“Woah,” he said. “Steady, take things slowly, okay?”
“How did you find me?” I whispered.
“You didn’t think I’d know to look here? I’ll always find you.”
I felt my eyes sting. A single tear tracked down my cheek, stinging my cut as it went.
“Verity, baby,” Harry said, still in that soft tone but edged with real worry. “Please let me take you out of here now. We need to get that cut seen to, okay?”
I shook my head. More tears falling now.
“Please, please, baby,” his voice was tortured now. “It’s killing me seeing you hurt like this. Please let me take you to get it sorted and then home.”
“I can’t face everyone,” I whispered, and Harry closed his eyes slowly as a fierce expression swept over his features.
“You’ve nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “And you don’t have to even think about that crazy bitch. She won’t touch you or Heath ever again. I can guarantee it.”
“My family’s a little fucked up,” I said with a small smile which unfortunately also stung my cut.
“Er… yeah, love. I had noticed.”
“I might be a little fucked up too.” My voice had dropped back to a whisper, and I held Harry’s eyes, looking for a reaction.
“Verity, considering the animals that brought you up as children, I would say you and Heath are remarkably stable.”
I carried on as if he hadn’t spoken, my voice still not much above a whisper. “I can’t seem to shake the feeling that…” I looked down at my lap and Harry leaned into me, so our foreheads were touching.
“What feeling, love?” he whispered.
“The feeling that I’m unwanted. It seems to be ingrained in who I am now. No amount of therapy has been able to change it.”
His hand tightened in mine, and he let out a long breath. When he spoke again his words were careful and deliberate, as if he was trying to get his point across in a way I would listen to.
“Verity Markham. I have never in my entire life wanted anyone or anything as much as I want you. I’ve loved you since I was fifteen years old. You might not believe you belong to anyone, but I already belong to you. I always have.”
“Iwantto belong to you too.” My voice had dropped to barely a whisper now, but Harry’s hand tightening in mine showed that he had heard me. For the first time in the last few hours, I felt the feeling return to my body and I registered how cold I was in the draughty library. I shivered and that was enough to spur Harry into action.
“Right, well,” he said as briskly as he could with his hoarse voice. When I looked into his eyes again, I realised that to my shock they had a suspicious sheen of moisture over them. “Now that we’ve established that we belong to each other, can we please get out of this freezing fucking library.”
Without waiting for me to answer he simply scooped me up off the sofa into his arms, turned sharply on his heel and marched off towards the exit.
“There’s nothing wrong with my legs, Harry,” I squeaked.
“I’m not taking any chances.”
“What do you mean? I think I’d know if I’d broken a leg, you wombat.”
Harry’s determined expression cracked for a moment as he grinned. “No, I mean take a chance that you’ll do one again and run off.” He readjusted me higher onto his chest and his arms tightened around me as he shouldered through the double doors. “You’re the wombat who ran away like a full drama heroine in a romance book. You want romance book drama? Then I’m going to give it to you in full romance-hero-carries-the heroine style.”
When we stepped out into the daylight there was a small crowd waiting for us outside.
“Oh no,” Mia said, rushing up to us. “Are you okay, V? Did you hurt your leg as well when you fell?”
“Put me down,” I said through my teeth to Harry, but he only tightened his grip. I rolled my eyes and focused back on Mia. Max and Yaz were next to her now crowding around me and Harry. Heath was still hanging back with an uncertain expression on his face. “No, Mia,” I said in a frustrated voice. “My legs are fine. Harry here thinks I’m going to do another runner.”
“Sensible,” Max put in. He shrugged when I scowled at him. “What? We’ve been worried sick. I’m not traipsing across the UK looking for you again. What random place are you going to run off to next? The dingy halls of residence at uni? The school canteen?”
I huffed. “I’m not running off again. And the library was special to me.”
