From The Dining Table [H.S]

Epilogue

After the most perfect night of my life, dancing around an empty arena with my forever, Harry and I embarked home and had the most amazing summer ever.

The days were filled with warm suns and crashing waves, surfing in the early morning breeze and singing in the evening car drives. I had never been happier in my entire life, and it was all because of him.

As the autumn nights grew closer, rolling over the sea with the early darkness and chilly days, we decided to make the most of the last warm weather we would have at the beach before we went back to London for the winter months.

Harry had a surprise for me tonight, and made me stay in the bedroom for about two hours whilst he set it up.

I lay on my back, the mattress beneath me and the quiet ceiling above me, my arms spread by my side and the room still. I was excited but also extremally intrigued as to what he could be planning for so long, so I struggled to pinpoint one thing to be excited over, leading me to just smile. The bed smelt like Harry - it always has ever since he moved down and it will forever. The clock ticked leisurely past 7pm, the sun beginning to lower over the blue horizon and my eyes falling sleepy from the day we'd had.

There's a beautiful clifftop walk I know that takes you round the entire beach. Harry and I went earlier today, and just sat at the edge of the cliff, admiring the way the waves lapsed up the golden sands, and the way the wind danced through the towering dunes.

As I began to daydream, reliving the day we'd spent together, I heard the door creek open. Immediately rolling onto my stomach, I lay eyes on Harry who was beaming ear to ear.

"Okay, I'm ready now." He put his hand out for me to take as I hurried to my feet and met him at the doorway. Locking our fingers together, he lead us down the hallway and into the kitchen. On the granite, sat a basket filled with foods and drinks, his guitar, a blanket, some pillows, wood and a lighter.

"What is all this?" I look up at him to see him already gazing down at me, his emeralds pure and green with such beauty behind them.

"I thought we could go for an evening picnic." His lips pressed into the top of my head, laying repeated tiny kisses, holding my hand slightly tighter as if he were nervous.

"I love that idea!" I exclaim, turning my head to peck his lips before I gathered some of the things in my hands to help him carry down.

The walk to the beach is only a minute long, however Harry was dead silent. He was walking quickly, and his breathing seemed a lot heavier than normal. I just assumed he, like me, was tired, so I didn't say anything about it.

By this point, the beach was painted the perfect orange by the sky, the sea calm and the air the perfect warmth. Laying the blanket down, I set up the pillows and the food whilst Harry took charge of setting up the wood to make a small bonfire for us both. The smell of the fresh smoke was earthy and weirdly comforting, fitting the setting as if it were made to be here as I leant back onto some of the pillows.

Harry sat next to me, taking a bottle of champagne from the basket and effortlessly popping the cork. "M'lady." He smiled as he handed me the glass, quickly filling himself one too. Raising his in the air, he stammered as he tried to make a toast. "Here's to the future, I mean, what it has in store for us. I've loved every second I've spent with you, and... uhh, and I- I- I can't wait to enter this next chapter with you. This next chapter being you moving to London, not us breaking up or anything like that." Harry cleared his throat heavily, wiping his free hand down his leg as it was sweaty.

"Cheers." Our glasses clinked together, me taking a small sip and watching in humoured confusion as Harry downed the entire thing.

"You okay?" I decided to check in on him. His head darted to look at me, eyes wide and mouth open as if he wanted to reply but didn't know what to say.