SHE (bk 1)

FORTY-ONE

Anne had gotten a mysterious phone call and wanted to go back to the apartment to do 'something' that she couldn't say. It was odd but Clementine wasn't complaining since her fingers were numb and her nose felt like it was ready to fall off soon. The evening was a wonderful one but she was ready to retire to her bedroom and get warm immediately.

"Let's go up to the roof and look at the stars," Gemma finally speaks once they're in the elevator up to Harry's apartment and Clementine inwardly groans. 

She shook her head, "That sounds great but I'm going to take a warm shower and go to bed, it has been a long day," moving to walk into the apartment once the doors opened Gemma panicked and grabbed the back of her coat roughly. The blonde fell backward into the elevator and watched the doors close to the apartment, moving upward to the roof top. "What the hell Gemma," she frowns as she picks herself up from the carpeted floor.

Wiping the dirt and salt from the streets off of her black coat she looks at the three family members as they avoid her eye contact. Sighing she crosses her arms and waits for the doors to open to the roof, they were beginning to act weird.  

Her eyebrows furrowed as the doors opened and she immediately noticed a row of candles on each side of the doors, leading to a table sitting in the very center with flowers around it. Clementine tip toed onto the roof slowly with her black heeled boots being the only sound besides an unnamed song playing in the background. 

She peeked around the corner of what appeared to be a tent and jumped back as someone slid from inside of it. "Surprise!," her gray eyes widened as she looked up at the tall man holding a bouquet of sunflowers. Harry was smiling widely down at the blonde as she looked around the decorated roof, flowers and candles lighting up every possible corner.

"What...what is this?," she couldn't control the smile that was biting at the corner of her lips as she peered back to see the Styles' family waving at her as the elevator door closed. 

Harry pushed the bouquet of flowers into her gloved hands before moving to the table, "This my Clementine is our first date," as soon as the words left his mouth she felt a surge of electricity run through her body. "I made us dinner to so sit down and enjoy."

Clementine stood still as she observed the curly haired man staring back at her, a yellow floral suit adorning his body with black Gucci dress shoes to match. "Are those...sunflowers?," she asked as she reached out to touch the yellow flowers embroidered onto the suit. 

He nodded with a large smile, "They made it specially for me and I asked for it specially for you," his words made water gather in her eyes but she pushed them back as he pulled the chair out so she could sit. "I made us some shrimp Alfredo with homemade garlic bread."

Clementine made an impressed hum as she looked down at the dish sitting before her, a rose placed on the edge of the plate as a garnish. "This is...this is all amazing Harry," she breathed out as she looked at the man sitting across from her. "But I thought you had an important meeting today?"

Harry smiled as he took a forkful of the Alfredo into his mouth, "This is my important meeting, and I believe it is the most important one I have had so far in my life," he had once again taken her breath away and he didn't even know it. 

Clementine picked up her fork and started to eat with him, eyes meeting every once and a while as heat began to grow around them. There was a certain chemistry that happened between them that neither one could place, it was different than anything either had felt before. It was new and riveting.

"What is this song?," Clementine asked as she listened once again to the song playing in the background as they ate, she knew the voice but the song was...different. 

"Sunflower, sunflower 
my eyes want you more than a melody
let me inside, I want to get to know you"

She listened intently once again as Harry watched her, wondering if she even recognized that it was him who was singing the song or that he was singing it to her. His eyes devoured the smile itching to pull onto her lips as the song continued, noticing the scrunch off her nose as she sniffled. She was freezing.

"Here come with me," he stands to his feet and looms over Clementine as he offers her his hand, she slowly places her small hand in his curiously. Harry pulls her to a tall white tent and unzips the side, "This is option two for our night."

Inside was a small couch and a picnic blanket on the floor, chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne sitting beside it. Inside the song played even louder and that's when Clementine heard it, "This...this song," 

"Your flowers just died
plant new seeds in the melody
let me inside, I wanna get to know you
I don't wanna make you feel bad 
But I've been trying hard not to act a fool
My sunflower (sunflower, sunflower)"

Clementine's eyes watered as she listened to the lyrics, her heart starting to beat fast as he zipped the tent behind them. "I wrote this night after you slept over when you were drunk, you told me your mother died but you were so optimistic...and god did I want to know everything about you. But I was trying so hard not to mess up and make myself look stupid," he chuckles gently and watches as the girl finally lets the tears fall from her eyes.

There was such intent detail in the way he had written the song, as if he had examined every detail of her life at that time and masked it so sweetly in a lovely song. Harry immediately flocked to her side as she sat down onto the couch in a hurry, tears flowing as she covered her face. 

"Hey hey what's wrong do you-do you not like it," he asked shyly as she quickly looked up at him, "Because I thought that maybe this song would be a ode to how I feel about you right now but if you don't like it I will just bury it in a studio somewhere-,"

Harry was immediately cut off by the feeling of Clementine's lips attaching to his, "Shut up," she whispered against his lips as she once again kissed him roughly. Fingernails digging into his shoulders as she placed herself onto his lap, "Of course I love it, just please kiss me," Clementine begged as he looked up at her. 

Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks and her gray eyes looked more sure than he had ever seen them. At this moment as he looked at the most beautiful version of the person Clementine was and he realized just how much he loved her. 

Clementine wiped her tears with her coat sleeve as she looked down at the selfless man who knew nothing but kindness, someone who deserved everything he ever wanted. At that moment she was ready. She was ready to dive into the unknown with him and do whatever it took to give him the happiness he so deserved. Clementine smiled sweetly, she loved him. She only the knew the type of love she shared with her mother but at this moment, her chest relaxed at the calmest feeling she ever had. 

Loving Harry was the easiest thing she has ever had to do.