I CLAIM IT.
I CLAIM IT.
I CLAIM IT.
MINE.
Mag🦋
ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛɪᴇᴛʜ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
When my mother crossed the front door I took her by the wrist and dragged her upstairs to my room without even allowing her to leave her bag.
"I assume it's bad." - She said once she sat on my bed.
I stood up in front of her with my hands on my hips, looking down at her.
"Yes."
"I'm all ears."
"He told me he wants me just as a friend."
"But he told you that before, it isn't news dear."
"Yeah, but he also says and thinks differently. He says so many beautiful things to me, he says he needs me, that I calm him down, that he feels the same connection as me, I know he wants me to be close, to touch me, mom. We held hands today! I know he enjoys being near me, and today also he was jealous... of Liam! But still he just wants to be friends? That's not what friends do! It doesn't make sense!"
"Lou, calm down." - She said and I took a deep breath. - "Okay now, What about you? What do you want?"
"I want him." - I sighed and ran my hands on my face out of frustration. - "I know he's the one. Mum, what do I do?"
"Oh dear." - Mom said, standing up from the bed and wrapping her arms around me tightly.
I rested my forehead on her shoulder and closed my eyes.
"Lou, I think that you're doing wonderful for what you've told me. You don't need to pressure him into this, because for what I've heard he wants you too. He just didn't realize it yet."
"You think so?"
"If he wasn't interested in you he wouldn't be at the door right now."
"What?"
My mother pointed at the window behind me, making me turn on my feet, where we could clearly see Harry's luxurious car parking on the front porch.
"Louis, your friend is here..." - I heard Lottie from downstairs.
I ran as fast as I could down the stairs into the main entrance of my house.
I opened the door and Harry was standing on the other side with big red eyes, clearly crying.
Oh shit.
"Harry... what happened, why are you here?"
"Is... is this a bad moment?" - He asked between sobs.
"No, no at all. What happened?"
"My dad is here." - He said with new tears forming in his eyes.
His body started shaking and he brought his arms around his stomach, folding in half.
I rushed and wrapped my arms around him to keep him on his feet. To hold him together.
"I... I haven't seen him since my mom died. I couldn't stay there. Gemma left yesterday and I was alone." - He said with heavy breathing. - "I didn't know he was coming."
I tightened my grip around his back and he accommodated his own arms around my waist, fisting in my shirt and hiding his face from me on my neck.
"It's okay." - I said while rubbing his back trying to sooth him. - "Want to come inside?"
He nodded rapidly against my chest.
"Can... Can I stay tonight?" - He mumbled.
I felt how my breathing stopped.
"Of course Harry." - I whispered.
He didn't let go of me though.
We stayed there wrapped in each other's arms for a bit.
I kept caressing his back soothingly with one hand and then slid my other hand to his hair, making traces with my fingers against his scalp until he felt ready to separate from me.
He wiped his tears and walked past me, entering the house and waving at my siblings who were watching us on the sly.
I rolled my eyes at them and followed Harry upstairs to my room.
"I'm sorry for showing up without warning." - He said, clearly ashamed.
"I told you, it's fine. You're always welcome. Besides, you're lucky that tomorrow's Saturday and I don't have to get up early to prepare breakfast and work on the farm." - I smiled at him.
He smiled back and looked around, deciding on sitting down on the armchair next to bed.
His expression was back to the serious one and his lips were pressed against each other.
"Are you... still mad at me?"
"I was never mad, I told you today." - I said.
"But you cried."
"Don't worry about me, I'm not mad."
He nodded in silence as he stared at the ground.
I kept my eyes on him, evaluating what to say next.
"Did Liam walk you home?"
"Huh?"
"Today, when you left the beach... Did he walk you here?"
"Yes, I mean his car was parked here so he needed to return with me."
"Are you guys close?"
"You could say that."
"He doesn't like me."
"You don't like him either." - I shrugged. - "Besides, you weren't very nice to him."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"You should say sorry to him. Not me."
"Right."
"Why are you asking about him?"
"Because... I kinda want to make things up with you and him. Because it's your friend... and since you're my..." - He shook his head, interrupting his line of thought, and then looked up at me. - "Thank you for letting me stay the night here."
I frowned and let out a breath I didn't know I was containing.
"You would have done the same."
"Yeah, I would."
"And let me say that I would much rather sleep in that luxurious penthouse of yours than here. Maybe I should ask you to spend the night there from now on." - I teased.
Harry's face illuminated with his big, teeth showing, smile.
"You're always invited."
I laughed out loud and stepped closer to him, taking a seat on the bed.
"Do you want to talk to me about your father?"
"I always want to talk to you. Just not about him."
"Okay, I won't ask then."
"It's just... he showed up, unexpectedly, and drunk. Gemma wasn't here anymore and I felt... I saw him and I couldn't even speak to him. I haven't seen him that way and it was worse than what Gemma had told me. I... I guess I freaked out and I locked him in the penthouse. I'm the worst."
"No, you're not. I'd love to be locked in that penthouse to be honest." - I said jokingly to lighten up the mood.
It worked.
Harry laughed.
"Not with him though. It'll probably be wrecked tomorrow." - He finished.
"Have you told your sister he was here?"
"Yeah, I called her."
"What did she say?"
"She told me that she needed to arrange some things in London before coming here to help me. And we talked for a bit... but she told me it was a good decision to leave him on his own because she wasn't sure what he was capable of in that state, you know?"
I nodded and suddenly I heard the phone ringing back on my desk.
I looked at Harry and he nodded.
"You can answer."
"Mhm, okay."
I stood up and grabbed the phone, I pressed it to my ear and heard Liam's voice on the other side of the line.
I looked over my shoulder to see how Harry was now resting in my bed using his phone, not paying attention to my actions or my conversation.
"Louis! Are you feeling better?" - Liam asked.
"I think so."
"Everything alright?"
I took the knob of my bedroom door and walked out to the hallway, not wanting Harry to listen.
"Yeah. Harry is here though."
"Oh. Is he listening to you?"
"Not right now, no."
"Good, because I need to tell you something about him."
"Yeah?"
"I've just hung up with Gemma."
"And?"
"She said she talked to Harry earlier today."
"And?"
"He talked about you! with her!" - Liam said in an excited tone.
"Oh no, she knows about the whole only being friends thing?"
"Yes, but hear this out. Harry told her about the soulmate legend and she didn't believe it at first. So that's why she called me, because she knows I'm your friend, and I told her the same things you told me."
"So now she believes?"
"Kinda. But wait because that's not the important part. Thing is that Harry, in order to explain to her the legend, said that you're the only thing in his mind, night and day. Her words."
"What?"
"What you heard! She said he practically described you as the most perfect person in the world and that you're confusing him. Because he forgot completely about his ex and that he has been ignoring her because of you!"
"Liam, I swear, if you are playing me..."
"No, Louis! Why would I do that? I'm telling you this so you don't worry. Keep doing what you were doing around him because it's working. He's just confused."
"Did Gemma allow you to tell me this?"
"Maybe... look, I don't like the guy much, but Gemma explained some stuff to me and now I understand him better." - He said and I giggled. - "Oh, I almost forgot, she also said that she is seeing Harry much happier and that he said himself that you were his cure."
"Wait, really? He said it like that?"
"I don't know, those were Gemma's words."
"Okay, thank you Li. I'll do my best."
I hung up the phone with a smile on my face.
If Harry confessed all those things to his sister they're probably true and he is just confused.
I returned to my room and let myself fall on the bed next to Harry's body.
"That was Liam."
"Oh... what did he say?"
"He says he forgives you for being an asshole to him today."
"Really?"
"You still owe him an apology."
"I know." - He nodded.
"My mom might be finishing dinner, want to go down? I'm starving." - I stood up and he grinned at me. - "C'mon." - I said and extended my hand to him, pulling him up and standing on his feet.
He looked down at our hands and moved his fingers to tangle them with mine, properly holding my hand as I guided him down to the Living room.
I smiled to myself at the gesture.
I could easily get used to that feeling.
It was giving me strength, safety, peace and joy.
It didn't last long.
The second we entered the room where all my family members were gathered, he let go of my hand and moved to sit on a chair in front of me, and next to Daisy.
"Harry dear, it's good to have you." - My mom said as she placed the plates in front of us all. - "I hope you like the steak and salad."
"Yes, thank you." - He said and then gave her that charming smile of his.
"Harry?" - Doris asked and Harry looked at her, waiting for her to continue. - "When are you going to pick us up from school again?"
"We liked your car." - Ernie added, causing little giggles from the rest of my family.
"Oh..." - Harry laughed. - "I don't know." - He shrugged.
"Harry is a busy man. Right dear?" - My mom interrupted.
"Yeah... most of the time."
"That doesn't keep him from meeting Louis every morning." - Lottie added and Fizzy laughed.
"Girls." - My dad scolded them.
"It's okay..." - Harry said with a smile. - "They're kinda right."
He looked over at my direction and our eyes locked for a millisecond, making my stomach filch and my mouth smile.
"So, you are running your father's hotel?" - My dad asked now.
"Yes... I'm in town to do that. It's been a hard vacation season here. People come and go all the time. The managers needed supervision." - He said softly, almost ashamed of saying it.
"That is quite a business, isn't it?"
"Yeah, It's quite big."
"Harry, you don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." - I said to him.
Harry shrugged and looked down at his plate, starting to cut his meal and finally bring the fork to his mouth.
"Mom?" - Phoebe asked, raising her head from her plate.
"Yes Phee?"
"After dinner, can we go outside and show Harry the fireflies?"
I looked at my sister and smiled at her.
It was a beautiful idea, and Harry probably thought the same because he was smiling too.
"Sure. We can all go. It's a beautiful night." - Mom answered and Phoebe nodded in excitement.
🌊🌊🌊
When Lottie and I finished washing the dishes, the twins and Fizzy had already dragged Harry outside to lay on the grass near the sunflower field.
My mother, father and the little pair of twins followed them shortly after.
Lottie and I were the last ones to arrive.
They were all laid down and looking up at the clear night sky, I walked closer and placed myself next to Ernie who rapidly clinged onto my body, knowing he was about to fall asleep.
I held my brother in place, as we all admired the fireflies moving elegantly in the air above us. None of us were emitting a sound.
The summer weather was magical at that time of the night and there wasn't a cloud overshadowing the moment.
The little glittering insects were flying around us, forming constellations and matching the stars above.
"This is breathtaking." - Harry said, loud enough for all of us to hear. - "I feel like this is all new to me."
He was laying down next to Fizzy, a couple of people in between me and him.
"This is what you were missing by being a city boy." - Lottie said and Harry laughed.
"I guess." - He trailed. - "You guys do this often?" - Harry asked.
"Only if it's warm enough outside." - I answered.
"If you like it, you can come here whenever you want." - Daisy said.
"I bet there's a lot of things that you'll like about countryside life." - Fizzy added.
Doris suddenly freed from my mother's embrace. She stood up in the middle of us and looked down at us all lying there.
Then she moved rapidly to hover over Harry's torso, hugging him.
"Maybe you can stay here and be our brother too." - She said, her voice muffled against Harry's chest.
"Oh no, there are enough children in this family." - My father said and we all laughed.
🌊🌊🌊
Later that night, Harry and I returned to my room after putting Doris and Ernest in bed.
My mother hugged us both before heading to bed herself and the rest of my sisters just said goodnight before disappearing into their rooms.
Now, Harry and I were lying down on my bed looking at the ceiling with the lights off, both of us silently enjoying each other's company under the dim light that was coming from the window.
"You know, if you need help with your father until your sister comes back... you can count on me. I'll do whatever you need me to." - I said.
"Thanks." - He sighed. - "But I don't want you to meet him."
"Oh. It's okay. It was just an idea."
"I know, thank you."
"That's what friends are for." - I said with a trace of sadness in my tone.
I kept silent for several seconds, just thinking through all the things that happened that day until he spoke again.
"I like it better when I can't hear you thinking and I know you can't hear me either."
"Why? What are you thinking that you don't want me to listen to?" - I teased.
He laughed.
"I don't know... a lot of things."
"You can tell me. I won't judge you."
"I'm thinking that... you're showing me a whole new world." - He said softly. - "Your family, the love you all share, the things you do around here, it all seems magical."
I smiled to myself and extended my hand, reaching for his' and taking the risk of intertwining our fingers together once more.
"I thought you would find my life boring."
"How could I?" - He asked, turning to look at me. - "You're anything but boring."
I thanked the lack of light because I couldn't be grinning wider.
"Thanks."
"What about you? What are you thinking now that I can't hear you?"
I turned around to stare at the ceiling again, not wanting him to read my expression as I bit my lip and my heartbeat increased.
"I'm thinking... about how beautiful you are."
"Louis..."
"I'm just being honest. You've heard it from my mind multiple times before. It's not new."
"I know."
I squeezed Harry's hand sweetly and turned to look him in the eyes.
"Even if I'm just your friend, I'll never stop thinking you're beautiful."
He sighed in front of me, his breathing hitting on my nose.
He closed his eyes and started caressing the palm of my hand with his thumb.
"I think you're beautiful too."