while she is away — two (Patreon)

When Scarlett gets stuck at home, Y/N is left alone in paradise with her best friend’s father. What starts as an awkward mistake quickly becomes something neither of them should want. *my bff's dad edit*

Author’s note: I’m so sorry this took so long to post! I came back home to the apartment and there was no Wi-Fi. My roommate accidentally messed with the cables, and everything got completely screwed up. The technician finally came today, though, so everything is back under control now!

word count: 10.4k

Y/N woke up to the sound of the ocean and not an alarm, not Scarlett’s voice through the phone or the aggressive buzz of a university notification reminding her that some assignment she had forgotten existed was due in twelve hours. 

The ocean moved beyond the balcony doors in a soft endless rhythm with waves folding into the shore with the kind of patience Y/N had never possessed in her entire life. For a few seconds before memory settled back into her body she did not know where she was. The bed beneath her was too soft and the sheets smelled faintly of clean cotton and something floral. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar. It looked pale blue in the morning light with a fan turning lazily overhead.

Then it all came back including the airport and Scarlett’s passport and Anthony Plane Guy and the villa and Harry.

“Oh no” she whispered to the empty room as she opened her eyes properly. Not because anything had happened. That was the problem really because nothing had happened at all. Harry had fed her and made polite conversation and teased her about airport anxiety and spoken to Scarlett on the phone and told Y/N goodnight in a kitchen lit by warm lamps and island darkness. It was entirely innocent and normal and entirely the sort of thing a host would do for his daughter’s stranded best friend. So why had Y/N fallen asleep thinking about the way he had looked at her mouth for half a second?

She groaned and dragged a pillow over her face. “This is why women should not be left unsupervised with attractive people” she mumbled into the fabric while the pillow wisely offered no opinion.

Her phone was on the bedside table face down where she had left it the night before after Scarlett’s messages had made guilt sit heavy in her stomach. Y/N reached for it with one hand still hidden beneath the pillow and squinted when the screen lit up at 7:12 a.m. showing three messages from Scarlett and two from Anthony. Y/N stared at the screen like it had personally attacked her. She opened Scarlett’s messages first because loyalty still existed.

Scarlett: Morning.

Scarlett: Passport office again today.

Scarlett: Please make sure Dad eats breakfast because he lies.

Y/N blinked. Then because she was a good friend and not because she had any interest in discussing Harry before coffee she replied.

Y/N: Good morning to you too.

Y/N: I love being given father custody at sunrise.

Scarlett answered almost immediately.

Scarlett: He needs supervision.

Y/N: He is thirty nine.

Scarlett: Exactly. Fragile age.

Y/N snorted and sat up with the sheet falling around her waist. Sunlight slipped through the thin curtains bright but gentle while touching the floorboards in pale gold. Outside the balcony doors the sky was already the sort of blue that felt smug about itself. The balcony railing framed a view so beautiful it almost looked staged with the ocean stretching wide and glittering and palm trees shifting in the breeze and the pool below reflecting the morning like a piece of glass. It was rude honestly and no place needed to be that pretty before breakfast.Then her phone buzzed again.

Scarlett: Also make sure he wears sunscreen if he goes outside.

Y/N: What am I? His camp counsellor?

Scarlett: Yes.

Y/N: Does he know you speak about him like he is a Victorian child with weak lungs?

Scarlett: He would agree with me if he loved himself.

Y/N laughed then immediately lowered the phone remembering Harry was somewhere in the house. The villa was large enough that he probably could not hear her from upstairs but she suddenly felt aware of the quiet and of the fact that they were the only two people inside it. Her smile faded slightly and she opened Anthony’s messages next.

Anthony Plane Guy: Morning survivor.

Anthony Plane Guy: Did the villa ghosts get you or are you free for beach plans later?

Y/N smiled before she could stop herself because Anthony was normal. That was the first thought that came to her and it was not exactly fair because normal was a strange thing to call someone she had only met on a plane. But compared to the rest of her current situation Anthony felt wonderfully uncomplicated being a boy her age and a nice boy who did not have a daughter who trusted her.

She typed back.

Y/N: No ghosts yet. Just aggressive wealth and too many windows.

His response came a minute later.

Anthony Plane Guy: Tragic.

Anthony Plane Guy: We are going to this beach bar tonight. Very casual. Drinks music and questionable dancing.

Anthony Plane Guy: You should come if the mysterious dad villa releases you.

Y/N stared at the message because there it was as an invitation into something that made sense. Going out with Anthony and his friends would be the normal thing to do and the healthy thing and the age appropriate thing. It was the thing Scarlett would probably encourage if Y/N explained it properly and left out the part where Harrys presence had started making her nervous in a way that felt deeply inconvenient. Y/N typed and deleted and typed again.

Y/N: Maybe. Depends if I survive breakfast duty.

Anthony sent back a laughing emoji. She set the phone down and rubbed both hands over her face thinking about breakfast duty and Scarlett’s instructions.

Y/N climbed out of bed before she could overthink herself into paralysis. The floor was cool beneath her bare feet and the room smelled faintly of salt from the cracked balcony door. She took a quick shower mostly to wake herself up then stood in front of her suitcase wrapped in a towel staring down at her clothes with the exhausted seriousness of a woman preparing for battle. The problem with being somewhere tropical was that everything looked like effort. And the second Y/N started thinking about effort she became aware of who might notice it.

“No” she said firmly to the suitcase.

She picked denim shorts and a loose white linen shirt over a bikini top because it felt practical and beach and breakfast appropriate. It was not at all like she had spent seven minutes wondering whether the shirt was too sheer in the morning light. She brushed her hair and tied it up and untied it and frowned at herself and tied it again before pointing at her reflection.

“You are going downstairs” she said. “You are going to make sure your best friends father eats breakfast like a normal guest. You are not going to be weird.”

Her reflection looked unconvinced so Y/N grabbed her phone and left the room anyway. The hallway outside was quiet and filled with soft morning light. The house felt different at this hour being less grand and more intimate while shadows rested in corners and the air conditioning hummed softly. Somewhere downstairs a cupboard closed followed by the faint clink of ceramic.

He was awake.

Y/N descended the stairs slowly with one hand trailing along the railing. The living room opened beneath her showing all pale stone and glass with the ocean visible through the wide doors at the back of the house. The morning sun had not yet become harsh so everything looked washed in gold. The table where Harry had been working the night before was still covered in drawings though the piles had shifted. A pencil lay abandoned across one page and his laptop was open but asleep.

She heard movement from the kitchen and then his voice.

“Please tell me you drink coffee.”

Y/N stopped on the last step. Harry stood by the counter with his back half turned to her being barefoot again and wearing running shorts and a grey T shirt darkened slightly at the collar from sweat. His hair was pushed back from his face and messier than it had been last night being thick and textured from either sleep or running or a combination of both. A faint shadow of stubble lined his jaw and upper lip becoming more noticeable in the clean morning light and giving him a rougher edge that did absolutely nothing for Y/Ns attempt to behave like a reasonable person.

He glanced over his shoulder. His expression was easy but his eyes flickered over her with quick recognition. It was not too much and not enough for accusation but just enough to make Y/N remember that she was wearing a bikini top under a loose white shirt. She folded her arms immediately.

“Is that a threat?” she asked.

Harrys mouth curved. “It is a question.”

“It felt like a threat.”

"I suppose it depends on your answer" Harry said while holding his ground and leaning slightly against the marble counter.

"I do drink coffee" Y/N replied letting out a breath she had not realized she was holding.

"Good. We can continue peacefully" he noted as his posture relaxed just a fraction and a small smile touched his lips.

"What would’ve happened if I said no?" she asked tilting her head to study him because curiosity got the better of her.

"I’d have had to ask you to leave" Harry answered lifting his chin with mock seriousness.

"That seems harsh" Y/N scoffed stepping fully into the kitchen and feeling the tension leave her shoulders.

"I don’t make the rules" he stated shrugging one broad shoulder while turning his attention back to the coffee pot.

"You own the house" she pointed out gesturing to the sprawling space around them.

"Exactly. I make the rules" he agreed glancing back with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"That was a very quick contradiction" Y/N observed moving further into the room and letting herself relax despite the early hour.

"I’m not at my best before caffeine" Harry admitted running a hand through his already messy hair.

"You went running before caffeine?" she questioned raising an eyebrow at his athletic clothing.

"Yes" Harry replied reaching up into the cabinet to grab a heavy ceramic mug. "What?" he asked noticing her unwavering stare and pausing with the mug in his hand.

"That is suspicious" she declared folding her arms over her chest defensively.

"Running?" he asked looking genuinely confused.

"Running on holiday" she clarified tilting her chin up.

"This is not a holiday for me" Harry explained setting the mug down on the counter with a soft thud.

"You are in the Bahamas" she countered sweeping her hand toward the massive windows.

"I’m also working" he defended leaning against the island and mirroring her posture.

"You are in the Bahamas. There is an ocean outside, palm trees and attractive lighting. The sun is doing things for free" she repeated more slowly narrowing her eyes to assess him.

"Attractive lighting?" Harry laughed under his breath and poured the steaming dark liquid into the mug.

"You know what I mean" she insisted waving off his amusement.

"I’m not sure I do" he hummed taking a sip from his own cup.

"Don’t be difficult" Y/N warned stepping closer and trying to maintain her stern expression.

"I was on a run for forty minutes" he defended himself with a casual wave of his hand.

"Exactly. Suspicious behaviour" she concluded pointing a finger at him triumphantly.

"I like running" Harry stated shaking his head while a genuine smile broke through his guarded exterior.

"That makes it worse" Y/N sighed dramatically.

"Here. Before you judge me further" he offered stepping forward and handing her the mug.

"Thank you" Y/N accepted the drink while trying desperately not to notice that his bare fingers brushed the warm ceramic right next to hers.

"Milk? Sugar?" Harry asked pulling his hand back quickly and clearing his throat.

"Yes to both. I like my coffee emotionally supportive" she answered holding the warm mug against her chest like a shield.

"Of course you do" his voice dropped a register becoming unbearably fond as he turned to the massive silver fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. Then he reached for a small jar of sugar from the upper cabinet. His movements were casual and familiar and domestic in a way Y/N found irritatingly pleasant while she leaned her hip against the counter and watched him prepare her coffee as if it were the most normal thing in the world. It was normal. Probably.

"Scarlett texted me" Y/N said waiting until he handed the mug back to drop her bomb.

"Has she got news?" Harry asked while his entire face shifted at the sudden mention of his daughter growing softer first and then immediately wary.

"She told me to make sure you eat breakfast" Y/N informed him taking a careful sip of the hot coffee before delivering the message.

"She what?" he demanded as the parental softness vanished into pure offence while Y/N hid a wide smile behind the rim of her mug.

"She also told me to make sure you wear sunscreen" Y/N added lowering the mug and continuing her report.

"I beg your pardon?" Harry blinked once while processing the audacity of his own child.

"And stop working" Y/N finished leaning forward slightly to deliver the final blow.

"She said all that?" his eyes widened in surprise.

"With great passion" Y/N nodded solemnly.

"I am perfectly capable of feeding myself" Harry said reaching for his own coffee and wearing a deeply wounded expression.

"That is not the impression your daughter has given me" Y/N replied gesturing around the empty kitchen.

"My daughter enjoys slander" he scoffed taking a defensive sip.

"She called you fragile" Y/N pointed out deciding to push her luck just a little more.

"Fragile?" Harry nearly choked on his drink.

"Her word not mine" she clarified holding up her free hand in surrender.

"I’m just the messenger" Y/N reminded him taking a sip of coffee and lifting her brows in challenge while Harry stared at her for a long moment.

"You seem to be enjoying the message" he observed setting his mug down and crossing his arms to look her up and down.

"A little" she admitted pretending to consider this.

"A lot" he arched one dark eyebrow.

"A respectful amount" Y/N grinned openly now.

"I raised an ungrateful child" Harry shook his head but completely failing to hide his own smile.

"She seems lovely" Y/N offered letting her voice soften because it was the absolute truth.

"She is. That’s the problem. Makes it harder to stay annoyed" he admitted as his gaze dropped to the counter and his whole demeanor melted. Y/N looked down at her coffee for a moment smiling despite the sudden small twist in her chest because there it was again.

The reminder of Scarlett threaded through everything in Harrys expression and in his voice when he spoke about her. It was in the way he turned from a handsome man in a kitchen to a father in half a second as if the role lived just beneath his skin. It helped and it hurt and Y/N did not like that both were true. Harry moved around the kitchen opening the fridge and pulling out fruit and yoghurt and a container of something that looked far too healthy along with a loaf of bread. Y/N watched with growing suspicion.

"What is that green thing?" she asked watching him.

"Juice" Harry answered glancing down at it.

"Absolutely not" 

"I didn’t offer it to you" he pointed out.

"I felt threatened by its presence" 

"It’s mine"

"That’s worse" 

"You judge a lot for someone who has been awake for twenty minutes" he observed.

"I have a gift" she smiled

"You do" .

The words were light and teasing but Harry looked at her for a second too long after saying them. Y/Ns smile faltered slightly without disappearing and only becoming aware of itself. Harry turned away first and placed bread in the toaster with sudden concentration. Y/N took another sip of coffee wishing caffeine worked instantly and also erased inconvenient thoughts.

"Did Scarlett say how the passport situation is going?" Harry asked with his tone carefully normal again.

"She said shes going back this morning" 

"They can rush it but everything takes longer than they promise" Harry nodded though worry crossed his face.

"You sound like youve already fought several people" she noted.

"Ive had firm conversations" 

"That sounds more terrifying" she replied.

"I was polite" 

"Were you?" 

"Mostly" he admitted.

"I would pay to hear that" Y/N smiled.

"My daughter says the same thing" 

"You have a lot of people doubting your calmness" 

"My calmness is misunderstood" 

"To be fair she did tell me you forget to eat because of walls" 

"One time" Harry sighed and shook his head. 

"She made it sound like a lifestyle" 

"It has happened more than once" 

"There it is" she cheered triumphantly.

"I see how this is going to be" he muttered giving her a look that was warm around the edges.

"How?" she asked innocently.

"You and Scarlett sharing information and forming a committee" 

"We are women and it is what we do" she stated plainly.

"Against me?" he asked.

"Only if necessary" 

"Comforting" Harry deadpanned and turned back to the food.

Breakfast happened slowly after that in the way things seemed to happen on the island being not quite lazy but never in a rush. Harry toasted bread and sliced fruit while Y/N sat at the kitchen island with her coffee pretending she was not watching him too closely. He made eggs because Scarlett had told him to eat something with protein and he announced this with the weary irritation of a man who knew he had lost before the argument began. Y/N offered to help three times and Harry refused three times. On the fourth she got up and took plates from a cabinet without asking.

"Guest rebellion." Harry watched her maneuver around the kitchen.

"Host tyranny." Y/N retorted placing the plates on the counter.

"I told you to relax." Harry reminded her of his previous instructions.

"And I told you that sounded fake." Y/N argued back.

"Do you ever do what you're told?" Harry looked at her with a plate in one hand and sunlight catching along the stubble on his jaw.

"Depends who's telling me." Y/N let the words leave her mouth entirely too quickly.

For one suspended second neither of them moved and Y/N felt heat rise up her neck. Harry's gaze held hers while a flicker of something unspoken passed through his face before he dropped his eyes to the plate. When he smiled it was smaller than before.

"Noted." Harry let his voice drop a fraction.

"That sounded ominous." Y/N turned toward the cabinets pretending to search for cutlery even though she had no idea where anything was.

"Did it?" Harry questioned behind her.

"Yes." Y/N kept her back to him.

"Wasn't meant to." Harry assured her.

"Liar." Y/N teased softly.

Harry laughed softly and the tension loosened just enough for both of them to breathe again. They ate outside on the terrace. Morning had settled properly by then being warm but not suffocating with a breeze lifting the edge of Y/N's shirt and carrying the smell of salt across the table. The pool glittered a few feet away and beyond it the ocean stretched in pieces of blue and silver broken by the occasional white line of a wave. Y/N had never been somewhere that made quiet feel like a luxury. At home quiet usually meant exhaustion like a dorm room after midnight or the library floor where everyone had given up pretending they were awake or a bus ride with headphones in and unread messages piling on her phone. Here quiet had space. Harry sat across from her with one ankle resting on his opposite knee and his coffee beside his plate and one hand shielding his eyes whenever the sun shifted through the pergola. He looked annoyingly comfortable like this kind of morning belonged to him. He looked like he had been made to sit barefoot beside the sea eating toast and discussing passport bureaucracy as if there were not drawings of London buildings waiting for him inside. Y/N looked away before the thought could become poetic.

"So what are your plans today?" Harry broke a comfortable stretch of silence.

"I have plans?" Y/N lifted her fork in surprise.

"You might." Harry suggested mildly.

"I was under the impression I was a hostage until Scarlett arrived." Y/N admitted taking a bite of fruit.

"A hostage with ocean views." Harry pointed toward the water.

"And breakfast." Y/N added gesturing to her plate.

"Exactly. Luxury captivity." Harry agreed with a nod.

"I hadn't thought that far. I figured I'd read and maybe sit by the pool and pretend I'm not checking my phone every five minutes for passport updates." Y/N smiled wryly.

"You'll drive yourself mad." Harry warned taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm already halfway there." Y/N confessed.

"I could show you the beach." Harry offered casually.

Y/N paused and Harry seemed to notice the pause at the same time she did.

"Only if you want. There's a path down from the garden. Scarlett loves it. It's quiet in the mornings." Harry added quickly to fill the silence.

The explanation was helpful. Scarlett loves it and not I want to take you to a beach and not let's spend the day together. Scarlett loves it was a safe sentence and a careful one and something with her best friend placed neatly between them like a fence. Y/N should have been grateful for that and she was mostly.

"You don't have to entertain me." Y/N stated firmly.

"I know." Harry matched her tone.

"I'm serious. I can be alone. I'm very skilled at it." Y/N pushed her point.

"I'm not doubting you." Harry assured her.

"Because I don't want you to feel like you have to babysit me." Y/N explained her hesitation.

"I'm not babysitting you." Harry leaned back slightly in his chair.

"That is exactly what a babysitter would say." Y/N shot back.

"I'm offering to show you a beach." Harry reminded her patiently.

"That's how it starts." Y/N warned shaking her head.

"How what starts?" Harry furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Babysitting." Y/N answered smoothly.

"You're impossible." Harry stared at her for a moment before laughing aloud.

"So I've been told." Y/N accepted the label gracefully.

"By many people?" Harry picked up his coffee again.

"By people who love me." Y/N clarified.

"Then they must be very patient." Harry remarked looking at her over the rim of his mug.

"That sounded like an insult in formal wear." Y/N narrowed her eyes at him.

"It was a compliment." Harry replied smoothly without breaking eye contact.

"Was it?" Y/N tilted her head.

"A complicated one." Harry held her gaze.

"I don't accept complicated compliments before noon." Y/N took a sip of water.

"Noted." Harry smiled.

They smiled at each other and the warmth of the morning seemed to settle differently around them. Not heavy and not yet but present like sunlight gathering on skin before you realised you had stayed outside too long. Y/N was saved by her phone ringing with Scarlett's name filling the screen. She grabbed it too quickly and Harry noticed but said nothing.

"Hi. Before you ask yes he ate breakfast." Y/N answered the phone in a rush while Harry closed his eyes in defeat.

"Thank God." Scarlett gasped through the speaker.

"I am sitting right here." Harry announced to the table.

"I know. That's why I said it loudly." Scarlett replied with her voice sounding tinny through the speaker.

Y/N laughed setting the phone on the table between them and switching to speaker.

"This is bullying." Harry pointed an accusing finger at the phone.

"This is love." Scarlett countered.

"Feels similar in this family." Harry muttered.

"How are you?" Y/N rested her chin on her hand.

"I am in a government building with terrible lighting. I look like I've been emotionally microwaved." Scarlett sighed deeply.

"Very vivid." Y/N nodded in sympathy.

"I hate everyone." Scarlett groaned.

"Even me?" Harry leaned toward the phone.

"Especially you. Why didn't you check my passport?" Scarlett accused him.

"You are twenty two years old." Harry threw his head back slightly.

"I am your baby." Scarlett insisted.

"You are a grown woman." Harry argued.

"I contain multitudes." Scarlett defended herself.

"Don't encourage her." Harry looked over at Y/N while she pressed her lips together trying to stop laughing.

"I would never." Y/N maintained her composure barely.

"You are smiling." Harry observed.

"It's a medical condition." Y/N offered a weak excuse.

"I miss you both." Scarlett made a small sound that was half laugh and half groan.

The words softened the table immediately. Harry's expression changed first because it always did when Scarlett's voice dipped like that with worry and tenderness moving across his face without permission.

"We miss you too, love." Harry spoke softly.

Y/N looked down at her plate giving them a moment of privacy.

"They said maybe Friday if everything goes through." Scarlett exhaled shakily.

Friday meant three days and maybe four. Y/N tried not to react but Harry's eyes lifted to her anyway.

"That's good. That's better than next week." Harry said into the phone.

"I know. I'm still furious." Scarlett admitted.

"Understandable." Harry agreed.

"And Henry is being an arse." Scarlett complained.

"What did he do?" Y/N snapped her head up while Harry's jaw tightened slightly.

"Nothing. Just texting me like I did this on purpose." Scarlett went quiet for a second probably remembering she was on speaker with both of them.

"Do you want me to emotionally destroy him?" Y/N narrowed her eyes.

"Yes." Scarlett agreed at once.

"No." Harry ordered at the exact same time.

"I'm hearing mixed feedback." Y/N looked between the phone and Harry.

"Do not emotionally destroy anyone before breakfast is fully digested." Harry rubbed a hand over his face.

"So after lunch?" Y/N compromised.

"Y/N." Harry warned.

"It's fine. I'm ignoring him." Scarlett laughed and Y/N could hear the relief in it.

"Good. He can sit with his feelings like a houseplant." Y/N replied.

"A houseplant?" Harry repeated the word slowly.

"Yes. Decorative. Emotionally useless. Needs supervision." Y/N clarified her insult.

"I'm beginning to understand why Scarlett likes you so much." Harry looked torn between amusement and concern as Scarlett burst out laughing through the phone.

"Because I'm wise?" Y/N guessed.

"Because you're dangerous." Harry corrected her.

"Thank you." Y/N smiled proudly.

"That wasn't praise." Harry shook his head.

"I receive it as such." Y/N accepted the words anyway.

"See? This is why you two can't be left alone. You'll form a comedy duo and forget me." Scarlett sighed playfully.

The joke landed wrong only for a second and only because both Y/N and Harry went a fraction too still while Scarlett did not notice.

"Please. We'd never forget you. You're our manager." Y/N recovered first.

"I take twenty percent." Scarlett demanded while Harry looked down at his coffee with his mouth curving faintly.

"Of what?" Y/N asked.

"Emotional damages." Scarlett clarified.

"Fair."

The call ended a few minutes later after Scarlett promised to update them and Harry promised not to overwork himself which Y/N suspected was a lie because he said it too smoothly. When the screen went dark the terrace felt quieter than before. Y/N reached for her glass of water while Harry watched the ocean.

"She'll be alright." Y/N broke the silence.

"I know." Harry kept his eyes on the water.

"She's capable." Y/N offered reassurance.

"I know that too." Harry nodded slightly.

"But you're still going to worry." Y/N concluded softly.

"You sound like her." Harry looked back at her with a smile that was small and tired.

"Insulting or flattering?" Y/N questioned.

"Both." Harry admitted.

"I'll take it." Y/N accepted that with a tilt of her head.

"Beach?" Harry stood and gathered their plates.

The question came lightly but Y/N felt the shape of the day settle around them. A first full day alone at a beach Scarlett loved meant Harry trying to host and Y/N trying to behave with both of them pretending this was not already more complicated than it should be.

"Fine." Y/N stood too carrying her empty glass.

"Fine?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'll allow you to show me the beach." Y/N granted him permission.

"How generous." Harry mocked gently.

"I'm known for it." Y/N lifted her chin.

"You'll need sunscreen." Harry reminded her.

"Did Scarlett pay you to say that?" Y/N gave him a slow look.

"No. I'm capable of caring about sun damage independently." Harry stated factually.

"That sounds exactly like something a fragile thirty nine year old would say." Y/N smiled sweetly.

"Go get changed before I change my mind and leave you to the pool." Harry pointed toward the house after freezing for a moment.

"You wouldn't." Y/N challenged.

"I might." Harry threatened lightly.

"You're too hospitable." Y/N countered.

"Don't test me." Harry warned.

She laughed and walked inside feeling his amusement follow her into the cool shade of the house. Upstairs Y/N closed the guest room door and leaned against it for a moment with her smile fading into something more careful. Beach with Harry was fine and it had to be fine. People went to beaches every day and beaches were public. Well this one was apparently quiet and tucked below a private villa which was less helpful but still fine. Sand and water and sun were none of those things inherently immoral.

She changed into a simple black bikini then stared at herself in the mirror for so long it became embarrassing. It was not the red one from the packing call and not the one Scarlett had declared the one. It was safer she told herself being less dramatic and less likely to make her feel like she had arrived with an agenda. The fact that she was thinking this much about swimwear meant she had already lost. She pulled a loose cover up over it and grabbed sunscreen from the bathroom drawer where Scarlett had indeed stocked enough bottles to protect a small nation. Her phone buzzed as she was slipping on sandals.

Anthony Plane Guy: Forgot to ask. Do you dance or do you stand in corners judging people?

Y/N smiled before picking up her phone to type.

Y/N: Both.

Anthony Plane Guy: Dangerous.

Y/N stared at the message for half a second longer than necessary because it was the exact same word Harry had used. She locked her phone and left the room before she could give herself time to think.

Harry was waiting near the glass doors downstairs with sunglasses in one hand and a towel slung over his shoulder. He had changed into swim shorts and a loose short sleeved shirt unbuttoned at the top while his hair was pushed back. His gaze moved exactly once when he saw her being quick and controlled as it went from her face to the cover up then back again. It was a normal glance and the kind anyone might give when someone entered a room but Y/N still felt it.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Y/N nodded.

"You have sunscreen?" Harry checked.

"Scarlett has trained you both very well." Y/N lifted the bottle to show him.

"She’s persistent." Harry opened the door for her.

"She’s terrifying." Y/N corrected.

"She gets that from her mother." Harry explained.

"Not you?" Y/N teased.

"I’m very gentle." Harry smiled as they stepped out into the morning heat.

"That sounded rehearsed." Y/N laughed before she could stop herself.

"It did didn’t it?" 

"Very." She confirmed.

"I’ll work on it." 

They crossed the terrace and passed the pool then followed a narrow stone path into the garden. The air changed as they moved beneath the shade of palms and flowering trees becoming cooler and richer and filled with the scent of damp earth and salt. Leaves brushed against Y/N's arms while birds called sharply through the green somewhere above them. The path sloped downward toward the water winding through the foliage in uneven curves. Harry walked ahead at first holding back branches when they crossed the path and warning her about a loose stone while slowing his pace without making a show of it. The carefulness should have annoyed her but instead it made her chest feel strangely tight.

"This is exactly how horror films start." Y/N said stepping over a root.

"Private beach path?" Harry glanced back.

"Isolated location. Handsome stranger. No witnesses." Y/N listed.

His steps slowed for half a second and Y/N realised what she had said exactly one second too late before Harry looked forward again.

"Stranger?" Harry asked with an even voice.

"That was the part you focused on?" Y/N's face warmed.

"It seemed safest." Harry replied.

"Fine. Handsome host. Is that better?" Y/N laughed feeling relieved and flustered at once.

This time Harry did stop but only for a moment. He looked back at her with sunglasses now on hiding his eyes but not his expression entirely while a faint and unreadable smile rested at his mouth.

"Careful Y/N." Harry warned. Her name sounded different outside beneath the trees and heat.

"With what?" Y/N lifted her chin because embarrassment had always made her reckless.

"Loose stones." Harry let his smile deepen slightly then turned and kept walking.

Y/N stood there for one second staring at his back.

"Oh he thinks he’s funny." Y/N muttered.

"I heard that." Harry called out.

"You were meant to." Y/N shouted back.

His laugh drifted back through the trees.

By the time the path opened onto the beach Y/N had almost convinced herself she was fine until she actually saw it. The beach was small and quiet and tucked beneath the cliff like a secret the villa had been keeping. White sand curved gently between clusters of dark rocks while the water moved in clear layers of turquoise and deep blue. There were no crowds and no music and no shouting tourists leaving only the hush of waves and the rustle of palms above them. Y/N stopped at the edge of the sand and Harry stopped beside her while neither of them said anything for a moment.

"This is ridiculous." Y/N said finally.

"In a good way?" Harry smiled.

"In a deeply offensive way." 

"I’ll take that as a yes." 

"It looks fake." Y/N stared at the water.

"You keep saying that." 

"Because it keeps being true." She insisted.

Harry led her toward two loungers already set beneath a large white umbrella with a small cooler sitting between them along with folded towels and a woven basket. Y/N looked at the setup then at Harry.

"Did elves do this?".

"Marisol." Harry answered.

"Does Marisol know I love her?" 

"She’ll be pleased to hear it." 

Y/N placed her bag on one lounger and kicked off her sandals. The sand was warm beneath her feet and soft enough that her toes sank slightly into it. She looked toward the water then back at Harry who had set his towel down and was pulling his shirt over his head. Y/N turned away immediately doing it so fast it was probably more suspicious than staring. She looked at the ocean because the ocean was safe and the ocean did not have tattoos and the ocean was not Scarlett's father. Behind her Harry cleared his throat quietly though whether it was amusement or discomfort she did not know. When she turned back he was setting his sunglasses on the lounger with an expression that was carefully neutral while the sun caught the ink along his chest and arms and the warm brown of his skin and the slight stubble along his jaw.

Y/N busied herself with sunscreen very aggressively until the bottle made an unfortunate spluttering sound.

"Need help?" Harry glanced over.

"No." Y/N said entirely too quickly.

"Alright." Harry let his mouth twitch.

"I am an independent woman." 

"I didn’t doubt it." Harry assured her.

"I can apply sunscreen."

"I’m proud of you."

"Don’t patronise me." Y/N warned.

"Wouldn’t dream of it." 

She squeezed sunscreen into her palm and started with her arms focusing on the practical motions of hitting her shoulder then forearm then other shoulder then neck. She could feel Harry nearby without looking at him which was absurd because people should not have gravitational fields. When she reached her back she paused and Harry noticed because of course he noticed.

"Can you reach?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Y/N lied because she absolutely could not.

She tried anyway twisting one arm behind her in a movement that probably looked like a dying bird attempting ballet while Harry stayed silent for exactly three seconds.

She stood in the sand holding the sunscreen bottle like a woman abandoned at the scene of her own bad judgment. She watched him wade into the ocean even though she knew she should not have but she did anyway. Harry moved through the waves with the confidence of someone who had been in this water many times before. He dove beneath the surface when it reached his waist and disappeared under the blue for a moment before coming up farther out while pushing wet hair back from his face with both hands.

Y/N looked away and then looked back and then hated herself for looking back.

"Great" she buried her face in her hands and let out a soft groan. "Perfect. This is going so well."

She took off her cover up and sat on the edge of the lounger with her heart still beating too quickly for someone whose greatest danger was technically sunburn.

Her phone buzzed from her bag and she reached inside to pull it out.

Anthony Plane Guy: Important question. Are you a karaoke person?

Y/N stared at the water where Harry was now floating on his back as if he had not just ruined her ability to function with sunscreen. Then she looked back down at the screen. Anthony was normal and safe and uncomplicated. She unlocked the phone to type her reply.

Y/N: Depends how much emotional damage the audience deserves.

The response came almost instantly.

Anthony Plane Guy: Perfect answer.

Anthony Plane Guy: Come tonight. You will like everyone. Probably.

Y/N glanced back at the ocean where Harry had turned and was now swimming farther out with steady strokes. She typed her response before she could change her mind and sent the message.

Y/N: Okay. Send me the details.

Y/N regretted saying yes almost immediately. She did not want to back out because she actually wanted to go. Anthony was funny and sweet and the idea of being around people her own age sounded like something a normal person would do on holiday. There would be music and drinks and strangers and loud laughter and absolutely no one who knew Scarlett as a child or looked at Y/N like he was trying very hard not to.

It was precisely because it was normal that it felt like something she should do which made it incredibly annoying. Y/N hated being guided by what she should do. It always made her feel like a badly behaved dog being gently redirected away from a shoe. Still she opened the chat and texted Anthony back.

Y/N: I will come for a bit.

Y/N: But if your friends are weird I am blaming you personally.

His reply came before she had even set the phone down.

Anthony Plane Guy: Fair.

Anthony Plane Guy: I will send the location later.

Anthony Plane Guy: Wear something fun.

Y/N stared at the last message. Something fun. She looked down at herself sitting in a black bikini on a private beach while her best friends father swam in the ocean like some kind of sunlit moral crisis.

"Define fun." Y/N muttered to the empty air.

"What was that?" Harry's voice broke through the quiet.

Y/N jolted so violently she nearly dropped her phone. Harry was walking out of the water and she had been entirely too distracted by the text to notice. Sea water ran down his chest and arms catching on the tattoos scattered across his skin. His hair was pushed back from his face and appeared darker when wet while his features looked sharper beneath the bright morning sun. He seemed relaxed but his eyes moved quickly from her phone to her face before he reached for the towel on his lounger.

"Nothing." Y/N hid the screen against her leg.

"You keep saying that like it is ever convincing." Harry dried his face with the towel.

"I said one word." Y/N defended her reaction.

"You said it with panic." Harry lowered the towel.

"I have a naturally panicked voice." Y/N smoothed her expression into something neutral.

"I am learning that." Harry let a small smile touch his lips.

She locked her phone and placed it face down on the lounger which was a foolishly obvious thing to do. Harry noticed that too because of course he did. Apparently architects were trained not only in buildings but in reading women who were trying to act normal and failing with academic precision. He draped the towel around his shoulders and sat on the lounger beside hers leaving enough space between them that no one could have called it intimate. Still the beach was quiet and the quiet made every inch of space feel deliberate.

"Plane guy?" Harry broke the silence after a beat.

"Are we really calling him that now?" Y/N turned her head to look at him.

"You started it." Harry pointed out the obvious.

"I called him that privately." Y/N insisted.

"You told me." Harry reminded her.

"Under emotional duress." Y/N crossed her arms.

"Is he checking on your survival again?" Harry smiled faintly.

"He invited me out tonight." Y/N let the words drop into the space between them.

The words landed softly and nothing dramatic happened. Harry did not stiffen and he did not frown and he did not ask too many questions. He simply looked out at the ocean while rubbing the towel over the back of his neck.

"That is nice." Harry kept his gaze on the water.

"Is it?" Y/N watched his profile trying to catch something there and hating herself for wanting to.

"Why would it not be?" His eyes returned to hers.

"I do not know." Y/N broke eye contact first.

"You should go." Harry delivered the sentence easily enough but not carelessly. There was thought behind it and a boundary being placed where one had started to blur.

"You are just saying that because you are tired of babysitting." Y/N forced a smile.

"I told you I am not babysitting you." Harry let out a breath.

"Right. You are supervising me recreationally." Y/N nodded with fake understanding.

"I am trying to be a decent host." Harry defended his intentions.

"Very suspicious." Y/N narrowed her eyes playfully.

"I am serious." Harry leaned forward with his forearms resting loosely on his knees and the towel hanging around his neck. The movement brought him closer though still not close enough. "You are on holiday. Scarlett is not here yet. You should not feel trapped at the villa with me."

Trapped with me.

Y/N looked down at the sand between her feet. The words were perfectly reasonable but they also stung. It was unfair because Harry was doing exactly what a good person should do. He was encouraging her to go out and meet people and have fun. He was not making the situation strange and he was not trying to keep her there. He was being appropriate again. It was exhausting how much appropriate behaviour could hurt when a person was secretly being insane.

"I do not feel trapped." Y/N finally looked back up at him.

"No?" Harry's gaze softened slightly.

"No. I mean the windows are aggressive but I have survived." Y/N offered a small reassurance.

"Good." Harry huffed a laugh and looked away as if relieved by the joke.

"And Anthony seems nice." Y/N added.

"He did from what you said." Harry agreed smoothly.

"You say that like you have a full psychological profile." Y/N observed.

"I know his name and that he is concerned about mysterious dad villas. That is enough." Harry smirked slightly.

"He surfs." Y/N smiled.

"Does he?" Harry kept his tone neutral.

"Yes. Try not to sound jealous." Y/N let the words leave her mouth before she could grab them back.

Harry went still for only a second but Y/N saw it and her stomach dropped.

"I am sorry." Y/N spoke quickly while her cheeks warmed. "That was a joke. Obviously. Terrible joke. Should have left it in my head where most of my bad ideas live."

"I did not realise surfing was something to be jealous of." Harry looked at her then with a smile tugging at his mouth that was unreadable in a way that made her feel worse.

"It is not." Y/N rushed to agree.

"Good." Harry accepted her backtrack.

"Unless you are bad at it." Y/N could not stop herself.

"I am not." Harry held her gaze steadily.

"Of course you are not." Y/N paused to study him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry lifted his brows in a silent challenge.

"It means you probably casually know how to do everything." Y/N studied his relaxed posture.

"That is not true." Harry shook his head.

"No?" Y/N tilted her head in a challenge.

"No." Harry maintained his ground.

"What are you bad at?" Y/N leaned forward slightly.

Harry looked out at the water thinking while Y/N waited. The silence went on long enough that she laughed.

"Wow. Humble too." Y/N clapped slowly.

"I am trying to give you a thoughtful answer." Harry rubbed his jaw defensively.

"You are trying to invent a flaw." Y/N saw right through him.

"I have flaws." Harry turned his gaze back to her.

"Name one." Y/N waited expectantly.

"I work too much." Harry looked at her with total seriousness.

"That is not a flaw rich men admit to. That is branding." Y/N dismissed the attempt entirely.

"Alright." Harry laughed with his head tipping down.

"Try again." Y/N tapped her fingers against her leg.

"I am impatient." Harry met her gaze.

"With people?" Y/N lifted an eyebrow.

"With bad ideas." Harry smiled smoothly.

"That is still branding." Y/N crossed her arms.

"I am terrible at texting back." Harry grimaced.

"Now we are getting somewhere." Y/N nodded in approval.

"And I burn toast." Harry held up his hands in surrender.

"Finally. Humanity." Y/N gasped dramatically.

"Frequently." Harry let out a self deprecating sigh.

"Scarlett did not mention that." Y/N thought back to her friends warnings.

"She is covering for me." Harry smiled fondly.

"As daughters do." Y/N let the words slip out before she could stop them.

Harrys smile softened at that and Y/N wished she had not said it. Not because it was wrong but because it turned him back into Scarletts father in the middle of their teasing and the guilt returned like a hand closing around her wrist. She reached for her water bottle and took a sip.

"What time are you meeting him?" Harry lay back on his lounger with one arm folded behind his head and sunglasses shielding his eyes.

"I do not know yet. Later I think." Y/N fiddled with her water bottle.

"Do you need a ride?" Harry kept his tone casual.

"No. No I can figure it out." Y/N gripped her water bottle tighter.

"You do not have to." Harry watched her hands.

"I know but I can." Y/N sat up straighter.

"Y/N." Harry turned his head slightly toward her.

"What?" Y/N swallowed hard.

"You do not have to prove you are not a burden every three minutes." Harry let the sentence fall soft and accurate between them.

She froze because the observation was entirely too accurate. Y/N looked down at her knees and at the grains of sand stuck to her skin.

"I do not." Y/N stared intently at her own legs.

"You do." Harry refused to let her retreat.

"You barely know me." Y/N looked up defensively.

"I am observant." Harry met her gaze.

"That sounds like a threat in your accent." Y/N forced a laugh to deflect the tension.

"It was not." Harry kept his expression steady.

"It felt like one." Y/N hugged her knees.

"I just meant that you are allowed to ask for things. Or accept them." Harry sat up slowly with a gentle but careful expression.

Y/N swallowed. The sun was warm on her shoulders and the sunscreen on her back had dried but she could still feel the memory of his hand there. That made this conversation feel too close even when he was not touching her.

"I know." Y/N let the words out quieter than she meant to.

Harry did not push which might have been worse. He simply nodded and looked back at the water letting the subject fall before she had to make a joke out of it.

For a while they sat in quiet. Y/N tried to read but the book lay open on her lap without a single sentence making it into her brain. Harry had returned to the water swimming lazily now and sometimes disappearing under the surface and sometimes floating on his back with his face turned up to the sun. Y/N kept her eyes on the page until they hurt from pretending.

Every so often her phone buzzed. Anthony sent the address of the beach bar then a photo of a drink menu with the caption terrible decisions loading then a voice note from one of his friends in the background shouting that she had to come because Anthony had been talking about plane girl all morning. Y/N smiled at that because it was embarrassing but sweet.

When Harry returned from the water again with towel in hand he saw her smiling at the phone. This time he said nothing. He only sat and dried his hair and reached for his sunglasses. Y/N noticed the silence more than she would have noticed any comment.

"You are being very polite." Y/N broke the silence.

"Am I?" Harry looked over.

"Yes." Y/N nodded.

"Should I apologise?" Harry tilted his head.

"No. It is suspicious." Y/N narrowed her eyes.

"You find most things suspicious." Harry leaned back against his lounger.

"Because most things are." Y/N stated this as a universal fact.

"Have you read any of that?" Harry smiled faintly then reached to tap the book lying open on her lap.

"Emotionally yes." Y/N glanced down at the unread pages.

"Meaning no." Harry challenged her progress.

"Meaning the book and I are spending time together without pressure." Y/N lifted her chin.

"Healthy relationship." Harry teased gently.

"Exactly." Y/N agreed.

"What is it about again? Murder?" Harry left his hand resting near the cover.

"Mystery." Y/N corrected him.

"With murder." Harry guessed.

"Most mysteries have murder." Y/N justified the genre.

"So yes." Harry concluded.

"Do you have a problem with murder books?" Y/N glared playfully.

"I am trying to understand the appeal." Harry held up his hands in surrender.

"The appeal is solving things." Y/N explained.

"Do you solve them?" Harry rested his chin on his hand.

"Sometimes." Y/N admitted.

"And when you do not?" Harry pressed.

"I claim the author cheated." Y/N answered without hesitation.

"Convenient." Harry laughed and stretched one leg out in the sand.

"It protects my self esteem." Y/N sat up straighter.

"Important." Harry nodded solemnly.

"What do you read?" Y/N turned her attention fully to him.

"Mostly architectural theory and contracts and planning documents." Harry listed off his reading material.

"That was the saddest sentence I have ever heard." Y/N stared at him in horror.

"It is not that sad." Harry tried to defend himself.

"Harry." Y/N gave him a look full of pity.

"There are interesting planning documents." Harry insisted.

"Oh my God." Y/N buried her face in her hands.

"What?" Harry chuckled at her reaction.

"You need help." Y/N peeked through her fingers.

"I read novels too." Harry offered quickly.

"Do you?" Y/N dropped her hands.

"Yes." Harry held his ground.

"When?" Y/N challenged.

"Not as often as I should." Harry looked back at the water.

There was something in the answer that quieted her. It was not sadness exactly but more like recognition. It was the kind of thing people admitted without meaning to as a small confession that life had become too full of things he had to do leaving little space for things he wanted. Y/N looked at him for a second longer than she should have.

"Scarletts right. You do need supervision." Y/N broke the silence softly.

"I thought we moved past that." Harry glanced at her with amusement returning.

"No. It is worse now. You do not read enough novels and you drink green juice willingly." Y/N pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I feel judged." Harry sighed.

"You are." Y/N confirmed.

"Harshly?" Harry checked.

"Constructively." Y/N smiled.

"I am lucky then." Harry murmured.

The words were simple but they still made her look away. By noon the sun had become sharper and heat rose from the sand. Y/Ns shoulders felt warm despite the umbrella and Harry declared with very fatherly authority that they should head back before they both burned. Y/N called him fragile again which made him threaten to leave her behind with the cooler. She told him she would simply move into the beach and become local folklore.

The walk back to the villa was quieter. It was not uncomfortable but just tired and sun heavy with both of them carrying towels and sandals and their skin salted from the ocean. Harry walked behind her this time being close enough to catch a branch before it snapped back into her shoulder but far enough that the space between them felt considered. At the top of the path Y/N turned around to thank him and found him already looking at her. Neither spoke for half a second.

"Lunch?" Harry lifted the cooler slightly.

"Yes. Food. Love her." Y/N nodded too quickly.

He smiled but there was restraint in it now. They ate separately that afternoon or almost separately. Harry took a call in his office which Y/N discovered was a glass walled room tucked behind the main living area and facing the sea because apparently even work needed a view in this house. She made herself a sandwich in the kitchen then texted Scarlett an update that did not include sunscreen or any of the thoughts currently committing crimes inside her head before sitting by the pool with her book.

This time she actually read mostly. Every now and then Harrys voice drifted through the open doors being low and controlled and occasionally impatient. He spoke in that firm way she had heard on the phone the day before being polite but immovable. Words like revisions and load bearing and impossible if they want natural light moved through the air between her and the pool. Y/N tried not to find it attractive and she failed.

Around four Anthony texted again.

Anthony Plane Guy: Still coming tonight? 

Anthony Plane Guy: We promise not to sacrifice you to spring break culture.

Y/N looked toward the office. Harry stood inside with one hand on his hip and the other holding his phone to his ear. His profile was turned toward the glass with his jaw shadowed with stubble and his brows drawn together. He was listening to whoever spoke on the other end but his eyes flickered out and found her through the reflection. Y/N looked down quickly.

Y/N: I am coming. 

Y/N: But I reserve the right to leave if anyone says vibes too much. 

Anthony Plane Guy: That is fair. 

Anthony Plane Guy: I will send a cab for you at eight.

A cab was good and normal with no need to ask Harry for anything. Y/N felt relieved and annoyingly disappointed. At half past six she went upstairs to get ready. The guest room was golden with evening light and the balcony doors open to the breeze. Y/N showered again washing salt from her skin and sand from places sand had no right to be. Then she stood in front of her suitcase wearing only a towel and the expression of someone trying to make life choices through clothing.

Wear something fun. Anthonys message sat in her mind like a dare. She considered a sundress then rejected it as too sweet. Shorts felt too casual and a skirt felt too much like she was trying. She eventually settled on a simple black dress that was short but not scandalous with thin straps and a soft neckline. It was the kind of dress that worked hard to look effortless which was exactly what Y/N was trying to do.

She dried her hair until it fell in loose waves and added a little makeup then wiped off half of it because she felt ridiculous. She added earrings then took them off and put them back on. She changed her sandals and changed them again. By the time she was done the room looked like her suitcase had lost an argument. Y/N stood in front of the mirror and exhaled.

She looked nice and that was allowed. She was going out with Anthony who was a normal and funny and age appropriate man who had asked her to a beach bar and whose biggest red flag so far was having friends who might say vibes too much. This was good and this was healthy and this was exactly what she should be doing. So why did she hesitate before going downstairs?

"Because you are dramatic." Y/N pointed an accusing finger at her reflection.

Her reflection did not deny it.

The villa was quieter when she stepped into the hallway. Somewhere downstairs music played softly again being something slow and warm that mixed with the sound of the evening insects outside. The sun had almost set leaving the house in a softer kind of light. Lamps glowed in corners and the glass doors reflected gold and shadow. Y/N descended the stairs carefully with one hand on the railing.

Harry was in the living room. He had changed too though clearly not for anything in particular. He wore linen trousers and a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. His hair was pushed back and still a little unruly with stubble more visible now beneath the warm light. He stood by the table sorting through drawings but looked up when he heard her. He stopped but not dramatically. He did not drop anything or stare openly or make the moment something it could not be taken back from. But he stopped.

His eyes moved over her once being quick and controlled before returning to her face with an effort Y/N felt more than saw. The silence was so small it should not have mattered. It mattered.

"Too much?" Y/N reached the bottom of the stairs and smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress.

"No. You look lovely." Harry blinked as if the question had taken a second to reach him and paused before the last word making the pause itself feel dangerous.

Lovely. Not hot or gorgeous or anything that could be mistaken for flirtation if repeated aloud. Lovely. Careful and English and devastating for reasons Y/N could not explain.

"Thank you." Y/N looked down and pretended to adjust the strap of her bag.

"Anthony picking you up?" Harry moved his mouth like he might say something else then seemed to think better of it and set the drawings aside.

"A cab is." Y/N lifted her head to meet his eyes.

"He is sending one?" Harry shifted his expression slightly.

"Yes." Y/N nodded.

"Good." Harry slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Good?" Y/N looked at him with a deep frown.

"I mean that is good. You will not have to worry about transport." Harry rocked back on his heels slightly.

"Right." Y/N stared at him in disbelief.

A beat passed. Outside the first deep notes of evening settled over the terrace. The pool lights had come on turning the water bright against the darkening sky.

"Send me the address." Harry removed one hand from his pocket almost immediately as if even his own body language annoyed him.

"Why?" Y/N narrowed her eyes.

"In case you need anything." Harry held her gaze steadily.

"I will not." Y/N lifted her chin.

"I know." Harry did not back down.

"Then why?" Y/N challenged him.

"Because Scarlett would ask me if I knew where you were and I would rather not be murdered over the phone." Harry kept his expression perfectly serious.

That was fair. That was also not the whole truth and Y/N knew it and Harry probably knew she knew it. Still she unlocked her phone and sent him the location Anthony had shared. Harrys phone buzzed on the table a second later.

"Thank you." Harry looked down at the glowing screen then back up at her.

"You are welcome Dad." Y/N clicked her phone screen off and turned toward the door.

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