Thirty Eight ; Closer to Home

123 3 0
                                    

"Wake up" I giggle, shaking him awake. 

"What?" He mumbles and covers his eyes from the light. 

"We need to get there early" 

"Get where?" Harry asks, sitting up and squinting at me with a confused expression. 

"You'll see" I smile "Get dressed, I'll feed the dog then we will go" 


I start the car, turn on the radio and wait for Harry to come out the front door. I check my phone, It's 8 am and a little warmer than yesterday. The car door opens and Harry gets in next to me and puts his seat belt on. 

"Where are we going, Ave" He fixes his hair a bit in the mirror. 

"I'm not telling you" I smirk at him and he rolls his eyes. 

We drive for a while until I reach the spot I wanted to take him and park out the front. 

"No, Ave" Harry says, looking out the car window "We agreed about not going in public together"

"No, we agreed not to go out when it becomes obvious" I say, knowing I'm right "plus, it's 8-20 on a Sunday morning, barely anyone will be out"

He thinks for a second and sighs, "Fine, but make it quick"

I smile and we walk inside the cafe, the same one we went to 13 years ago, it feels like yesterday and 50 years ago at the same time. He opens the door and I look around, it's very different to how I remembered it. The once light blue walls are now white brick and the tiles are now wooden floors. Everything looks modern and new, including the tables and chairs. The lay out is still the same and we sit at the same table we did when we first came here, in the corner near a window. 

"It's different" Harry says, speaking my thoughts as he looks around and out the window, the view is different too

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

"It's different" Harry says, speaking my thoughts as he looks around and out the window, the view is different too. The cafe aged with us I guess. 

"Yeah it is" I agree and look at the new art on the walls. 

We order the same drinks we had years ago, chocolate milkshakes and look at him and compare what I see sitting in front of me to the boy I met when I was 16. Everything has changed since that day but I was right, those curls are famous. 

I sip my milkshake and watch him. He hasn't changed, he's still a 16 year old boy with stupid jokes and positive attitude in a world famous musicians body. What about me? Well, last time I was in here I was nervous and riddled with anxieties now I'm married with a baby on the way, with my best friend and soulmate still by my side. 

Everything has a way of turning out OK, and we just when you need it most life gives you reason to smile, mine came in the form of young boy with curly hair and dimples. Times may have changed, but my love for Harry never did. It's not something than can just die, he's my life partner and I know he isn't going to leave me in the dirt when I need him. 

"Hey, Haz" I say, stirring my milkshake with the straw.

"Yeah?" He replies. 

"You know, Me and August were thinking of moving again" I look up at him "Our house is big enough for us, but not nearly enough to raise a kid. We need more land and bedrooms, plus I want a bigger kitchen anyway"

Harry nods his head then suddenly looks excited "There is a house for sale on my street!"

"Harry, we could never afford that" I sigh

"I'll help" He says, still grinning.

"No" I say quickly and sternly "Absolutely not"  

"Yes, it's close to me and we can-"

"No" I repeat and cut him off "I can't afford it, end of story"

Harry reaches across the table and grabs my hand "Please, Ave. Let me do this for you, Imagine how great it would be to live that close to each other"

He's right, It would be nice to have him that close all the time but I can't expect him to do everything for me, I'm a adult woman and I need to live off myself and not my rich friend. The occasional gifts are sweet, but I'm not sure about a literal house. 

"I dunno, H" I take a sip of my drink and take in his excitement, maybe i's not such a bad idea "I'll have to think about it and talk to August"

"No, I'll talk to August" He says quickly "I'm a good convincer" 

"Fine" I groan "When he gets home tomorrow you can try to convince him"  


"Avery!" August yells and runs out of the lounge room the next day "Did Harry tell you what he did?"

Fuck, what did he do...

"No?" I say and turn to Harry as he walks into the kitchen looking smug

"He bought a house, right near him for us and the baby!"

"What?!" I yell "Why did you do that?" 

"So I can have my family near me" He says casually, too casually and I don't know whether to be grateful or pissed off that he didn't give me time to think it over, I decide to go with the lather. 

"H, Thank you so much but" I take a deep breath and think how I'm gonna say this "you shouldn't have, I don't need you doing everything for us. August could sell more paintings and we could have bought one ourselves"

"I don't do everything" He says, shrugging "And I didn't just do it for you, I did it for me so I could be closer to home

I hug him and feel his arms tighten around me. "Thank you, Harry"

"It's ok, I promised I'd do anything I could to help and I am"


Moments || H.SWhere stories live. Discover now