Harry.
We woke up a tangled mess of limbs. I was completely curled around Stella's body, my arms around her as she breathed into my chest. I was holding her like I was shielding her from the outside world, like I was keeping her warm even if it was boiling hot beneath these thick pink covers.
I had subtly kicked the duvet off of my legs for a little coolness a few minutes ago but didn't dare moving around too much because I didn't want to wake Stella. She looked so peaceful and sleepy. I loved watching her when she slept.
There was just that vulnerability and softness to her that was unmatched in any other moment. The second she blinked open those green eyes, she was an overthinker. In every sense of her being, she was an overthinker.
She hated it when I saw her going back and forth between what to wear. And then she apologized for keeping me waiting as she changed into the thing she was wearing before and then critically stared at the mirror. Usually, I said nothing in times like that. I knew me saying she looked good, wouldn't change a thing.
It would only irk her more because she didn't feel it. The more often she changed back and forth, the more anxious and impatient she got. She turned that around into me being annoyed and waiting for her even if I never said such thing.
She would then be frustrated to the core and she'd hate that I'd see her like this, because it took her a while to cool off then.
And the clothing was just a stupid example for so many more things. What to order, how to do her hair, what to say, how to behave. When I first met her, that innocence could frustrate me, until I realized that it all came from a place of insecurity.
I never truly understood where that insecurity came from, not that it mattered. I also knew that no matter how often I complimented her, it would never give her that ego boost that it would give her to feel those same things about herself.
"Harry?" Stella whispered into my chest before her lashes fluttered against my skin. I pecked the top of her head, inhaling her shampoo, "Morning, my baby."
She let out a sleepy breath and nuzzled into me, "Missed waking up with you." She yawned while closing her eyes again, "You're so warm."
I smiled to myself and held her a little tighter, pressing her all the way into me, "Yeah?"
"Hmm." She hummed, "So squishy. Feels safe."
I kissed her head again and relaxed, letting myself melt and sink into her. This was pure bliss. I kept my eyes closed and enjoyed the feeling of her body to mine, her breath on my skin. The second I'd open them, I'd be freaked out again by all the pink in the room. It was a colour I had never associated Stella with before. To me, she was green. A comforting, deep shade of green. A little dark and melancholic, but comforting and warm. Soft.
"Talk to me." She whispered quietly, "I love your voice in the mornings."
I chuckled breathily, "Do you, angel?"
Stella hummed, "It's really sexy."
My body shuddered in a chuckle as I pressed my bare chest further into hers. We were both just wearing underwear as my wandering hands pried the shirt off of Stella's torso during the night. I always craved that skin-on-skin contact with her so much. It made me feel so at home.
"Okay," I softly cleared my throat, "Why don't I talk about you for a bit?"
Stella quietly groaned into my neck in protest and I chuckled, "About how much I love you, hm? How pretty you are... how sexy you are..."
I didn't have to see her face to know she had a fresh blush on her cheeks as I teased a little and squeezed her shoulder, "You snored a little tonight, it was adorable. It woke me up for a bit and I just stared at you. Little bit of drool falling from your mouth."
"Oh my god." Stella laughed as she hid her face and I continued, staring up at the ceiling with a smirk, "But it's still my favourite thing to wake up with you. You look irresistible in the mornings, baby. So sleepy and soft, just makes me want to eat you up."
I traced my fingertips over her bare shoulder as Stella giggled and cuddled into me.
"And I have an idea. Hear me out, okay?" I started, licking my lips. Stella stayed quiet as I let my thoughts rumble, "I want to take a trip with you. Like we can go back to New York, but what if we rented a van and made it a road trip? We could go all the way up to Chicago and through Canada, and then stop by Vermont and have a romantic weekend there before driving back into the City? We could sleep in the van and just drive through nature, I know it's cold in Canada right now but we'll keep each other warm." I turned my face to brush my lips over her forehead, "Or we could rent little Airbnb's to stay the night."
The silence was deafening as my voice died down, and I was sure Stella could feel how my heart sped up as I awaited her answer.
"Harry," She murmured in a raspy voice, "that sounds incredible, and I'd want nothing more but... it sounds really expensive."
I hummed, "The only good thing about this secret being out in the open, is that I no longer have to hide how well-off I am."
"No, no," She dismissed quickly, "I don't want you to pay for me."
I clicked my tongue, "Stella, come on. Don't be stubborn. I'm going to quit Matt's either way, might as well just enjoy the money while we still can. I'm going to have to give most of it back, and he doesn't know what I spend."
Stella was silent as she seemed to think it over. She let out a sigh, "I don't know... I'd feel weird freeloading like that."
"Think of it as an apology gift." I tried, murmuring against her forehead, "For all the things you did for me when we were together. All the shit you put up with, how patient you've been, how nice you've been to me. You deserve everything, Stell. I want to give you as much as I can. And I think right now, quality time would be really good for us."
I felt her fingers resting on my waist, softly feeling around my ribs as she was quiet again for a little while, "I'm – I don't know. It sounds amazing, to be honest."
My lips twitched up in a smile as I hugged her tighter, "It does, doesn't it? Just the two of us, in a van, driving through the country. We could play like car games and stuff. Maybe buy a tent. I think you can see the Northern lights in Canada, that would be sick." I mused out loud.
Stella puckered her lips against my neck, "It would."
Butterflies swarmed around my stomach as my entire body felt warm all over. Here I was, in this hot pink bedroom in DC with my girlfriend, planning out a trip. I almost couldn't believe how fucking happy I was.
"You deserve to be spoiled, Stella." I murmured, "You deserve everything after what you've been through. I want to treat you so well, so right. Like you deserve. You're an angel for putting up with me and my shit. A-And I know money doesn't fix that but –"
"Harry," She cut me off softly, "stop apologizing for the past. Please. It's a fresh start for us, I don't want us to keep score." Her voice was a murmur and it relaxed me as she stroked her thumb over my jaw, feeling the stubble there.
I let out a relieved breath and nodded, "Okay. But I still want to do right by my beautiful girlfriend."
She silently groaned into my neck, "Stop."
I threw my head back in a laugh, realizing that those words were somehow such a turn on for her. I playfully tickled her sides and Stella rolled halfway on top of me, peppering kisses down my cheek and jaw while her hair fell around us like a curtain, shielding us from everything in the room.
"Thank god it's the last day of my period," She grumbled, "I need to fuck you."
My eyes widened at her boldness and Stella blushed quickly, feeling shy once more after blurting out the words. She hid her face in my neck with a sigh, "Why do periods make me so horny."
I ran my hands up and down her sides, slipping under the shirt as she rested on top of me, "It's adorable." I reassured her, kissing her shoulder, "'M all yours during our trip, angel."
Stella's head lifted up with a playful smile as she shot me a look so lovingly and filled with warmth and adoration that it could make me cry if I held her gaze for too long. It had always been that way with Stella. The love she had was so obvious in the way she looked, like there was something in her eyes that shifted. It was softness and comfort and I quickly took hold of her jaw to pull her face to mine. Our lips met in the middle, breathy and soft kisses exchanged in the early morning as our legs tangled together.
"When can we leave?" Stella breathed against my neck as she kissed up the skin. I tilted my head to the side to give her more access, "Today?" I quickly responded, needing the time with her so desperately. I adored her parents to bits but I wanted this little adventure with her. Maybe it was running away from real life and responsibilities, but it didn't seem like either of us cared.
"Okay." She beamed quickly, biting on her lip as she grinned. I felt myself a little shocked at how easily she gave in. Stella was such an overthinker that she had to calculate every single move in her life. Doing spontaneous trips like this wasn't something I'd usually associate with her character.
But maybe that was just me bringing that side out. And she seemed like she loved it.
"I love you." She whispered before nuzzling her nose with mine. I smiled and hummed, "Love you too, my baby."
Her smile suddenly fell though as she seemed to realize something, "Harry, you didn't bring any clothes or luggage. And like you said, it's gonna be cold up there in Canada. Chicago and Vermont might be fine but Canada will be freezing." She stated in a slight panic, as if that could ruin our plans.
"Stella..." I began, carefully licking my lips as I tried to think of how to say this, until I just shrugged and sighed, "I'm really fucking rich. I can just buy a new wardrobe. We'll go shopping today, check out a van to rent and buy some camping supplies and clothes. Like hiking boots and thick coats."
She seemed to calculate in her head again and I tucked her hair behind her ear, "Don't think about it, just go along, yeah? It'll be fine, money's not an issue. Let us just enjoy this." I softly pleaded.
Stella chewed her lip as she rested her arms on my bare chest and I continued stroking my fingers up and down her ribs. She was stretched out and relaxing on top of me, not even half the bed was occupied with our bodies and she still preferred to lay on top of me instead of sunken into her own pillow.
I let my eyes dart over her features, seeing the freckles on her skin, her tangled hair, her make-up free eyes and her pink lips from last night's heavy blowjob. She had a little confused frown on her forehead when thinking of my suggestion until she broke out into a small smile, "Okay."
My brows raised, "Yeah? Okay?"
Stella nodded and giggled, "Okay. We're going on a road trip and we're leaving today."
I hugged her to me with a laugh, making her laugh with me as I rolled us around the bed. We got tangled in the sheets but didn't care as I settled between her legs and attacked her face with kisses. She tried to push me off, laughing that it tickled as I kissed her forehead, brows, down her nose, all over her cheeks and eventually her lips.
Stella wrapped both arms around my torso as well as one of her legs, completely hunching herself around me as I didn't have a care in the world, besides making her happy.
We were both slightly startled when the door suddenly opened. Stella's body stiffened as we heard a yelp from behind us, and I quickly turned to look over my shoulder to see Vivian holding her hand in front of her eyes before quickly leaving the room again. The door was closed and I flicked my eyes back to Stella, who's eyes were wide.
"Sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Her mum called from behind the closed door. Stella rolled her eyes and sighed as her mother continued apologizing and I chuckled, relaxing again and dropping down to nuzzle my nose into Stella's neck. The scent of her was so addictive. Vivian couldn't have seen anything besides my naked back since I was hovering over Stella's naked body.
"Breakfast is ready! I'm sorry!" Vivian repeated before I heard footsteps disappearing. Stella sighed again and I stayed cuddled into her, "Do your parents like me?"
"They do." She softly spoke, "They were always really curious to meet you."
I smiled to myself, "I like the fact that you talked to them about me. I've never had that."
"Of course I talked about you." Stella hummed, pecking my bare shoulder. I shifted a little on top of her to get more comfortable, tightening my arms around her waist, "Did you tell them? About... you know?"
"No, I didn't. Didn't tell them a thing. They knew something was up when I suddenly came home without telling them why. But they don't pry, they'll never ask me to spill something that I don't want to. So we never talked about it."
"Hmm," I nodded, "I see where you get that from then."
"What do you mean?"
I rubbed my nose into her neck, "The non-prying. You never did that to me either. Whenever you felt like I was hiding something or not telling you the entire truth, I felt like you knew. But you never forced me to say anything, you just gave me time and space."
Stella didn't say anything to that for a little while and the silence between us was comfortable.
"I didn't want to tell them about Kristina, either. It would've just worried them." Stella explained quietly, "They never knew the people who gave me up for adoption, it just went through the agency. Both my parents always said that if I ever wanted to figure out who my biological parents were, that they'd support me and we could search for them together. The option was always there, I just never wanted it. I never felt like I was missing something."
"They love you a lot." I remarked and Stella sighed, "They do. They're incredible. I don't want them to worry about me, so I didn't say anything. I came up with an excuse as to why I wasn't in touch for a month and even though I can tell they're a bit suspicious, they never asked. Obviously I told them about you already before that, before the holidays even."
I smiled at that, "Really?"
"Mhm," She confirmed softly, "Told them about my wonderful boyfriend."
I blushed a little and squeezed her tighter, "I love being your boyfriend. Makes me feel proud."
"Harry," Stella giggled, "you're so sweet, you little sap." She teased. I pinched her sides and she jolted up with a squeal as we burst out into chuckles. I wanted to stay here forever. This moment, this moment, was everything. Everything I loved about her. Being in a bed, cuddling, talking about our lives and confessing our love to one another. Over and over again. In an ideal situation, I'd take her and make love to her right now. Also over and over again. Make her feel how much she meant to me, how crazy I was for her.
"I'm proud to call you my boyfriend as well. And I'm so excited that they get to see what an amazing person you are." Stella murmured back. My throat tightened up as I pressed my face into her neck, wondering how on earth it was fucking possible to feel so much for one person. The love was pouring out of me and it's like I wanted to climb inside of her chest and never leave. She was my favourite place.
"Besides," She continued, "My parents have always liked every boyfriend I brought home."
"They did?"
She nodded against me, "Yes. Just because they always saw how happy I was. With Aidan for a little while, and then Jeremy. And now you. They've seen me go through the worst after losing Jeremy, I can tell it brings them peace to know I'm happy."
"Want to make you happy forever." I murmured, "I mean it. Forever. Let's just fucking get married already." I blurted out.
"Harry!" Stella exclaimed with a swat to my shoulder. I chuckled into her neck, "What? It's not that crazy, is it?"
Stella shakily exhaled but I could almost feel her smiling. Her hands joined again around my back as she felt the softness of my skin beneath her palms, "Let's just take it slow, yeah? No need to rush, we've got all the time in the world."
I pouted in protest but hummed either way.
We stayed like that for a few more minutes until I yawned and rolled off of Stella after a searing kiss. We were breathless after that and I lazily smiled at her when we both got up and got dressed. I pulled some sweatpants and a shirt out of my duffle bag as she got into a similar outfit. Running a hand through her long hair, she took my hand in her other one and guided me out of the room.
My eyes honestly had to adjust to normal colours again after being surrounded by pink for so long.
"I'm so sorry!" Vivian immediately started her apology when Stella and I entered the kitchen. She had a guilty look on her face as she approached us, "I had no idea you two were... you know... Doing something."
"Mum!" Stella scolded, her cheeks a slight tint of red, "We weren't doing anything!"
I glanced at her father, reading his morning paper at the table while shooting me a look over his glasses. I forced him a polite smile but he didn't seem too pleased at whatever Vivian thought she saw this morning. Good thing they didn't hear us last night. Somehow I felt like a teenager visiting my girlfriend's place in secret when I was here.
Even if I was twenty seven and we were both fully grown adults, I somehow liked it. I had never had this before, having to persuade the parents into liking me, having to deal with in-laws. It was so stupidly normal and I liked it.
"Well, Harry was naked and I just didn't knock and it w-"
"He sleeps without a shirt!" Stella defended the position Vivian found us in as she continued apologizing and Stella let out a groan, "Mum, stop apologizing! You didn't see anything, we weren't doing anything! Let's just drop it."
"Let's." Her dad agreed in a grumble from behind us, desperately wanting us all to drop the subject. Stella's cheeks were still pink as we sat down at the breakfast table. It was a little awkward, but so amusing to me. I wasn't sure why I was enjoying this so much, but I felt giddy and normal, and I loved it because it was something that I had craved my entire life.
Normalcy.
And I had it right here with Stella, this was everything I had literally ever wanted and I was so stupidly happy it was annoying. I tried to hide my grin as we all sipped on our coffee in silence. Her mum had her head low in shame as Stella slightly glared at her while her dad critically read the paper and the ticking of the clock was overwhelmingly loud.
"Harry's taking me on a trip." Stella blurted out to break the silence. Phil looked at us over his glasses, "Yeah?"
I smiled and nodded, "Mhm. Little road trip before heading back to New York. Stella's good with her job to take some time off, as am I. So we're just going to rent a car."
"Rent a car? All the way to New York?" Phil frowned, "How expensive is that?"
I waved it away, "I know a guy." I lied, "He can borrow us everything we need, it won't be that pricey."
He didn't seem too convinced but eventually nodded, "Alright, sounds fun. Where are you guys headed?"
I glanced at Stella and she shrugged while drinking her coffee, "Don't know, haven't really discussed it."
"I was thinking we could drive towards Chicago first," I started, "that's like... twelve hours. We'll drive by Pittsburgh and Cleveland and head to Chicago, stay there for a day or two maybe near Lake Michigan."
Stella seemed surprised at my knowledge before I continued, "And then we'd go to Canada from there."
Phil hummed and nodded, "Sounds great. Skip Detroit though."
"Yeah," I chuckled, "Definitely skipping Detroit."
"Way too dangerous." Phil agreed and I nodded, "To Toronto it's like eight hours from Chicago. Maybe we'll go to some of the national parks there and then to Montreal. And I'd like to end in Vermont for a day or two, make it a weekend. And then we're almost back in New York. Or maybe we could stop by Boston if we feel like it." I shrugged casually.
"Sounds like a man with a plan." Phil grinned and I chuckled as Vivian refilled my coffee. I casually draped my arm over Stella's chair, feeling her leaning into me a little bit.
The future hadn't seemed this bright in a long time.
***
"Harry, this van is too much." Stella gasped as she walked around the vehicle again, running her hand over the bright orange exterior.
I turned my head from talking to the salesman and chuckled, "I think it's just perfect, baby." I flicked my eyes back to the man from the dealership, "And you've got this one available right now?"
"Yeah." He nodded, hands on his hips and a toothpick between his teeth, "Doesn't get rented a lot because it's quite luxurious and we've got some cheaper options, but those are all booked weeks in advance."
It was a bright orange Honda that had been quite recently renovated. It was shiny and new indeed. It even had a toilet area, only thing that was missing was a shower but there were public camping grounds for that. Stella's eyes were wide with excitement as she looked around the inside, opening up all the cabinets excitedly.
"And I can drop this one off in New York next week?" I checked.
The guy nodded again, "Mhm, we've got a dealership there. I'll contact my buddy and let him know you're giving it back there. It will add a cost though..."
I waved my hand, "Don't worry about that."
He glanced me up and down a bit, as if trying to figure out how I could be so rich at this age. He took the toothpick from between his teeth and shifted on his legs, "'M gonna need a deposit."
"Naturally." I smirked before reaching for my wallet, "Do you take Amex?"
I followed the guy up to the cash register, leaning my arm on it as I kept my eyes on Stella. She looked giddy as she stroked her fingers up the orange paint of the vehicle, even crawling behind the wheel and bouncing on the seat a little. She looked tiny in a huge van like that. She had an undeniable wide grin on her face though and it made my heart beat rapidly. I would literally do anything to see that smile on her lips.
We had been shopping for hours, first a bunch of new clothes for me. Stella tried to make me branch out but I still went for casual slouchy jeans and black jumpers, along with a few hoodies and some extra sweatpants. We bought hiking boots and thick raincoats and some camping stuff. Of course our van had many appliances, but we still bought a decent tent and some stuff to cook in case we wanted to really camp and ditch the van for a bit.
Stella had looked up a few camping grounds while I was trying on clothes, and we had a few locations we definitely wanted to go to. We'd probably roam Chicago for about a day but it wasn't really our intention to see a lot of city areas. We mainly went for peace and quiet and nature.
Besides, parking this van in a busy city would be a nightmare.
For the final weekend, I had booked us a romantic spot in Vermont. It was a secluded little hotel with just a few rooms, which we had the suite of. It'd be a nice change after camping all week. And then on Sunday we'd drive back down to the city.
I had honestly done most of the practical shopping myself because Stella was on the phone with Erin for literal hours. They called every day, sometimes multiple times, and I honestly wasn't sure what they were still talking about after all this time. Sure I texted my mates on the daily and sometimes maybe had a call with Liam, but that was about it.
It relieved me to see that Stella was making amends with Zayn though. It seemed slightly awkward when they called but Stella loosened up quite quickly and it sounded like themselves again. Everything was just healing. I knew it took a lot out of her to get past everything so quickly and I wondered if maybe it would come crashing down on her later on.
Now, she was excited about the possibility of a book deal. Linda let her know that publishers were checking it out and they'd be in contact once Stella was back in the city. Besides the occasional calls with friends and parents, we decided on a no-phone rule though for our little trip.
We had stuff to figure out and we both knew it. This was just a week for healing, for being us, for learning how to be together again. It was a new normal that I was so ready for, with her.
"So where are you two headed?" The dealer asked as he ran my card. I turned my head, snapped out of my thoughts as I cleared my throat, "Oh, uh, up North. Towards Canada and then make the loop back to New York."
"You're New Yorkers?"
I nodded, "Yep. Well, Stella grew up here and I'm originally from the UK, but we've both been living in New York for years now."
His eyes landed on Stella curiously, "Really? She grew up here?" He puckered his lips in thought as he seemed to rack his brain for any recognition of Stella before he let out a sigh, "Don't recognize her... I'm sure I would've remembered her though." His eyes glanced her up and down slowly.
I cocked up an eyebrow, completely ditching the idea of giving this guy a tip.
I shot him a tight-lipped smile and hummed. Stella came over to us, lacing her fingers with mine as she seemed slightly out of breath. She flicked her eyes between the two of us, "Everything okay?" She breathed.
I opened my mouth but the other guy beat me to it, "Yeah, he was just telling me you grew up here and I was trying to remember if I knew you from when you were living here."
"Oh," She smiled, "Yes, I grew up here. Moved to New York like five years ago."
"Where'd you go to high school?"
"Dunbar." Stella answered and the guy chuckled, "Preppy girl, hm?"
She rolled her eyes with a grin, "It wasn't all bad."
"Sure." He teased sarcastically, "What'd you do after that?"
"Uh, went to university here."
The guy raised his brows, "Really? What degree do you have?"
"Just a master's degree in English lit and did some creative writing on the side." She casually explained. The guy let out a low whistle, "Very impressive, girl with a brain."
I clenched my jaw together while circling an arm around Stella's waist. I had mentioned it to her shortly how insecure I felt about not having a degree. I knew I was smart in certain areas of life, I knew a lot of things, but I wasn't well-read and I felt behind on her sometimes. I wanted to be able to talk to her about more things and I hated that I wasn't as highly skilled as she was. It made me feel like a bit of a failure sometimes.
She leaned into me a little, shooting me a loving smile as the guy leaned more over the desk, "Did you know Ellie then? If you went to Dunbar? You guys seem around the same age."
"Ellie?" Stella frowned and the guy hummed, staring her up and down again, "Yeah, Ellie Brooks. Like... Bit shorter than you, dark brown hair, also very pretty."
Also.
Recognition flashed over Stella's eyes, "Oh, Ellie! Yes, I did know her. Haven't spoken to her in years though. Do you know her?" She fully ignored his flirting much to my relief. I hadn't had many experiences with feeling jealous besides when it came to Stella. I felt it immediately when I heard her boss asking her out months ago. Just this uneasiness swirling around my stomach at the thought that she could give her undivided attention to someone else.
I rolled my eyes and the guy opened his mouth to answer, but this time I cut him off, "Baby, we should get going, hm?" I squeezed her side and pressed my lips to her temple affectionately, "We should start the drive tonight."
Stella smiled and looked up to me, "Alright, I'm ready to go."
"Me too." I squeezed her side again and we both nodded at the salesman before I held out my hand. He let out a breath and forced a smile back, dropping the keys to the van in my hand, "Have a nice trip."
"Thank you." I smirked before resting an arm over Stella's shoulder and guiding her to the van. I pulled her into my side a little and Stella turned her head to me as we walked, "Are you okay? I'm sorry if that was uncomfortable, I have no idea who he is. I don't recognize him." She rambled.
I smirked and shook my head, "'M fine, Stell, not to worry. You know why?"
"Why?" She frowned in confusion and I chuckled before kissing her cheekbone, "Because I'm gonna be fucking your brains out in his van tonight."
Stella's eyes widened at the lowness of my voice and I looked in amusement as she blushed pink, pressing her lips together. We reached the car and I snickered in amusement, opening it up for her to get in the passenger seat. Stella let out a shaky breath once in her seat and we were in silence when I joined her, sitting behind the wheel.
I adjusted the seat and got comfortable in the new vehicle, pushing in the key to start it up. One glance to my side showed me a still flustered Stella and I turned my body to lean into her. She jolted up in surprise when my fingers found her jaw and I made her look at me, het face inches from mine.
"Do you still want to go on this trip?" I asked softly. Stella broke out into a wide smile, "Harry, of course... I'm so excited for it, I can't wait." She quickly leaned in to kiss me, a lingering touch to my lips as she repeatedly pecked them. I hummed in approval, "I can't wait either."
"And Harry," Her hand was on my arm to stop me as I was about to start up the car. I looked at her with raised brows, "Hm?"
"Thank you." She breathed out, "I know this must've cost a fortune, it's truly such a nice camper van. So thank you for splurging on me."
I chuckled, "Of course, darling. You don't have to worry about that. And it's for us, I don't care about the money. Let me do something nice for us."
"Well then, alright." She chuckled while biting her lip and brushing her hair away over her shoulder, "Should we take this van home, load in my stuff and head for Chicago?"
We were still in the garage of the dealership and I grinned, "Sounds good." I concentrated on getting this thing going. It was quite different from a regular car, especially from the smooth ones I was used to driving. It was an automatic and the engine geared up when I pushed the gas pedal.
Stella giggled in excitement when we drove out of the parking lot and onto the roads. The van was quite bulky to drive with and it took a little getting used to until it drove smoothly. It was a good thing we were mainly driving on the highways as to not bother too many other drivers with this huge van.
Stella rolled the windows down and hummed along to the radio, her fingers tapping her thighs as her hair blew in the wind.
"You look so pretty." I blurted out before I could stop myself. Stella flicked her eyes to me in surprise, her lips twitching in a shy smile, "Me? Oh, I'm not even wearing make-up." She chuckled, cheeks taking a hint of pink as she shrugged her shoulders. Her innocence would always endear me, she was always a blushing mess with each compliment I gave her, or each filthy promise I made.
Some days she was just this vixen temptress but then on the other hand, she blushed when given a simple compliment. I reached for her hand and brought her knuckles to my lips, kissing the back of her hand repeatedly, "Still the prettiest girl I've ever seen. And all mine."
"All yours." She murmured with a dreamy smile.
"Let's go to Chicago, baby!!" I squeezed her hand and we cheered and laughed together into the hot afternoon air.
//
ahh love
i feel like most people are realizing this already butttt yes, I am wrapping this story up!
Not sure yet how many more chapters, still quite a few. i'm taking the story of harry & stella a little slow bc i love them so much :')
anything in particular you would reeallllllyyyy like to see before ending this book?
also I started writing the next fic, called 'earned it', there's two chapters up already :)
XXX