When You Know

With Murphy being away so much, Harry had almost forgotten how much he loved waking up with her next to him. Her hair was messy, the symptoms of a restless night. She'd managed to wake him up a few times, turning gently in her sleep like she was afraid to fall from the middle of his bed and wrapping an arm around his torso every time she realised it wasn't there already. A good night's sleep was near impossible, but Harry was willing to forgo rest if it meant having her around.

It's why when ten in the morning passed he felt so guilty tearing himself away. There was the thought of waking her, but he remembered the time stamps from most of her texts and figured this was probably the only long period of rest she'd manage to have for the next few months. Slipping carefully from underneath her, Harry managed to slunk away from the bed and into his shower, surprised to find her in the exact same position once he'd dressed for the day. It wasn't fair to wake her now, if she was sleeping this much she clearly needed it more than she needed anything else. Lifting the covers slightly to cover her bare shoulders, he slipped her phone from under the pillow and took it with him. Work phone calls would have to wait, he decided, and he knew he'd resent anyone who tried disrupting their two days together with another pointless question.

'There he is,' Megan smiled briefly in his direction as he made it to the front room. Harry had hoped she'd been long gone by now, there was a silent agreement between himself and Cal that the small girl would be taken far, far away from the apartment whilst he snuck Murphy out and they pretended her arrival back in London was still imminent. Still, they were both dressed like they had somewhere to be, so there was still time.

'Here I am?' Harry laughed, subconsciously forming a barrier between Megan and his bedroom, determined not to give away the fact he hadn't slept alone last night.

'Are you coming with us?' She stood expectantly, looking at the time like she was worried about its passing.

'Harry has a video to shoot,' Cal corrected, glancing between them both and hoping the lie would hold up long enough. 'We should get going though, she might be home already.' He rested a hand in the small of her back, trying to edge her closer to their apartment door.

'No,' she waved off frustratedly. 'I've not heard from her all night. She wasn't even supposed to be off now I'm just worried her time off got cancelled or something.'

'She's just travelling,' Harry added. 'When she called me she was pretty tired so, probably already home, or nearly there.'

'I'll just call her,' Megan frowned. In an instant, Harry realised Murphy's phone had never been another setting but loud, and it was too far into his pocket for him to silence it in time. Bracing himself for the oncoming storm, he winced as Undercover Martyn echoed out across their now silent front room. If he wasn't so afraid of her reaction, the way Megan's face dropped would have been comical. She lowered her phone, letting it ring out until it turned to voicemail, her skin turning pale white while she worked out the maths in her mind. Harry had never questioned why it was their ringtone, but he cursed whatever story made it so.

'That's my phone,' he leapt to the first excuse he could think of.

'Where is she?' Megan pressed.

'I changed my ringtone since I hear yours so much.'

'Where's Alice?'

'No idea, yours?'

'Where is she?'

'I think she might have landed already, you should probably get going,' he had to laugh, knowing he was seconds away from being found out.

'She might actually fight you,' Cal pointed, raising his hands and backing away from them both before Megan had a chance to explode in a fit of rage and confusion.