opia [h.s au]

Chapter 6

f**k, he is handsome.

Every time I see Harry is like I'm seeing him for the first time all over again. The way his soft curls frames his face, his sharp jawline so defined it looks sculpted by hand, those pink pouty lips that tastes like whiskey and mint... Oh my God.

To be honest Harry doesn't seem fazed by the ambience here, he is looking around with a neutral expression and a comfortable body language. Gemma, however, seems pretty tense, I can see from this distance how her shoulders are stiff and her eyes are wide as she tooks in everything that is happening around her.

I dart my eyes to Dom, who is taking in Gemma's appearance as hungrily as I was looking at Harry - aren't we a pair of losers? Taking his hand with mine, I give it a squeeze and pull Dom with me.

As we approach them, I watch almost in slow motion when Harry's eyes meet mine and I could swear there was a little sparkle behind his green gaze. It lasted for less than a second, but I noticed it. Or maybe I'm just drunker than I thought. His lips parts in a sly smile and my heart seems to skip a beat but as soon as his eyes meet my hand, that's intertwined with Dom's, the smile disappear.

What was that?

"Gem! You arrived!" I state the obvious, letting go of Dom's hand to give her a tight hug.

"Told you I would come" I can hear the smile in Gem's voice as she hugs me back "This place is awesome!" She whispers in my ear and I giggle.

"Gemma, hi" Dom gives Gemma a smirk before pulling her for a quick but tight hug. I watch them intently and need to bite down my lip when I see Gem blushing a little before saying hi back to Dom.

Turning to Harry, I crack up a smile. "Hello, so glad you came" I say because that's the polite thing to do, but I'm feeling terribly uncomfortable under his gaze. I don't know if I should hug him, that seems something too intimate to do so I just extend my hand.

"Hi. How are you?" He hesitates for a second before taking my hand and shaking it and I swear I felt little sparks of electricity when our skins touched but I'm quickly distracted when his eyes stops on my forehead and he frowns "Is that a-"

"A pickle, yeah" I interrupt him, rolling my eyes "Ran off of regular band-aids, so I got stuck with these pickle ones."

"I really like them" Harry smirks "But how did you manage to hurt your forehead?"

"This twit here knocked my out of the bed" I playfully shove Dom's shoulder, getting his attention and he finally darts his eyes from Gem and lays them on Harry.

"Hey" Dom straighten his posture, shaking Harry's voice in a very masculine, alpha male way "I'm Dom, nice to meet you."

"Harry, Gemma's brother" Harry gives him a smile that doesn't reach his eyes and I frown, not understanding why Harry is being cold to Dom.

I mean, last Thursday he was the most cool guy at the studio, smiling often and being very playful towards other people, he managed to charm every single person on the staff, they're all asking about Harry the next day. I thought he was just naturally warm and welcoming but seems like his charming personality is kind of selective.

"Welcome, please make yourself at home" Dom's smiles largely to both of them before taking my hand "May I have a word with you, baby boo?"

I don't even have time to reply as Dom drags me from the living room towards the kitchen, practically shoving me against the counter.

"What the f**k, Dom!" I bellow, not understanding his sudden outburst.

"That guy is f*****g hot, oh my f**k, Billie! He was the one you nearly f****d at Sinner that day?" He points towards the living room where we practically abandoned Harry and Gemma.

"Yeah, he's pretty huh?" I give him a coy smile.

"I'm pretty, Billie, that guy is a f*****g greek god! Swear to God if you don't make a move on him, I will." Dom says matter of factly, opening his fridge and grabbing two bottles of beer "Let's give them some alcohol and put our plan in action."

"What plan?" I raise my eyebrows at Dom, following him back to the living room where Gemma and Harry are standing exactly in the same place we left them.

Dom just gives me a smirk before handling the beers to Harry's and Gemma's hands. She smiles at him, making a little toast with his glass of whisky. Harry, however, denies his drink politely, mumbling something about drinking and driving.

"I'll have it" I'm quick to take the bottle from Dom's hand and taking a big sip from it, trying to calm down my nerves "Thanks, I was thirsty."

Harry looks at me, biting down his bottom lip and gives me a little wink. I want to watch whatever Dom is trying to do with Gemma but Harry's presence is very distractive, to say the least. I think I've never seem Dom being so gallant, he is all smiles and sweet expressions while talking to Gem - who is actually being very receptive to him.

"M'Gonna show the place around to Gem" Dom informs me, putting his hand on the small of Gemma's back before pulling her slightly for them to start to walk.

My gaze meet Gemma's and she gives me a shy smile, nodding so smoothly I almost didn't catch the movement and I relax. If she is okay with that, then I'm okay with that.

"So!" Harry's raspy voice calls for my attention as soon as Gemma and Dom step away "Do you throw this parties often?"

"Who, me?" I chuckle, rolling my eyes "As if! It is a miracle that I'm standing here right now, Dom almost had to blackmail me to come today."

"Oh I thought you lived together..." Harry frowns, looking around us.

I notice how almost everybody is side-eyeing Harry, some people discreetly and others not so much. One of Dom's model's friends, a tall blond with long tattooed legs and the face of a f*****g angel is looking at Harry with hunger in her eyes, and I don't think it's just because she probably exists off from salads and water - I mean, she has a bottle of light beer in her hand, what the f**k.

His eyes lay on her and they exchange a smile and a little nod and I wonder if they've already met before, feeling suddenly out of place standing next to Harry.

I mean, he is like the hottest thing in this party - and to think that about a party filled with models is some serious s**t - while I'm just Dom's goofy friend that has a f*****g pickle sticked to her forehead. I'm not tall, sexy and tanned as all the other girls around here, my skin it's not sensually tattooed and my hair doesn't look like I'd just step out of a Vogue Magazine shooting.

Unconsciously, I snake one of my arms in front of my stomach, pulling the fabric of my plaid t-shirt to cover the little skin that is showing and take another big sip of my beer, almost emptying it already. I hate to feel this nervous, especially around a guy.

I wish I was more confident.

I mean I should be, at least towards Harry anyway. It's been only six months since the day he willingly sorted me out of a f*****g crowd and took me to that small square room where he kissed and undressed me, tasting my skin and making my body squirm...

"Hey where are you right now?" Harry leans to have his eyes in my line of vision and smirks.

"What?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"You tunned to another channel for a second there" He smirks "Where did you go?"

"Oh, sorry about that" I shrug "I tend to do that a lot, it's kinda funny living inside of my head."

"No problem love" Harry smiles at me and I see something I hadn't noticed before. He has a freaking dimple in his right cheek.

How can he managed to be more and more attractive every time I look at him? That's not at all fair.

"So I guess we have a lot of catching up to do, don't we Billie?" He asks, raising his eyebrows with a smug look on his face "Where can we get some drinks around here?"

"The kitchen, I'll take you there" My voice sounds strangely high pitched and I want to slap myself on the face.

We go to the kitchen and I can't help but notice Dom and Gemma sitting at a couch in our way, she is talking excitedly while moving her hands in the air, probably telling him some absurd story and Dom's look is of pure adoration. It's endearing, really.

However, Harry doesn't seem as pleased as I am with the scene, knitting his eyebrows together as soon as he lays his eyes on them. Maybe he is the protective kind of brother? I mean besides he being younger than Gemma and living in another country, Harry doesn't seem like the type of guy who is jealous but I could be wrong.

I'm terrible at reading people so I probably am wrong.

Stepping in the kitchen, we stay awkwardly silent as I go and open the fridge, turning to look at Harry face only to find his stare already in me.

"So what do you want to drink?" I ask quietly "There's beer, whisky, vodka with raspberry..."

"I'll just have water" He smiles politely and thanks me when I handle him a bottle of water and take a cup of vodka with raspberry for myself. We make a little toast, his green eyes burning holes on mine and making me blush. He then darts his eyes towards the living room where we can still see Dom and Gem talking and laughing.

That's just the third time I see Harry in my life and I can securely say I don't understand him at all. I mean, first time we saw each other was a frantic, horny thing where the only goal was to have pleasure. We didn't know each other's name, we wasn't trying to make friends or become emotionally intimate - it was just for the sake of carnal need.

Although it was completely out of character for me, I thought that night was nothing more than a regular night out to Harry, the way he acted was natural and easy like there was nothing new or exciting about it. After I discovered he - Gemma's brother - was the guy who turned my head in a club and convinced me without needing words, I thought everything just made perfect sense.

She always told me he is a player, a womanizer, a person so afraid of commitment and routine that he can't even stay in the same country for more than a few months. So when I saw him at the studio the other day I thought he wouldn't even want to look at me twice and yet he cornered me in the deposit, his eyes full of promises and second intentions.

And now that we are alone at a party he looks uneasy, almost uncomfortable. Is he all bark and no action? I don't think so, actually I know he is not like that. Maybe he just saw me again under the dim lights and decided I'm not worthy of his time?

If that's the case, he is not worthy of my time either. I'm not the kind of woman who forgets who she the moment she lay eyes on an attractive guy. I was always confident and truthful to my needs yet somehow I turn to a embarrassed school girl when he is around and that pisses me off. So if he is regretting talking to me last Thursday, the more the better so I would be able to put all of that behind me once and for all.

Taking a sip from my vodka, I look up to Harry just to see his eyes darting from Gemma and Dom to me again and he frowns.

"What's wrong?" I ask, wanting to bite my tongue over my curiosity but for f**k sake what the f**k is happening here? I feel like I'm losing something that is right in front of my nose.

Harry leans against the kitchen counter, giving me a once over before wetting his lips with that taunting pink tongue and frowns again. "Are we gonna pretend nothing is going on, right now?" He asks and now I'm the one who is frowning.

"What do you mean? What is happening?" I question, trying to make some sense out of Harry's mannerisms, is he talking about what happened between the two of us six months ago? Of there's something else going on that I'm not aware of?

"Are you really ok with your boyfriend being that disrespectful?" Harry snaps "Hitting on your friend right in front of you?"

My heart skips a beat and suddenly I feel all the blood running away from my face and I know I've just got paler in a blink of an eye. How the f**k does he knows about Sam?

Did Gemma tell him about it?

"What? How did you... How did you know?" I stutter, feeling as my blood runs cold in my veins "Did Gemma...?"

"Well it's pretty obvious" Harry raises his eyebrows at me, suddenly a empathetic look taking over his features "He is just sitting on that f*****g couch all smiles and little touches with my sister." He points towards the living room and my mind go all blank.

Wait a minute... Oh, f**k.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, just to be sure.

"Your boyfriend Dom is all over my sister" He says matter of factly, as if I'm mental disabled "What are you talking about?"

I suddenly burst out in laughter, shocking Harry so much he even takes a step back. He must probably be thinking I'm crazy as a betsy bug. Frowning, he looks at me like if I'm insane and he is probably right.

I mean, the whole idea of what he is saying is laughable, but the way I reacted is way worse. Without knowing it, he actually verbalized exactly what happened to me one year ago. You know, that little issue of my three year boyfriend sleeping with my best friend and positively ruining me for other people, as per I will never be able to trust again.

You know, the usual.

"Dom is not my boyfriend!" I finally explains it to Harry, whose facial expression is still hard as a rock while he tries to understand what just happened "He is my best friend, I don't date" I shake my head in disbelief. "We're like brothers" I add, just to make my point clear.

Harry's expression smooths as understanding clear his mind "Whoa, that was awkward" He chuckles, the dimple marking his cheek and making he look even younger.

Fuck, he is so handsome I'm actually feeling chest pains.

At first sight his good looks may seem obvious, kinda standard but you only need to pay a little attention to understand how anything about his handsomeness is ordinary. Yes, he have green eyes, pouty pink lips and well defined jaw and cheekbones, but the most intriguing thing about him is the way there's boyish aura around him, maybe even a little feminine with his long locks and delicate features, and at the same time he is sexy, with such a s****l magnitude he looks like a predator, manly and hot.

It's contradicting but yet it's true - he is the most enerving and mysterious person I've ever seem in my life and I swear I could keep looking at his face forever and still find new details that will baffle me somehow.

"So..." The smug look goes back to his eyes when he catches me staring "Does that means you're free tonight?"

"Technically I am" I give him a sly smile "But I kind of have a party to attend, you know?"

"There's always the after party" He winks at me before downing the rest of his water and opening the fridge to pour himself a glass of whiskey.

I must have looked surprise for an instant because when he looks back at me, he blinks sweetly "What? I've changed my mind and this whiskey is great."

"I like this music, let's go back to the living room." I change the subject and he obliged, taking a step forwards, walking in front of me.

I follow him back to the living room just in time to see Gem and Dom standing up from the couch, seemingly comfortable at each other's company and I see Harry frowning again. Something about the two of us enerves him, I can tell. Maybe he is jealous of his sister? For some reason he doesn't look like the jealous type.

"This place is so nice!" Gem smiles to me as soon as we approach her and I can see the discreet wink Dom throws at me "I never imagined a house party looking so... Wild. The ones I have attended to was more like group gatherings than actual parties."

"That's just Dom's style. If you need to do something, do it in the best way possible" I wink, taking Gemma's hand to pull her to the improvised dance floor but she freezes completely when her gaze falls on Harry's hand.

"Why are you drinking?" She asks, suddenly stiffening her back and frowning, a serious inflection on her voice.

Harry's eyes harden and he puff his chest a little, looking taller and more serious. "Felt like it" He answers, his voice neutral but still kinda defensive.

"You shouldn't be drinking" Gemma frowns, glaring him with a deadly look "You know that. That's not..."

"Whatever, Gem, I'm an adult and will do whatever I please" He snaps, downing the entire glass of whiskey in one big gulp before smirking at her "Just watch me." He then turn of his heels, walking away towards the kitchen and I can tell his shoulders are as tense as Gemma's.

"What the f**k?" Dom mouths at me but before I could think of an answer, someone pulls his arm, begging for the host's attention.

"Gem, what was that? Is everything ok?" I question her, feeling concerned by the sudden change of mood between Harry and her.

What is her problem with him drinking? I mean if he was always traveling and partying around he probably drinks a lot anyway so why does she even care? As he said, he is an adult - well, kind of at least - so I don't see the point here.

"He shouldn't be drinking" She pouts, looking more concerned than angry "That's just not... Nevermind. It's not my place to tell" Gemma cracks up a big, fake smile but I decide to just go with it.

I don't know what just happened but seems to exist a good reason for Harry not to drink, or Gemma wouldn't be so concerned. I don't know what that may be and it just adds another piece to the puzzle that is Harry.