"We should probably head back downstairs" I mumble into Harry's chest, which moves in a quiet chuckle.

"Yeah sure" he replies, helping me slide off the desk. I hunt around the desk looking for my panties, panicking a little bit when I don't find them straight away.

"Did you see where my panties went?" I ask Harry as I crouch down on my knees to check if they slid under the desk. I look up at him when he doesn't respond and find him grinning softly. I shake my head and stand up, holding my hand out.

"Give them back" I demand. Harry rolls his eyes and takes my panties out of his back pocket, handing them to me with a pout. "Such a pervert" I smirk, leaning my hand on his shoulder as I shuffle back into the flimsy material.

"Hey easy, I just like the idea of you walking around panty-less. Is that a crime?" He half chuckles, straightening out his shirt once I have both feet back on the ground.

"When I'm at your families house? Really?" I ask him, raising my eyebrow ever so slightly. He shrugs with a soft smirk.

"Doesn't really matter where, you're hot and I like what I like" he responds cooly. I turn my head and roll my eyes before leaning forward and examining a cork board sitting above there desk. It's littered with old movie stubs and concert tickets.

"You went to a Nickleback concert?" I smile cheekily at him as he shuffles in his spot.

"My friend made me go, said there would be free beer" he shrugs.

"And that's why it's sitting so proudly on your cork board?" I tilt my head as he shakes his, clearly not fond of my teasing despite the shy grin on his face. A knock at the door shakes us both. Harry gives me a warning look saying 'be cool' as he walks over to the door and opens it up. Gemma stands on the other side, smirking widely and folding her arms after spotting the two of us.

"Well well well, what are we doing in here?" Her voice purrs, her body learning itself in the door frame to prevent Harry from shutting it again.

"I was just making fun of Harry for having a ticket to a Nickleback concert" I interject before Harry can make an excuse. I really hope his sister doesn't know what we were doing just five short minutes ago.

Gemma grins. "That's right! You were so excited for that concert" she gestures to Harry, who's glaring at her. She shrugs and keeps smiling. "Anyway, lunch is ready. You might want to hurry before there's none left" she tells us before she departs back down the stairs. Harry slowly turns to me.

"Shall we?"

"One last question" I hold up a finger and walk over to his neatly made bed and pick up the soft brown bear sitting neatly on top. "Who's this little guy?" I ask him grinning widely. It warms my heart that Harry had a little bear friend through his childhood. He hasn't always been harsh and tough, he's had a soft side since he was a kid, and this bear could have represented a lot of it. I'm desperate to know more.

He shakes his head. "He's no one, purely for decoration. He has no name" he says as he walks towards me slowly.

"Oh come on, every bear has a name, just tell me pleeeaseee" I pout out my bottom lip and bat my eyelashes as he stands before me. I clutch the bear to my chest, his soft fur tickling underneath my chin.

Harry sighs as he stands in front of me, attempting to tug the bear out of my grasp with a gentle pull. His eyes are alight with humour despite his stern expression. He doesn't always have to be a tough man around me, I'd much rather he wasn't like that at all. I love it when he's just sweet and goofy, ready to tell me stories about his past, open to letting me into his life. That's the Harry I relate to the most, he's the one I can best understand. That's the side of him that cares for me and needs to make sure that I know it, the side that agrees to go on dates he might not like because he knows I'll love them.

He sighs heavily, the corner of his lips turning upwards into a gentle smile. "Rufus, his name is Rufus" my mouth widens as I hug the bear closer to me. I can imagine a young Harry carrying his little bear around, mumbling his name with a slight lisp and childlike wonder.

"That's so sweet" I coo as I let him take the bear from my grip. He examines the bear in his hands before setting it back down on the bed. I stand up on my tiptoes and take a hold of his chin, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. I can feel a soft smile rise on his lips as he holds my hips.

"Come on, food" he says when our lips finally part, taking my hand and leading me out of the room and back down the stairs.

Anne is an incredible cook, the dishes she's served are nothing too special and yet they taste extraordinary. It's been a very long time since I have had a home cooked meal like this, I feel as though my stomach could explode at any moment.

Harry and I sit on one of the couches outside, balancing the now empty plates of food on our laps. His aunt Sandra has found us and begun talking our ear off about the roses in her garden and how her 'little Matty boy' is doing such great work over in the US. Harry appears to be listening to her quiet politely, his arm slung over the back of the couch over my shoulders. His fingers are softly stroking my bare shoulder, it's incredibly soothing and I want to just melt into his side but there's something I can't shake from my mind.

That boy from earlier; Jack, I keep scanning the grounds looking for him and I can't find him anywhere. He wasn't at the table collecting food either, maybe he left? Out of the corner of my eye I see Gemma collecting some empty plates to take back to the kitchen. I take mine and Harry's and stand up to do the same.

"Babe you don't have to help clean" Harry half chuckles as I stand up, at the same time shooting me a look that says 'do not leave me alone with this woman'. I shake my head and collect up some more sitting on the small table in front of us.

"It's fine I'll be back in a few" I smile down at him and carry the plates back towards the house, collecting a few stray plates as I go. Anne is busy in the kitchen cleaning things up; moving leftovers to smaller containers and playing jenga with their positions in her fridge

"Oh you're so sweet to help thank you Elena" Anne calls out as I approach, placing the dishes beside where Gemma has placed hers. I shrug my shoulders with a smile, helping Gemma place them in the dishwasher.

"Good news; everyone loves you" Anne walks behind me and squeezes my shoulder as she passes. I turn my head to watch her as she grins widely, emptying the remaining potato salad into a smaller bowl. "Everyone keeps telling me what a lovely girl they think you are, you're a hit!" My cheeks flush red and begin to ache from all the smiling I've done today. Thank god; I didn't lie about who I was and they still liked me.

"Oh, I'm so glad" I reply with a grin and a sigh, releasing some more of the hidden tension I've been holding in my shoulders. Gemma sits at the counter island across from us, taking a small sip out of a glass of wine.

"I hope we haven't been too overwhelming for you, I've been told I can come on a little too strong when it comes to my kids partners" Anne shoots a knowing look to Gemma, who giggles against the liquid in her glass. Partners, I like the sound of that. I hated it in the beginning of our relationship because to me it meant 'business partners' in this little deal we had, have. But now it has more of a romantic notion to it, it means so much more, at least to me.

"Yeah no kidding! The SECOND time she met my husband she gave him my great grandmothers wedding ring for him to propose with. We'd barely been together six months!" I let out a quiet laugh as Gemma recounts the story, Anne is quick to defend herself though.

"Hey a mother always knows! And was I wrong?" Gemma shakes her head with a wide grin. I guess Anne was spot on with that one as Gemma sits here; apparently blissfully happy with a daughter blowing bubbles with uncle Ray outside and another baby in her stomach.

"And all I'm saying is I get the same feeling here!" Anne says as she places the potato salad in the kitchen. My heart drops out of my chest; liking me is one thing but thinking Harry and I should get married is something very different. The shock must be evident on my face as Anne turns around to face me, her glee dropping ever so slightly.

"Oh I'm sorry darling I don't mean to freak you out. All I'm saying is that I really hope that you will stick around. You haven't been together too long but I really feel that you have had a profound effect on him. He can be quite removed from us as a family; but ever since you two started dating he has been in touch a lot more, making the time to see me and Gemma more, normally with these events he's gone within the hour but here he is four hours later" she reaches her hands out and holds onto my forearms softly, tilting her head to give me a warm reassuring smile.

"He hasn't always had the easiest time in life, and his adult life is always so busy and challenging and draining. But you, you make him happy. He's more warm, more gentle, kinder, more attentive, he's a happy boy. And as his mother, all I've wanted is for my baby boy to be happy. And I think he finally is, with you" Her words bring tears to my eyes, but they don't spill over. Her eyes are the same, as she pulls me into a tight hug. I'm happy that I appear to be having an effect on him; I remember when I met him I thought he was a bit of an obnoxious asshole, and that's not the Harry that I know now.

But what makes me sadder is how our relationship started in the first place. Now his mother thinks I'm this saint who saved her boy; when the only reason I went on a date with him in the first place was because I was broke and running out of options. Things have changed so much since then; I truly care about him so much, more than I ever thought that I could, and he's barely paying me any money to be with him. We're both in a much different place than we were when we started, his words from earlier proclaiming himself as mine ringing in my ears. But all of this doesn't dissuade the guilt that I feel, it makes it worse knowing that even if I tried to clear my conscious and tell the truth everything would fall apart.

My eyes start to sting, I had only come into this kitchen to maybe find out a little bit more about that strange Jack person I met earlier. And now, yikes.

"Mum how many times do I have to tell you to stop smothering my girlfriend?" Harry's husky voice appears from behind me as I feel his hands softly rest themselves on my hips. Anne grins widely, her tears brimming further to the edge of her eye as she watches us two, her hands gathered in a ball resting on her chest.

"That's what mothers do, the smother, get it, it's in the name!" Gemma says gleefully. Both she and Anne are distracted soon enough as Charlie runs through the kitchen squealing with glee as two other young kids chase after her.

"You okay?" Harry mumbles, moving to lean against the counter beside me. I nod my head, looking around the room. This is just going to bug me all day the longer I keep it to myself. I have to ask him about that guy.

"Someone introduces themselves to me earlier, Jack, what's up with him?" I ask him quietly. The second his name leaves my lips Harry's demeanour completely changes. His leaning position is exchanged for an upright and stiff one, his hand tightly holding the edge of the bench.

"What did he say to you?" Harry asks me quietly, his jaw locked tight. Oh god what have I done.

I shake my head quickly, attempting to mellow out the situation. "Nothing nothing really, he introduced himself to me and he said that he was surprised that you had never told me about him before. Are you guys close?"

"No. Not close. When did this happen?" He looks around the room, his teeth clenched together.

"Ages ago, when you were talking to Emily" Ah yes that's right, that bitch. I've been keeping my eye on her for most of the day, she's kept her distance.

"You should have told me earlier. Come on we're leaving" he says taking a hold of my elbow and carting me out of the kitchen over to where his mother and sister are crowding around Charlie who's fisting an orange crayon and scribbling wildly on a piece of paper. I shouldn't have said anything, I've now put him in a bad mood and will have to sit in a car with him for the next three hours. But how was I supposed to know that I wasn't supposed to talk to him, I've met a lot of people today do I have to keep track of them all and give him a detailed list of who talked to me and what we said?

"Elena and I are leaving, it was good to see you" Harry says swiftly as he gives his sister a kiss on the cheek. Anne is visibly upset, shaking her head.

"Why sweetheart? Is it about the drive back? You two can always stay the night?" Anne offers before Harry quickly shakes his head.

"No, she has University tomorrow and I have work" he replies curtly. I don't like this side of him, and it's all my fault. The disappointment must be evident on my face as Gemma gives me a sympathetic smile before wrapping me in a soft hug.

"It was so lovely meeting you Elena, I'll see you some time soon yeah?" She says quietly to me as we hug. I nod my head, my arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Of course, it was great to meet you" I reply, putting on my best smile as though the decision to leave was mutual. Harry's long legs have carried themselves over to the dining room to shake Wills hand and presumably wish him a happy birthday.

Anne gives me sad smile and places her hands on my forearms. "Well it was nice to have you both here, thank you so much for coming dear" her arms pull me against her chest, wrapping me in a warm and tight hug. She's a pro at these mum hugs. I feel like all the trouble I've apparently just caused has melted away, even though I know it's waiting for me outside in the car, when we're alone I'm sure he'll let me know just how badly I messed up.

"I'll see you soon I hope, I'll be in the city in a week or two, maybe the three of us could have lunch?" Her mood picks up slightly as we break our embrace, her lips turned upwards into a warm smile. I nod my head.

"I would love that, thank you for having me, I had a really great time" I reassure her. After our chat earlier I know that she was concerned about coming on a little too strong, but she couldn't be more wrong. I feel so at home with these people, I was afraid I would feel like I'm imposing but I ended up feeling like I was wanted here. I'm just sad that I messed it up for her, and now her son is in a bad mood and making quick work of leaving her party. Anne nods her head with a smile as Harry appears by my side.

"Elena lets go" He says to me quietly. I feel like a disobedient child as I nod my head, making my way over to the door with him. Anne calls out to us to get home safe as the door is shut behind us, leaving us to both climb into the car and drive off out of the driveway.

It's awkward, immediately it's awkward. I would have thought that Harry would launch into a rant about how I messed up, but he's doing worse, the silent treatment. His hand reaches out to turn on the radio before it rests itself back on the wheel, turning it gently to ease the car around the slight bends of the tiny village road. I should break the silence, I need to. I can't sit with this for hours on end.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you he came and spoke to me, I didn't know that talking to him was off limits" I mumble just loud enough for him to hear, watching out of the corner of my eye as he tightens the grip on the steering wheel.

"It's not that, he shouldn't have come to talk to you" he says in response, with a lack of emotion that sends a chill through my core.

"Why?" I stupidly mumble.

"I don't want to talk about it" he responds quickly.

"It might make you feel better" I offer, the slight hint of a smile crossing my lips. I sound like a counsellor, stupidly trying to encourage the man who's often made of steel to open up to me. Stranger things have happened; I've learnt some stuff about him over the last couple of months, but this doesn't seem to be coming out any time soon.

"No thanks" he harshly replies. It's a sucky feeling; I'm supposed to make him feel better about these sorts of things rather than make him mad.

"Are you mad at me?" I meekly ask him. Thankfully, he lets out a sigh and shakes his head.

"No, I'm not mad at you. I'm just pissed off. He knows that he's not supposed to talk to you and yet he does" he lets out another sigh, readjusting his grip on the steering wheel. We're on the highway now, the traffic is much clearer than it was on the way to his mum's house, we should make good time on the way back.

"What could he have done that you don't want him to even talk to me?" I say quietly. It's such a weird situation to me; that he would have told him to not talk to me, what does he not want me finding out? Has he got this Jack guy on a contract as well, promising that he won't talk to me. Ugh, contracts.

"Elena it doesn't concern you so just fucking drop it alright?" His voice is raised, he's not yelling but he's being firm and I feel like I'm being yelled at. I feel like I'm being punished for nothing; for my curiosity getting the better  of me, for wanting to get to know his family a little better. I can't let it go, I can't drop it.

I can live without knowing what happened between the two of them, for a while at least. But what I can't let go of is the way he's taking his frustrations out on me. The silence that follows is hollow and awkward, not even the faint guitar playing through the radio can ease the tension between the two of us.

"I like your mum, she's really lovely." I break the silence in a soft voice, hoping if I focus on the happier parts of the day that he will pull himself out of this stroppy mood. "And your sister is great" All he does is nod.

"That's exciting for her, that she's having another baby" I say, inviting him to join in the conversation.

"Sure" he mumbles, keeping his eyes focused forward. Not in the mood to talk I guess. I resign myself, relaxing back into the seat after readjusting the volume on the radio, drowning out the silence with some random radio show. I barely listen to it though, I can't believe I've done this. We've had this incredible weekend, and I somehow managed to mess it up in such a spectacular way without even realising it. He may not be mad at me, but I certainly am. And him, I'm mad at him too.

"We still have a bit of a drive ahead of us so can you please stop being angry about it?" I tell him, suddenly feeling a gust of adrenaline wash through my system. He doesn't reply for several moments.

"Thought we were letting this go?" His tone is accusatory, and it only serves to make me madder.

"I have let it go. You don't have to tell me what went on between the two of you, but whatever it was that he did that has left you so angry now you don't get to take it out on me. I didn't do anything wrong, so you don't get to be pissed off at me" I fold my arms across my chest, my heart beating rapidly against them. I think he's shocked by my outburst, it takes him a while to respond.

"I'm not pissed off at you why would you think I'm pissed off at you?" He asks.

"Are you kidding me? You're not even trying to make conversation with me, you're being a bit of an asshole. What am I supposed to do? Sit here in silence for the next hour after you yelled at me for no good reason? I don't deserve that"

"You think I'm being an asshole?" He scoffs as I nod.

"Yeah, yeah I do. We've had an amazing weekend and you're choosing to let this little thing ruin it, I've let it go but you're still holding onto you're anger and it's not fair" I'm surprised at my demeanour, I've stayed relatively calm considering how mad I am. It must be because I'm stuck in such a small space with him, it's adding fuel to the fire.

"Don't be an idiot, I'm not choosing to stay mad, I'm not even fucking mad at you! We've both dropped it we're fine!" He raises his voice and my body hunches itself closer to the door. I'm not scared of him, but I can't stand it when he raises his voice at me. And he's calling me an idiot, seriously?

"Take me home" I say quietly, paying close attention to a piece of fluff on the bottom of my shirt, anything to keep me from having to focus my attention on talking to him.

"I thought you were staying with me tonight?" Harry's voice is much softer than his outbursts seconds before, of course he calls me an idiot and also expects me to stay the night. Am I in the twilight zone or something?

"No I want to go back to my apartment" I tell him meekly. We can't be too far away now, I'm so eager to get out of this car. I just want to be away from him, he doesn't get it, he doesn't see that he's being a jerk. He lets out a heavy sigh before I feel his hand rest gently on my knee, it's supposed to feel comforting, it's supposed to draw me close to him, but I'm not buying into it.

"I'm sorry baby, come on, I don't want the weekend to end like this" His thumb rubs circles into my skin, I shake my head, though most of the anger has left my body now that he has adopted a softer tone.

"I don't either, but it's happened now so, I just want to go home" I shrug, feeling very defeated, but mostly just pathetic. Harry signals and changes lanes before his hand rests on top of mine.

"Bub I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh with you, just come and stay the night". I can't help but remember that he's only apologising now because I said I'm not staying the night with him. I'd hate to think that that is his main motivator, but I have a sad rather nagging feeling that it is. I shake my head again, my minds made up. He's mad, he needs to cool off, I'm not going to be his punching bag, I'll let him steam off tonight.