Cause I Can Love You More Than This

Chapter 6: We've been friends now for a while

A month passed and Grace could now say she had a family outside her actual family. Elise and the boys had become so close with her, she had even had the pleasure of meeting Eleanor and Danielle and both instantly took a liking to her as she did to them. She was so happy to finally have friends, perhaps all those years alone was worth it since she found good honest people like them.

Now then, it was the morning of Grace’s birthday, a Friday, and she didn’t have classes nor did her nana give her a shift at the shop, wanting her to have a day out. She was sleeping soundly in her own bed in her apartment when she felt somebody gently shaking her awake.

“Gracie.” That familiar husky, deep voice spoke gently in her ear.

“Hmm?” She hummed, not opening her eyes and still half under the black blanket of sleep. That wonderful laugh she loved to hear sounded nearby her ears and she felt a soft kiss being planted to her cheek.

“Happy birthday Love, it’s time for the celebrations to begin.” Grace’s eyes stubbornly opened, falling shut several times before she finally got them to stay open. She yawned cutely and smiled at Harry who smiled back down at her.

“Hi.”

“Hello, want to open my first present to you?” He grinned.

“Harry I told you not to—“

“Eh, you should have known I wouldn’t listen, in fact, none of us did. I bought you two things so hush. Sit up so we can open it.” He helped pull her up as she rested her back against the wall since she didn’t have a headboard, and Harry lifted a white box with a few holes cut into the top.

“Harry…” Grace started. There was a giant red bow on the top and Harry’s grin only widened.

“Go on, come on.” Grace heard movement inside the box and she lifted the lid up and gasped when she saw a puppy inside. He looked like a little fox, all curled up and soft.

“Harry!”

“Surprise!” He laughed.

“You got me a dog?!” She yelled. He nodded.

“I sure did, that way you can have a piece of me with you when I’m gone on tour! He’ll keep you company while we’re all gone but he’ll remind you of me since he’s kind of like our dog, yeh know? That’s as big as he’s going to get.” He lifted the puppy out of the box, curling the sleepy animal in his arms.

“Harry I cannot believe you got me a dog!” Grace exclaimed. Harry looked a little worried. Did she hate the present? Did he go too over the top? Louis and Liam had advised him against it, but he couldn’t resist. Not when the little guy had to be rescued anyway.

“I’m sorry, was this too much?” He looked guilty. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, shaking her head.

“Harry, this is a very thoughtful present, I’m just…it’s not too much? We’ve only known each other a month.”

“But we’re already close! He’ll be our babeh, he was in the rescue shelter and I saw him and I know you always wanted a dog and I just wanted you to have a reminder to stay happy all the time.” Grace smiled at him and she gently placed her hand on his cheek, Harry subconsciously leaning into her touch immediately.

“I love him, thank you.” Harry grinned again.

“I’m glad, we’ll take turns with him when I’m home if yeh want, since he’s ours and stuff. But you can name him.” She laughed. She found it so weird that Harry had gotten her a dog and kept saying he was theirs. They were not a couple, nor even close to one, they were just friends, though both their feelings had seriously grown in the month they had known each other.