Strawberries and Cigarettes ~ {h.s au}

chapter fifty three ~ part one ***

And yet she looked effortlessly beautiful.

It was clear that she was shocked when he threw his arms around her quickly, her body still for a moment before it all clicked. She laughed slightly, bringing her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her own. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to even out their height as he leaned his body down, shielding her smaller frame from the world around them.

"Hey, H," she breathed, her voice almost lower than a whisper as she asked. "Are you okay?"

He simply nodded his head, his arms never leaving her body as he hummed, "Had a bad dream is all."

She pulled apart from him, placing her hands on his cheeks before she leaned forward and sent a sweet, innocent kiss to his lips. The dull feeling in his chest immediately disappeared, and the small voice in the back of head telling himself that she was gone was finally silenced.

He smiled into the kiss, separating from her as he placed his forehead onto hers. His eyes had still been closed, simply taking in the moment of being with her before he opened his eyes and was met with the most captivating sea.

"I have something for you," she finally announced, peeling her head away from his. "I was going to wait to bring it to you tonight, but since you're already here, why wait?"

Her smile was breathtaking as she linked her fingers with his, his body igniting with a spark as she led them into the house. He took his shoes off quickly, not letting go of her hand before they were heading up the stairs, watching as she skipped a step, trying her hardest to stay ahead of him.

Her white socks made her legs look long and tan and her shorts she had been wearing were seemingly cut at the bottom, making his head go fuzzy as he watched her make her way up the stairs. The two made it to her room before she turned around, the smile wide on her face as she stood on her toes, almost as if she couldn't contain the excitement.

"Okay one second," she said before she opened her door. He was about to follow behind before she quickly turned around, shaking her head as she said. "No not yet, I'll let you know when."

He chuckled slightly to himself, finding himself completely in awe of how fucking adorable she was before he nodded his head, "Do you want me to close my eyes too, blue?"

His tone was in a teasing nature before she whipped her head back through the door, "Oh yes! That would be perfect!"

He rolled his eyes playfully before closing his eyes. He waited for a moment, the small smile never leaving his face before he heard the door open again. The smell of her strawberry shampoo overwhelmed his senses and a light hearted laugh left his body when her hands covered his eyes.

"A bit much don't you think, love?" He questioned, placing his hands over hers as playfully scoffed.

"Just walk," she sassed, but the smile on her lips being heard as they moved together into the room.

She turned him around, her hands still covering his eyes before she said, "Are you ready?"

He nodded his head quickly, more than he would like to admit before the shield guarding his view vanished and he was left standing in front of a record player... along with a card sitting on top.

"Marley," he said slowly, turning around to face her as she stood with a smile on her face. "What is this?"

She stayed silent for a second, his heart pounding before she said, "It's August first."

He cocked his head slightly to the left, confusion still flooding before she laughed. She grabbed his hand in hers and spun the pair back around, "Happy half birthday, Harry Styles."