It was Monday afternoon. Zayn was sitting in her office typing something on the computer when her phone rang. She stopped and picked it up and was surprised by the name on her screen. Safaa was calling. She hurriedly answered it.
"Hello?"
A voice spoke low into the phone. "Um, hey, Veronica... um."
"How are you?" She asked. She wondered if Safaa was still mad, considering it had been a week and three days since their argument.
"I'm fine. I was calling because you told me that I had to tell daddy about Kyle by this past weekend or you would. I though it would be better to tell him myself and save myself the trouble. So I told him yesterday."
Zayn smiled. "And what happened?"
It took Safaa a while to answer because it was almost like she was carefully thinking of every word to say. "He knew."
"Knew what?"
"He already knew about Kyle before I even told him. He said he knew before Christmas. That's six months. He's known for a whole half of a year."
Zayn chuckled. "And he didn't make you two break up after all, did he?"
Safaa took even longer to answer. "You knew that he knew?"
"Yes. He told me he did right before his accident."
"So only you and daddy knew then."
"Yep."
"Well mum knows now." Safaa laughed into the phone. "Apparently there are a lot of things daddy doesn't tell her. It's quite funny how upset she got when she realized she was being kept out of the loop for six months. I wish you had been there."
Zayn furrowed her brow and crossed her legs. "Really? Are you sure you don't hate me or that you don't ever want to see me again?"
The line was quiet. "Well... about that. My main reason for calling was to apologize. I wanted to do it yesterday but I needed time to work up the courage."
Zayn heard her sigh into the phone.
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you the other day. I was wrong and I want you to know that I don't hate you. Even if Daddy hadn't already known about it and even if he would have made us break up, I still would never hate you. You're my sister. And I hope that you accept my apology."
Zayn smiled. "Of course I accept your apoplogy. I knew you didn't mean that anyway. However, I want you to know that those three words are something you should try not to use. Especially when it comes to your sisters or our parents. I'm not saying you have ever said it to them too, but I don't want you to be liberal with that phrase and just use it on a whim just because you are angry. Remember you can always choose your friends. But you can never choose your family. We will always be there and try to do what's best for you and it will never be anything short of it. Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. Um, thanks, Veronica. You know, I don't really have Wahliya and Doniya to talk to when I need it since they clearly live busier and more complicated lives far away from here. But I am so glad you decided to come back around again. At first I thought that you and I would never be as close as we used to be since you stopped coming around when I was thirteen. But it's nice to know that I was wrong. It's nice to have a sister that I feel like I can tell everything to. I just want you to know that I love you and that I don't care what you've done in the past. I could never ask for a better sister than you've been."
Zayn didn't want to, but she teared up a little and was so glad that Safaa couldn't see her. "Wow that's... That's really sweet of you Safaa. I love you too. And I'm glad I came back around as well. I definitely didn't want to miss seeing such a pretty girl finish growing up."
"Can you pretend that I'm hugging you through the phone?"
Zayn chuckled. "Sure. As long as you know that I'm hugging you back."
Suddenly, something popped up on her computer screen and she saw that it was an email notification from a company regarding new dental supplies for the office. It was important and she had been waiting to hear back from them since the weekend. She cleared her throat and interuppted Safaa who was saying some stuff. "I have to go. Work is calling me. But I'll talk to you later. Maybe you can hurriedly get Kyle to meet your dad so that when I come visit again, we can do that double date thing he was talking about."
Safaa laughed. "Alright. That sounds like a plan. I'll call some other day, V."
"Alright. Goodbye."
"Bye."
The line disconnected and Zayn felt a whole lot more energized as she opened that email. She had been trying to figure out how she would get through the rest of this long Monday without falling asleep but that phone call was it. It was just what she needed to get through the day. And it was probably enough to get her through the entire workweek too.
→→→→→
"And so that's the entire plan." Harry said and he was completley out of breath, for he had been explaining nonstop without hardly any pause for air. The excitement was prohibiting him from remembering to breathe.
Robin grinned. "That's lovely. It seems like you put a lot of careful thought into it."
"Yes. Almost makes me jelaous that you aren't proposing to me."
Harry groaned. "Mum, please don't make this awkward."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right. Don't pay any attention to me. Gemma ,what do you think?"
She shrugged. "I think it's weird that he's actaully smart enough to put something like that together."
Harry laughed. He'd expected her to make a joke out of it, although he was serious. But it did help because even though his only intention was to sit them all down here at the kitchen table and explain his plan to propose to his girlfriend tomorrow, he was nervous as hell. "I have to be honest though, you all. I'm so nervous. I planned all of this out so carefully and I'm not sure if I won't faint and ruin it. I'm asking the girl I love to marry me... That's a big deal."
His mother reached over and pat his arm. "Oh, sweetheart. I certainly do hope you don't faint. But don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm not. Do you feel how sweaty my hand is?" He held his hand out for her to touch and she did. He also did that to Gemma and Robin who also touched it. "And that only came from explaining the plan to you. I don't know what I'm going to do when I actually get down on one knee and ask her to be my wife." As soon as he heard the 'W' word he gasped and put his hand over his face. "Shit!"
When he saw everyone at the table looking around at each other, he realized what he said. "Sorry. I just can't believe Zayn might be my wife!"
"Who's Zayn?" Anne asked. "I've heard you say that name on different occasions. It's time to spill it mister."
Harry was too busy being worried about tomorrow to panic over his accidental use of that name. "Whenever I accidently say that, I'm always talking about Veronica. But don't sweat it because it's just something that's between her and I and she knows why I say it, so let's not get into that. Let's talk about the fact that if she says yes, that means I'm one step closer to being a father. I don't even know how to raise a kid mum!"
Gemma laughed. "Whoa there, Harry. One thing at a time. The reason you are so overwhelmed is because you're craming your whole future in one night. Just relax. She loves you and you love her. So focus on that for today. Then tomorrow, you only focus on the proposal and if... more like when she says yes, you can worry about the wedding and then children later after you're married."
"I'm trying to but--"
"Shh. Listen your sister. She's right." Anne interjected.
Robin, who had mostly been quiet, finally cleared his throat. "Harry."
"Yes sir?"
"I know I'm not your actual father but I would still like to give you some fatherly advice if you want me to."
"Yes. Please go on."
He clasped his hands together before putting them under his chin. "I know that it's only natural to feel nervous about the proposal and about how perfectly you wish for everything to go when you're married and when you start a family. I had those same feelings. But let me tell you something you don't want to hear. It won't go perfectly. And that's not me trying to scare you. That's me telling you so that you aren't disapointed later.
"Maybe the proposal will go as planned because you spent a lot of time writing stuff down and going back and forth to so many places to make sure everything is right. But you can't plan out life after the wedding. You can't write down how your life will be and have it run just as smoothly as you wished. That's not how it works. So you know what you do from there?"
"What?"
"You go whereever life takes you. You're sure you want to be married to her, so do it. Don't be so bogged down with how the plans go. All that matters is if she tells you she'll marry you at the end of the day. And if children should be had along the way. Don't worry about getting it right the first time. No parent has ever gotten it right the first time."
Gemma's mouth parted and she laughed. "Well thanks a lot for that, Robin."
"Sorry." He apologized. "But you're a good example of why he shouldn't be worried. Because look at how smart and beautiful and well behaved you still turned out to be."
He turned his attention to Harry again. "So what I'm saying is I don't want you to worry yourself so much. Because long after this proposal and long after you've gone over your plans one hundred times, it's during the time period when you're married that the memories will count the most and it's what you do when you don't have a written plan that will impress Veronica the most. You will be a great father and a great husband. I have no doubts. I've been able to observe you since you were nineteen and I am very proud of you. And I just really want you to know that."
Harry sat back in his chair with a happy and relieved grin on his face. "Thanks Robin. I really needed that. Thank you to all of you, really. I guess I might've been panicking a little too much."
"A little?" Gemma said. "Might've been?"
"Oh, be quiet. I think I remember you catching a fit on graduation day. It was only graduation, but you made it the end of the world."
She reached over and flicked him.
"Ouch!"
"Alright, alright." Anne said and she stood up. "Everybody come into the kitchen. There's something I want to do before Harry leaves to go home." Everyone got up and followed her and Harry watched her take out four wine glasses and sit them on the counter. Then she opened the refrigerator and took out a brand new bottle of white wine. Robin had figured out what she wanted to do, so he opened the bottle for her and then gave it back. She poured a half glass for all four and gave each of them one.
"You once told me that one of these days you were going to get married to someone you loved and that I wasn't going to stop you. Well at that time you weren't even thinking about marriage and you didn't even love anyone. So it's scary to see that day finally come around. I just want to say that I had a great time raising you for all of those years and I love you more and more each day. I'm proud of you and I really can't wait for those grandchildren you two are talking about having because I'll make sure Robin and I get to spoil them before Veronica's parents even have a chance."
Harry gave her a skeptical look. "I'm pretty sure you'll have to fight her mother for that."
"Robin, you have boxing gloves don't you?"
Now everybody laughed.
"I'm sorry. I'm only joking. We'll make a deal to spoil them equally. In the meantime, let's raise our glasses to Harry and his future bride. Good luck and much love always."
They all nodded and hummed in agreement, then gently knocked their glasses against one another's. As Harry drank from it, he realized his hands weren't sweating and he wasn't hot anymore. He was ready for tomorrow and all the days that were to follow. With Robin's words and his family around him, he knew that everything would be alright.
→→→→→
Zayn woke up the next day at ten o'clock. Harry wasn't there next to her but there was a note on his pillow. She picked it up and read it.
'I hope you slept well. I just want you to know I had a few things to do this morning. I will be coming back with chicken salad. That way, we can have a late and light lunch and really enjoy dinner later. I'll be back around 11 to put on my swimming attire and then we can immediately head out to the beach. The bag to pack your stuff in is in the closet. Once you put everything in with my stuff, it will be too heavy for you to carry downstairs, so don't try to. I'll get it when I'm back. Can't wait to see you. Love you times one million.'
She sat the note back in its place then turned over. But she sat up when she noticed something out of the ordinary on her dresser. There was a tall skinny vase with one single rose in it. It was so bright and beautiful that she couldn't help but jump out of the bed and smell it. But as she went to do that, she noticed a small strip of paper next to the vase. It said
'Roses are red'
"Well duh." She chuckled and she happily smelled it. It smelled just as fresh as it looked. Harry was so sweet to get this and have her wake up to something like that.
She decided to go straight to the bathroom. She didn't worry about underwear or anything because they would be going straight to the beach. She had planned to leave the house in her bikini and something to cover over with. She figured that the less clothes she had, the better.
After turning on the light and walking in, she noticed something else on the counter. It was a short square vase and in it, were pretty bright blue violets. Next to it was another strip of paper. She picked it up and read it.
'Violets are blue
I'm hopelessly, hopelessly in love with you'
She thought back to the previous paper she found next to the rose. It was a mini poem. Harry had left her a poem and flowers to wake up to. It was the little things like that, that reminded her of how special she was to him. She couldn't contain the smile on her face as she turned the water on. Once it was at a comfortable temperature, she got undressed and then stepped in.
As the water flowed over her body, she thought about the day ahead. Harry told her they hadn't been to the beach in a while and that he just thought it'd be nice to go. She was looking forward to it because they hadn't really been there since Valentines Day. And they couldn't even enjoy it because of the winter weather. At least this time she knew there was a greater chance he wouldn't get sick afterward.
Harry had also said he wanted to go to dinner at some restaurant at the beach and that she should pack something nice to wear. Well, they hadn't really been out to dinner at a nice restuarant since Valentines Day either because they'd been so busy after her promotion and everything and they were always tired. Not to mention the incident with Shahid and her father's accident. Since then, things had settled down a whole lot more and they were more availabe to go out now. It was the perfect time for Harry to want to do this.
After her shower, she put on her bikini, towel dried her hair and then went downstairs to the kitchen. Not that she needed this to wake her up anymore but out of habit, she decided to get coffee this morning. So she went over to the coffee pot to make some. As she went to press start on the maker, she noticed that covering the button was another strip of paper that had been attatched with a piece of tape. This one read
'Dear Love of My Life,
It's been eleven years since we first met and still to this day'
That thought didn't make sense, so she plucked it off and turned it over on the back for the rest of it. But nothing was there. She figured he must have unintentionally left it off, so she sat it on the counter and turned the coffee maker on. Afterward, she went to the cabinet to get a mug. When she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was that all the other mugs were pushed to the back of the cabinet where she couldn't reach them but one mug was torward the front within her reach. Not only that, this one was a brand new one that she had never seen before. It was a pretty black color and had red hearts all over it. So she took it down from the shelf, concluding that this must have been just for her.
First the rose, then the violets, now the mug? When did he go off and buy all this stuff? When she went to rinse the inside of the mug out, she saw yet another strip of paper inside of it. She took it out and read it.
'I'm getting to know you more and growing to love your ways'
She went back to the coffee pot and referred to the last paper and read them in order. Right away she understood the thought. It was the rest of the poem just like how it happened upstairs. Now she was curious. Was this all the poem or was there more? If there was more, where were the other strips of papers?
Suddenly, it became like a mystery and excitement came over her. She went looking through all the cabinets and even in the regrigerator, hoping to find more. When she didn't find one there, she checked the living room. She lifted the couch cushions and looked on the coffee and side tables. Still, she found nothing. She even went into the laundry room and opened the washing machine and dryer. Nothing.
After going upstairs and checking all the guestrooms and bathrooms in the house, all with the same result, Zayn sighed. Was that really the end of the sweet poem? But it seemed so unfinished. It couldn't be the end. She sat on the edge of the bed and sipped her coffee. She couldn't believe she wasted time looking around for stupid strips of paper. Now there was only about fifteen minutes before Harry got back. He'd already told her that he wanted to leave as soon as he got here and she hadn't even packed her clothes yet or their beach supplies.
She sat her mug on the dresser and went into the closet. She had a pretty colorful summer dress that flared and a pair of new yellow heels to match. The dress was hung up on a hanger but she put the shoes in the bag. After putting underwear and beach towels in the bag, along with other necessary stuff, she sat down on the bed. With all this packing she had to do, she was going to be tired before they even left. But she also understood that if that was the case, it would mostly be due to running around the house looking for a poem on little pieces of paper. She couldn't believe she actually did that.
Suddenly her text tone went off. Her phone was still sitting on her nightstand, so she picked it up. It was a text from Harry.
I will be home in less than two minutes. Hope everything is packed. x
She sent him a reply.
Okay. And yes everything is packed. xx
Since Zayn knew he was going to be home soon, she decided she should go on and have the bed made before he got back. She picked up her pillow and tossed it to the front of the bed. Instantly she became excited again because underneath her pilliow all that time, was another tiny paper. The words on it read
'Everyday that I wake up next to you, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be your everything.'
This made her feel so good. But with all this special attention so far today, she felt like she was the lucky one. Not him.
She put the paper on the dresser and finished making the bed. Finding this one meant that the rest of this stanza was somewhere else. But where? Where was he hiding it? She could have sworn she checked all the obvious places.
Harry walked in the bedroom door just as she was situating the last pillow on the bed. "Whoa. I like the way that looks on you." He commented. He had nothing in his hands but that blue journal which he put into his nightstand drawer immediately. "You made a great choice."
Zayn looked down at herself and smiled because it was a white bikini with purple polkadots but it also had straps across the back and at the waist. She wanted something with her favorite color that looked really pretty and that was decent enough for Harry not to fuss, so this bikini was what she had settled on. "Thank you. I also saw all the sweet stuff you bought for me and the sweet words. You must be the sweetest boyfriend in the world." She came over and kissed him on the lips and rested her hands on his shoulders.
"You're welcome. But it's after eleven, babe. We have to get going. I brought the chicken salad. So you can get the foam cooler and put it on ice along with a few bottles of water while I change clothes and bring all the stuff down. And don't forget plastic forks and crackers, because we'll need those too."
"Okay." She kissed his lips once more and slipped into a white mesh tunic, which she had bought to cover over her baithing suit. After putting on a pair of sandals, she grabbed a small bag that held the suncreen, sunglass, and a magazine, then put her phone and keys in it as well. Following that, she went downstairs to get the food packed and ready.
She knew the cooler was in the hallway closet, so that's where she went. It was easy to pick up, so she carried it to the kitchen and placed it on the counter next to the refrigerator. When she opened it up and took the top off, she saw that taped to the inside of it, was another strip of paper. How did she not think to check here earlier and how did she not think to check undereath her pillow? She chuckled to herself as she snatched this one from it and read it.
'And damn, I'm so captivated by your beauty, that sometimes I need to touch you just to make sure you're the real thing.'
This one made her gasp. Harry had always told her she was beautiful but to have it wrote down in the form of poetry made her want to cry. Sure they were going to enjoy a nice day at the beach but why did he have to be so sweet at the same time? Why couldn't they just go to the beach and enjoy the water without all this mushy stuff? Ignoring her thoughts, she hurriedly put ice in the cooler then put the chicken salad in it with water bottles. The plastic forks and crackers went into her smaller bag. As she was putting the top back on the cooler, Harry came around the corner in swimming trunks, a t-shirt and flip flops. He was also lugging the heavy bag in one hand, while holding their hanging clothes in the other hand.
"Are you ready, Z?" He asked.
"Yeah. I believe I am."
"Good. If you'll open the door for me so I can take this out to the truck, I would appreciate it. And after you bring the cooler outside, can you come back and lock the door, please?"
"Sure." She gladly complied and then within the next minute, everything was in its proper place in the truck. While Harry waited with the engine running, Zayn walked up to the front door with her keys out. Just when she least expected it, there was another one of those strips of paper on the door handle. Goodness, he must have had these things everywhere. She locked the door, snatched it off and started to read it as she was walking back.
'You and I share different memories than the rest of the world and I know sometimes it's scary
But you don't ever have anything to be scared about as long as you've got Harry'
This one actually made her laugh. It was sweet, no doubt. But still funny. When she reached the passenger side, she opened the door, got in and put on the seatbelt. "This whole poem thing you've got going on is sweet. So mystery like."
Harry backed out of the driveway but didn't say anything.
"Oh, come on, baby. Don't pretend to be cluless when your name is literally on the one I just read. I'd like to know where the next one is going to come from though, if there is a next one. Will it fall out of the sky while we're at the beach or come up through the sand?" She let down her viser to block the sun from her eyes when unexpectedly, a white piece of paper came twirling down in her lap.
Now she really couldn't contain her laughter. "What in the world were you doing while I was sleeping?" She asked. "You're killing me with all this extravagant stuff."
'I promise not to mistreat you. I promise to look after you and love you with my whole body and mind
Even when I'm old and wrinkly and frail and blind'
Well Zayn wasn't laughing anymore. In fact, that grin had been wiped right off of her face and was replaced with a stare. With these words, Harry just said he'd love her with everything he had for as long as he lived. And not only that, he promised. She grinned over at him and then placed her hand on his thigh to rub it gently. "I love you." She stated.
Harry cracked a smile because although he had been pretending to be oblivious he knew she'd gotten all his parts to his poem so far. "I love you too."
They arrived at the beach and they quickly got everything put out. After rubbing each other down with sunscreen, Zayn laid the beach towels out in the sand for them to sit on, then plopped down next to the cooler.
"I'm going to go in the water." Harry annouced as he threw his hair up into a bun. "Are you coming with me?"
"No."
"Why not?" He pouted.
"Because I don't want to. I have this." She reached in her beach bag and pulled out the magazine she'd brought.
"So what you're telling me is that you bought a brand new bikini just to tan in it."
She shrugged. "I guess."
"But you don't even need to tan. You're already golden to me."
Zayn laughed. "Quit. I'm not going in the water. The current is going to sweep me, carry me out and then drown me. No thank you. I'm not ready to die."
"Well you know when we have children, they're gonna want mummy to get in the pool with them. So you might as well learn to at least stop being scared to stand in the water."
"Stop trying to guilt trip me. I don't mind getting in a pool as long as where I'm standing doesn't get any deeper than four feet. I feel better knowing that a pool has limits. A huge body of water like this, does not."
"Yes it does. It's just much broader limits."
Zayn still shook her head. "You know how to swim and that's enough. I'll let you teach them when it's time. Now go on. Do your thing and let me read."
"But I want to do my thing with you."
She huffed. "How about this? You go by yourself and then come back later. I'll see if I'll take the chance then, alright?"
He smiled. "Okay. As long as you are considering it."
She rolled her eyes and put on a pair of sunglasses. "Boy, bye."
Harry scurried off to the water and Zayn sat up with her legs crossed. It was hot today but the day was still beautiful. The clouds were not so prevelent so they were getting the full effects of the sun. It was the pefect day to go to the beach.
"Hi."
Zayn turned sideways to see a couple who seemed to be in their mid fifties. "Hello."
"Do you mind if we sit down right here?"
"Of course not. Go ahead." But really she was wondering why they wanted to sit so close when there was so much available sand away from her. They happily began to set their things down and get situated. Ignoring all the noise they were making, Zayn turned her attention to her magazine again. She was sure they wouldn't make her uncomfortable as long as she focused on readng. But just as she was getting good into an intrresting article, the woman spoke up.
"Isn't it such a beautiful day today?"
She peeked up at them to see them sitting in beachchairs. "Oh yes ma'am. It is."
"Perfect day for the beach isn't it?"
"Yes. I think so."
"I'm Lisa and this is Robert by the way."
"Nice to meet you." Zayn was keeping her answers short, hoping she would get the idea that she wasn't wanting to start up a conversation, but it didn't work.
"You know, I woke up this morning with no intentions of coming to the beach. But then I stepped outside and thought, I have got to get next to that water! So here we are. Two old people enjoying the beach."
That actually made Zayn smile because they clearly weren't old at all. "Nice."
"So are you going out to swim later?"
"No. I can't swim."
"Oh, what a shame. But with a figure like yours you don't need to, honey. But me... I've got a gut the size of Australia."
Zayn was so embarrassed by that. Why would a complete stranger sit next to her and say something like that? Also, did she ever shut up? Her husband hadn't even said anything yet.
"I kind of planned to have a day to come here and relax and read." Zayn said, hoping that she would get the point of wanting to be left alone.
"Oh really. What is that you're reading?"
She hesitated in making a reply because she couldn't believe how nosy this woman really was. "Just a magazine."
"Is it any good?"
"I guess... It is to me..."
"Oh. Well I guess that's all that matters. I myself am a reader." After that statement, Zayn sat the magazine down and laid back. It was clear that Lisa was not going to stop talking anytime soon and let her read. She rambled on much about nothing and Zayn tuned out of most of what she was saying, choosing to only put a few thoughts in here or there so that she wouldn't think that she was being rude. But she was so ready to get out out of there and was about to lie and say she had to use the bathroom when sudddenly, someone appeared over her.
"Hi, babe."
Zayn couldn't even explain how relieved she was to see Harry and his wet hair. This lady had managed to keep her bored out of her mind for forty minutes. She sat up.
"What happened to the headband that you used for your bun?"
"It came off in the water somewhere."
"Oh, how is the water?"
"It feels so good. And as you can see, I'm back. I really want you to get in it with me now. I gave you plenty of time to think about it."
Right away, Zayn got a good idea. Harry could not have showed up at a more convenient time or with a better request. "Fine... I will go get in the water with you."
He couldn't believe it. "Really? Or are you kidding?"
Zayn took her sungasses off and stood up. "No. I'm serious. I will go with you. Lisa, do you mind watching our things while we're gone?"
"Of course, not. Is that your husband?"
Harry answered for her. "No. We're just dating for now."
She seemed surprised. "Oh, pretty couple."
"Thanks."
"Come on before I change my mind." Zayn rushed.
Harry definitely didn't want her to do that, so he left the couple there to look after their belongings. "I'm guessing the reason you suddenly changed your mind is because you were wanting to get away from them?"
Zayn laughed. "You have no idea. That woman talked the whole time Hazza. I swear I almost exploded from boredom."
"Who are they?"
"Lisa and Robert. That's all I know. I tuned out of the convo most of the time, but apparently she has a gut the size of Australia."
"What?"
"Exactly. Now you get to see what I had to listen to."
Harry smiled as they came closer to the water. The second they stepped on the wet sand, Zayn stopped in her tracks.
"Come on." Harry urged.
She shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"I'm scared to go in the water."
"Z... I'm right here. You know that I would never let you drown."
Zayn knew he was telling the truth but she didn't care. "I still don't want to."
"Well you know that couple is probably watching us right now, don't you?"
"So?"
"So they're going to put two and two together if they don't ever see you get in the water."
Zayn whined. "Harry, please don't make me."
He sighed. "Okay. Then let's do this. Let's go ever there to the giant rocks like we did before and let the water rush around our ankles. Do you want to do that?"
Zayn nodded, figuring that would be much better. Plus it delayed any contact she might have with the water.
Harry grabbed her hand and they both walked the wet sand together. It took them about two entire minutes to reach their desired spot but it was so well worth it because no one was there but them.
"We have complete privacy at the beach on a hot summer day. Interesting." Harry said.
"Most people like to actually swim in the summer and don't want rocks in the way of the shore. They're not lame like me and aren't scared." She watched the water rushing over her ankles and sighed.
"Hey..." Harry said softly. "Remember the night we first kissed when I took you out here in the water? It was the middle of October and it was nighttime."
She nodded. "Yeah. So?"
"Well you walked pretty far out there. The water was waist deep."
"I actaully shedded a tear that night. I just didn't say anything."
"But you still did pretty good. I don't remember Zayn Malik ever going in the water."
She feigned surprise. "So I'm not Zayn anymore?"
"Oh no, you're still Zayn. You'll always be Zayn. But the female version of Zayn seems to be a lot more brave."
"Or she just lets her boyfriend talk her into things."
He smiled. "Then can I talk you into going in the water one more time?"
She took a deep breath and then smiled slightly as she looked away. "I guess. But I'll go only as far as we went last time. And if I feel myself going under, I'm dragging you down with me. We will die together."
"Wow. Glad to know you love me so much." He said sarcastically and he took her hand. They began to walk out in the water and he made sure not to rush her. But it didn't take as long as he expected it to.
"Doesn't the water feel great, Z?" He asked after they came to a stop.
"Yes it does. But I still want you to hold on to me." She told him when he let go of her hand.
"Don't worry. I've got you." He assured and he put his arm around her waist so he could hold her closer.
She lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The sound of the water was so soothing to the ears. If she weren't so scared, she would probably do this more often.
"How are you enjoying the day so far?" She heard him ask and she opened her eyes.
"Great. Even better now that we're alone."
"I agree. But you know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think it would be even better if you actaully got wet."
"Do you not see me standing in water? I am wet."
"I meant all over."
She faced him and gave him a serious look. "No. And you better not think about dunking me or anything."
"I'm not going to dunk you."
"I'm not kidding, Harry. I meant what I said about dragging you down with me."
"Relax. I wasn't talking about that." He completely let go of her now. "Besides, I was thinking more along the lines of something like this."
Out of nowhere, he raked his hand and fingers through the water and upwards so that the water splashed on Zayn's chest. She flinched and closed her eyes and he splashed even more water on her. She screamed through laughter and then turned her back to him to keep the water out of her face and eyes. He saw that as free reign to keep going. So he did and wet her hair and back up pretty good.
Although this was a measure of fun, Zayn didn't want to be splashed with water anymore, so she turned and headed for shore. Harry was right behind her, still kicking up water so he was able to continue to wet her thoroughly. Finally he stopped and then just wrapped his arm's around her, encasing her body. She couldn't help but laugh out loud when he bit her neck playfully and pretended to be a shark that managed to catch her.
"Know what we should do?" He asked.
"What?"
"We should have lunch now so that our meal can digest in time for us to enjoy dinner tonight."
"Okay."
"I was thinking we could get everything and bring it over here since it's nice and private. Then you can get away from the talking couple."
That caused her to laugh lightly. "Yes please. That sounds like a great plan. Let's do that."
He let go of her and took her hand, then kissed her cheek. "Come on. Let's go."
*
*
*
Zayn and Harry ate lunch and afterward, they lay out on the sand near the rocks, letting the water constantly run through their hair and in and out of their ears. They stayed at the beach for about four more hours, just kissing and talking and then after another brief water fight, there was more kissing and talking. It had been a long time since she had planned to leave the house and still be lazy. It was the best day she had ever spent on the beach.
When they finished, Harry took all their beach supplies to the truck and came back with their special clothes for the evening so they could shower and change into them. Zayn thought they would have to go to the disgusting showers that everyone normally used after a day at the beach. But to her surprise, Harry had a key to get in one of the tiny beach houses and use that shower. Whenever Zayn asked him how in the world he was able use it and why he did it, he would never tell her. But she was pretty sure he talked someone into letting him use it. She couldn't see him spending any money just to use the shower and hair dryer and not actually stay there in it.
When they were fully dressed, they walked to the truck together just to put their clothes in it. As soon as she opened the passenger side door though, she noticed something she hadn't even thought about in the last few hours. It was another one of those strips of papers. So this poem was ongoing... Why did that thought make her get weird butterflies in her stomch? She picked it up and read it since the lights in the truck were still on.
'I'm no William Shakespeare and I could never accurately express through words how much I do love thee'
She smiled and put the paper in the cupholder. It was so like Harry to write something like that. She could just imagine him nodding before he decided that was okay as a line for the poem.
Harry took her hand and they both walked the boardwalk. Not even a minute later, they were sitting down inside a little seafood restaurant which happened to be a common spot for tourists. Thanks to his reservation, they didn't have to wait for a table and were seated in a booth. Harry opted to sit right beside her instead of across from her. Soon their waitress, Stephanie, came by and took their drink orders. Harry insisted on getting white wine, since it apparently went well with seafood. Zayn had no idea why he took the time to look that up but she went with it since he seemed to know what he was talking about.
When the waitress came back with their empty glasses and the whole bottle of wine, Zayn noticed there was a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of hers. Did Harry really plan this with the people who work here? Just what was all this for? She was really starting to wonder that as she detached it and read it.
'But I would spend forever showing you a love that can last for all eternity'
While Stephanie happily poured their first round of wine into their glasses, Zayn watched Harry. It was so hard to concentrate. Each time she read a new one, even with Harry there, he kept pretending not to notice or that he didn't even know. Why was he doing that?
"The last time we went to a seafood restaurant together, we were telling your parents we were officially dating."
She scoffed. "Oh yeah. You remember how that went, don't you?"
"Awful. Doniya ruined it."
She chuckled. "Yeah, I still wish we could redo it."
Harry put an arm around her. "There is an upside to this night though."
"What?"
"No one is here to ruin it."
"Nobody but us, right?"
"Exactly. Nobody but us."
Just as they were about to kiss, Stephanie appeared again. "Fresh fruit while you wait for your meal? It's of no cost to you."
Zayn was confused because she hadn't seen anyone else being offered fruit before their meal tonight. But nevertheless, those cherries, pineapples and kiwi slices looked too delicious to pass up. Plus this was a free offer. So she said "Yes please. Thank you."
Stephanie sat the bowl down in front of them and Zayn reached for the rolled up napkin beside her so that she could retrieve her fork. After sliding off the napkin ring, she unraveled the cloth. She was shocked by what she saw. There was another piece of paper. How in the world did it get in there? Did he tell the workers to put it there before they even came. He had to. How else would it be there when she was close to Harry the whole time and didn't see him hand them anything? Just how far in advance did he plan all of this. What did all this mean? What was it for?
'Be with me babe
Give me all of you and let's sit back and enjoy everything that you and I can be'
After reading the paper, she sat it off to the side and became really quiet. At first, it all came off as something very romantic. It came off as a lazy weekend together where they could enjoy the beach and have fun. But now that she was thinking about it, it had been about so much more than a lazy weekend. This whole day had been so extravagant from the time she woke up until now. She woke up to Roses and Voilets! That wasn't just any old lazy day.
She really didn't want to assume and get her hopes up, because maybe Harry really was just being a sappy romantic and doing something they hadn't done in a while. But everything had been planned out so carefully today. The poem, the flowers, the placement of the mug in the cabinet and the little slips of paper that happened to be everwhere she normally went... everything was just right. There was only one reason she could think of that something would be worth being so well thought out or well planned for. Or at least one that involved a dating couple that was totally in love with each other.
She picked up the paper again and read the words once more. The last word specifically caught her attention.
'be'
She could think of many things that ryhme with that word for the next stanza. Like how he rhymed "thee" and "eternity". But her mind couldn't hep but go back to her earlier thoughts. Suddenly her heart dropped to her knees and she recalled some of the other words to the poem. The promises to love her forever and to take care of her even after he got old. How did she not understand it all then? Was it because Harry didn't want her to know then? Did he want her to only be able to put the pieces together now? Did he know she was panicking? Was his whole idea to have her squirm in anticipation?
She sucked in a breath when she felt him grip her thigh.
"You okay?" He asked.
She nodded and picked up her wine glass. "Why?"
"You're shaking your leg and you're shaking the seat."
"Oh." She mumbled. "Sorry."
He pat her knee and then smiled at her. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"
She took a sip and sat the glass down again. "Yes I am. Seems like there's so much special activity crammed into one day."
"That's because there is."
She paused and stared at him. "Why?"
"Because you're special."
She had no idea why she was waiting for a real answer. Of course he wasn't going to give it to her. He hadn't given her any real answers all day.
Minutes later, their food came out on steaming hot platters. They'd both decided to go with fish as their meat. Harry had Trout and Zayn had Pink Salmon. When her plate was sat in front of her, she saw something that made her heart nearly stop. There were two toothpics pushed into the salmon and there was paper around them. But it was purposely done in a way that she couldn't see the words. She removed the toothpicks from the meat and slowly began to unroll it like a scroll.
Was this it? Was this the moment she was waitng for? Was this about to rhyme the way she thought it was going to rhyme? She felt like she was about to faint.
Instead delaying any longer, she pulled it all the way open and read the words.
'And I want to be the one to start it all'
What?
She flipped the paper on the back.
There was nothing there. Even worse... This. Sentence. Did. Not. Rhyme.
She sat the paper down on the table, feeling so stupid. How dare she assume something like that? Her thoughts were probably not even Harry's intentions. He probably wasn't even ready for anything like that. After scolding herself harshly, she picked her fork up and started to eat. She figured it was best to let it go before she was severely disapointed.
They ended up having a nice quiet conversation and zayn noticed that like all those other times, Harry didn't acknowledge any part of the poem and he didn't make known that he was aware of them. She knew this was all his doing but she couldn't deny that she was confused. Who would leave twelve little strips of papers from a romantic poem everwhere without having deeper intentions? Apparently Harry was that who. And apparently he was unaware that it was giving off the wrong impression.
Dinner finally came to a conclusion and even though Zayn didn't want desert, Harry had preordered milk chocolate covered strawberries with white icing drizzled on them and she couldn't resist. But it did still strike her as odd because she had looked over that menu when she was looking for something to order and she did not remember seeing chocloate covered strawberries under the dessert section. Maybe this was something else special he wanted to do for her.
Soon he paid for the meal, left a tip and they left the restaurant. She would much rather fold her arms and think about how her wishes and desires were sort of smashed today in a weird and unexpecting way. But he reached for her hand and held it, unknowingly preventing her from doing so.
"How was dinner?" He asked.
"It was tasty."
"So was mine. Did you think the white wine went well with it?"
"Yes. I did. I see you took some time to actaully look that up. Was that for this special day of activity too?"
He chuckled as they passed a few people on the boardwalk. "Yes. It was. Everything I did today was for this special day. That's why I did everything with you."
She smiled sadly. "All the romancing and wining and dining?"
He nodded. "Yep."
"Well... thanks."
After moments of looking down at her yellow heels, she felt him suddenly squeeze her hand. She looked at him and by the look on his face, she could tell that he didn't mean to. Or if he did mean to tense his hand, it wasn't to get her attention. She couldn't help but notice his eyebrows and how they were furrowed. Harry was really thinking about somthing right now. But what? She got her answer when he stopped them at the side of the boardwalk, underneath a lamppost.
"I hope you know that I'm nervous as hell right now." He said huffing out one shaky breath. "Truthfully, I spent the last couple of weeks being really excited and being really happy. But the last couple of days, I've been really nervous. You should have seen me yesterday. I ran over to my mum's cause I didn't know what to do."
She raised her brow. "Huh?"
He rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants and then took her hands in his. "I love you."
She smiled. "I know. I love you too."
But he shook his head. "No you don't undertand. My love is deeper than just wanting to say it in three words."
Now she was giving him a look of apprehesion.
"One night after you moved in with me, I had this dream about me and you. Although you looked the same I asume it was a few years down the road because we still lived here in our house now, but there were little children running around. I don't really remember much about the dream other than the fact that we had a family, so I can't tell you anything in detail. But I remember waking up and wondering. What am I waiting for? Why am I procrastinating? And even now, I never figured out why.
"I know a few times when you and I looked at our relationship and all that it took to get here, we talked about fate and destiny and about how things might have happened for a reason. But the truth is, I don't know much about fate or about destiny. I think that's just something that comforts people so that we don't believe anything is capable of changing without a will or a purpose. But I won't lie. It works. I gives me a reason to believe that you're not going anywhere. Cause I don't want you to go anywhere."
Zayn smilied shyly and then bit her lip. But she didn't say anything.
"I guess I figured it out. I love you as you, Zayn. And I'd rather spend the rest of my life loving the female version of you than have the male version of you and not be able to love you at all. So I'm not wondering anymore. I'm not waiting and I'm not procrastinating. I'm sure of what I want."
He let go of her hands and started digging in his suit pocket. "So uhm- this-this is for you." He took out another strip of paper and handed it to her. It wasn't rolled up or hidden like a lot of the others were. So she was able to read it right away, using the light from the lamppost.
'when I ask you to marry me.'
Instantly after she read that, a weird wave of heat came over her body and face. She reconized right away that this was actually the rest of the poem. Her impressions were right. This whole day was about this one thing here: a marriage proposal.
When she looked at him again, Harry had pulled a shining new engagement ring from his pocket as well and was attempting the traditional asking position. But when he realized he'd have to get his suit dirty to do it, he bailed on it and just asked her what he wanted to know. "Will you be my wife?"
She stood still with her mouth parted and she was looking straight at him. But she couldn't find the answer. She was speechless.
"Z... Say something." He said when he saw her eyes beginning to tear up. He was so afraid of being rejected here on this night. It felt like that was what was about to happen. "Z-"
Before he could get the rest of it out, she lunged forward and she kissed him. She kissed him so deeply and so passionately, he lost his barings for a moment. He even stumbled backwards a little. Finally he had to pull away. "Babe. I didn't get an answer. I need an answer."
She giggled uncontrollably and wiped happy tears away. "Yes, of course I'll marry you. Whose wife would I ever rather be?"
He breathed a happy sigh of relief and then grabbed her hand. He carefully slipped the new ring on her finger and then pulled her closer to him until he could feel her body up against his. "Hopefully nobody's."
"Definitely nobody's." She put one of her hands up to the side of his face and then kissed his jawline tenderly. "Everyone is looking at us funny because they have no idea what just happened. Maybe we should go home and continue our celebration privately. What do you say to that?"
He nodded before grabbing her hand one more time tonight and they started to walk the boardwalk again. "Yeah. We can do that."
*
*
*
"And so all that is what you were writing in here?" Zayn asked.
Currently, she was sitting in Harry's lap, topless and looking through the blue journal he had been carrying around for about two weeks. They had come home and taken a shower together just to make sure they were completely clean. When they got out, Harry threw on a pair of underwear and barely gave her chance to put on a pair of panties before he sat in the bed and pulled her on top of him.
"Yep. That's it."
"Wow. Four pages worth of scribble for the poem alone."
He touched her nearly dry hair. "Yep. Lots and lots of mistakes. I wanted it right."
"Oh, I think you got it right Hazza. I'm more than satisfied."
He smiled and then grabbed her hand so that he could see her ring finger. The engagement ring was glistening brightly from the diamonds in it. "I cannot believe you puposely showered with this on, Z."
"I was too excited not to and I'm still excited. I'm even thinking about sleeping with it on too, if you don't mind."
"No. Whatever makes you happy." He kissed her finger where the ring was and she giggled crazily.
"I have a question."
"What?"
"I have really skinny fingers. But this fits exactly the way it should and it's not too big nor is it sliding off. You mean to tell me you've held my hand long enough to know how it would fit?"
His facial expression immediately turned into a guilty one. "No. I cheated. You know that fake one you used to wear out all the time?"
"What about it?"
"I took it from your jewelry box and went to the jewelry store with it and let them measure that one. Sorry I went through your things without your permision. I wanted to make sure it fit perfectly."
She smiled. "It's okay. I guess I have nothing to complain about anyway. My fiancé knows my everyday routine enough to strategically place poetry in order. That's still baffling to me how you managed to do that." She turned the page in the journal. "And the way you wrote it out as to where you would put it and everything... I'm so impressed."
"That part was surprisingly pretty easy. You don't really change how you go about your mornings. You usually reach for your phone first thing in the morning, then you go to the bathroom. After you leave the bathroom you start the coffee maker and then get your mug from the cabinet. You usually wait and make the bed before we go out."
She nodded. "True. But I am still impressed by how you did it at the restaurant. That was definitely not part of my everyday routine."
He smiled a dimpled smile. "Yeah, you were probably wondering why you had fruit before your meal but the fruit was the only idea I could think of to make sure you had opened your napkin before our entrées actaully arrived. Would've ruined everything if you had read that before the other."
"Aha. I see. You were being thorough. I was wondering why we were the only table being offered fruit before dinner. But it was still very clever nonetheless. I just can't wait to explain all of this to mum and daddy and Safaa. I really hope they will be as excited for this as we are." She remembered the talk with her dad that night and how he basically said that he wouldn't mind Harry turning out to be her marriage partner. But since then, they hadn't discussed it. She hoped his viewpoints were still the same and that nothing had happened to cause him to change his mind.
"Yes. I'm sure they will be happy for us."
"And how are you so sure?" She would've thought Harry would be just as nervous, if not more.
"Trust me. I know." He would't tell her about how he only wanted to visit her parents that weekend to ask for permission to propose or that he'd already told Safaa about his plans before he instructed her to come down and get Zayn to come upstairs that day. He figured she would eventually find out all those things later. They weren't important for her to know now.
She put the journal back down on his nightstand and leaned forward so that she could lay her head on his shoulder and push her face against his neck. "I want to meet somebody new now, just so I can introduce you as my fiancé."
"And I want to be married so I can introduce you as my wife. Veronica Styles, everyone."
Zayn was completely flattered by that and she nuzzled even closer to him. "I like the sound of that."
Before she could get any more comfortable on him, she felt herself being lightly pushed backwards and sideways into the middle of the bed. She looked at him questionablly. "What are you doing?"
"You said we were celebrating privately, didn't you?"
"Aren't we doing that?"
"Nope. This isn't my idea of celebrating privately. If we're going to end this night properly, it still has to be all about you because I want it to be all about you. So I'm going to make it about you."
"What?" She laughed out.
He reached back and pulled the covers up and over them so that they were in complete darkness. He began to leave soft warm kisses all over her neck and then he moved those down and all around her upper body to her waistline. Out of nowhere, she felt him pry her legs open a little more and leave a long lingering kiss right between her legs. She figured out what he was up to when she felt him tugging to pull her underwear down.
"You're gonna end the night like this and not expect me to return the favor afterwards? What kind of man are you?"
"Technically, it wouldn't really be a favor if I wanted it back. Now shush and lift your hips."
She lifted them just enough so he was able to slide them off and then chuckled when he kissed her bellybutton. "It's a shame that I will have to stop explaining this perfect day to my family at about five minutes ago. All because of you and your sexual desires."
"You don't have to stop explaining." He joked. "You can tell them everything and leave nothing out."
But she gasped, moaned and then reached down to grasp his hair when she felt him dip down between her legs again and finally do what it was he had been wanting to do. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you..."