HAVEN MCQUEEN
I found it. After a thorough but anxious two days, I already found my dream house. Perhaps I should be more hesitant or at least not get my hopes up so high, but once I have my mind set on something, it's nearly impossible for me to forget about it. And as soon as I saw the photos of this house up for rent, I had no doubt that it's supposed to have my name on the lease.
My very practical father, on the other hand, is highly skeptical. Although it's remarkably safer than my Studio City apartment, he's not convinced I need a two-bedroom house when it's just me. He's afraid I'm going to be wasting my money, which is a fair assessment and something I should also be wary of, but I need it.
"This is it, huh?" He slows his car to park on the curb in front of the pale yellow home. It's sort of pushed back from the road and hidden in the trees, which is perfect for my relationship. I can't afford a privately gated home, but the natural blockage is appreciated.
"Isn't it beautiful?" I give him a puppy pout as he rolls his eyes and steps out of the car with me and my Mom.
"I like the cottage aspect," Margaret pushes her sunglasses up in her hair. "It's very cute."
"Very cute," I agree as we link arms and walk around to meet the realtor in the driveway. She's wearing a navy pinstripe trouser and blazer combination and her long blonde hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She's young, but she doesn't give off an inexperienced type of energy.
"Haven?" She questions with a blinding smile.
"Yeah, hi," I let go of my mom to shake her hand.
"Alexandra," she introduces herself. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too, and these are my parents," I gesture to them before they all shake hands with her as well, and she uses a key to let us into the house.
"Remind me, are you looking to buy or rent?"
"Just rent for now," I clarify as we step inside.
There are two things I immediately notice. One, it smells like fresh paint, and Alexandra explains that the previous owners just had the walls touched up. The second thing is that there's so much more natural light than what I would expect, considering the front is shaded by the trees. I guess most of the sunshine is coming from the back of the house, which is mostly made of glass and open to the sunny backyard.
"So this home is a pretty decent mix of a ranch style as well as mid-century modern," Alexandra starts. "There are two bedrooms, plus a den that could potentially be converted into a third bedroom. As you can see, the windows are large to let in plenty of light, you have the beams in the ceiling and original hardwood floors, a refurbished wood or gas fireplace here in the living room as well as one in the den. All of the appliances have been upgraded in the kitchen as well as the bathrooms, and all of those have been recently renovated as well as the landscaping in the front and backyards."
"Mhm," I hold my hands behind my back as we follow her into what will be the living room area, but there's no furniture to convey that's what it is.
"How many people have lived here?" My dad asks.
With a smile, Alexandra says, "There have only been two separate owners in the 83 years it's been here. The current owners are only relocating for an occupation and they're torn up about leaving."
That, I believe.
"It's beautiful," I shake my head at the marble kitchen counters, the white subway tile backsplash, the full stove, and the multiple burners on the stovetop. Even the deep farmhouse sink is stunning.
She goes on to show us the primary bedroom, which has French doors leading to a private garden with sunflowers, my favorite flower, complete with a fountain. My bathroom would have an oval free-standing porcelain bathtub as well as a shower, just like my ensuite back at my dad's house does. The second bedroom isn't quite as big and only has a shower, but who cares? It'll be empty most of the time anyway. Then again, if that's the case, then why do I need it?
"Here's the laundry room, which actually comes with the washer and dryer, and then I can show you around to the backyard," Alexandra leads the way through the side of the house to show us the two-car garage with an attached shed, and the driveway itself is wide enough to fit three or four cars. That's not to mention street parking as well.
The backyard has a courtyard space for entertaining under the trees for shade, but the small strip of the yard itself is open to let in the sun. What I like is that it's on a hillside, so it's just trees behind the house rather than a neighbor.
"Also, I'm not sure if you're familiar with Beachwood Village, but there's a market and cafe just a few blocks up the street," Alexandra explains. "This area is such a nice escape from the city, but you're still conveniently located near it as well."
"Oh, okay," I nod vaguely, still just trying to picture myself living here. It's too good to be true.
"So what are you thinking?" She smiles as she holds the door open for us to go back inside.
"I think I love it so much," I answer the obvious. It would be impossible not to love it.
"Mom? Dad?" She questions them next.
"Well, I think it's beautiful," Margaret shrugs with her arms folded over her chest. "What do you think, babe?"
James has his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers as his otherwise cold and unreadable expression slowly scans the den. I look over at Alexandra, and I don't miss the way that she checks him out incredibly briefly. She's exactly the kind of Malibu Barbie my mom was talking about, but my dad is only looking at Margaret now. He still doesn't have eyes for a leggy blonde with a perfect pilates ass and eyelash extensions.
"How much is the rent?" He offers Alexandra his eye contact.
"So, it's going to total out to around $5,500 a month, and that's without utilities."
"How much money do you make?" My dad asks me next.
"Enough," I answer vaguely and that's true. That's just less than half of what I make in a month and it's not rare for Los Angeles natives to give the majority of their spending money to a landlord.
He exhales an exasperated and amused laugh, shaking his head at both me and my mom. Then he turns to Alexandra. "Could we have just a minute?"
"Oh, of course," she puts her hands up in defense. "I'll be outside when you're ready."
"Thank you," he waits until the door closes to meet my timid gaze again. "You're 24 years old, I can't make this decision for you, but I'm telling you right now that at where you are in your life, you don't need this home. This is a single-family home for partners and a child or potentially two."
I swallow that pill, but it's not like I necessarily wish I had any of those things right now. It's just annoying that he's right and it's impractical for a woman in my position to have a home meant for a family when I have no idea if I'll be getting that any time soon.
"What if, God forbid, you and Harry break up and you quit your job?" He painfully suggests. "Could you afford $6,000 rent on your previous salary?"
With nothing to say for myself, I shake my head and feel like a child while doing it.
He tilts his head at me with a more sympathetic look. "I don't mean to be the dark cloud when I can see how much you love it, but did you even look at apartments? Maybe some one bedrooms?"
"I want this one," I speak softer. "If Harry and I break up, I don't think he would fire me. I'll still work for him because I'm a professional."
"Well, what makes you think he would want to work with you if you break up?"
"Because he wanted to work with me before we met," I surprised myself with how ready I was with that answer. "He reached out to me, I didn't reach out to him."
The light scruff on his strong jaw makes a scratching sound as he runs his fingertips along it. "Give us a minute."
Just like Alexandra, I book it out of the room and go into the kitchen, but I stay right in there to hear them whispering to each other. My mom wants me to have it, of course, but my dad is trying to be the voice of reason.
"What if I buy it?" He speaks lowly. "I could buy it and she could pay me the mortgage."
My mom snorts. "Good luck. She's as stubborn as you are."
"But it's a good idea," he presses. "If she loses her job with Harry, I'm going to be a hell of a lot more forgiving than the people she'll be renting it from, and what's the harm in having another property? It's a good investment."
I purse my lips in thought as to whether or not I want to accept his offer anyway. My mother is right to say that I'm stubborn and I've never taken money from him, so why would I start now? But I suppose this is different because I'm not accepting the house as a gift, I'll be paying him the mortgage just like I would be paying the strangers who are selling it.
"Make her the offer, then–"
"I'll take it," I come out of the kitchen and cut my mom short, earning shocked looks from both of them.
"Hey!" James laughs, tossing his arms out to let them slap by his sides.
"Please, please, please?" I scurry over and jump up to hug his neck. "I'll pay you every penny, I don't want a discount. I swear."
He sighs and wraps one arm around me. "Alright. I wouldn't expect anything less."
With that, we retrieve Alexandra and she's thrilled about the decision we made, telling us that the owners were hoping to sell and not rent. As if I were buying the house myself, I pay attention to all the questions my dad is asking while trying not to get so caught up in my excitement to know that this is now my house. I have a house. My little dream house.
"I have to call...someone," I stop myself from saying Harry's name on the off chance that Alexandra recognizes me from the sleazy media posts, and go into the backyard to make the call. My backyard.
"Hello?"
"I got the house!"
He starts to laugh on the other line. "Did you really?"
"Yeah, and it's so cute, H, oh my God," I place my hand on my forehead and look up at the back of it. "It's just one story like I wanted, and it feels like a cottage and a ranch at the same time, and it's so sunny, and the kitchen is beautiful, and I can't wait for you to see it."
"Well, you sound happy, so I'm happy," he assures me. "When will I get to see it?"
"I'm not sure, my dad is sort of signing all the stuff because he decided to buy it himself and I'll be paying him the mortgage instead," I explain, though I don't go into all the details about me potentially losing my job with him. "I'm assuming soon because the owners have already moved out so it's empty and ready to be lived in."
"That's great, baby. I'm looking forward to seeing it and you later today still, yeah? For dinner at your dad's?"
"Yeah, my mom is so excited that you requested another Southern spread," I look back at her through the large windows. "Are you still good to come at around six?"
"Yeah, well be there so I'll see you soon," he confirms. "Congratulations. Love you."
"Thanks, love you too," I hang up and head back inside so I can learn that I'll be able to start moving in by Thursday, two days from now. The cleaners just need to come first, but that's complimentary from the now previous owners.
"Thank you for all your help," I shake Alexandra's hand again.
"Of course, congratulations!" She waves to us and assures my dad that she'll be in touch over all the finances and whatnot.
"I'm sure she will be," Margaret mutters on our way back to the car.
"Knock it off," James laughs, seemingly unfazed by his spontaneous purchase of a home that he will not be living in. Although, maybe it's not as spontaneous as I think. Maybe this was his plan all along when he knew ahead of time I wouldn't want to let it go.
"Do you even have enough furniture to fill it?" He teases.
"Not even a little bit," I smile tightly. "I'll take all my furniture from my apartment, but I'll need to buy some stuff as I go along. All I need is a bed to sleep on and food in the fridge."
"That's all that's important, sugar," my mom reminds me. "A roof over your head, blankets to keep you warm, and food in your belly."
My dad shakes his head at both of us as he starts driving back to his house. "I don't know how I lucked out with two of the least materialistic girls in all of Los Angeles, but you'll need more than a blanket and food to make that house feel comfortable."
"Well, I'll just have a housewarming party with Harry and all his rich friends, and I'll just put out a furniture registry," I joke big time. I would never do that.
"Yes! Milk 'em while you got 'em, baby," Margaret claps, making us laugh as she wrinkles her nose with a teasing wink.
It's only 3:00 by the time we make it home, but I start to lose track of the minutes going by while I'm helping my mom in the kitchen. She says that it's important for me to learn how to make her Southern comfort food if Harry likes it so much because food is very often the way to a man's heart. My dad chimes in briefly to agree with that.
I wanted to change into something nicer, but I'm still in my denim shorts and navy blue New York Yankees T-shirt when the doorbell rings. To make myself look at least a little more presentable, I pull my hair from its topknot bun to fall into waves down my back before I open up for Harry, Anne, and Gemma. He has two bouquets of flowers, which is certainly a surprise.
"These are for your mum," he hands me a wild bunch of various colorful flowers, but I already know the sunflowers are for me. I told him just once that those are my favorite flowers and of course he remembers. "And for you."
"Thank you, that's nice," I reciprocate his quick kiss as I let them inside, closing the door behind them. "Was the drive alright?"
"Not bad at all," Anne brushes it off, but I'm sure it was awful compared to what she's used to. She's just being polite.
"Hi!" My mom comes around the corner to greet them with warm embraces as if this is the first time she's meeting them all over again. And when Harry hands her the flowers, she just about passes out with her hand over her heart before she stands up on her toes to hug him and kiss his cheek.
"Well, come on inside," she gestures for them to follow her. "Gemma, Haven told me that you don't eat any meat so I made plenty of grilled vegetables, and we have potatoes and macaroni and cheese as well."
"That sounds like more than enough for me, thank you so much," Gemma chuckles.
"Of course, darling," she rubs her back on the way to the kitchen where my dad just came in after setting the table. "You all just go outside and sit wherever you'd like and I'll bring the food out."
"Harry told us the good news about your house," Anne starts as she and Gemma pick their seats, leaving the head of the table and the seat to the left of it open for my parents. "That must be incredibly exciting."
"Thank you, I'm really excited about it," I raise my shoulders with a smile, holding Harry's hand in my lap. "It's about time I moved out of the place I'm currently in and I'm relieved to be doing it before the holidays."
"I remember when Michal and I moved into our house right before Christmas, and it was so fun to get to decorate it how we wanted it," Gemma muses. "I think that's partly the most exciting thing about having your own house."
"I'm honestly just excited to have a place with more than one room," I scoot my chair forward as my mom comes to set all the food down. "And now Harry can have a drawer. He can have his own room if he wants."
"That sounds good to me," my dad teasingly chimes in as he sits down at the head of the table, making everyone laugh except for Harry. He just smiles tightly in shame, but my dad isn't stupid. He knows we've been in the same hotel for months and I'm sure he knows we were sharing a room all that time.
Before my mom finally sits down, she explains what every dish is even though they're pretty self-explanatory and universal. I'm sure Anne has seen fried chicken and macaroni and cheese before, but my mom can't help herself. She's probably thinking they eat completely different things in London.
"So are you happy the tour is over, Harry?" My mom asks.
"It's bittersweet," he answers. "It's sort of nice to be back here and start to have more stability again, but I love touring so much. It's my favorite thing about the job, so I always want to be doing it, but I'm looking forward to writing my second album."
"Will you be doing that in LA? Sorry, I don't mean to sound like one of those interviewers on the radio."
"It's alright," he laughs at the comparison. "I'm thinking I'll be recording most of it here in LA, yes. I don't want to spend too much time away from Haven and it just makes the most sense for me to do it here anyway."
"Well, I'm sure it might be nice to stay in one place for a while, won't it?"
"Absolutely," he agrees.
She goes on to ask Gemma what it is she does, to which she explains that she writes for a column at a small publication in London and that's what she went to school for as an English major. Harry already told me a bit about her passion for learning and speaking on all things related to mental health, so that's something she talks about exploring as well.
"Well, you must be so proud of both your children," James says to Anne, gesturing to her with his water glass. "They both seem to have great heads on their shoulders."
"Thank you," she offers them both a sweet smile. "I raised them mostly on my own, which wasn't always easy, but I think they turned out okay."
"I like 'em," Margaret shrugs with another playful wink before Anne asks her about the farm her parents have.
That conversation goes on for longer than I think any of us expected, but I can't explain how nice it is to see the two women musing together and sharing stories about how they both grew up. It's so strange to know that two people on opposite sides of the world could have so much in common and never know it unless they have the chance to meet like this. It also seems like my mom's inherently bubbly personality is bringing Anne out of her shell a bit more. Maybe it's just the wine we're drinking.
"I can't wait to see the house," Harry turns to me while our parents are discussing a potential European trip sometime sooner rather than later. "I really am excited for you."
"Thank you," I finish my second glass of wine and hold his face to brush my thumb over his cheekbone. He looks tired as if the effects from the tour are just now starting to wear on him. "Have you been sleeping alright?"
"Not really," he softly admits. "Do you wanna sleep at my house tonight?"
As I realize that my absence might potentially be the reason he's not sleeping well, my heart shatters into bits and pieces. This will only be our third night back in Los Angeles since his last show, but I've been staying at my dad's to continue to let Harry have time with his family. I didn't think he would be losing sleep over it.
"Yes, I can," I nod and quickly tap my thumb on his bottom lip before I'm finally asked what I'll be doing with all of my free time now that the tour is over. "Well, I now need to move out of my apartment and fill a house, so that'll probably keep me busy for the next couple of months, and then...I'm not sure, really. The holidays will quickly come and Harry will be working on his album, but while we were on tour, Jeff mentioned that there might be talks of a men's Gucci tailoring campaign starring Harry. If that happens, that'll be my next project."
"Oh, how exciting," Anne smiles at the two of us. "I hope you might have time to come back to the farm soon enough."
"I hope so too," I laugh thinking about the piglets. "I haven't eaten bacon or any red meat since I left, y'know."
She takes it upon herself to tell the story of how I decided to give up pork, which is news to my parents. Gemma advocates for the vegetarian lifestyle, of course, and I honestly do like all the reasons she gives me for why it's a good thing. What I like more is that she's not pushy or rude about it like a lot of meat-free eaters can be.
"Well, this might have just been the best meal I've had in a very long time," Anne sighs as the round bulb lights flicker on in the absence of the sun. We've been out here for hours, but it feels like only minutes.
"I'm so glad," Margaret excuses herself for yawning. "Could I have your number? I can send you all the recipes and we can keep in touch."
Anne agrees, of course, and offers to send my mom some of her recipes as well. Harry and I share a smile, both of us knowing that this went as well as we expected it to. Even my dad looks so pleased and content to just listen to them speak to each other rather than coming off as bored or uninterested in the topic of homemade pies.
"So I'm actually gonna head to Harry's tonight," I speak up as James insists on taking all of our empty plates after my mom did all the cooking.
"Oh, alright," Margaret shrugs indifferently. "I'm staying here for the next couple of weeks, so you just take your time."
That prompts Anne to tell my mom about my little parent trap plan, and that's my cue to get up from the table and run into the house with Harry before she can scold me for it, but it's all in good fun. They both know I was being sneaky and had somewhat of a hidden agenda when I forced them to spend Christmas together.
After I'm done packing only my essentials, I thank my parents for dinner and say goodbye to them just as Harry and his family do. My mom swears to send Anne those recipes by tomorrow, and I think it's adorable that they seem like friends already. I was hoping that would happen, seeing as my mom doesn't have a ton of those anymore.
And on the drive back to Harry's, I feel so physically and emotionally full and content. I'm finding it difficult to stay awake in the front seat after Anne insisted I sit up there with him for the mostly quiet drive. It isn't awkward in the slightest, though. I think we're all processing how the night went.
"I think your parents are lovely, Haven," Anne finally speaks up when we're maybe ten minutes away from Harry's place. "Your mother is the sweetest woman I think I've ever met."
I scrunch my nose, offering a tired laugh. "Yeah, she's a nice lady. You are too, so I knew you'd both get along."
"Your dad is also very handsome," Gemma adds. "Don't tell Michal I said that."
"Ew, Gem," Harry scoffs while I crack up laughing.
"My best friend thinks so too," I smile at the thought of Katie, hoping she's alright in Canada. "I'm used to it."
Even though I didn't have much to do with dinner at all, Anne and Gemma still both thank me with hugs before we all part ways to head to our respective rooms to get ready for bed. My suitcase is still in Harry's room where I left it when we arrived for the first Los Angeles show on Friday.
"God, did I really just leave my shit open like that?" I scoff at the suitcase on the ground with both halves just open and messy.
"Confession?" Harry heads into the ensuite to brush his teeth. "I might have slept with one of your shirts."
"On?" I gape at him, and he laughs so hard with the toothpaste in his mouth that his spit goes splashing onto the mirror.
"No, not on!" He shouts back with his toothbrush in his mouth, cleaning up the mirror with a towel. "I slept with it on the bed—like, I wanted to smell...you."
My jaw still drops before I pout and stride over to hug him from the side. "That's either so adorable or so creepy, I can't tell."
"It's not creepy," his voice raises slightly in a defensive pitch as he spits and rinses his mouth, but he's smiling. "I just missed the smell of your perfume and you weren't here. I couldn't sleep."
I rise to my toes to hug his neck instead. "I love you for that."
"I thought I was creepy?"
"No," I giggle as he picks me up to take me to the bed, dropping me on the plush mattress that I missed.
"Another confession?"
"Mhm," I nod and play with his cross necklace.
"I sleep like shit without you, Hay," he presses his lips to my cheek for a gentle kiss. "I felt like a crazy person."
"Stop, you're making me blush," I turn my head away from him with a stupid shy smile just so he can kiss my cheek and keep kissing it until I can't stop laughing. I missed this so much.
After a full minute of kissing me like that, he finally lets me go so I can brush my teeth and remove whatever is left of my eye makeup and sunscreen. He's waiting in bed for me in his briefs with the sheets bunched down to his thighs, which is also something I dearly missed.
"What are you doing?" He scoffs as I turn the light off and then proceed to undress myself to change into his shirt and a new pair of underwear. "This is my favorite part."
I stop in just my bra and underwear to throw my head back laughing. "Your favorite part of what?"
"Everything," he vaguely explains, which only makes me laugh harder as he suddenly gets up on his knees and yanks me onto the bed. "You can't just turn off the lights and then get undressed, Haven. It doesn't work that way."
Maybe I'm just slap-happy, but I cannot stop giggling like a fucking idiot as he effortlessly unclips my bra for me and mumbles something about how it's not comfortable to sleep in. I squeal when he rips the material out from under me, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much as he lays down with his head on my naked sternum.
"This was what you wanted, huh?"
"Yes," he sighs like he couldn't be more relieved, and I'm still smiling like a love-struck moron up at his ceiling.
"Confession?" I whisper in the dark.
"Hm?"
I smile as he adjusts his head on my chest and hugs my body like a pillow. "I missed you too."
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5 more chapters before shit goes down!!