Recovery [hs au]

thirty

He shakes his head. "Americans." He teases.

I gasp but I can't help the smile on my face. I shove him lightly and  he loses his grip on my hand. He pulls me back to him and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

"I'm just joking, Babe." He says and kisses my temple. I smile and wrap my arm around his waist.

"So, aquarium? " He looks at me.

"Sounds good to me. " I smile up at him.

We walk for only about five minutes. The city of London is absolutely gorgeous. I keep thinking about how lucky I am to be here with Harry. I never thought I would ever speak to Harry again, let alone be his girlfriend. I find it strange that someone like him would fall in love with someone like me. But the more I think the more nervous I feel, so I just shake it off and focus on how his hair looks in the wind.

Harry pays for my ticket in since I don't have the correct currency. Although I don't think he would have let me pay even if I did. The aquarium is dim, the only light comes from the tanks. Harry intertwines his fingers with mine again as we walk.

There are many excited children yelling to their parents about the fish in the tank. I smile a little as they all run around, pulling along adults.

We stop at the tanks that aren't too crowded and watch the fish swim around, which is strangely relaxing. I didn't want to go see the sharks because their eyes freak me out but Harry pulled me towards them anyways.

He stands behind me with his arms wrapped around my hips. His chin rests on my head as we stand in front of the tank full of sharks. One swims towards the glass and it causes me to move back. I can feel Harry's chest vibrate against my back as he laughs.

"They can't get you, Gracie. They're in a tank." He says.

"I know but that one was looking right at me with it's dead eyes." The sight makes me shiver.

He laughs again.
"So you aren't afraid of their many rows of teeth they can use to rip off limbs, you're afraid of their eyes."

I nudge him with my elbow.
"Shut up." I laugh.

I pull his hands off of my waist and take him away from the sharks.
"I can't deal with that anymore." I shake my head.
He chuckles.

We make it to the end of the aquarium eventually. It's a lot colder when we walk out of the building due to the wind. I regret not bringing my jacket along and cross my arms in attempt to keep warm.
Harry notices and shrugs off his hoodie, wrapping it around me.

"Harry." I whine.
"You'll freeze." I say and begin to remove the jacket.

He wraps it back around me.
"I'll be fine. I'm wearing long sleeves, you are not."

"It was warm when we left." I say and look up at him.

"Mhm." He says and wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Off to look at a large clock." He smiles and directs me towards a bridge.

**

We did stare at Big Ben for a long time and it was it was one of the most magnificent things I've ever seen. After we had stared at it for far too long we got on one of the double decker buses and got to sit on top, which I've always wanted to do. The bus took us on a tour, taking us to the London Tower and Buckingham palace. By the time we got back to Big Ben the sun is almost set. The sky is pink and orange and completely breathtaking.

Harry pulls me close as we walk back to the London Eye to get in line in time. I watch the sky as I hold Harry's waist and lay my head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of my head as we fall into a comfortable silence.

We only had to wait in line for about twenty minutes before getting our tickets and boarding one of the compartments. There are about fifteen people in there with us but it doesn't seem crowded. Harry pulls me towards the edge and I hold onto the railing.

It slowly moves up to give us a view of London. I face towards the large window in front of me. Harry stands behind me with his hands holding the rail on either sides of my hips. We make it to the top within minutes and the sight nearly takes my breath away.

The city glows with golden lights, giving a warm feel to it. I can see cars and people moving below us, all with their own stories, own struggles and own families. The sight makes me feel big yet incredibly small at the same time.

"It's beautiful." I say.

"Mhm." He hums.

I look back at him and make eye contact. His face is lit up by the city below. I feel my chest begin to sting in the best way possible. He saw me in my lowest and brought me up again. He showed me how beautiful the world can be.

He made me happy again.

I cup his face in my hand and lean up to kiss his lips softly. I feel him smile as he kisses me back. I pull away and giggle when Harry leans back into me, pulling my hips closer to him. He opens his eyes and looks at me again.

"I love you." I say quietly. Finally letting the words roll off my lips. My heart pounds as I stare into his gleaming eyes

A big cheesy grin covers his face and I swear I see a tear form in his eye. He leans in and kisses me quickly. And then again. And again, lingering a little this time pulling my body flush against his.
"I love you too, Gracie." He says.

He smiles at me and looks back up to my eyes. "Say it again. Please."

I laugh at him and lean in to kiss his nose.
"I love you, Harry. So much."

I've known that I loved him. I've known that I have never loved anyone or anything as much as him and probably never will. And that terrifies me. But I won't keep pushing the feeling to the back of my mind. I want to be in love with him and no matter what happens in the future, I won't deprive myself of that anymore.

We are able to watch the city of London move below us for another twenty minutes before we reach the ground. The walk back to the train is peaceful. I must've fallen asleep on the way home because we are back before I know it.

Harry has to basically hold me up as we walk to the car.
"Did London wear you out, Grace?" He asks once he begins to drive. I fasten my seat belt before curling up in my seat. I smile and nod.

He reaches out and intertwines our fingers.
The radio plays softly the whole way home. I close my eyes and listen to Harry softly singing along.

"Thank you for inviting me, Harry." I say as he pulls into the driveway.

"Thank you for coming, Gracie." He says.
"I don't think I could survive this trip without you." He parks the car.

"I don't think I could survive without you." I look down at his hand wrapped around mine. He squeezes my hand and I look back up at him.

His eyes are bright and he almost looks relieved. He leans in and kisses me on the forehead. I close my eyes as he lingers.

I smile and wish I could stay right here, right now, forever.

--

Sorry it's kind of short.
It was really just supposed to be a cute little chapter.

Exciting things soon!! :)
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