Golden | H.S.

Chapter 11

He hangs up and grabs my hand for me to follow him outside. There are cameras clicking and Harry speaks. "You're in London, Delilah. Are you excited?"

I laugh. "Are you kidding? I'm beyond excited." I smile wide at him and he returns it. He holds my hand as we walk to the car and the drive to our hotel consists of me gasping every time I see any building.

We make it to the hotel, and I find out Harry booked one room for both of us. With one bed.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to me. We've slept in the same bed countless times. But in my dream place, it seems so much more meaningful and I can't help but smile when we walk in the hotel room.

I sprint towards the bed and toss myself on my back on the mattress, giggling loudly as I shout, "I'm in London!" I move up on my elbows and look at Harry. He's staring at me with a gleam in his eyes, smiling down at me.

"I'm happy you're happy. I'm glad you came." He says.

"Thank you for bringing me." I sit up all the way. "Really, Harry. This means so much to me and my birthday is going to be unforgettable. Not only because I'm in London but because I'm with you." I tell him honestly.

His smile widens as he walks closer, and he tosses himself on the bed next to me. He's on his stomach and his smile doesn't falter as he leans in to brush his lips over mine. "I really, really, like you, Delilah."

His lips press firmly against mine for a few seconds and when he pulls away, I breathe out, "I really, really, like you, too, Harry." He kisses me softly again and then pulls back, staring ahead.

"The rest of the team isn't coming for a while. Is there anything you want to do? Or see?" He asks me.

"I don't really know." I say. "Oh! I want to eat. A lot." I tell him with a smile.

He laughs in return and looks back at me, "Then eat, we shall."

†

Harry took me to a really cute restaurant. It was outdoors and I ate my body weight in garlic bread and pasta and wine. Lots of wine.

After we ate, Harry said he wanted to show me something and wouldn't tell me what it was. We'd been in the car for a bit and I couldn't stop giggling, before his driver finally parked somewhere.

It was a tiny park with one slide and a swing set. I turned to Harry with a confused look and he just smiles, "I used to come here all the time as a kid. When I travel here for work or just to visit, I like to come here at least once. It's really peaceful and the nostalgia helps me relax when I need it. I needed it a lot last year." He says the last part under his breath, but I caught it.

We walk towards the swings as his driver leaves, and we sit down on opposite sides, facing each other. "It's really cute." I tell him. "Why did you need it a lot last year?" I ask hesitantly.

He exhales deeply and looks in my eyes before looking straight ahead towards the slide. "Remember when I told you to give me some time to open up? About my past?" I nodded. "I'm- I'm ready to tell you now. If you want to hear it." He looks at me nervously.

I nod again. "Of course, Harry." I encourage him.

"Um, last year...I was with someone. She wasn't a good person. But I didn't see it. Not until the end. Her name was Ilanna." I nodded in understanding. I remember seeing her name with his in a lot of headlines.

"She cheated on me. I really should've seen it. Any time I invited her out or tried to bring her somewhere, she always had an excuse. Nobody in my life met her because she was never around. She was really evasive and tried to keep me to herself."