"Do you know why I named an album that's full of songs written about you, 'Harry's house'?" He asked softly, boring his pale eyes into hers that were spilling with emotion.
She shook her head and whispered a quiet "no".
"Because you're my home, V...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SINCE ENTERING THE music industry a decade ago, I've always kept my cards close to my chest. I have to for the sake of my career, my reputation, and most importantly, my well-being. Admittedly, it hadn't always been easy. Throwing a sixteen-year-old kid into a world where nothing was off-limits while telling him to be careful was like throwing a hungry lion a gazelle and telling him not to eat it. Had I not been raised properly, I undoubtedly would have been both the victim and perpetrator of manipulation on many occasions. 'Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile' Mum told me, tears brimming in her eyes as she waved me off to start my new journey in London. And to this day, I've lived by it. I've kept strangers at arm's length and kept my personal life just that. I'd never found it difficult to keep myself to myself. If anything, sometimes I was a little too closed off and it had cost me potential relationships and friendships in the past. I was cautious about who I let in and it often took me a while before I felt comfortable enough to trust someone.
But right now, sitting across from a girl I'd only just met tonight, I was acting as though I was the most open book in the library.
Her small hands cradle the ceramic mug, holding it close to her face and concealing her features behind a mist of steam. I can tell she finds beauty in the small things from the way she admires the view over the waist-high wall edging the rooftop with an adoring smile gracing her heart-shaped lips, "It's so beautiful up here,"
I hum in agreement. The view still mesmerises me, just as it did the first time I saw it. The deep indigo sky provides a perfect backdrop for the bright stars and crescent moon. Tall, lit-up buildings line up along the horizon, overshadowing the smaller ones. Although the restaurant was located just outside the city centre, you could still see it from a distance if you were high enough.
"It might sound cliché, but this is the only place I can truly clear my head," I admit.
She exhales gently, nuzzling her cheek into the fuzziness of the blanket that was swallowing her small frame, "They seem so close. I could just pluck one out of the sky and eat it,"
She giggles as she catches sight of my bewildered expression from the corner of her eye. As her head turns to face me completely, a strand of hair strays from the claw clip she had taken out of her bag earlier to secure her curls. My fingers twitch to brush it out of her eyes like I'm starring in some corny rom-com. She beats me to it, gently tucking it behind her left ear, "I like to think they would burst in your mouth like popping candy as you bite into them,"
My tongue tingles as my brain plucks blissful childhood recollections of eating popping candy bars from the deepest parts of my memory. I could almost hear the crackling as it popped and fizzed like fireworks in my mouth. I smile fondly, remembering how my mother had held a bulky camcorder up to my face, capturing the moment my face contorted when experiencing the strange sensation for the first time, "I used to love those as a kid,"
