my fingers into his boxers and attempting to shove them down. He helps me remove the material before I decide to be brave and take his length into my hand, rubbing my thumb lightly over the top.

"Fuck Elena" Harry groans as he lifts his head up to press his lips clumsily against mine. I part my lips and continue to pump him for a few moments before I feel Harry's hand wrap around mine, guiding himself to slide inside me. My legs are wrapped around his waist again, alleviating the right feeling somewhat as he starts to slowly rock his hips backwards and forwards, his tongue flicking against mine. It's a feeling I'll never really get used to, but in the best possible way. The way we fit together, the way I feel so safe and taken care of, it feels so comforting and familiar. And yet, it's all so exciting. My insides churn with every movement, my heart races as that amazing pressure begins to build with every thrust.

"Faster, please, it feels so good" I manage out a strangled moan as I beg him to go faster. Thinking back to the first time we had sex, I didn't think I would ever want it to be tougher than that. If it had been so rough the first time I probably would have never let us get to this point again, but he took the time to let me get used to it, even now. Harry lifts his head up and begins to press kisses down my chest as his hips begin to roll deeper and faster into me. Don't get me wrong I love it when it's slow and gentle, but I need him and I need him now.

"Good girl, you love this feeling of my cock buried deep inside you don't you baby?" Harry groans out roughly, one of his hands lifting up to paw at my breast. I nod my head quickly as I let out a string of moans in agreement.

"Only I can make you feel like this, no one else. You're mine, all mine" his words are almost the end of me but I cling on, dragging my nails down his chest with one hand and gripping his shoulder with the other. I couldn't imagine it ever being better than this, or ever wanting to do it with anyone else besides him. He's right; he completely owns me, just like he wanted it in the beginning of our relationship. Only now, that's what I want to. He clouds my every thought, all of my decisions, all of my feelings, they're all his.

"I'm yours, completely yours" I respond, watching Harry's pupils dilate as he peers down from above me. His thrusts become faster at my words, my eyes squeezing shut and my head tilting back.

"Open your eyes, look at me" He demands roughly as I feel his fingers rubbing roughly at my clit. I open my eyes and take one look at him before I explode into euphoria, my vision becoming clouded with stars as I come completely undone around him. I think I see Harry bite down on his bottom lip as he watches me before he stills after a few thrusts, reaching his end before collapsing on top of me, two sweaty bodies tangled up together bathed in moonlight.