I walk up to the apartment door, staring at it for a few moments as I let out a long and heavy breath. Nick said that Harry understood and that he isn't upset at me, but I have no idea if that was just a front he put up for Nick. The only way I can know though is if I walk through this door.
I put my hand on the door handle, turning it and opening up the door, seeing Harry sitting on the couch, turning his head towards me when he hears the door open. I swallow hard, sending him a small smile as I slowly close the door behind me. "Hi." I awkwardly speak up, knowing that I won't lie to him but also, don't know how to confront the issue at hand.
"Hi stranger." the corners of his lips curve up into a soft smile, that smile instantly relaxing me some. I then see him motion his head for me to come over to him, making me nod my head before I walk over to the couch, sitting down right in front of him. "Before you-"
"I want to say something." I quickly speak over him, seeing his eyebrows raise, a humorous expression crossing over his facial features, the sight making me let out a chuckle as I run my fingers through my hair. "I shouldn't have lied to you, especially with him. It was wrong of me. I won't make any excuses for it or try to defend myself, just an apology. I'm truly sorry." I breathe, swallowing hard again.
I see him suck in a very slow and long breath, that soft smile still faint on his face as he reaches over, putting his hand on my knee, rubbing his thumb back and forth. "I know. I don't hold it against you. You're forgiven." he begins. "Although when Nick first told me, I was upset. I didn't understand why you had lied or gone with him at all. But I did something I don't usually do, I heard Nick out."
"It is exhausting being jealous of Aiden." he admits bluntly as he lets out a long sigh. "I'm still healing over what happened, but this jealousy of mine, this hate, this rage towards him will negatively affect our relationship. I know that from past experiences and I don't want to make that mistake again, not with you."
I start to fiddle with my fingers in my lap as I keep my eyes on him, nodding my head to encourage him to go on. "I have no reason to be jealous of him. So I'm done. And with everything that Nick said about the way he might feel for you...I can't blame him. And I trust you more than anyone and that's all that matters."
"So from now on, if you two want to hang out or talk, I won't say that you can't. I won't be upset over it. I just want you to be honest with me about it, that's all." he speaks softly, letting his shoulder relax as he rests against the back of the couch.
"I promise to be honest with you, especially with him." I speak up, putting my hand over his and rubbing my thumb back and forth on his skin, looking down at it.
I then feel him put his index finger underneath my chin, lifting my head up to meet my gaze with his. I see him smile at me before he leans forward, attaching his lips to mine softly, letting his linger there for a few moments before he slowly pulls away.
He gazes at me intently and just when it looks like he's going to open his mouth and speak, he doesn't. Yet, the look of thoughts swarming around in his head remains. "Mhm?" I hum at him, furrowing my eyebrows.
He quickly shakes his head side to side at me, that adorable dimple popping out on his cheek as he grins at me. "Nothing. Nothing at all." he replies to me softly. That definitely means it's something but I don't get enough time to say something about it before he speaks up again. "Out of curiosity, when were you thinking of watching that vhs tape I got you for Christmas?" he adds, a hint of nervousness behind his words.
"Oh, well I was thinking of maybe doing it when it got closer to me leaving." the dreadful mention of me leaving. I hate it. I hate knowing that we've gotten to this point just for me to leave. Just for us to be separated again. "With a bunch of comfort snacks and cuddles because I just know it'll make me emotional." I chuckle, trying to lighten it up and ease his nerves.
"That's a great idea, love." he agrees with me, sending me a wider smile before he grabs underneath my knees, stretching my legs out and laying it over his lap. I feel my smile widen and butterflies erupt in my stomach at the pet name. Love. I'll never get tired of it. "I can definitely arrange that."
"Lovely." I giggle, glazing down at his hand that rests on my thigh as he draws random patterns on my skin, a habit of his that I have always adored. "But you know what I would really love right now?"
"What's that?"
"For you to kiss me again." I speak softly under my breath as I let my gaze fall down to his lips, letting it linger there before I move it right back up to his eyes.
He runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek before placing his hand on my cheek. "It'd be a pleasure." he murmurs, leaning forward and slowly and softly attaching his lips to mine, still smiling into it. I hum softly at the feeling, sliding my hand to the nape of his neck, rubbing my thumb back and forth there as I move my lips with his. I feel an urge, a craving to be closer to him. Not in any sexual way, just to be able to feel his skin on mine or the heat in between our bodies. The comfort from it all.
I then shift my legs before I stand up on my knees then straddle his lap, not breaking my lips from his for one second. I feel him smile more into it before he lets his hands slide down to my hips, pulling my body closer to his to where my chest pressed firmly against his. This feeling of kissing him, of having his soft lips against mine, it's a feeling I will never get tired of.
I drag my hands up into the hair at the nape of his neck, running my fingers gently through his hair, earning a happy and satisfied hum from him that makes my tummy turn. I giggle against his lips, pulling back for a brief second just to press one more kiss against his lips then pull back again, enough for him to see my face. "Yeah, I really needed that." I whisper.
"Ditto." he chuckles at me as he sticks out his tongue slightly, licking his lips as he rubs small circles into my hips. "Not of jealousy, but out of curiosity, what did you two talk about down there?"
"So you think about him after we just kissed?" I raise my eyebrows at him playfully, seeing him roll his eyes at me and he leans further back on the couch. "He just basically said that he meant no harm to us, whatsoever. And of course, his usual snarky remarks in between that just makes you want to punch him."
I hear him hum lowly, nodding his head slowly, not a glimmer of jealousy or resentment in his eyes, just...indifference. That's the biggest process anybody could make. No anger, no hurt, just indifference. Although, I do believe Harry has a lot more healing to do. A lot more things to work through with him. I don't think this is going to be anywhere near the end of it.
But celebrating and appreciating the little steps towards healing is important.
"Well he will always be a pain in the ass. I can't imagine a day where he isn't." he mutters, shrugging his shoulders, a light chuckle leaving his lips. "Which will make it very hard to refrain from attempting to knock a few brain cells into his head, but I'll hold back from it as much as I can." he holds his hands up in defense, a small smirk curving onto the corners of his lips.
I can't help when my own lips expose a smile at the sight as I shake my head side to side at him slowly, yet not shocked in the least at what he's said. Who would be? I don't think a single person would find what Harry said offensive if they've met Aiden at all. He is one of the most infuriating beings. In his very own way. "Oh trust me, it'll be the same for me. He's so..." I pause, dragging out my words as I try and ecululate the way to describe him.
"Like you." Harry cuts in.
I realize when I hear Harry's soft yet low voice that I've let my gaze fade off into the distance, making me snap back into reality and look at him, seeing his expression hasn't faltered. He's calm and unbothered by his comment. I look down at my hands on his neck, sliding them slowly back up into his hair, wrapping one of his curls around my finger. "I suppose, yeah. We bicker to an impossible end it seems like. It's like fire on fire, there's no balance of calm. You know?"
To my surprise, he lets out a genuine chuckle at my response, nodding his head, a small sigh escaping his soft pink lips. "I do. Absolutely. In some aspects, I feel the same with him." he admits, no shame lingering behind his words as he continues to rub patterns into my thighs. "We both have unresolved issues and trauma, his being more severe due to the fact he doesn't speak to anyone about them. We've been through a lot of the same things. He brings out the fire in me like he does with you. I think that's why it pisses me off so much. He brings out the person in me I've already tried to change."
"But with you, there's that balance. I think with any normal person there's probably balance." he raises his eyebrows. I smile at him, signaling in listening to him as I continue to play with his hair. It used to be hard for him to have talks like this involving Aiden so I want him to know I'm giving it my full attention. "But it's okay that I used to be someone different and I have to remember that. I can't get caught up in that anymore. I just need to focus on being better now, which means calming that fire when it arises instead of letting it build."
I'm always in awe of him.
This is a step, a huge step. Every word he's said brings me back to the way he used to speak about him before. All that built up rage and hurt surrounding just his name. And now he can speak of him with a smile on his face. It's a step forward to healing and that in no way means there won't be any steps back in the future. But when you believe you can move on and be okay and are truly willing to make that a reality, to me, that's one of the biggest steps to make. And a lot some are too scared to make.
I drop my hands from his hair and lay them gently on his cheeks, feeling slight scrubble on my palms before I lean forward, connecting his lips with mine. He quickly responds by wrapping his arms around my waist, making my chest meet with his as he smiles into the kiss. Those contagious butterflies swarm around in my stomach as I move my lips very slowly with his, savoring the feel of them before I pull away from him.
I then brush his hair back away from his face before letting them rest on his chest. "My turn to ruin the moment. How's Nick doing? Or more so, you and him. Oh! And also I might just never forgive him for cutting off your hair. I'm still not over it."
Harry dramatically and playfully rolls his head at me, making me push at his chest light, a breathy laugh leaving his lips as he rubs the rip of his nose with his knuckle. "We're good. He's doing better, finally moved into his own place. Proud of him for that."
"Me too." I agree, smiling softly.
For a few moments silence overcomes us, but not the awkward silence you're desperate to fill, one that you can contently sit in until Harry decides to speak up. "I know it's freezing outside and all but I was thinking, how about we go out? In the city, there's always things to find to do. Not really a set plan or anything, just spontaneously going out." he suggests.
"I would love nothing more And I will bet you twenty dollars you'll complain about the cold or show signs of being cold before I do." I tease him playfully, a cocky demeanor on my face as I push off of him, standing up off of the couch.
That cockiness quickly fades away whenever he proceeds to stand up, unaffected by my remarks as he towers over me, his chest grazing over mine as he gazes down at me. "We'll see about that, love. It's a deal." he smirks, purposely keeping his eyes on mine for a few moments longer before he turns away, walking to the room.
As soon as I heard rustling coming from the room, I regretted what I said. For the most part I'm decent with the cold but being out in it for a long period of time, I'm bound to make some remark or hug myself to try and preserve some warmth. There's nothing to do about it now. Harry loves a good competition and proving me wrong so he won't give up with it at all. All I can do is just bring an extra jacket in case I do indeed get too cold. Bet or not, I'm not going to freeze.
That would just be dumb.
-
So I was right.
Harry went to the room to put on a long sleeve and a thick jacket and his usual boots before we left. I went and put on some boots as well and then got my purse and my wallet all together, forgetting where I put it which got me completely off track. That was sign number one on how this day would go for me. I finally found it underneath the bed, however it got there and I was so distracted that I forgot to bring a thicker jacket like I said I would. I'm wearing an off the shoulder sweater. Not the warmest thing, unlike what Harry was wearing.
So I was already at a disadvantage the second we walked out of the house and then that cold wet breeze hit. The one that goes straight to your bones. It was much colder than I had expected, than even Harry had expected before I heard the faintest gasp leave his lips when it hit us but I chose to ignore it. I'd be nice and not count that as a sign of him being cold.
When we got in the car, we blasted the heat as hot as it could go as Harry aimlessly drove into the city, neither of us having any idea what we wanted to do. For my sake, hopefully it wasn't too much time spent outside is all I thought about. But I would never say it out loud. I wasn't going to lose just because of a few gusts of wind. Not yet.
I saw a very large building as we were driving and asked Harry wha it was. He told me it was an art gallery he went to once and loved. So we decided to stop there. He told me he wanted me to be able to experience it and for, and I quote 'my sensitive wellbeing' it would be best if we started with something indoors.
Trying to taunt me. Typical.
We walked hand in hand into the gallery, the warmth of the place instantly soothing me. He stopped at nearly every single painting and analyzed it. We discussed what they represented to us and then moved onto the next. Over and over again. And there were more than I could count. And then we moved onto the sculptures that they had. There was always something about sculptures that I was so enamored with. I felt like I could stare at them for hours.
Harry stood there with me, just as entranced by them as he rambled on about a few of them that stuck with him, telling me all how it made him feel. There's something incredibly attractive about someone with raw depth. Someone who's passionate about the things that make them feel a certain way. Harry is that kind of person and there wasn't a single second of him talking about it that I didn't enjoy.
I didn't realize how long we had been there. We had been there for nearly four hours. And that had only come to my attention when my stomach growled in a very quiet room, which Harry didn't miss out on teasing me for. It was lunch time and because I'm the most indecisive person on this planet, Harry decided where we went. Plus, this was England. I had no clue what places around here had good lunch food.
We ended up going to a small restaurant at the corner of the street, getting an inside table and quickly ordering. To which, I didn't miss out on trying their lunch pasta. Harry ended up getting the same as me with a side salad. It was exactly what I wanted and needed and much better than I anticipated. We ate pretty quickly but because we ate lunch so late, we left the place a little later than one in the afternoon
And now somehow, we've ended up in one of the London shopping malls. I really wanted a thicker jacket for me to wear since I didn't seem to bring any of those. I only brought sweaters and long shelves, like an idiot. "So is this considered a sign that someone is cold?" I hear Harry drag out his words beside me as we walk into one of the stores, his thumb rubbing side to side on the back of my hand.
I roll my eyes at him, nudging my shoulder against his, not even stumbling the slightest bit like I wanted him to. "Absolutely not. I just wanted more for the future and there are obviously cute ones here." I raise my eyebrows at him, holding my hand out in the direction of all the jackets hung up. "And by the way, if I was cold, I would just say it. I'm not going to just freeze to death over twenty dollars."
I'm gaslighting myself. That's what's happening.
I watch him raise his eyebrows at me, his shoulders slumping down as he slides his gaze across my face like he's trying to read through me. He must know I'm lying. With that 'do you think i'm stupid?' expression on his face, there's no way he doesn't. "Okay then. Let's get you a jacket, love."
I narrow my eyes at him slightly yet trying not to make it obvious. I let it go and move my attention back to the clothes in this store. This store is basically filled with boots, all sorts of jackets and beanies. All winter clothes. My movement comes to a halt when I catch a sight of a light blue oversized fur jacket. "That's cute!" I exclaim a bit louder than I expected, my hand slipping from Harry's as I walk towards it.
I grasp the fabric in between my fingers, the soft fur feeling like clouds on my palms. "I really like this one. The color is nice." Harry adds as he comes up beside me, reaching forward and running his finger along the fur around the neck area.
"It is, isn't it? Wait, let me see if they have my size in it." I go through the sizes, pushing away the ones that aren't mine. I almost get disappointed, thinking they don't have it until I spot one right in the back. A small excited squeal leaves my lips before I pull it off of the hanger, slipping my arms through it and adjusting it so it sits perfectly on my shoulders. I flick my gaze up to Harry, his gaze already on mine as I stick my hip out slightly for him, posing. "We like?"
"Love, baby." he murmurs, soaking in the sight in front of him, a glistening light shining in his eyes, making his green eyes appear lighter and even more beautiful somehow. "That color blue makes you look radiant."
Oh, there he goes again.
I glance away from him, shaking my head, trying to hide the redness appearing on my cheeks from his words. "Thank you, baby." the word slips effortlessly through my lips, so easily that I'm not even aware that I've said it until I see Harry's expression falter, a shyness appearing behind it. "Well I think this is the one. Let me go pay for-"
I get interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing in my pocket, making me quickly snatch it out, seeing Sage's name pop up on my lockscreen. "Can you pay for this for me?" I ask Harry softly, grabbing my wallet out of my purse and handing it to him. "If I don't answer this, she will spam my phone until I answer her."
Harry doesn't even question me or say a word, knowing already how Sage is. All he does is nod his head at me and grab the things then walks over to the counter. I look back down at my phone, answering it and putting it to my ear as I walk right outside of the store. "Hey, stranger."
"Is that a hint of a British accent I hear? I think you need to come home now. You're turning into one of them." Sage speaks sternly, and yet I can perfectly visualize the goofy grin she definitely has on her face at this moment. "I had to take an early shift at the cafe this morning and it made me think of you and how much I miss you taking them for me. I know we just talked but I miss you and wanted to check in."
I lean up against a wall outside of the store, a pure and genuine smile forming on my lips at her words. "I miss you too. And god, I am so glad I havent had to do one of those morning shifts in a while. As much as I loved to help, me a morning person? Absolutely not." I giggle as I shake my head side to side. "Everything is great. Me and Harry are great and really improving. We're actually out shopping right now. But how are you? I've talked so much about myself lately, it makes me feel sick."
"Oh shut up, you idiot. You know I don't mind." she practically scoffs at me, which only makes a laugh tear through my lips. "I was actually thinking about something and I wanted your opinion on it.." she pauses, the hesitancy in your tone clear. "I applied for a cosmetology job near us."
"Sage, that's amazing!" I exclaim excitedly, leaning straighter against the wall now, a brighter smile on my face. "We've worked at the cafe for ages so I'm sure it'll be really refreshing to start somewhere else completely new."
"That's the thing. I know that you're not quite sure exactly what you want to do job wise and since we've worked there forever together, it almost feels like betrayal leaving you there alone."
"I won't be alone! I'll have Finn there with me and even then, it's not like we're super busy. I would still text you and bug you, I promise you." I chuckle, running my fingers through my hair. I then turn around, looking into the window, seeing Harry grab the bag before he begins walking towards me. "Sage, as your best friend, I refuse to let you miss out on this opportunity. You deserve it. And I'm sure it pays better than the cafe."
"It pays seventeen dollars an hour."
I nearly choke on my own saliva. I know in the sense of this economy for some people that still isn't enough for them to get by but Sage and Zoe are already pretty stable, Getting paid that much will make that sure. "That five dollars more so yes, quite a bit. You better fucking go or it and since you already applied, I'm sure they'll hire you. Just don't cuss out anyone who has a slight attitude if they do."
"You know that will be so hard for me." she drags out her words dramatically, making me giggle as Harry stands beside me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head as he holds onto the bag for me. "I will, I promise you. Now let me say hi to Harry before I let you go so you guys can continue shopping."
"Yes ma'am." I then pull the phone from my ear, holding the phone out to Harry, raising my eyebrows at him."She wants to say hi." I whisper to him.
He then gently takes the phone from my hand, his cold rings brushing over my skin, making goosebumps appear there. He places the phone to his ear, staying quiet for a second before a breathy laugh escapes his lips. "Hello to you too, Sage. You're such a delight."
I furrow my eyebrows at his words, not hearing the other half of the conversion. Sage could be saying some of the most wild shit. Knowing her, she is. "I know, I know. She's been well taken care of I promise you- no that's not what I meant." he shakes his head side to side, ruffling his hair with his fingers. "In all ways, she's well taken care of. You're very welcome. Talk later, weirdo."
I giggle to myself at the slight annoyance in his tone, knowing that it's in no way genuine. It's in that sibling and best friend sort of way. Because you love them, you can be annoyed by them. I then take the phone back from her, already hearing her speaking before I put it back to my ear. "And he's the one calling me weird."
"You both are to be fair. But feel free to vent to your lovely wife about him calling you that. Tell her i miss her for me, okay?" I ask her, to which she just responds with a mumble set of yeahs. "I love you and I'll make sure not to be a stranger and call and text more often."
"Okay, but make sure to enjoy your time there while you have it. I love you, talk soon."
"Talk soon." I lastly speak before pulling the phone away from my ear, ending the call and then shoving my phone back into my pocket. I then go to grab the bag from Harry, to which he pulls his arm away from me, clicking his tongue as he shakes his head side to side. "What did Sage say to you?" I question him curiously.
He holds his arm out for me, making me link mine with his before we start to walk away from the store. "She started the call asking if I'm staying protected and that I better be." he answers me lowly. I can't help when a cackle escapes my lips, making me slap my hand over my mouth. "And then when I said that you were taken care of, she said, and I quote 'hopefully that goes for in the bedroom too'."
I roll my lips inside of my mouth, trying to stop the laughs that want to come out as I shake my head side to side slowly. "Classic Sage. Turning every possible thing sexual. You must have missed that." I nudge his shoulder.
"Most definitely." he looks to the left then to the right, sarcasm written all over his face. To which, I roll my eyes at him, making his lips twist up into his ursula bright grin. "Now let's finish looking around and then possibly go ice skating. There's an outdoor rink near here. It's beautiful."
Outdoor rink. The cold. Ice skating. He must be setting me up for failure here. "Yeah, yeah that sounds great. Haven't been in a very long time."
"Great, it's settled then. Ice skating."
-
Somehow, although I thought it was impossible, it had gotten even colder outside by the time we got to the ice skating rink. My nose almost instantly turned pink the second we stepped out of the car. And this time, Harry noticed. He saw when we had gotten on our skates and I would barely stand because I was shivering so much. "My love," he begins, putting his hand on the middle of my back. "You're going to fall out there if you don't warm up and we can't have that."
"I made that deal-"
"I thought you were't dumb enough to let yourself freeze over twenty dollars?" he quickly interrupts me, raising his eyebrows at me. "Honestly, I don't even care about that deal right now. I want to have a good time with you. So would you rather go home or do you want me to go get that new jacket for you and we stay out here?"
I go to speak up but when I open my mouth, my teeth chatters violently. "I want to stay out here. I want to do this with you. If I have that jacket, I promise I will be okay."
"Okay then. I'll be right back." he mutters, leaning down and kissin the top of my head before turning away, walking to the car that I can see from here. I wrap my arms around myself, sat down on a bench right outside of the rink. Turn myself around, looking at the ring but more specifically, the pretty golden string lights hung up all above the rink, illuminating it. Just as Harry said, it truly is beautiful.
Before I know it, Harry appears beside me, holding the pretty blue jacket I had just bought, holding it out for me to put it on me. I slide my arms into it, Harry placing it perfectly on my shoulders. He then comes back in front of me, grabbing the zipper at the bottom of the jacket, zipping it up for me, the warmth already starting to surge through me. "Beter?"
"Much." I smile softly at him before I stand up on my skates carefully, basically wadling towards the entrance to the tink as I look over my shoulder at him. "Ready?"
He nods his head at me casually, offering his hand out for me for help, to which I take. I step onto the ice, my knees wobbling slightly out of nervousness. I remember how to do this. It's just been ages since I have. Harry gets on the ice quickly after me, and of course like the annoying man that he is, does it perfectly. 'Do you need any help? You okay?" he asks genuinely.
"Lovely. Let's go." I respond and then I get the sudden impulse to just go for it, to skate as I remember, not being scared of whether I fall or not. It turns out to be a good idea because I glide smoothly against the ice, the icy breeze slamming against my face, making a small laugh escape my lips before I glance back at Harry. I see him standing back, watching me for a few seconds, the most adorable soft smile on his face before he quickly skates towards me.
I then turn back around, trying to skate even faster, not wanting him to catch up to me which only makes me wobble slightly. Maybe let's not do that. I feel Harry catch up right beside me, his cheeks now faintly pink due to the cold, a few strands of his hair falling down into his face. "Gotten slower with age, Rivers?" he teases playfully.
A loud gasp escapes my lips, my eyes going wide in astonishment. "Are you calling me old, Styles?!"
"Oh, I would never. I'm a gentleman." he drags out lowly, the corner of his lip curving up into a faint smirk as he turns around, beginning to skate backwards so effortlessly. I can't help but roll my eyes at his comment and then I hold my hand up, sticking my middle finger up at him, my head silting to the side.
To my surprise, he doesn't act shocked. Not one bit. He just holds his arms out beside him before slowly bowing, not breaking his gaze once with me, all while still skating backwards. If this man gets any more attractive, I will run into the nearest highway. I can't handle it any longer.
He then gracefully turns around, skating away at full speed away from me, his curls blowing away from his face at the speed. He goes around the rink, allowing me to see him from the side, and god does he look beautiful. HIs rosey cheeks and lips, his bright and happy eyes that you could see from a mile away. The kind of smile that could make anybody day, no matter how dark or dull. And his smile...
His sweet intoxicating smile.
He looks so happy and free. His dimples in his cheeks pop out, impossible for you to not notice and his eyes squint in pure bliss. And in this moment, I fell in love with him even more. Just watching him and savoring this sight of him, drinking him in. Every last drop. And then he looks over, connecting his gaze with mine and everything else disappears and it's just us.
I see a glimmer of mischief behind that wide grin of his, making me tilt my head at him and furrow my eyebrows at him. Almost as if he's answering me, he suddenly spins around in one full circle, his arms outrageously above his head. I see him wobble just before he makes it all the way around but he thankfully catches himself, a proud expression crossing over his eyes. And then he rushes off again, yelling something out at me but all I hear is something muffled but I don't even mind. He'll catch up to me soon and he's happy.
That's all I could ever want.
After about an hour and a half of ice skating, we felt our legs start to become weak and our fingers start becoming numb. That was our sign to get going back home. It was just getting dark now, the sky a beautiful dark blue. Not only did the ice skating rink have the string light above them, so did the sidewalk going to our car. As we stepped onto the pavement, finally back i our regular boots, I feel something icy land on my cheek.
What the-
Before I can finish my thought, I feel another one land on my eyelid, making me rub it off, feeling the wetness remaining on my fingers. And then I look up at the sky and see beautiful white snowflakes slowly beginning to fall. I become so entranced by the sight, by the whole moment that I don't even feel them land on my face. "It's snowing. I didn't think it would snow yet." Harry speaks softly.
I slowly move my gaze to him, seeing him looking up at the sky just as I was, a few snowflakes dangling in his curls. The warm lights illuminate him perfectly and in this moment, he takes my breath away. I have no words. And I realize, I am too happy. I am healing and I am growing, as well. Me and this man standing in front of me have been through a lot together. Things that would have torn a lot of people apart. And yet, here we are.
Standing on a sidewalk in London, snow falling down on us and contentment and happiness filling the air. We are no longer two ghosts trying desperately to make us fix, trying to find that light and heartbeat between us. We made mistakes, we've forgiven each other and then made even more mistakes along the way. And though all of that, our two souls effortlessly sound their way back to each other. That spark and that light came back alive without either of us realizing it. And I think that's somehow the way things work.
To a point, you fight for what you love. For what you want, For what you believe. But you can't force it. You can't fight for it to stay if it isn't meant to. And we gave ourselves time to be apart, to heal as individuals and we came back together and it made more sense than ever. We let our love lead the way and I wouldn't change a single thing that has happened between me and Harry.
So I do what my heart wants to do more than anything at this moment. I take a few steps towards him, making him look down at me but before he can speak a single word, I place my hands gently on his soft and cold cheeks, lifting up on my tip toes slightly, pressing my lips against him. His large hands slide around my waist, pulling my body firmly against his, making the both of us smile into each others lips. We pull back for a few seconds, just to look at eachother, reminding each other this is real. This isn't a dream. We are together. We are okay.
And then he reads my mind and kisses me again and even with the snow falling on us even harder now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
* * * *
I'm back.
I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.
Sorry for the disappearance. I miss you all.
If you're reading this, thank you for the patience and sticking around.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Love you all.
Taylor x