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H.STYLES
Harry stood to the side, gobsmacked.
Never once during his friendship with Alden did he feel it urgent to know just how wealthy his friend was but for some strange reason, as he stood by River, he couldn't help it but wonder. Of course, they all had a steady income through the jobs they did but on top of that, he often forgot, they also had an inheritance that previous generations have passed down to them.
And so, as Harry stood by River, and witnessed the woman purchase a watch that he never in his lifetime could've ever afforded, he wondered. He wondered just how deep the pockets of a Hamilton went. It wasn't because he envied them—how could he, when they were simply born into the right family? It was more of a sort of amazement, and shock, to find that River could wake up, enter a shop, point at an item, and swipe her card without looking at the price.
"Would you also like one?"
Harry didn't notice that he was addressed with the question. He must've appeared as lost as he felt because River smiled at him like she wanted to tease him, and it made his cheeks red as they heated.
"You've been staring at it for a while now."
"Staring at what?" he questioned, and then his eyes fell on the watches again, and he realised what she meant. "Sorry, zoned out."
"I've noticed," she hummed, her head tilted slightly as she considered him. "Do you not think it's a nice watch?"
"It's stunning," he replied right away. Harry almost felt shocked that she asked him that question—the watch was beautiful, and even someone who didn't like wearing a watch would've agreed. "I'm just—I don't know."
"I am aware Jade has many watches but none of them are this one," she went on to explain while Harry made the assumption that all the watches Jade owned were the same brand. They had to be because River's were the same brand. All of the Hamilton's wore the same brand. They may as well have been personally sponsored by them.
Harry ran his eyes down her body like he hadn't done it all afternoon as he readjusted his stance. It was impossible not to admire the way those wide legged trousers hugged her waist and hips, or how mouth wateringly good she looked from the back. The black turtleneck drove him mad, and the long trench coat that barely revealed the end of her trousers and heeled boots was dizzying on her. River oozed confidence and he nearly drowned in how much he loved it.
When she told him to dress nice, Harry's mind immediately zeroed in on the fact that everyone considered black to be nice. Professional. Appropriate. He had no clue what this outing would consist of, and when he asked, she didn't say too much. Enjoy some time in the city.
Sure.
In his mind, enjoying some time in the city didn't equal to browsing for watches with forty-five thousand pounds price tags attached to them. Harry couldn't shake the feeling that his black jeans, black boots, white t-shirt, and black trench coat severely made him the most underdressed man in the entire store.
"Which one do you have?" he asked.
"Day-Date 36. Yellow gold, and diamonds," she said with a pleased smile. River brought her left wrist up and pulled back the sleeve of her shirt to show it. Under the lights, it sparkled beautifully and Harry wished he asked to see it from up close sooner. It looked perfect on her.
"Miss Hamilton's taste is one of our favourites," the sales man added the comment, no doubt with the intent of selling more watches to them. Well, either that or he truly believed what he said. Harry couldn't help but feel the latter was the case.
"Oh, please, Sebastian, you flatter me," she chuckled with a hand on her chest, the watch now face to face with the man. It was always interesting to watch River converse with other people who weren't Harry, he found she became less relaxed and more put together like she had to make a good lasting impression. "Please package up this one for my sister-in-law, and—would you mind showing us the Yacht-Master 42? White gold, and... let's do the Falcon's eye? Is that the correct name for the one that illuminates in the dark?"
Sebastian smiled at River, then turned to Harry, and said, "Like I said, Miss Hamilton's taste is one of our favourites."
From ear to ear, River grinned at Harry like she was the most excited she ever could be.
"Who else are you buying for?" Harry wondered as he lifted his hand and brushed the single strand of hair back from River's face. When she looked up at him, and she smiled, his whole world righted itself and he felt like he had everything he would ever need in life.
River held onto his hand and pressed her lips to his knuckles. Slowly, she slid her hand up until her fingers wrapped around his wrist where his watch sat and he realised what she was doing.
"No," he said immediately. There was no way he would accept a watch like this from her. "River, I am telling you: no."
"Darling, why?" she pouted and stepped over, her hands on his waist. Warmth radiated from her touch through the material of his white t-shirt. He badly wished he kept his trench coat on but it laid helplessly on the sofa, along with hers. This place was so heavily secured he had no fear someone would try and take his belongings.
Precisely why he wasn't going to let her buy something for him.
Again.
"Here we are," Sebastian interrupted as he came back to them, a watch with a leather strap on the velvet cushion. As Harry turned towards the front, River's hands slipped from around his body and he immediately missed her warmth. It was a very nice watch. Harry frantically looked for the price of it but couldn't locate it. What was the polite way of asking for it? "Would you like to try it on?" he asked Harry with an encouraging smile.
Well, he thought to himself, since he brought it out... "Sure," he nodded, and proceeded to unbuckle the watch around his wrist.
"As you can see, this model features a bidirectional rotatable sixty-minute graduated bezel with a matt black Cerachrom insert in ceramic. It has stunning polished raised numbers and graduations," Sebastian's words made little sense to Harry as he focused on trying the watch on. "Do you take part in any water spots or sailing at all?"
Harry frowned. "Not really."
"Ah," Sebastian sighed. "In any case, this model is waterproof which is something our customers particularly enjoy."
"What do you think?" River asked, cutting Sebastian's blabber out. He must've meant well but Harry wasn't too interested in the specifics in that moment. He was too focused on the fact that he wore a Rolex watch.
Don't get him wrong—he could've purchased one if he truly wanted to own it because he had savings. Looking at his future, though, he wanted to use it for a house or to go around the world someday. Who knew? A watch like this was never on the forefront of his mind.
After he secured the watch to his wrist, he turned and twisted his arm to get a better look. He walked to the full-length mirror to check it out, and he liked it. Sure. How could he not have liked it?
"I'm not sure it suits me," he said eventually, eyes locked on River's through the mirror.
"Well, I'm sure there's one in there that you feel will work better," she smiled, a hand down Harry's shoulder in a comforting squeeze. She didn't seem to care for those around them, or the fact that they were in public, when she slipped her arms around his waist from the back and rested her chin on his right shoulder. Harry's knees nearly gave out, and an army of butterflies erupted in his stomach. Her perfume was all he could smell, her warmth was all he could feel, and the way her body fitted to his was all he could focus on. "I thought the black would suit you since you tend to wear darker colours."
The thought behind her decision warmed Harry's heart. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he leaned his cheek against the side of her head, and put his hand on top of hers. Twisted the diamond ring on her middle-left finger before he intertwined them. Whenever he realised how much she cared for him through actions like this, his heart started to beat faster and his mind began to race because it had been a long time since anyone opened their heart to him.
"I actually like yours but perhaps platinum?" he suggested as he turned slightly and brought her hand up to his chest. It was insane of him to share this because the last thing he wanted was for River to spend ridiculous amounts of money on him but also... when he did think about treating himself, he thought of the watch he tried to find beneath the glass in front of him. He looked up to Sebastian as he said, "I've seen on your website that you do the forty millimetres with the bright black dial. Is that available by any chance?"
And that's when they fell down the rabbit hole.
Harry tried on at least three different models yet he continued to revert back to the one he picked out. Guilt nipped at him for not liking the one River chose, but when she prodded and nagged him until he told her, she reassured him that it didn't matter and that seeing the platinum watch on his wrist actually looked a lot nicer.
An hour could've gone by very easily since they entered the store but River didn't seem to be in a rush, and Sebastian took his time to cater for them. Once more, it dawned on Harry that the woman beside him was a very crucial customer to this store, her entire family had to be, if they gave them the treatment they received.
There was practically no chance for Harry to fight against River's decision of buying the watch for him. Firstly, he didn't want to make a scene in public. Secondly, he kind of really fell in love with that goddamn watch, and somewhere very deep down, beyond all the guilt he felt for River spending so much on him, he was incredibly happy to have it.
"Think of it as a late birthday present," she suggested when they left the store, and the cold breeze welcomed them without a warning. River buckled up her coat as they walked. "Which, I know, is incredibly late given that we're practically in October now."
"Honestly, River, I did not plan to do this, you know that, right?" he laughed uncomfortably as his grip tightened on the bag. He was terrified of putting the watch on. It cost nearly as much as his yearly salary, though River did get a slight discount for being a member or whatever the hell Sebastian quickly ran over.
They stopped on the pavement and she turned to face him. Determination shone in those gorgeous eyes of hers and Harry found it difficult to suddenly remember what he said a second ago.
"Darling, please, just accept the gift," she sighed and stepped closer. Her eyes danced between his and he only felt himself being shaken out of his daydream when her cold hands touched his cheeks and jaw. "I like to make you happy. I like to see the way your eyes light up, and that little side smile you do."
River never lied to Harry, and he shouldn't have had the feeling that she'd lie about this. Perhaps he should've asked her to talk about this after the shopping spree they did a couple of weeks ago because these same feelings surfaced then, but something kept him from going down that road. It was very obvious that River disliked the topic of finances, and he didn't want to upset her.
And so, he simply said, "Okay," and smiled to reassure her.
A moment passed between them. A moment where River examined him like she knew what to look for in his eyes to get a better picture of his thoughts. Perhaps she had that superpower. It certainly wouldn't have surprised him.
"Do you like sushi?" she asked out of the blue. It surprised Harry so much that he frowned and she chuckled. "Is it that much of a strange question to ask?"
"No," he responded. "I mean—yes, I like sushi. No, it isn't strange to ask. But it wasn't what I thought... nevermind."
Even with her head tilted, and confusion darkening her eyes, she looked beautiful. Harry wasn't sure anyone could compare to her beauty. "Wasn't what you thought?"
"It's fine. It doesn't matter," he brushed it off as he put his arm around her shoulders and encouraged them to move along the road. People gave them dirty looks and while Harry didn't usually care, he was bothered by it then. "So, we're having sushi? Where?"
Successfully, he distracted her from his thoughts. Honestly, Harry expected her to prod and pull until she got it out of him that he hated whenever she spent her money on him. No one ever took care of him financially, not more than what was required of his father while he lived with him, therefore he learned to do it on his own. It reminded him of being pitied because his father made him feel that way, and whilst he should've gotten over it already, he couldn't push the experience far enough from his mind. It was sort of engraved in him.
He wanted to say it was the same way in which River engraved herself into him but it was the farthest thing from the same. Where his father made him loathe himself because his actions led Harry to find building connections and trust difficult, River allowed him the space and time to build a connection and trust between them. The two were completely different yet overwhelming all the same.
Previously, Harry felt River wouldn't understand his troubles with his father. As he sat across from her at The Lotus, and listened to her explain how difficult it was sometimes to work with her family due to the grey areas of where they had to be professional and where they could relax, he thought she might've been able to relate to him.
"How are things with your father?" she asked him before she picked up a sushi roll, and Harry's own hand froze midway. There. The superpower? Mind-reading, for sure.
"Uh..."
"I mean no pressure. If you want to talk about something else, we can but you've been zoning out all day," the explanation made sense, and he felt bad for not paying her the proper attention. "The last time you got this quiet was because of your father, but of course, something else could've been on your mind as well."
"No... no, it is my father," he sighed and gave in. There was no point in holding back. One way or another he would eventually confide in River about this. If not because she pushed, then because he couldn't handle it on his own anymore. "I still haven't accepted any of his calls or texts, and he is relentless."
"Hm... you seemed stressed about it, and I'm assuming it is because you have no idea what he wants," she concluded for herself. Harry nodded to confirm. "Besides to meet up, of course."
"It's been a long time since I saw him," he admitted. The night before he moved away to go to university. Ten years. "There is absolutely nothing he should want from me."
"In most cases, people strive for financial gain. Perhaps that is the motivation behind his actions?" she proposed. The way she formed the conversation around the very issue that bothered Harry was careful with a touch of familiarity—like she'd dealt with something like this before.
However, for Harry's father, money was not a motivator. "Not in this case."
Contemplating, she turned her attention back to the sushi. Harry couldn't lie—it was pretty fucking good sushi. All freshly made. The inside of the dragon roll was still warm when he tasted it, and it practically melted on his tongue. This had to be the greatest sushi, ever.
"God—every time I have sushi, I get this urge to visit Japan and try the real deal, you know?" he said enthusiastically. "I mean I want to visit Japan for other reasons than sushi but it plays a pretty big part in it."
River smiled at his rambling and he enjoyed the way she took him in. Appreciated him in a way he didn't know anyone would ever do. The pessimist within him made him close his heart off after his last relationship but this woman... this goddamn woman. He was his dream.
"Japan is great. The sushi is the best," she entertained his ideas and he loved that she knew. He absolutely adored the fact that she was well travelled, and she could and would do anything she wanted.
Harry just hoped that his ranting wouldn't end in a holiday, fully sponsored by River Hamilton, in Japan.
"And," she exhaled. "If you feel uncomfortable by the constant harassment of your father, please let me know."
He snickered. River's face remained neutral. "What does that mean?"
"It means I will take care of it," she replied.
"Take care of it as in...?"
That was when she burst out laughing. "Oh, darling, your face!" she covered her mouth with both hands, and her eyes were screwed shut. "No, I did not mean it like they do in movies. I won't hurt your father."
"And you won't hire some hitman, either, I'm assuming?" he went along, joking. But to be honest, he shat himself for a second. He was aware of the power the Hamilton name carried. It would've come as no surprise if he learnt of his father's unfortunate passing in a week's time.
"No, I will not hire anyone to do anything," she reassured him. Her rings clinked against the glass as she picked it up. "I am not a criminal, and I do not wish to start to be one now. I am, however, a... fixer. Not that you need to be fixed, or anything. I simply mean that I can help you if you need it."
There was nothing more adorable in the world than a flustered River Hamilton. Somewhere along the way she went from being completely confident to a rambling mess, and Harry for one enjoyed it tremendously. It didn't happen often so he cherished all the little moments.
"Thanks, baby. I'll be fine for now," he reassured her, his hand squeezing hers in the process. Again—that goddamn warmth in this chest. He couldn't help the way he grinned at her and kissed her over the table. "I'll be right back."
This made River frown and she reached up to touch his waist. "Where are you going?" Oh, he absolutely loved the way her eyes turned worried, slightly glassy at the idea of him leaving.
He smiled and leaned down, one hand on her neck, to kiss her forehead, "Bathroom," he whispered and gave her a comforting squeeze before he hurried away.
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Happy Friday!
This one's late because I just finished writing it, so excuse any mistakes I may have missed while proof reading it. :)
This week brought us more of sugar mummy River and I, for one, am completely gone for it. Harry's complete shock to anything that she does is also the best thing to ever happen. They clearly do not belong to the same tax bracket lol. Aim high, besties. Never settles for less.
We also have more daddy issues this week. Interesting. River is READY to get rid of his dad, and I support it. Harry is completely smitten for her btw so it surprised me too when he refused to accept the help. (Me saying this like I couldn't have just made him say yes, and get River to do her thing to make his dad fuck off lol)
Anyway. Hope you enjoyed this week's update, AND the new Daisy Jones episodes. Omfg. Double treat for some of us hehe. I also hope you had a good week! I can't believe it snowed where I live ... RIP.
I shall stop rambling now, and let you go. I will see you next week!
Love, B xx