Sophie's words lingered in Harry's head even long after she headed home later that night. They held a certain meaning to them, a meaning Harry knew but couldn't quite bring himself to believe. She wasn't talking about seeing his baby pictures, she was talking about him. She was lucky to have him. At least, she felt she was. She was wrong, Harry thought. He was the lucky one.
Sophie was everything he could've asked for in a girl, and she'd taken an interest in him out of all people. He was lucky, she was not.
He always had thought of her as nothing more than a friend, but that had slowly began to change. He was interested, he supposed. Certainly would never turn her down, because she was pretty and she liked him.
Friday night had finally arrived, and he spent over an hour getting poked and prodded by his mother in front of the mirror. She wanted him to look perfect. Not a strand of hair was out of place, no creases in his clothes, not a single thing about his appearance was off. He looked just as good as he felt.
Just before he was about to leave, a set of keys were held out in front of him to take. "Make sure to open the door for her," his father spoke. "And don't be an idiot."
His hand clasped around the keys to his fathers Mercedes. He glanced down at them in his large palm, reflecting the light of the room. "Thank you."
Hands could be felt on his shoulders from behind, the soft voice of his mother speaking to him next. "Keep your hands on her waist when you dance, and don't forget to tell her she looks nice."
"Okay."
He was nudged, "Go."
Harry took a deep breath, and was out the door. The sun was nearly set, the town lit by the only remaining blue light the cobalt sky gave off. It provided a shield Harry could hide behind to disguise his nervous expression that even he couldn't quite detect from looking at himself in the mirror of his dad's car.
His palms were sweaty while he took the drive to pick her up from home, the yellow house just down the street from where he lived. The windows were lit up, showing the lights were on inside and he knew she was waiting when he pulled into the driveway to park.
Harry drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, fidgeting as he watched the minutes on the clock pass by.
6:56.
6:57.
6:58.
When the clock struck 6:59, he took one last look in the mirror before climbing out of the car. The chirp of crickets and the sound of his shoes against the pathway rang in his ears with each step he took, nearing the front stoop of the home.
The world seemed to fall silent when his knuckles made contact with the door at precisely 7:00. Right on time. Not a second too early, nor one too late.
Sophie did not greet him at the door, her father did. He was tall, bulky, and was known to be a little hostile. Harry was always scared of him, but he'd never been more intimidated by the man than he was in the moment the door creaked open and revealed his face.
"Hi, Mr. O'Donald," Harry choked out, fearing some sort of lecture from the man.
He hummed, and opened up the door further, "Come in, she'll be down in a minute."
Harry hesitantly stepped inside, the door being shut behind him as he stood in the foyer. He'd been to this house countless times, it wasn't anything new to him, though he felt out of place as he kept his hands clasped behind his back and could feel Mr. O'Donald's eyes boring into him.
"Let's get some things straight," he spoke with authority to his tone. "I want her home by 10:30. You will respect her and treat her like a lady, do not touch her anywhere you know you shouldn't, and absolutely no illegal activities. You're a good kid, I trust you with my daughter. Don't make me regret that."
"I wont," he agreed, though it sounded incomplete. "... Sir."
Mr. O'Donald didn't acknowledge him in any way, he simply stood and stared. It made Harry uncomfortable, causing him to shift from foot to foot and glance down at the floor.
The tension was palpable in the air, Harry's fingers drumming on the side of his thigh nervously. The small pat, pat, pat, sound it created was drowned out by a slightly louder slap, slap, slap, of a young child's bare footsteps against the hardwood flooring, Sophie's younger sister peeking into the room around the door frame.
Her face lit up when she saw him, front teeth missing from her smile as she stepped into the room clad in a nightgown decorated with the portraits of well known Disney princesses and her dark hair twisted in damp braids that showed she was fresh out of the bathtub.
"Hi, Lexie," Harry greeted, reaching out to the little girl.
"Harry!" She grasped hold of his hand and pulled him closer just to wrap her small arms around his waist and give him a squeeze. He hugged back, a bit awkwardly with how short she was compared to his height. She grinned up at him, "Where's Sophie? Does she know you're here?" She clung onto his clothing with her small fists, not waiting a single second to receive his answer before she turned around to head upstairs, "I'll tell her."
She marched away, feet slapping on the floors when she burst into a full sprint in hot pursuit of her older sister. "Sophie, your boyfriend is here!" she called, and Harry had to press his lips together to conceal his laughter, hearing the loud thumps of her feet as she rushed up the staircase.
From the distance, Harry could hear the voice of Sophie and Lexie's mother scolding her, "No running on the stairs!"
Silenced resumed soon after, but not for very long. Lexie returned, storming though the house just as loudly as she had before. She took her place beside Harry, slipping her hand inside his large palm and closing her fingers around a few of his own. "She takes a long time to get ready. I told her it's rude to be late."
Harry chuckled, "It's alright."
"Only because you have me," she argued. "My teacher said it's important to be functual."
Harry didn't quite understand, he furrowed his brows as he glanced down at the girl. "To be what?"
"Functual," she repeated. "On time."
"You mean punctual?"
She shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I don't know, I'm only seven. Ask a grown up."
Harry couldn't help but snicker at the amount of personality such a small human could contain, and how intelligently she could hold a conversation with him. It was rather amusing. "Well we can use the word functual."
"Ooh! You know what else?" Lexie exclaimed excitedly, once again not waiting for him to reply before she told him exactly what had popped into her head. "We have pet gerbils in our class and they had babies so now we have, like, ten gerbils!"
"That's awesome!"
"Oh yeah!" another thing came to her mind, and she turned to speak to her father. "Daddy, can I have a gerbil? I'll take care of it, I was student of the week and had to give them food everyday and I'm really good at it. Probably the best, even. Better than all the kids in my class so I think I should have a gerbil."
He sighed, "We'll talk about it later."
"So that means I can have one?" she asked with glee. "I'm gonna name it Spot!"
Harry laughed, "But what if it doesn't have spots?"
"Good point." Lexie let go of his hand to scratch at her chin as she thought of something else to call her hypothetical gerbil. "What would you name it?"
Harry took a moment to think, pondering over a few names that popped into his head. He decided to go with the very first one that came to mind. "Gilbert."
She giggled at the funny name, "That's silly."
"So is Spot if it doesn't have spots!" Harry countered, making her giggle again.
"Okay, my gerbil will be Gilbert," Lexie resigned with a smile. Harry's attention was diverted from Lexie, to Sophie as she entered into the room. "Sophie, daddy's letting me have a gerbil and Harry named it Gilbert."
She chuckled, "That's nice, Lex."
Sophie's vibrant smile never faded as she stood in the doorway next to her mother, her eyes on Harry just as his were on her. His smile matched hers, he'd never seen her look more beautiful than she did that night with her hair neatly curled and her makeup done to accentuate the already naturally pretty features she possessed. The blue dress fit her even better than it had the day he'd seen it in the shop, and paired with a necklace and earrings she managed to make it her own. She looked stunning, and so did he.
He hadn't realized he'd failed so utter a single syllable until Lexie tugged on his hand to lead him over to her older sister, urging both of them together. "Okay now you're supposed to kiss."
Both chuckled nervously, and Sophie placed her hand over her sister's face to push her to the side. "Ignore her."
"Heyyyy..." she whined, swatting Sophie's hand away. Lexie's hand raised to cover her mouth from Harry's view as she whispered to her sister, "Tell him he looks like Prince Charming."
Sophie rolled her eyes, but Harry laughed. "That's funny because you look like Cinderella."
Sophie giggled, "Better get going then before the clock strikes midnight."
"10:30," her father interjected.
Her mother didn't agree. "11."
Sophie rolled her eyes again when her father attempted to negotiate. "10:35."
"We'll be back," Sophie promised.
"At 10:35," her father finished.
"10:35," Harry repeated. "Not a moment later."
"That's what I like to hear."
Lexie tugged on Harry's sleeve in attempt to get his attention back to ask, "Who do I look like?"
He glanced down at the girl, pausing for only a moment to think. "Your braids make you look like Jesse from Toy Story."
She smiled, "My hair isn't red, though."
"That's what imagination is for," Harry reminded her, and her grin grew as she played with the two braids on her head.
"Okay, Lexie," Sandra stepped forward to gently guide her daughter out of the way, "stand over here while I take some pictures."
"Mom," Sophie argued, but her mother already had her camera in hand.
"I promised I'd send Rachael one," she said, coaxing the two to stand closer together. "Now look cute and smile."
She stepped back and snapped a picture, and another, and another. Turning it into somewhat of a photo shoot, instructing them to change their stances with each one. By what felt like the hundredth one, Sophie got fed up and began heading for the door, trying to pull Harry behind her to safety. "Okay, gotta go. Bye!"
"Wait!" her mother called out as Sophie opened up the door to leave.
"No waiting, we'll never get there if I let you keep taking pictures!"
"Your bag!"
"Oh." Sophie paused, taking a glance around for the little clutch purse until her mother held it out for her to take. "Thanks."
"Now go," Sandra urged. "Have fun."
Harry had to let a small chuckle slip after they'd finally made it outside. He helped Sophie down the stairs, the long skirt of the dress made it easy for her to accidentally trip. "Sorry," she apologized.
"Don't be," Harry said. "You look beautiful, by the way."
Sophie flushed, but Harry couldn't see it in the dim lighting. "You do too. Well, handsome, I mean. I think Lexie thought so too."
Harry smiled, "Well I liked her princess nightgown. Very regal looking."
Sophie smiled with amusement as Harry made sure to open the car door for her, just as he promised his father he would. "I guess chivalry isn't dead."
"No, just on life support," Harry tried to joke.
It did get a chuckle out of her, and she thanked him before she climbed in to the passenger seat. Harry made sure her dress was in the car before he closed the door behind her, and soon he was in his own seat driving off to the school.
Upon arrival, it was obvious the dance had already ensued. The parking lot was filled and the front of the school had students, all of them dressed to impress, hanging outside the front door on the stairs. Harry opened the door to let Sophie out, adamant on making sure she had a good night and he treated her nicely, and he linked their arms together as they headed inside together.
The dance took place in the gymnasium just down the hall, but even as the doors opened and Harry stepped inside he could hear the music blaring through the speakers. Familiar faces passed as he lead the way to where the sounds were coming from, where the doors were open and displayed just how nicely the place had been decorated for the event. Balloons, lights, streamers. All hung in ways that gave the room that was normally used for nothing more than physical exertion, a classy feel that matched the outfits of the attendees.
They stood aside for a moment, Harry glancing around at the couples in the room. He wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do next. Leaning over to speak to Sophie over the loud music, he said, "Do you want to look around and find friends or something else?"
Her eyes locked on his and she nodded, "Yeah, lets find people."
Venturing through the crowded room in search of someone they knew, Sophie managed to find a friend of her own and took a minute to greet them before Harry's wandering eyes landed on long black hair and a peach colored dress that contrasted nicely with the dark skin of the person who wore it. Grace. He stepped forward, his shoulder accidentally bumping someone, before he saw Liam there with her. His eyes locked with his friend's and he approached, saying hello to both he and his date.
Liam waved over at Sophie, she smiled shyly. "You look lovely this evening," he complimented formally, only increasing her shyness and eliciting a small giggle out of her before she thanked him. He chuckled and turned his attention to Harry. "Did you guys just get here?"
Harry nodded, taking a step to his side to stand closer to Sophie. "Have we missed anything?" he asked, looking over to Grace when she answered.
"Cotton Eyed Joe."
"Oh, that's fine then. I could never do that in these heels," Sophie confessed. They were the highest heels she'd ever been allowed to wear, and she still wasn't quite used to walking in them. She felt rather unstable and feared falling flat on her face or twisting an ankle, but the silver stilettos were gorgeous and the pinch she felt on her toes were worth the discomfort. She wanted to look her best for Harry, she wanted to impress and felt confident with the shoes on her feet as she glanced down at them. She also caught a glimpse of the ones Grace wore. "I like yours, by the way. And your dress."
"Thank you," she smiled. "I like yours too."
The upbeat pop hit the DJ played over the speakers slowly began to fade out, Sophie's voice sounding more clear when she said, "Thank you," thanks to the lack of surrounding noise. She had a quiet voice to begin with, so she was a little harder to hear.
The song that replaced the other was much slower, the energy in the room dying down to match the lower tempo. Harry received a look from Liam, one that told him to go away, and he got the message loud and clear. "We'll talk to you guys later," he said, taking a step back as Liam returned his full attention back to his date.
Going their separate ways, Harry and Sophie stepped aside to find their own place on the dance floor. She looked up at him, big blue eyes twinkling in the low lighting. They were striking, so much more vividly blue than he'd ever seen before. "The dress really brings out your eyes," he complimented, a lopsided grin pulling at his lips.
"Yours too," she said. "The shirt, I mean. They look blue instead of green."
"Is that a good or a bad thing?"
"Well," she shrugged, "I like it when your eyes are green, but blue is nice too. I like you either way."
The dimples on his cheeks showed with his grin, causing her to smile up at him when she saw. She loved his dimples. "You wanna dance?" Harry asked, taking noticed of the others around. Countless couples were swaying back and fourth around them, holding one another close.
"I'd love to."
Harry's palm outstretched for her to take, her hand delicately placed in his larger one before she took a single step forward to get close. She fumbled a bit trying to find the right position, hesitant and nervous when she loosely placed her arms around his neck. As she felt the warmth of his palm on her lower back, her stomach twisted in giddy knots and she had to force herself to glance over to the couple next to where she stood with Harry to hide the smile she couldn't fight from his watchful eyes. She liked him so, so much, and she had for what felt like all her life. All of it lead her to that moment, where the ballad that played over the speakers when they took their first steps together permanently engraved itself into her mind.
Sophie's swayed her body along with his smooth movements, opting to follow his lead with the dance. Once or twice she accidentally stepped on his toes and made him laugh, flushing red with embarrassment from her lack of coordination. She wasn't a very good dancer, but not once did he screw up. He never stepped on her feet, he never bumped someone else out on the floor, or fumbled with his moves. He danced perfectly, kept with the slow tempo of the song, and managed to keep her on track as well. Harry danced well for one reason and one reason only. His mother had been teaching him for years.
On nights when she'd had a few glasses of wine and was in a cheerful mood, she'd turn the stereo on at home and play her favorite Celine Deon record to dance. If not with her husband, then with her son. She'd coax him out of his bedroom and leave his schoolwork behind for the night to spend time with her, twirling around the living room with rosy heated cheeks from the red wine in her system. That, though it was slightly humiliating, would always be one of his favorite memories he shared with his mother. The thought put a smile on his face, but it grew even larger when she looked into his eyes.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" he questioned, expression never faltering.
"All smiley," she explained.
"Because you're beautiful," he replied. If she wasn't already wearing blush, her cheeks would've turned pink. "And I'm happy."
"I am too," she agreed, "I'm glad we did this."
Subconsciously, they had stepped closer together as he admitted, "I am too."
Her chest was mere millimeters away from making contact with his own by where she stood, their dance turning into only slight movements from side to side as the relevance of the music playing disintegrated. Gently he brushed a single neatly curled lock of blonde hair away from her cheek, exposing her face to see the pretty features more clearly. She watched, eyelashes fluttering as she peeked up through them.
For just a brief moment, everyone else in the room ceased to exist as her eyes locked on his. She felt a magnetic pull toward him, one neither could resist, and every so lightly their lips brushed together in a kiss just long enough to cause an eruption of butterflies to dance in Sophie's tummy before he pulled away. Harry felt shy all of a sudden, and he took a step back to create a small space between his body and hers.
Relief washed over him when the song came to an end and he could let go and take a moment to breathe, but relief was quickly replaced with confusion when he happened to glance over Sophie's shoulder and saw an oddly familiar person. Their back was turned toward him, he couldn't see his face, but the blond hair rose a suspicion to who the person's identity was. It was confirmed when he turned his head and Harry got a glimpse of his face. Niall. Niall was there, and Harry was confused. Niall had never attended their school before, and he had only met him twice. His presence suddenly made sense when Harry's eyes locked with the strawberry blonde hanging onto his arm for a split second.
Harry tore his eyes away, looking back to Sophie instead. "Um, why don't we go see if there's anything at the bake sale?" he suggested uncomfortably, searching for a reason to get away.
"Actually, I think I'm going to head to the ladies room real quick," Sophie said. "Meet you after?"
"Okay," he agreed. Harry allowed her to hang onto his arm as they wove their way through the crowd together toward the doors, and went separate directions once in the hallway.
The line wasn't very long, only a few others waited at the table set up with baked goods for sale by time Harry walked up behind. He stood in his place, eyes scanning what the options were from over the shoulders of others. He decided on cookies, chocolate chip for himself and M&M cookies for Sophie. He remembered they were her favorite.
He hadn't made it two steps away from the table before he nearly bumped into Niall with a handful of snacks he'd just bought for himself. "Hey, bro," he greeted with his signature friendly smile. "Lookin' spiffy."
Harry slipped his wallet into his pocket and adjusted the cookies that were nearly falling out of his hands. "Hi," he greeted awkwardly.
"You look disturbed," Niall pointed out.
"Uh, no," he denied and tried his best to wipe the expression he had off his face. "Just... confused. You don't go to school here."
"Aubry wanted a date to the dance and Louis refused, so I'm here," Niall explained, taking a glance around at the interior of the building. "Always wondered what it was like to be a snotty private school kid." When he looked back to Harry, he quickly assured him, "No offense."
"None taken," Harry spoke. "I thought she wasn't coming."
Niall shrugged, "Changed her mind, I guess. I dunno, I'm just here for the brownies." He finished his sentence off by taking a bite of the big, fudgey brownie he held, a few crumbs clinging to the corner of his lips. "I've never seen so many Virgin Mary statues in my life," he mumbled through a full mouth. Harry's look clearly portrayed his feeling of confusion. "Public school kid," Niall explained.
"Ah," Harry nodded.
Niall took a moment to finish chewing his brownie before he swallowed, then decided to finish off his explanation with, "Yeah, we don't have religious figures on the walls, we just have the occasional pencil graffiti of dicks."
Then Harry's expression really did show he was disturbed, which made Niall laugh. "Sounds... nice," Harry lied. He didn't understand public school kids. Never had, and never would.
"You're lying," Niall called him out, clapping a hand on his shoulder when he said, "Eh, to each his own."
Harry faked a small smile, "I've got to get back, I have someone waiting for me."
"Alright," Niall agreed. "Good talking to you."
"You too," Harry quickly returned, moving to head off in the direction of the bathrooms to see if he could catch Sophie on her way out.
He didn't make it very far, because soon Niall was calling to him, "Do you want to hang after this is over?"
Harry's answer was nothing more than a single word. "Curfew."
Note To Self: Public school is horrifying.
>< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< ><
Hi I'm sick and my head hurts really badly. My ears also sort of feel like they're broken and I'm pretty sure if I sneeze one more time my eyes will fall out of my skull.
I'm going to sleep after this, so if I could wake up to some votes or comments or whatever the fuck that'd be fab. Thanks for reading, my friends