Inclination

Jewelry, Jilted Exes, Junctions

You have a handful of choice words that you want to add to the dropped conversation with Harry's ex, but when you step inside and scan the dark restaurant he is nowhere in sight. The sad bastard probably left the instant you two did and you're glad that you didn't leave any wine on the table because you wouldn't put it past that wet blanket to poison you. You promise yourself that if you ever run into him again that you'll say the rest of what you want to say and frankly, what he needs to hear.

You flip Harry's wallet open and your mouth drops at the thick bundle of cash tucked neatly inside. Each bill is oriented right-side-up and in descending valued order from back to front. You pull out three bills of the highest mark and drop them on the table because you have a feeling that's what Harry would have done, gather the boxed up desserts and take one more glance around the restaurant.

The date doesn't feel ruined to you. Harry looked gorgeous in his outfit and you felt beautiful, the food was outstanding and the atmosphere was intoxicating. Harry was romantic and soft, lovable and doting, witty and sensitive. His ex approaching your table was sour, yes, but it provided an opportunity for you to get a better sense of Harry's past love life and therefore have a better understanding of his struggle - regardless of his sexuality.

It also gave you a chance to publicly defend Harry, which you are willing to do at the drop of a hat any damn day of the week because he deserves someone who will not only hold his hand but intertwine his fingers and lift his arm into the air victoriously, because he's a fucking hero. He's your hero. After Harry saw that you had the right words when his tongue had been fearfully swallowed into his throat, you became his hero as well.

You can see his endless smile from his car parked beneath a streetlight as you pass through the parking lot. He watches you weave between vehicles stealthily, the ultra feminine sound of your high heels clacking with purpose against the pavement and he drops his gaze to his lap to take a deep breath before he looks back towards you again.

It's not quite as extreme as saving his life, but you've been his lifeguard on duty in your tall tower for months now. Patiently waiting in a fortress high above the sand as the sun kisses the glorious beauty of your skin while he treads water, careful to never let him drown but allowing him to swim on his own, unquestioning of his ability to reach the shore in his own time when he was strong enough, no matter how many tidal waves tried to pull him under in the process.

He looks at the passenger door when he hears the tug on the handle and although his face is devoid of salty tears now, he can feel his chest swelling with another round but this time they feel joyful. They feel like tears of celebration for how he's finally step foot on land even though his arrival wasn't very graceful; more of a flop into the sand rather than a strut down the catwalk. But they feel good nonetheless, really good.

You sink into the passenger seat and huff a breath of air that blows your hair away from your face, "wanted to dig into him again but I think he was weeping in the bathroom because I called him a wease-"

You glance at him and find tears shimmering in his eyes once more, a single tear falls when your gazes connect and your mouth falls open as your sentence abruptly ceases, "no. No more tonight, Harry. You're okay, I promise." You reach across the console for his hand and he reaches out like a whip to take it, weaving your fingers together and kissing your knuckles before using his free hand the cup the back of your neck and pull you closer.

"I am. I am totally okay," he attaches his lips to yours and sighs when you moan into his mouth, "I don't know when my love for you switched or if it was ever actually anything different than it is today, but it's a whole lot stronger. I can't believe you said all that for me. I would've never been able to... I'm so thankful for you. I adore you. M'so crazy about you."