London

10 - "I'm not pregnant."

"What was it like? A true bachelorette pat?"

"Yes, the colour palette was black and red and the bed was round," he laughs.

"Really?" I ask in disgust.

"No, it was just some basic furniture. It never felt like home. Not like my old apartment or our houses."

"And your parents' house? Is that where you grew up?"

"Yes," he answers short. "What are you expecting?"

"Downton Abbey," I answer dryly. It makes him burst out in laughter. "What? You said so yourself they're from the medieval ages."

"Downton Abbey was last century though," he says. "But it's something like that. Although the house is different and we don't have a staff. Just a maid."

"So it's more like in Gilmore Girls?"

This makes him laugh again, but I need some reference to understand where I'm going to be in a while. He has seen the show with me a couple of times so he knows some of it.

"Yes, but Emily Gilmore is a saint compared to my mother. But other than that, similar yes."

We walk some more and it is nice to be outside. It's cold but the brisk air makes me feel alive and pretty calm. I can tell we're entering a quieter part of the city and the streets become wider and the houses larger. We stop in front of a house that isn't gigantic but still huge. There's room to park probably three cars but they're probably in the garage because it is empty.

The front door scares me for a moment and I feel that Harry's hesitant as well. "It will be okay," I say. "Let's just knock the door."

"We'll be fine, yes?" He wonders and he sounds small. Almost like a child.

"I've got your back," I say repeating his words he recently used for me.

He rings the doorbell and like I expected it's not his mother who opens the door, but a woman dressed in a black two piece. She looks formal, but not necessarily a maid. She introduces herself as one tough.

"Hello, I'm Katherine, help of the family Styles. Can I get your coat?"

Feeling a little bit uneasy, but rude to protest, I let her take it. Harry is kind enough to take off his own coat and hands it to her after. She hangs them up on hangers that she places next to a row of coats making me wonder how many people are actually inside.

I look over to Harry once whose jaw is tight and looks tense. I haven't seen him like this in a while. Not for years. I recognize it clear as day. He's closing off. The house must bring back memories but I thought he was ready to come back and show it to me.

It's beautiful and not like I expected. Everything in the house makes sense and is perfectly styled, but it does feel like a home and not a showroom. The hallway alone is like something out of book. There's a big stairway from dark wood and the walls are all white and decorated with family photos, posters and artwork. I want to ask Harry if there's any photos of him but one look of him warns me to not talk to him right now.

Katherine guides us to a room where I think the dinner will be held. A large table is set for four persons and I'm glad that all the coats aren't from strange people but of his parents. The room has white walls like the hallway and the floor is a dark wood. The table and chairs look a bit more classical and the table piece makes me think about Downtown and Gilmore Girls again. Flowers are something I associate with people who have money. It looks beautiful.

"They'll be here in a second," she says, leaving the room.

"Is she cooking?" I ask Harry and he loosens up a bit as he laughs.