Chapter 49
Grace’s POV
Fromage had become our spot. Niall, Liam, and I would go after school every other day if not every day. I loved being close to Harry and I loved having my friends around. Our essay for English was going to be due in exactly a week so on Wednesday, Niall and I went to Fromage after school to work on it together. Honestly, I had my paper done back in June but I made some adjustments to it after some comments that Professor Charlie had mentioned in class. Niall sat beside me, tapping away on his computer. I had helped him with his thesis and he had been blown away after reading my paper. I didn’t think that it was that great but he seemed to think it was.
“You should email him your paper.” Niall suggested.
“You think?”
“Yeah. Be a teacher’s pet. It can only do you good.”
I shook my head and drafted a new email. I attached my paper and took Niall’s advice, sending the email.
Subject: Theme Essay
Professor Charlie,
I would love for you to take a look at my paper. My class section is English Comp. 101-002 MWF (9:00-9:55 a.m.) If you have any suggestions I would love to take them into account. I am concerned about my conclusion.
Thanks,
Grace Absure
I sighed, relieved after hitting send. I was aware that he probably wouldn’t even respond but it was at least worth a try. He was so intimidating and I felt much more comfortable with emailing him than scheduling time with him one on one. I didn’t want to schedule an appointment with him. I wasn’t really even worried about my essay. I was terrified about the presentation, scared that I would choke or get so nervous and faint. Twenty minute later I heard a ‘ping’ from the inbox of my email.
Subject: Inappropriate Names and Essay Assignments
Grace,
Please do call me Charlie. I am twenty-six and feel that it is inappropriate for you to call me by anything other than my first name. Also, I do already happen to know your class section. I only teach two classes and you do happen to be in both of them. I have attached your paper with my notes. Your conclusion is perfect. I have made a comment about one of the in-text citations. I believe you had the wrong page number but I wouldn’t have even counted off for it. How are you feeling about the presentation?
Charlie
So he’s twenty-six then. I really would rather call him Professor Charlie or Mr. Charlie. Can’t he see that? I shook my head, looking over his notes. I did in fact have the wrong page number in one of my citations. I quickly changed it. The rest of the notes were praises like ‘good introduction’, and ‘great quotes’. I smiled, feeling pleased with myself.
Subject: Appropriate Names
Professor Charlie,
I feel more comfortable with calling you Professor Charlie. That is what you are, my professor. If I’m honest, I do not feel well about the assigned presentation. However, I do feel as though I can do it. Thank you for the notes attached to my paper. They were very reassuring.
Grace
Subject: Reluctant Students and Bad Arguments
Student Grace,
Although you are my student, I do not call you Student Grace. Your argument is flawed if I do say so. May I remind you that I am twenty-six and prefer to be called by my given birth name. I will schedule an appointment for you Friday after my Literature class to work on your public speaking skills. However, your writing skills are impeccable. I do look forward to your appointment.
Not Professor Charlie, Just Charlie
Subject: Class Schedules and Appointments
I could very well have classes during that time Professor Charlie.
Student Grace
Subject: Falsity
Grace,
I happen to know that you don’t. You walk past my apartment every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, leaving campus after my class. Besides, professors have access to their student’s schedules. However, if you do have plans, we could pick a different time.
Just Charlie
Subject: Appointments
Charlie,
The scheduled time is fine. See you then.
Grace
I logged out of my email, closing my laptop. Holy crap, what did I just agree to? I shouldn’t have said yes but he seemed to give me no choice. He seemed so casual through email. Oh gosh, I felt like I wanted to throw up.
“Hey, I emailed Professor Charlie my essay and he just responded.” Niall said.
“What did he say?” I asked, curious.
“It says, ‘Mr. Horan, Your essay is fairly good. I have attached some notes to it. Good job. Professor Charlie.’” Niall said, reading the email aloud.
Oh god. So he lets Niall call him professor but not me? What is up with that? I huffed under my breath.
“He scheduled me an appointment to work on my public speaking skills Friday.”
“Really?” Niall asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Yeah. I didn’t even ask for help. He just scheduled it.”
“Weird.”
Oh god, what will Harry think about this? Crap, I didn’t even think about that. As if thinking about him made him appear, Harry walked through the kitchen doors and sat in the chair beside me. He scooted close to me and reached for my thigh, squeezing it under the table.
“Hey baby, are you finished with your essay?”
“Yeah…about that…I emailed it to my Professor and I’m concerned about my presentation and I feel like it’s a good idea to get some help.”
“Uh huh.” He said, stroking his chin.
“So he scheduled me an appointment after class on Friday.”
“I see. What, did you think I was going to stop you from going? If you need help with your assignment, I’m not going to tell you that I don’t want you to go. That would be immature. I want you to do well on it.”
I reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers.
“Thank you Harry.”
“This is part of it…me trusting you and not being so controlling. I told you I had to change and you said you believed me. Don’t you?”
“Yes Harry. I just know you’re protective and I would just cancel it if you didn’t want me…”
“No. I don’t mind. He’s just your professor.”
Dang. This time, part of me hoped he would make me cancel it. I’m so confusing. I want him to back off and now that he does, I want him to tell me what to do? This is so confusing. He could read me like a book. When I hung my head down low, he lifted my chin with his fingers. He pecked my lips and that familiar electricity left me wanting more, much more.
“Baby, I’m taking the rest of the day off.”
“You are?” I asked, confused.
Harry never took a day off. He loved the café and everything about it.
“Yes. I am.”
“Why?”
“I want to take you somewhere.”
I nodded. He was acting weird.
“Where are we going to go?”
“It’s a surprise and I know you hate surprises and want to know everything that’s going on but I need you to just relax and let me take my beautiful girlfriend to a surprise location.”
“Well this girlfriend of yours better watch her back.”
Harry let out a deep chuckle and I briefly closed my eyes, savoring the sound of his voice. Oh I loved that deep raspy voice and when I was with him I felt like I was in heaven. I loved this man so much. I looked over at Niall and he was watching us, a smile on his face.
“You guys should just get married or something.” He said.
Harry’s eyes widened and he glanced at me briefly. I could see the blush rising in his cheeks and he looked away from me. What is going on with him? I want to know.
“Harry?” I asked.
“Yeah?” he asked snapping his head up to look at me.
“You alright?”
He started laughing. Why is he laughing.
“Oh yeah, I’m perfect. Everything is fine. I’m totally okay.”
My eyebrows furrowed because I was confused. He was confusing. Was it what Niall said? Did the thought of marrying me someday make him that restless?
“We should get ready.” He said.
I nodded and turned to Niall to say goodbye.
Harry’s POV
Was she onto me? How could she read me so well? Did she know what my google search history consisted of? Why did Niall have to say that? It got me all flustered and now I couldn’t think straight. God I’m insane. Am I ready for this? Of course I am but it makes me nervous. I don’t even know if I have the balls to do it. This is so nerve-racking. Fuck, I need Dr. Rollins right now. Of course Dr. Rollins knows that I’ve been thinking about it but I feel like I need some kind of push. I feel like a need some time before I do it. I’ve only just now decided to actually do it. I don’t know if it’ll be tomorrow, next week, or months from now but at least I’ve made the decision. I don’t want to mess up our progress but I know that it’s going to happen eventually.
“Are you sure you’re alright baby?” Grace asked, her hand trailing up and down my back.
Baby. That sounded so good rolling effortlessly off her tongue. I wanted to make love to her right now but we really had to get ready. I nodded.
“I told you that I was okay. I’m just nervous that an order I put in at the café is going to come late.” I lied.
I hated lying to her but I couldn’t tell her what was going through my head? What will she think? Damn, I’m going mad. This is the biggest decision I’ve made in my entire life. I want to tell Gem. I want to tell my mum. I need their opinion. I want their approval. I know exactly what they’ll do. They’ll get so excited and start crying and then I’ll be annoyed but I need that. I need to tell something. This pressure is weighing down on me. I won’t tell Sammy because she won’t be able to keep it a secret and if I tell Liam, I’m not sure what he’ll do. I know he still wants her. I can see it in his eyes but there’s not a chance. I won’t ever let that happen. I think he knows that too.
I looked up at my angel.
“Can you please just go get ready before I dress you myself.”
“You have to tell me where we’re going so I can dress appropriately. Should I wear casual clothes or date clothes.”
“I’m not telling you where we’re going but date clothes...something semi-dressy.”
“What are you up to Harold?”
I smiled up at her. I was sitting on the bed and she was standing in front of me. She took a step forward, standing in between my legs. Her lips pressed a kiss to my forehead and I smiled, my insides warming at just her touch. I loved this girl with everything in me. Oh god, I loved her. I pulled her down into my lap and buried my head in her neck, inhaling her fruity scent. Oh god, I’m so glad I met her. I thank god every day that I met this angel.
“So gorgeous.” I whispered, my lips moving against her neck.
I could feel her goose bumps and it pleased me to know that I’d caused them. I’m so happy that I’m the only person she’s ever been with. Surprised, yes but thankful at the same time. I know that she doesn’t like to think of the many girls I’ve been with but I had no idea then that those mistakes would mean anything. I didn’t know then that I would find this girl and that she would mean everything to me. I honestly thought I would end up alone. I thought I would keep fucking girls for the thrill of it and I would die alone. I just didn’t think I would love or that it was even possible to love. Now, she’s what matters.
I bit her neck and sucked harshly at her skin, running my tongue over the red love bite I’d created. I sucked on the skin for a minute longer until I was sure that it would leave a noticeable mark. She moaned my name then pulled back, touching the mark. I couldn’t help the smirk plastered on my face.
“You’re mine. Always.” I whispered, kissing the mark on her skin.
“Why do you always give me hickeys? It’s like you’re marking your territory.”
I laughed.
“And you don’t? I’ve always got marks on my neck when I go to work and I am…marking my territory. You know I’m territorial baby.”
She rolled her eyes but I could see the edges of her lips curling up into a smile as she stood up and disappeared into the bathroom. I laid back on our bed, a huge grin on my face. I placed my hand over my chest feeling my rapid heartbeat. I couldn’t stop grinning and thinking about how she was probable naked in the bathroom. God, she makes me happy. So this is why I’ve been looking at damn engagement rings online.
………………
When Grace came out of the bathroom, I nearly fainted. I was standing in the middle of our bedroom watching something on the news about gas prices when she stepped out looking just as gorgeous as ever.
“Oh god…you are so beautiful.”
I shook my head, not believing how much she turned me on. She wore a plum dress that reached to the middle of her thighs. I sucked in a breath of air. The quarter length dress hugged her body like a glove and I was itching to touch her.
“Harry, you look so handsome.”
I looked down at my black button down, black jeans, and brown boots.
“Grace quit lying. I wear the same thing most of the time but you…oh gosh you look so good.”
She blushed and hung her head low.
“I want to make love to you.”
Her eyes widened at my words but I wanted her to know that. I wanted her to know how badly I wanted her in this moment. There was never a second I didn’t want her. I always want her but not just physically. I’m so emotionally invested in her that I’m looking up damn rings for crying out loud. I’m nineteen and she’ll be nineteen too in just three weeks but I don’t care. I know she’s it. She’s the one.
…………………….
“Harry, can I take the blindfold off?”
“Hold on baby.” I said leading her up the grassy hill.
It was steep and she kept stumbling.
“My heels are sinking into this soft ground Harry!” she shrieked.
I smiled and effortlessly picked her up into my arms, carrying her up the hills. I made her put on a blindfold because I didn’t want her to see anything. This is it, I thought as I set her down in her chair.
“Okay you can take it off.”
She removed her blindfold and gasped.
“Harry.” She breathed, looking around.
A grin lit up her face. Oh what a sight. It was already dark but there were lamp poles all around us, dimly lighting the area. I’m so glad Ashton knows people and was able to arrange this spectacular date for my beautiful girl. We were on top of a grassy hill where a candle light dinner awaited us. A server stood to the side holding a bottle of wine. You could see the New York skyline but its beauty couldn’t compare to the beauty that was standing in front of me.
“Harry!” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling my mouth down to hers.
“Oh Harry, this is so gorgeous. It’s…I love you.” She said as we sat down.
“Is this a restaurant?” she asked.
“Yes. Very private, VIP only. Ashton knows the owner and was able to get it for us for the night.”
“Just us?”
“Yes. The restaurant is reserved for us. There is an inside section but it’s closed down too. It’s just us.”
Music was playing from the string band in the gazebo close by.
“Harry, I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“It’s nothing.” I insisted.
She looked down at the menu and her jaw dropped open at the prices I’m sure.
“Harry, this is too fancy.”
“No…you get anything you want baby. I’ve got it.”
I shook my head knowing she would get the cheapest think on the menu. Maybe I should just order for her.
“What are you going to get?” I asked after a few minutes.
“Um…the chicken masala sounds good.”
I looked up at the server.
“We’ll have two of those.” I said, handing her our menus.
“Yes Mr. Styles. I’ll have it out shortly.”
She poured Grace a glass a wine but I ordered water, declining the wine. I didn’t even want it. The thought made my stomach turn. When I drank at that bar a couple weeks ago, I cried afterwards. I knew Grace would be hurt but I did it anyway. I feel ashamed of my behavior. Grace took a couple sips of her wine.
“It’s really good. I don’t mind if you…”
“No. I don’t want it. Trust me.”
“Did you want it when you drank at that bar?”
“No baby. I just wanted you to…listen to me. I wanted to control you. It’s very frustrating when I’m jealous but I told you I would change and I meant that. I don’t know that I can change my need to protect you but…”
“I don’t want you to change that Harry. I don’t want you to change anything other than the irrational part. I’m jealous too. I know what that’s like. I just want you still let me live my life normally. I don’t want a different Harry. I love everything about you…even the parts I hate.”
“Grace, it’s not just for you baby. It’s for me too. I need to change for me. I don’t want to feel like that. I don’t want to worry about you every second just because you’re not with me. It’s very all consuming.”
“Let’s talk about something else.” Grace smiled and I couldn’t help but smile too.
“How about the fact that I am madly in love with you.” I said, my voice low.