❝She's a good girl whose favourite things are bad.❞

☀︎︎

ANNA PACED ABOUT her room, worried and tensed. She would have to call Zach and Tia now. There was no way out for them anymore. She had to make them meet. Maybe it would increase the authenticity of her lie and also make Harry trust her more. That was definitely a small plus, wasn't it?

She was biting on her already stumped nails when Harry sauntered in. He thrust his hands in his pockets and stood at the doorframe for a good minute, just watching Anna. She continued pacing about the dim room, completely unaware of Harry's presence.

Finally, having been ignored for too long, Harry gently cleared his throat. "If you keep doing that, you'll wear a hole in the carpet, Bermuda."

"Fuck, oh my god!" Anna screamed, jumping back lightly. 

She looked disheveled and tired. Her normally bright green eyes were dark and sad. Her usually alert and agile posture now slumped and he could see the dejection in her from miles away. He knew he shouldn't cross any boundaries but he couldn't help himself either.

Harry reached out to her, concerned. He ran a finger along her cheekbone and whispered, "Bermuda? What's wrong?" His silky smooth voice was rough around the edges. His eyes never left her face, encouraging her, pushing her, to open up to him.

Harry's power of persuasion was stronger than Anna's iron clad will. She felt herself giving in, giving up. She did not want to be so weak. But how could anyone who was sane, ask her to ignore the raw plea in his eyes?

Anna's heart was beating faster with each passing minute. She was going against her training, her will, her mission, her orders. And all for what? 

For a guy with honey coloured eyes who would probably kill her with his bare hands when he knew who she really was. He would be cold and unforgiving and she couldn't blame him.

She was here under strict orders to arrest Florian and extract information on him. But what was she really doing? Breaking some random guy's walls down? Hanging out with his crew? Participating in his heist? Making amends with a godforsaken agent?

And worst  of all, going on a double date with an accused and her stand by federal agents.

It's official, she thought, I'm dead.

"Earth to Bermuda?" Harry said, snapping his fingers in front of Anna's pale and blank face.

"Oh, yes, hi. What?" Anna blinked, her hazy gaze focusing on Harry's, who looked as confused as he was amused.

"Okay, I think I know what this is about," he said, seriousness dripping from every syllable.

Anna was stunned at the sudden shift in his tone and her heart leapt to her throat. "You- you do?" She asked, shakily. 

She had never felt this fear before. Never. But now, looking into his dead serious and yet, still beautiful eyes, she felt a dread creep up on her. For how much longer would she lie to everyone around her?

"This is about your rat infested bed, isn't it? I was kidding, Bermuda. Let's go and buy you a new mattress. Just see what the paranoia is doing to your face. You look dead."

Hahaha, that's exactly what I'll be in a few months, honey.

Shaking her head, Anna decided that it was best that she go along with whatever he said. That way, she was not lying. He was putting words in her mouth and that's nowhere close to being a liar. It was just selective honesty.

"Yes. Right. Exactly. I am terrified of that mattress. Thank you for the offer. Let's cancel meeting up with my friends and do this instead. It's perfect." Anna nodded vigorously and for a moment Harry thought her head would fly off of her slender neck.

Harry took hold of her shoulders and held Anna still. "Call them, I'll give you a burner phone. They'll meet us at Ostraria's biggest flea market. We'll buy your bed and I can finally meet the infamous Zavier, your one and only crush."

Harry wrung out the last few words, as if they were pure poison in his mouth. It didn't go unnoticed as he had hoped. Anna might be in a puzzle but her federal agent sensitivity picked up even the faintest of behavioral changes.

"And why are you so pissed about it, anyway? It's not like I am going to throw myself at him." Anna walked to the other end of the room, creating more space between them, her eyes distant and far.

"In case you didn't know, I am not the type to throw myself at annoying guys. I throw them out of windows and if you have a single doubt about that, then I urge you to fight me."

Harry sighed mechanically, obviously embarrassed at his illogical outburst. "I never said that you couldn't take care of yourself. I just don't respect someone who led you, or for that matter, anyone on. It's just a sign of their insecurity, not yours."

The words hit close to home. She liked Zach, she knew it. She felt that electricity that coursed through her when he touched her lightly. She felt the butterflies in her stomach have a drunken party every time he came closer to stand next to her. She felt herself on fire every time he smiled at her with the most innocent look on his face.

And maybe, just maybe, Zach never felt the electricity, the butterflies, or the heat. Maybe she was already turning into the exact same thing that she despised. She was never clingy and she won't be now either. So, she would try one last time and then she'd let go.

"You're right," Anna said, turning back to face Harry, arms crossed against her chest. She smiled at him, a deliberate attempt at masking her inner turmoil. "Who knew you actually had a brain up there?"

Anna tapped her fingers on his head and swayed past him. Her hand rested on the door handle when she stopped. For the first time since her parents' accident, she had talked to someone so openly. Of course, she had had Zach, Tia, and Mia.

But she had turned in Mia a long time ago and Zach and Tia had been so shocked. They'd fallen apart slowly and there was nothing she could ever do to take it all back. Sure, Zach and Tia were always there for her but beyond the crude jokes, they had stopped bonding.

"Thank you," Anna said, sheepishly. She hated that tone but Harry had listened. He'd given her advice that her mom would've given, had she been with her. It made Anna feel content, if not wildly ecstatic.

"Anytime, Bermuda. You are family now," Harry said, an uncharacteristically soft smile spreading across his bright face. His dark hair glowed a shiny black. His eyes sparkled golden and Anna felt the faint tug of a grin on her lips. His tattooed arm, usually menacing, was now ethereally beautiful.

Harry looked no less than an angel standing against the city backdrop. And for Anna, it was difficult to believe that he could ever be, let alone be described as, the devil.

"Careful there. You might as well say I love you, now," Anna laughed, opening the door and stepping out.

"In your dreams, Bermuda. Adonis here isn't for sale."

Anna laughed and closed the door behind her, leaving Harry in her room. It didn't feel uncomfortable having someone else there, in her personal space. After all, she was family now and she'd do anything to get them out safe.

Her heart beat faster as she practically flew down the stairs and towards the lawn. Just a few more months and she'd lock up Florian and help the crew get out safely. Mia would be a problem, getting her back in was a challenge.

But Anna was a woman of her word and she wasn't going to back down without a fight. I'll make this right for everyone in the end, no matter what, she thought as she stepped out in the sun to find Noah and Jeremy kissing and Mia and Mark standing a few feet away, punching each other's asses off.

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━