This Love

Chapter 41

HARRY STYLES

"Is she sleeping still?" Seth whispers from the backseat.

I nod and hesitate on pulling the keys from the ignition. "You can head inside, I'll wake her up and we can come back for the bags later."

"Cool," he quietly exits the car and winces as he makes an effort to silently close the door behind him. We're both well aware that Scarlett doesn't appreciate being woken abruptly.

Still, I have to try not to laugh at the minor pout on her lips she forever wears when she's passed out. I think the reason it's always funny to see her sleeping is because she's so vulnerable and soft. As long as she's asleep, she can't make snide remarks, smirk, or do anything that makes her...her. Right now, she's just a beautiful and defenseless girl.

"Scar," I lean in to kiss her cheek twice, then the corner of her mouth until she breathes in and moves her head away from me.

"Mm-mm," she leans her head against the door. "I'm cold."

"We're at the house," I chuckle with my hand on her thigh. She's most likely cold because she's wearing a mini skirt with sheer black tights in the dead of winter. "Let's go inside."

She groans in protest again, but she finally squints her eyes open and rubs them without disturbing her mascara before she looks at me. "I fell asleep."

"I know, babe," I laugh again and push forward for a kiss on the lips this time. "Let's go inside and warm up, yeah?"

"Mhm," she agrees, yet she reaches out to hold my jaw as she kisses me lazily again.

I give her another minute to wake up and fix her hair before we get out of the car and head inside to hear my extended family all talking over each other. Seth is holding one of my little cousins while speaking to my aunt, and the house smells of evergreen and savory cooking. It feels like it always felt when I came home for Christmas.

"There she is," my mum reaches her arms out for Scarlett to fit herself right in against her chest. "How are you, darling?"

"Good, thanks," Scarlett smiles tiredly as she draws back. "Thanks again for inviting us."

"Oh, don't mention it," she brushes the praise right off as she welcomes me next. "We have so much food and there's mulled wine on the stove, please eat and make yourselves cozy, yes?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get our bags and take them up to our rooms," I kiss Scarlett's forehead and head back out into the cold to get all three of our weekend bags. My girlfriend's is the only one that weighs a ton, but that's not surprising.

Within the time that I was gone, I come back downstairs to see Scarlett sitting at the kitchen table and speaking to my aunt Clara with an appetizer plate in front of her. She's sipping from a mug of what I'm sure is filled with spiced wine, and she's laughing as she scrunches her nose and tucks her hair behind her ear.

I planned to catch up with my family, some of who weren't able to make it to Gemma's wedding last month, but I can't help myself from putting together a plate and taking the chair next to Scarlett just so I can be near to her. I know that it's the right decision when she mindlessly starts tracing patterns onto my back while keeping her conversation. It makes me feel warmer somehow.

"So, H?" Aunt Clara gestures to me. "When are you going to put a ring on this one's finger?"

"Mm," I offer a light laugh as Scarlett examines me for my answer. "I'm, uh...I'm working on it."

"Well, you'd better work fast, love. Uncle Bill is in love with her."

That makes Scarlett throw her head back laughing, and I'm glad the engagement question didn't dampen her spirits too much. It'd be naive of me to think that she changed her mind about that when we just recently fought about our stances on marriage and children, but she told me she loved me so that's always progress, isn't it?