Festive One Shots

The Cottage

You've been a good landlady (sort-of landlady...) and gone out and bought fresh linens and towels for him so he wouldn't have to suffer using your old ratty sheets, you've bought extra drawers and shelves just in case he does bring too much crap with him (which is probably likely). You've also left one of those fancy reed diffusers you get in posh places, just to make sure the room smells nice.

As you stare into the small room at the front of your house from the doorway, you hear the hum of a car engine pull down the driveway and cut out, soon followed by three door slams. You hurry to the front window and peer out to see the three of them littered around Harry's Range Rover, pulling things out. You mentally shake yourself for your nerves and skip downstairs to open the front door and greet them.

"Hey!" Sarah shouts with a wide grin, running to meet you and take you into a tight hug. "Missed you!"

You giggle as you squeeze your friend back. "Missed you, too! Been a bit lonely out here on me own, you know." You joke, pulling back to grin at her.

"Self inflicted, that." Sarah nods her head at you with raised brows.

You snort through a chuckle. "No, I know. Here, let me help."

After greeting Mitch with a small embrace (and a peck to your cheek), and an awkward smile and brief hug with Harry, the four of you lug everything they'd crammed into the car up to the relevant rooms.

As previously assumed, Harry had brought more than probably necessary, and the small back room was brimming with his belongings.

"I did tell him the room wasn't massive..." Sarah mutters as the four of you awkwardly stare into the room from the hallway. He has bags everywhere, all over the bed and floor, hidden away between every available nook and cranny in the awkwardly shaped room.

"It's not a big deal," Harry shakes his head, "I'm sure once I've unpacked everything you won't notice it."

You nod to yourself in silent hopes that that would be the case, but quietly slip away to the kitchen. You're absolutely desperate for a cup of tea after all that moving.

Sarah had noticed you scurry off, and follows you with a slightly bemused expression. "Did you buy new drawers for him..?" She whispers loudly.

"Yeah, why?" Your tone is soft - there's no point in whispering about it.

"And shelves, and... a reed diffuser?"

You shrug, filling four mugs with tea bags and sugar. "Thought he might need a bit more storage is all."

Sarah raises a single brow at you, still struggling not to smirk. "You never bought reed diffusers for your other tenants."

You roll your eyes, shuffling around her to the fridge to get the milk. "It's not a big deal, he can throw it away if he doesn't want it."

"Well, you haven't bought me a reed diffuser." Sarah mumbles rather shortly, as if she were offended.

"Ah!" You hold a finger up to her. "I knew you'd get arsey about it," you giggle, hurrying away into the next room and returning with a little gift-wrapped box, "so I bought you one, too."

Sarah's laugh fills the small kitchen as she takes the box from you with the biggest grin. "Aren't you a good landlady?"

"Er, I'm your friend, not your landlady." You retort with a shake of your head. "Go and tell them there's tea down here for them."

¬

It was weird having Harry around the house. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, but it was strange seeing him so... normal. But at the same time he was completely predictable. For the first week he went out nearly every night and brought someone back with him, had them stay the night and made them breakfast in the morning, never to see them again. It didn't really bother you that he brought home an endless string of flings - you'd almost expected it. But what did bother you was the fact that Sarah constantly watched you with a grimace like she thought you might be about to explode because of it.