Chapter Thirty-Four
"They'll love you." He said as he opened the front door to his childhood home. How the bloody hell have I been talked into this, earlier on this morning I was quite content eating my corn flakes and planning out how to pack for our trip to Ibiza for next weekend and now here I was in Guernsey at Harry's parents house.
I was nervous and Harry could tell that I was, sure we hadn't been together for long— only a few months but I'd known him for what felt like forever. Oh and he'd already met all of my family, including my grandparents which was eventful to say the least. It was finally time for me to return the favour and no matter how nervous I was, I stepped through the front door with a smile on my face ready to meet his family.
"Mum! Dad! Are you here?" Harry shouted, I closed the door behind me and slipped off my shoes.
"Look who's finally decided to come home! Oh and you've brought... a girl, huh I'm Josh." The boy struck out his hand for me to shake, I gave him a warm smile and introduced myself with as much confidence as I possibly could.
"Erin, it's nice to meet you Josh." I pulled away from the hand shake just as Harry's parents joined us in the hallway. Harry's mum's eyes lit up at the sight of her son while his dad looked around awkwardly- huh I see where Harry gets that from.
"Oh mum this is Erin, my girlfriend." Harry wrapped his arm around my shoulder as pulled me close as he spoke. His mum's eyes lit up even more- if that was possible at his words, I was fully expecting a hand shake just like his brother had given me but instead I was pulled away from Harry and her arms wrapped around me tightly.
"It's so wonderful to meet you Erin, I'm Sue and can I just say that you are absolutely beautiful!" She gushed pulling away a few seconds later.
"I... oh thank you." I replied flattered by her compliment.
"It's so great to finally meet you, all of you. Harry's told me so much about you all!" I looked around at the family as I spoke and then my eyes finally landed on Harry who was stood smiling like crazy the whole time.
Even though I'd only just stepped inside the house I could already tell that Harry's family were absolutely nothing like mine. My family was crazy, completely bonkers, we loved drinking and practically bullying each other... especially my dad and Ronnie. Harry's family on the other hand was quite, reserved and extremely friendly which was the complete opposite of mine but nonetheless I loved them already!
"So Erin, where are you from?" Harry's mum asked sitting at the dining table, his dad was sitting silently reading the newspaper but still engaged in the conversation.
"Originally Glasgow but I moved to London for uni a few years ago and I've lived there since." I replied answering her question and taking a seat beside Harry.
"Do you do the youtube thing as well?" She asked and I shook my head no.
"No, I'm an estate agent actually. It's a great job although it's super tiring and extremely stressful." I chuckled slightly as I spoke.
"How did you two meet then?" Josh, Harry's brother asked from the other end of the room.
"It's kinda funny actually, we lived in the same building for years but never crossed paths. I'd been friends with Cal since I moved in practically and he invited me over and well the rest is history."
"Oh Callum's a lovely boy!" His mum joined in the conversation just as Rosie walked into the room. I'd briefly met her once, we hadn't spoken but I remembered her from the time she appeared at Harry's door in tears after just breaking up with her boyfriend. She said a quick hello before walking out the back door which led to the garden, I resumed my conversation with Harry's parents and younger brother.
We spoke for hours, right up until Harry and I headed off to bed around eleven. We were only staying for two nights, Harry had numerous videos to film in preparation for the holiday we were all about to go on and I had to head to Manchester for work on Monday. I'd rarely be at home next week, I was working every single day from seven-thirty right up until eight o'clock at night... yeah that was a joke but truthfully I didn't mind, it would get me out of that bloody mad house I called home.
Ever since Dylan had moved in the house was no longer quiet, I honestly began to forget what it was like being around Ronnie and Dylan constantly. Oh apparently sleep wasn't a thing anymore unless it was the middle of day, nights were strictly for the Xbox and screaming until the two decided on going to sleep or Ronnie had work early the next morning. Dylan was still jobless but then again he also had a hundred grand to spent so realistically he didn't need a job right now.
Harry and I spent the entirety of our stay with his family and by the time we left, I truly felt like I was apart of their family. His mum was probably the sweetest woman I'd ever met, we got on like a house on fire and shared mutual interests on embarrassing Harry. His dad was brilliant as well, when you break through that barrier he holds up he's honestly a lovely, lovely guy— although I don't think he could handle my dad and his rather offensive comments.
The second I walked through the front door I could hear Ronnie's shouting, I was absolutely shattered and completely used to it so I completely ignored him and went straight up to bed and crashed instantly.
THURSDAY
This week had probably been the longest one of my life. If I wasn't working (which I was constantly) then I was out shopping for last minute bits before we fly out to Ibiza. We were all absolutely buzzing, the groupchat had been nonstop all week- every single one of us eager to get away from life for a week. To be honest I just couldn't wait to lounge around the pool with a cocktail in my hand and the girls by my side while the boys did whatever the heck they were going to do.
The flight was extremely early on Friday so thankfully I'd booked that day off work, that's another thing I looked forward too— no work for a week, no clients or meetings and most importantly, no fucking mountain of paperwork to fill out.
With the flight leaving at six, we'd have to leave for the airport around two or possibly three o'clock at a push. The stress was definitely real, I was running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything sorted for us two. I dreaded to even think what Josh felt like, he'd took control over everyone's documents and that seemed like an absolute nightmare considering there were so many of us travelling.
Harry lay on the bed watching me frantically packing everything I thought we might need, it had been two hours since he last told me that he was going to get up and start packing his stuff... two fucking hours. It was already eight o'clock and if I wanted to even try to get some sort of sleep, now would definitely have been the time but I wasn't tired whatsoever— in fact I was the complete opposite.
"Are you going to pack your stuff or am I going to have to do it for you?" I asked Harry with a slight attitude.
"We've still got ages yet." Was all he replied, he glanced up at me and held eye contact for no longer that three seconds before returning back to his phone.
"Harry you do realise that we have to leave in like four hours right?" He said nothing but nodded, I rolled my eyes and grabbed his suitcase before taking myself over to his drawers and grabbing a bunch of shorts, tops and other bits and bobs he would need for the week.
"What are you doing?" He asked groaning as he locked his phone and sat it on the bedside table.
"What does it look like? I'm packing your stuff, you know for the holiday we're going on in less than four hours."
Growing up I had such a short temper and as I got older, it definitely got worse— I also had absolutely no patience at all, which I inherited from my dad.
"I told you I'd do it myself." Harry sighed standing up and made his way over to his suitcase. He began chucking in the tops that I'd already folded neatly and honestly that's when I lost it.
"Are you seriously kidding me on? I've just sat for the past five minutes folding all of that and you've just came and fucked them all into the bloody case."
"Why did you fold them anyway? They're only gonna get wrecked." I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking away from him. I didn't even bother replying, instead I walked into Ronnie's bedroom to see if he was packed and ready to go but when I walked into the room, he was already sleeping. His suitcase was already sat beside his door along with his carry-on bag, I silently thanked him before I headed back out of the room as quietly as possible.
"Dyl? You alright?" I asked knocking on the door once before letting myself in. He was sat on his bed facing his tv, he sat the Xbox controller down the second I'd walked into the room.
"What's up?" He asked noticing something was wrong.
"Nothing, Harry and I had like a teeny blip but it's all good. I just had to walk away before I lost my shit." I leaned back and let my head rest on the many pillows he had on his bed, I'd honestly never met a man with this many pillows.
"What did he do?" Dylan asked turning his body around so he could talk to me properly.
"It's nothing big but you know what I'm like, he wouldn't pack his suitcase right— so I started doing it for him so then hopefully I could try to get some sleep before we leave. I folded everything up so it could all fit in the case right and then, THEN he comes and picks up the tops and just starts chucking them into the case." Dylan's eyes widened as I finished speaking.
"Fuck off! You'd think the guy would know you well enough by now, even I know not to mess up anything you've tidied up or folded or whatever."
Alright I'd admit that sometimes I can be a little extra— okay maybe not sometimes but like sixty percent? OKAY more like ninety-five percent, let's just blame the extreme OCD.
"Ugh I just cannot wait to get away for a week, I swear to god Dylan if this house is a mess when we get back I will murder you." I quickly changed the subject seeing as I didn't really want to talk about my current boyfriend with my ex-boyfriend, it just seemed weird but then again Dylan was the type of guy you could go to about anything and everything.
"I swear on the grounds of the daisy chain promise that this house will be in the same condition as you left it."
"Ahhhh! The daisy chain promise, I'd forgotten all about that."
The daisy chain promise was a thing that started when we were all around eight years old, it was Spring and I was obsessed with daisies at the time. I'd spent the entire of the Easter holidays making them and giving them out to people, it honestly got to the point that I'd be walking around covered in daisies along with Dylan, Ronnie and Layla.
They sorta became a symbol of our friendship and then it eventually spiralled into "The Daisy Chain Promise", whenever we made a promise— we'd hand the other a daisy chain. It was kinda of like locking each other's pinky fingers, an unbreakable promise.
"Everytime I see a daisy I always think about it, you were so obsessed with them." He chuckled as he unlocked his phone and began scrolling through it camera roll. I watched for a while until he finally landed on a photo of Ronnie, Layla, himself and me at the age of eight and nine. I smiled to myself at the memory, I had one on my head and four on each wrist— like I said... obsessed.
"I miss being young and stupid." Leaning back against the headboard I never took my eyes off him. Something between us had changed, I didn't know what it was but I looked at him differently now— then again he did basically rise from the dead.
"I'd give anything to go back to the way it used to be." I didn't reply, instead I looked up at the ceiling. Seconds later when I looked back towards him, I was met with his face centimetre's from mine... and then he kissed me.
Hey! This is pretty much a filler chapter because things are about to get SO GOOD! I honestly hope you're all buckled in and have your popcorn at the ready🤍