Still - h.s (au)

Chapter 24

Grace

"Let's make a toast to Grace!" Ben smiles while raising his glass of beer and everyone around the table including me joins him.

We were now in a local pub having dinner before we head to the dances and I was having so much fun, it was the perfect farewell if you ask me. I had a lovely roast for dinner, something I would terribly miss while I was away, I had a strong dark beer which I also love and I was having the best time with my friends and my Harry. 

But even though this was a happy moment, it was still very bittersweet, especially because we don't know when or if we will ever do this again. Four of the five people around the table were going to the war, and there was no way to know if any of us would survive it.

Harry had his arm around me throughout the whole night and I thanked him for that. All I wanted was to be as close with him as possible, and didn't care what others would think if they saw us this close. "To my brave gal." Harry smiles drinking the remaining beer in his glass, his eyes never leaving mine.

As expected, Ben brought a date to this dinner and I didn't recognize this girl, which meant that he has had several different dates on the past few weeks. This one doesn't look like she is from London, and her accent tells me she comes from the North of England. She is very beautiful but I don't think she realises Ben doesn't want anything serious, especially because he was going to be sent to war in a week as well. Harry and he were going to the same place, which eased my heart a little, at least they would have someone who they could rely on while they were away.

"Grace, show us the present Harry gave you!" Martha claps her hands excitedly, waiting for me to show her. After I found Harry on my bedroom, I tried to pack as best as I could but it was hard when he kept pulling me to bed. Eventually, I gave up and we went out to get ice cream in a park, even though the weather was terrible. But Harry had told Martha he was going to give me a present when they met earlier this afternoon and I still haven't had the opportunity to show her.

"A present? How romantic Harry." Ben rolls his eyes but shows us a smile on his lips meaning that he is also curious about the present. Men often tease each other when they are romantic but my Harry doesn't care about that. He is my romantic and I love him for that.

"I think she liked it." Harry says with a half-smile on his face waiting for me to show the present he gave me.

My hands move to my neck, and I pull the necklace from inside my dress finally showing the ring that is hanging on the end. "Oh my God! Are you engaged?" Is the first thing Martha asks but I was already expecting it. Harry did not propose directly to me, so it wasn't an engagement ring, but I know exactly what he meant with his gesture.

"One day when this is all over, we will be, right?" I ask looking at Harry who simply pulls me closer to him and kisses my lips slowly.

"God not in front of us!" Ben pretends to be shocked making all three of us roll our eyes at him.

"Answering your question, yes." Harry says back to me. "And you are all invited to our wedding." He says happily.

"We have to search for dresses then! After the war, I believe we will be short on fancy fabrics but I'm sure we will find a way." Martha smiles. She loves these sorts of things, she is a hopeless romantic. "But first you need to attend my wedding." Her tone changes immediately when she mentions her own wedding.

Sometimes I forgot that Martha was already engaged to Mathew, and that they would probably remain engaged until the end of the war. I only wish they can meet in the meantime, Martha deserves it more than anyone. She hasn't seen Mathew in months now, and probably by the time they finally meet more than a year would have passed.