the brave ones // h.s.

epilogue

"Can we switch later if I don't like it?" she asks nervously.

"'Course we can," he smiles. "In you go, love."

Eden edges her way into the confined seat, moves the provided blanket and pillow, and shakily sits down by the window; the blind is pulled down all the way, thankfully, but her curiosity can't help but lift the shade anyhow. Outside, several workers are puttering about on the dark runway, loading bags into the underbelly of the plane.

Harry plops down next to her, sighing aloud as he pushes his hands through his hair. "Ready?" he asks, squeezing her knee once. "You'll be alright."

She nods wordlessly, keeping her eyes to the window. Thirty minutes pass as the plane slowly fills with crew and passengers; Harry does his best to be supportive but Eden's anxiety only climbs as time winds on. By the time the plane pulls away from the gate and begins rolling down the runway, her hands are clenched onto the armrests and her knuckles are turning white.

"Hold my hand," Harry instructs her, and Eden obliges gratefully. "You don't have to look out the window if it's going to make you more anxious."

"No, I want to," she counters, not turning to look at him. She wants to confront this irrational fear, and if looking out the window while they take off is going to help her do that, then she's not going to look away.

She feels him kiss the back of her hand and her heart explodes into a sprint. Her grip on his hand tightens as the plane picks up speed towards the end of the runway, wheels roaring on the road beneath them, before suddenly going airborne. Eden squeezes her eyes shut as her body falls back into the seat, but soon she forces them open.

Outside the ground falls away as they race into the setting sun. Clouds whir past the window in blurs of gold and pink for several minutes before the plane reaches its peak height and levels out. Eden cranes her neck to see the clouds below, appearing more like cotton candy than anything else.

"Wow," she says quietly, releasing her grip on Harry's hand. "I've never seen the world like this before."

"I'm really proud of you, Eden," he says quietly. She looks over at him; he's watching her with a familiar kind of loving attentiveness. She's always admired the way he looks at her - with such pure adoration, like she's the center of his world.

Then again, maybe she's just being a bit narcissistic.

He kisses her cheek once before reaching to pull something out of his bag. Eden feels her skin burn where his lips touched her.

Exhaustion abruptly begins to creep in, and she can feel her eyelids growing heavier by the minute. "Can I lay on you?" she asks, already adjusting herself to get comfortable.

Harry slides some headphones over his ears and nods. Eden goes to rest her head in his lap, but stops herself when his eyes meet hers. Following the rush of courage that floods her veins, she leans forward and briefly kisses him before settling in to sleep. Her eyes close as she smiles to herself, picturing the look of pleasant surprise on Harry's face as she easily slips into dreams.

Her sleep aboard the plane is restless and occasionally she finds herself waking up to a groggy image of Harry asleep above her, but each time she merely forces her eyes shut once more. The last thing she wants is to be hit by jet lag while in another country.

Eight hours later, Eden is nudged fully awake by Harry gesturing out her half-open window. She rubs her tired eyes and attempts to comb her fingers through her tangled hair as she sits up; her back aches, her knees hurt from being scrunched up by the window, and her legs are feeling quite restless from lack of movement.

When she looks out the window again, she's surprised to see the unfamiliar London skyline slowly growing bigger. From her spot in the air she can see Big Ben towering amongst the rest of downtown London; she listens in awe as Harry points out other landmarks, whispering in her left ear until the plane is too close to the ground to see anything else.

With tired eyes and cramps in her legs, Eden exits the plane behind Harry, still gawking at the massive airport around them. His hand wrapped around hers is the only thing keeping her moving forward when all she wants is to stop and stare for a while. After they've gathered their bags from baggage claim, they melt into the crowd cutting a path to the International Arrivals gate.

A crowd of eager people is waiting outside the threshold of the doors, many of them holding flowers or signs bearing the names of their loved ones. Eden is surprised to hear Harry's name bellowed out above the dull chatter of the airport; behind the crowd at the gate stands a tall man with spiked dirty-blonde hair and a bright smile. He waves eagerly and Harry waves back before gently tugging Eden along with him.

"That's my publisher friend, Niall," he says to her. "He's going to give us a ride to our hotel and then show us around for a bit."

She nods just as Niall approaches and grabs Harry in a bear hug. They take a few moments to greet each other while Eden nervously glances around the airport, still drinking in the strange sights around her.

"And you must be the famed Eden," Niall says, drawing her attention back to him. She nods, reaching out to shake his hand when he unexpectedly pulls her into a warm hug. "Pardon my forwardness but I feel like I already know you."

His smile is genuine and Harry looks positively thrilled to see the two of them getting along. Eden can't help but grin back at Niall. Any nerves she had about coming to England are swamped by the adrenaline swimming through her veins. She's beginning to feel the familiar itch for adventure; the buzzing that begins in her fingertips until it slowly fills the rest of her body.

"It's alright," she giggles. "Nice to meet you, Niall."

Niall claps Harry on the shoulder before sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture. "Eden Edwards, welcome to England."

~~~

i don't even know what to put here. how can i thank yall enough for supporting my creativity and allowing me to write what i love? you're all amazing and i will miss this story very much

please don't archive this just yet (as i don't know if you get notifications when you archive a story?) and stay tuned for an update later on tonight xx