One Wild Night

Sunlight, filtered through the sheer curtains, danced across Jade's eyelids, coaxing them open.

Fatigue clung to her limbs, a souvenir of the festivities of the last two nights. The wedding had been a whirlwind of laughter, dancing, and maybe a few too many celebratory drinks.

Yet, amidst the exhaustion, a delightful aroma tickled her nose. Bacon? Pancakes? The scent of breakfast in bed was practically a love song on a Sunday morning.

Jade propped herself up on her elbows, a smile already tugging at her lips. Her gaze landed on a tray adorned with a plate piled high with fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, and perfectly scrambled eggs. Beside it, a steaming mug promised freshly brewed coffee. In the chair next to the bed, Harry, sat nursing his own mug, a lazy smile gracing his face as he watched her wake up.

"Good morning, sleepy goddess," he said, his voice low and warm. "Sleep well?"

"Like a log, knowing you were next to me. Breakfast in bed, huh?" She asked and Harry nodded.

"Yup. Figured you might need a little coaxing to wake up."

Jade's smile bloomed into a grin. "You are a lifesaver. I swear, my feet still haven't forgiven me for those heels and the dance moves."

She reached for the coffee as she sat up and took a grateful sip. "Did Candace and Andy prepare these?"

He shook his head, a playful glint in his eyes. "Nope, I did. I decided to make breakfast for the beautiful ladies in my life. But don't worry, yours tastes much sweeter. I made sure to save the best for you," he said with a wink, and she giggled as she reached for a pancake.

"Nope. No. Go wash your hands first," he ordered and she frowned.

"What's the point of breakfast in bed if I have to stand up to go wash anything?" She asked with a pout.

"I can't believe I have to educate you on hygiene…."

"Fine. Okay. I will go wash my hands and my teeth while at it. Geez!" Jade said as she got off the bed, and Harry grinned as he watched her leave.

Harry remained where he sat, sipping from his coffee and thinking about what he wanted to say to her.

"I'm back. See?" Jade asked, showing him her wet hands, "I deliberately chose not to dry them just so you see that I washed them. What else should I do? Shower before eating?" She asked, and Harry chuckled.

"Kiss me," he said and she scowled at him as she leaned forward to kiss him.

"Now go dry your hands," he said, and laughed out when she raised her hands to show him she had dried her hands on his shirt.

"Are you not eating?" Jade asked as she set the tray on the middle of the bed and sat down.

"I am," Harry said as he joined her on the bed.

Between bites, Jade chatted about snippets of the wedding. Harry listened patiently, his gaze soft and attentive.

As they finished their breakfast, a comfortable silence settled between them, punctuated only by the clinking of cutlery.

Jade sighed in satisfaction after she was done eating. "You deserve a medal. This was delicious," Jade said and Harry smiled.

"Thanks."

"See? That's the way you should compliment a person when they prepare a meal for you," Jade said, and Harry looked at her, lost for a moment.

"I thought you always bragged about how you were cursed with an excellent memory? How come you don't know what I'm talking about?" Jade asked incredulously.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Remember not saying anything when you tasted my meal for the first time? (Chapter 470)" She asked and a smile tugged on Harry's lips.

"Your meal? I remember wanting to say a lot when I tasted it but you were too shy and even covered your face with a pillow(chapter 648)," he said with a suggestive smile, and Jade blushed.

"Don't be naughty, you know the meal I'm talking about," she said and Harry chuckled.

"No, I don't. I can only think of one meal right now, and it is found…." Jade giggled as she stuffed the last piece of pancake into his mouth to shut him up.

"For Christ's sake, Harry!" She snapped, and he laughed as she chewed.

"Okay. Alright. Fine. Your presence made me uncomfortable so I wanted to make you uncomfortable too when I noticed you seemed to be waiting for a feedback. But it was nice. Very nice," Harry said and Jade smiled.

"Thinking about it, I think visiting you then was what changed things between us," Jade said as she remembered all about that day.

"You think? That was when you confessed your feelings to me after wasting our time with all your games (chapter 472)," Harry said and she grinned.

"I wasn't playing games. I wasn't sure how to come right out and talk to you. Tom said you were old fashioned and wouldn't want me to ask you out directly. And have you considered that I wouldn't have had to play all that game had you simply told me how you felt from the beginning?" Jade asked and he snorted.

"You were so hot that day. Thinking about it now, I remember how wet I was," Jade said and Harry grinned.

"Really? You like me being a bad boy that much? Turns you on, huh?" He asked, wiggling his brows and she giggled.

"I can't help being turned on by every version of you. Whether you're being a bad boy, or a gentleman, or a strict CEO, I love all that parts that make up Harry Jonas," she said and Harry smiled at her.

"As I love all the parts that make up Jade Hank. The clingy, jealous, spoilt brat and all of that. The only part I'm willing to touch is the insecure part seeing how much it bothers you and affects you. And as you know, if my baby is not happy, I'm not happy. So, can we continue that conversation from where we stopped?" Harry asked, a serious expression replacing his playful one.

"Why don't I take care of the dishes first?" Jade suggested, wanting to rise but Harry stopped her.

"I will take care of it while you freshen up," Harry said as he rose.

"I still want to see Candace and Andy…."

"They are not in. They went out over an hour ago. Candace left to see Matt, and Andy decided to explore the city and also spend some time at her own place," Harry said and Jade narrowed her eyes.

"Did you talk to them about this?" She asked and Harry nodded.

"Yes, I did. Don't worry, I wasn't harsh. I just asked them to advise you without dragging me and our relationship into it. Every relationship is peculiar and special in its own way, and what works for one couple wouldn't work for the next. And sugar, I would really appreciate it if you let it sink into your pretty little head…"

"My head isn't little," Jade cut in.

"Your pretty enormous head then," Harry corrected and Jade giggled.

"Let it sink into your head that when it comes to you, no one knows or understands how much I adore you. So, listening to what others have to say about our relationship might actually not be favorable to us," Harry said and Jade nodded.

"Alright. I will go freshen up and you can do the dishes. I never really like doing dishes anyway, with or without dishwashers," Jade said and Harry chuckled as he picked up the tray.

"Lucky us that I don't mind doing the dishes," Harry said as he walked away while Jade went in to freshen up.

Thirty minutes later, Jade lay nestled against Harry's chest on the bed. Harry trailed a finger down her arm, sending shivers dancing across her skin as they lay in comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence.

However, the unspoken conversation hung in the air, a weight they both acknowledged.

So," Harry began, his voice soft but determined, "where were we?"

Jade took a deep breath, the warmth of his arm wrapped around her body a grounding anchor. "We were talking about working on being able to spend some time apart," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Right," he nodded, as he ran a hand down her arm. "And how you feel like you might be…too much."

"Clingy, insecure," Jade supplied, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

Harry sat up and adjusted so that they could look at each other.

"Listen, Sugar," Harry said, his gaze meeting hers, "I love your passionate nature. It's one of the things that drew me to you in the first place. But I also understand your concerns. We both need space to grow as individuals, to pursue our own passions and interests."

Jade nodded, her heart clenching at the thought of being apart, even for a short while.

"But being apart doesn't mean being disconnected," Harry continued, his voice gentle. "Maybe we could set aside specific times for just us, phone calls or dates, and then have separate time for our own hobbies and friends."

The idea resonated with Jade. It offered a structure, a way to balance her desire for closeness with the need for individual space. "That could work," she admitted, thinking about signing up for dance lessons and maybe yoga. Anything that would give her less time to be in other people's business and also let her give Harry a bit of space.

"Good. We will make it work in a way that when I'm doing something else that doesn't involve you, you can be doing something else that doesn't involve me as well. That way you won't be bored, and when we talk or see we can have other things to talk about. I also think all of this is temporary, anyway. I know how you can be when you're working on a case. You are usually too busy to worry about me," Harry said and Jade nodded.

"True," she said, thinking about how busy she had been before her grandfather died and even when they returned from their trip recently and she had to conclude Rebekah's case.

She had stayed away from Sara's case since she had decided that no matter how terrible Sara might be, she didn't want to be directly responsible for locking her boyfriend's mother away. Harry could do that himself.

"Also communication," Harry said, taking her hand, "open and honest communication is key. If you're feeling insecure, don't bottle it up. Talk to me, and we can work through it together."

"What if what happens last time happens again? I mean, what if Tom decides that he wants to spend time with you during the little time we schedule for ourselves?" She asked and Harry smiled.

"I'm not jealous of Tom. I'm not asking that cause I'm jealous. He is my brother and I love him. It's just that I don't like you choosing to spend time with him over me," Jade said honestly and Harry nodded.

"That was a one time thing. I assure you that it won't happen again. Also, Tom and I already agreed to resume our weekly hangouts. That way, he won't intrude on our time together. And if for any reason he shows up randomly like he did the last time, I will let you chase him away, after all, he is your brother and won't hate you for it," Harry said with a reassuring smile.

"What if he doesn't leave?"

"Then we will just have to pay him back in his own coin until he gets the message," Harry said with a grin and Jade laughed.

"I think I like that idea," she said, thinking of all the ways she could frustrate Tom knowing how much he loved to spend time alone with Lucy.

"But I don't think it will get to that. Tom didn't do it to piss you off. And I know very well that after seeing how much you didn't like it, he won't repeat it," Harry said, since he knew Tom that much.

"If you say so."

From there, the conversation flowed, easy and honest, as they explored their individual needs and expectations.

They discussed their love languages, realizing that quality time together, even if it was just a shared walk or a movie night, held more value to them both than constant texting or phone calls. They acknowledged the importance of supporting each other's passions, even if they didn't always share them.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me or ask me?" Harry asked and Jade pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"I'm not asking this because I'm jealous or because I don't trust you. And it's okay if you choose not to answer my question. I'm only asking cause I'm curious," Jade said without meeting his gaze and Harry raised a brow.

"Go on," he said and Jade spared him a glance.

"What's going on between you and Mia?" She asked, looking away from him again.

Harry looked at her for a moment, "Mia used to be the wife of one of our business partners," Harry said, and Jade blinked in surprise.

"What?" Of all things she had expected him to say, that was not in the list.

"Remember how I said she looked familiar the first time I saw her?" Harry asked and Jade nodded.

"Is this business partner based in Husla?" She asked and Harry raised a brow.

"How did you know that?" He asked and Jade shrugged.

"She was being weird when Tyler said she looked familiar, so I figured it had to be in Husla since that is where he is based," Jade said and Harry smiled.

"I'm always in awe of how brilliant you are," he said and she beamed a smile at him.

"Thank you. So, why does she keep denying her identity?" Jade asked and tears filled her eyes as Harry explained the situation to her.

"That's so terrible," Jade said and Harry nodded.

"We are going to do all we can to help her, and break a couple of laws if need be," Harry said and Jade held his gaze for a moment and sighed.

"Just be careful while at it. Is suppose this is going to affect our vacation?" She asked, and Harry shook his head.

"No, it won't. I promise," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"I won't mind even if it does. Her safety should come first. We can always go on our vacation when you don't have to worry about other things," she said and Harry smiled at her with pride in his eyes.

"That's so thoughtful of you. But you don't have to worry. Tom is here, and Jeff is living with her, so she will be safe. We will go on our vacation as planned," Harry said and Jade met his gaze, her eyes filled with love and gratitude.

"I love you, Jonas," she said and Harry grinned.

"I can bet not as much as I love you," he said and she shook her head.

"Don't bet on that."