From The Dining Table [H.S]

Lilac and Love

TW: very brief mention of unhealthy ways to loose weight which may upset some readers.

Primrose's POV:

The sun rose quietly over the distant building tops, marking the beginning of Christmas Eve as Harry and I sat in his garden, huddled under a huge blanket, sipping herbal tea. Our hot breaths steamed before us, mixing in white smoke as we sat in silence, enjoying the simple moment of peace in the world: birds singing, the dogs wondering the vast grounds, the clouds shifting to clear the sky a pale blue.

It was early - very early - but I didn't mind. Initially, I only awoke early because Harry did, and I didn't want to be in bed alone. However now, I enjoy getting up, welcoming the mornings with open arms as I feel like I'm in an utterly different world. There's no winds from the crashing seas, no seagulls, no waves, there's songbirds and trees rustling and a faint hum of animals sounding in distant fields. It was homely, and made me almost homesick when I would turn to my mum ask to about the weather today, or go to tell my dad about the cake we could bake together... but each time I was met with Harry.

And in a weird way, I enjoyed seeing Harry more than if I were to see my family.

His body was as close as it could get to mine, us sharing the heat radiating from the layers we were wearing, trying to maintain as much warmth as possible. I could hear his breathing: perfectly fitting with the surrounding soundtrack, his chest moving in a constant rhythm with the smallest inhale and exhale visible if I peeked beneath the blanket.

I admired the way he looked in this unique lighting. How his eyes became a pale, crystalizing green. How his jawline sat prominently beneath his face, cascading small shadows down his muscular neck in the exposure. How his skin was perfect, not a single blemish lying upon his canvas. How in this raw time of day, the brightness of the world made the extremely small stubble lying just beneath his skin visible - something he shaves daily to maintain zero facial hair. His cheekbones are sculpted as if by Gods, or as if he is a God himself - perfectly statuesque in his gaze of the surrounding, as of he were immersed in the nature, controlling it through the light feathering of his curled lashes when he blinked, or dilating of his pupils.

An unequalled beauty so precious and rare that it is utterly unique to him: nobody else on planet earth sharing this gift of mesmerising artistry.

Taking another sip of my tea, I begin to wonder what festivities today might bring us. Over this last week, Harry and his family have shared countless moments with me - I baked with Anne, Gemma and I looked around the boutiques in town, we all spent a day watching films and eating chocolate. Yet, today, there is a little extra magic in the air, as if something special is going to happen.

Harry turned to me, catching my look upon his face. His lips curved into a soft smile, an exhaled laugh coming from his nose and creating steam before us from the cold temperature as I continued to stare, not budging my eyes despite him looking directly at me. "What?" He quizzes, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly.

"Nothing." I sigh quietly, smiling to myself as I spoke in  my head. I just love you, Harry, everything about you, to a point where all I can bring myself to do is look at you. Look at the varying shades of greens in your eyes, the way your lips sit so perfectly against one another, the way your hair curls into ringlets of chestnut brown. And every day, I wake up and believe that loving you will be easier. But, every day, when I see you for the first time, I remember how blessed I am to be so privileged as to love someone like you. And I remind myself that loving you is anything but easy, Harry, because otherwise I'm doing it wrong.

My love for you is absorbing. Every nerve in my body, every cell in my body longs for you even when we are together. I fell for you so easily, and that is the only easy part about it. It's difficult because every day I feel in debt to you, to the world, to the universe for letting me find you when I needed you the most, and I feel as though I can never show you as much love as you deserve. I carry this love in my stride with me every day. It's in the tips of my fingers when they are laced around yours, and it's in the nerves in my lips each and every time we kiss, because I love you, Harry. I will always love you. And, I will live the rest of my life showing you this love, in gratitude to you forever and always for saving me that evening on the beach.