~Annabel's POV~
He played the guilt card on me. I knew exactly what he was doing. He acted like I didn't do anything wrong, and he made me feel even more guilty than I was. But I didn't do anything wrong here. He was the one that caused me to ignore him in the first place! Right? Wrong. Apparently he was with his mom.. in the hospital. Could I get any guiltier? Probably not. But Harry was actually quite forgiving, and understanding. And when he touched my skin, I felt sparks shooting throughout my body. We ate and conversed a bit. I was close to walking out the door, but Harry asked me to visit his mom with him. I felt honored, but I wasn't really sure if I should go. I mean his mom didn't know me at all, and I didn't want to meet her when she was in the hospital. Why did Harry invite me to come anyways? The tone of his voice, the way he was practically pleading for me to come, made me change my mind. I was to go and support Harry and his family. So here I was, sitting in the front seat of his car, with the radio at a low volume. It was a bit awkward, and I just stared out the window. Even with the radio on the lowest volume, I could still hear the murmer of words. Right away, I recognized the song. It was my favorite song ever.
All of me, loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.
I couldn't help but to hum along with the melody.It was a beautiful song. The song that I planned to have played at my wedding. If I ever got married.
"You know this song?" Harry suddenly spoke, making me jump a bit. I shifted my body.
"Yeah, it's my favorite song." I smiled. I could see him nod from the corner of my eye. He adjusted himself in his seat, as he gripped the steering wheel. His hand moved over to the radio, and he turned the volume up.
You're my end and my beginning. Even when I lose I'm winning.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sweet song. I could practically feel the tense atmosphere, in the air. Harry was concentrating on the lyrics of the song. I could already tell. I knew he felt a bit uncomfortable, because I felt it a little as well. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew Harry and I had a "thing" going on. After all, we did kiss. Twice. And here we are, listening to a love song. I could only wonder if he felt the same way.
We turned into a street, and I could see the tall hospital building in front of us. He parked the car, and walked out of the car, and made his way to the passenger's side. I watched as his hand reached for the door, and he opened it, holding out a free hand to help me get out. I took it, and stepped out of the car, as he pulled slightly.
"Thanks," I muttered as he slammed the car door. He nodded slightly, and we walked towards the entrance together.
______________
~Harry's POV~
I wasn't actually sure if I wanted Annabel to meet mum. I mean, I did, but I could only picture my mum's reaction. She'll give me a long speech about how amazing Annabel is, and how she's the kind of girl I should marry someday. But here's the thing about marriage; why would you want to get married to someone you'd have to spend your whole life with? Why do you have to secure that with promises? I think the whole thing is total bullshit, and if you wanted to be with someone forever, you can do that, but you don't have to get married. Weddings are stupid, and there's always a thing called 'divorce.' It takes so much time and effort to go through that, and if you were just dating, it doesn't take any paper work to break up. Getting married is a waste of time, and I would never do it. If my girlfriend wanted to get married, she'd have to understand how I felt about it. If she loved me enough, she'd stay with me.
Annabel sat quietly in the car for the whole ride. It was a bit awkward, and she faced the window the whole time, but at least she didn't see me while I admired her. I heard a faint humming coming from something, and I thought it was just the radio, until I looked at Annabel. She was humming the song.
"You know this song?" I asked. I could tell she was startled. She jumped a bit, and I felt a bit embarassed, and guilty.
"Yeah, it's my favorite song." She answered. A smile spread across her face, and I didn't know someone could be that beautiful. I nodded and shifted slightly in my seat. I reached for the volume, and twisted the knob. The singing and music became louder and clearer. I listened carefully at the music, and I couldn't help but think of Annabel. I looked over at her, and her eyes were shut. Her head leaned against the headrest, and she looked so gentle, so relaxed. I swallowed, and looked at the road, and pulled into the hospital's parking space. I made my way to the passenger's side of the car, and helped Annabel out. We walked into the hospital, and made our way to the room mum was staying in, in silence.
I softly snuck through the door, Annabel following behind.
"Mum?" I whispered. She stirred slightly, and looked over to me.
"Harry," She smiled, causing wrinkles to form by her eyes.
"We have a visitor." I smiled. Annabel appeared at my side, causing my mum to sit up straighter.
"Hello, ma'am." Annabel blushed. She made her way to the chair that sat next to the hospital bed.
"Oh please, call me Anne." Mum smiled brightly, and turned to look at her.
"Anne," Annabel repeated. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Annabel." I knew mum recognized her name, by the way her eyes got more excited.
"Oh, Annabel, it's so nice to meet you! Harry has talked about you to me before-"
"Um, Mum," I interrupted, clearing my throat. "here's your shake." I handed the cup to her, as she reached out to grab it. I could see Annabel getting pinker by the second, as she tried hiding her smile. It didn't work.
"How are you feeling?" Annabel asked.
"Oh, just fine. I can not wait to leave this place!" Mum laughed. Annabel joined in, and I stood awkwardly not knowing what to do. This was going to be a long visit.
_____________
~Annabel's POV~
Harry's mum was so kind and genuine. I wanted to stay there forever, and just talk about things with her. She liked literature books just like me, which means Harry wasn't lying about that being the reason how he knows Sense and Sensibility. But I can still sense something more to that. Somehow, I found myself wishing Anne was my mom. And I know it sounds bad, but I have a reason for it. Harry's mom- Anne, was so laid back. So kind, and friendly, and not at all judgmental. I could tell she had a kind heart, and I knew she loved Harry, with everything she had. My mom on the other hand, was so uptight. She always worried about things, and every little thing had to be perfect. If my mother found out I've been "seeing" Harry, she'd throw a fit. I know she would judge him. And that's what I hate about my mother. It's what's on the inside that counts, and she taught me that when I was younger, yet she doesn't follow that rule herself.
"We should get going," Harry spoke up after about an hour. I looked at the clock, that read 4:34. I nodded, and looked at Anne.
"This has been wonderful, thank you." I spoke.
"Thank you for coming by, sorry you had to see me this way." She chuckled.
"Don't apologize, you look fine! Hopefully you'll go home soon!" I laughed. Harry walked me out of the hospital, and into the car.
"Do you want me to drive you back to your car?" He asked as we climbed into the seats.
"That'd be great, thanks." I nodded.
"Or you can come back to my place." He suggested. I looked over at him, half expecting him to be joking. He didn't make eye contact, but instead looked straight at the road.
"Are you sure?" I stuttered.
"Only if you want to." I thought about this. I wasn't sure what would happen, and I didn't want anything to happen. We were just starting off as friends. Friends that kissed.
"Sure." I finally answered. I didn't really know what I was doing. Half of me knew it wasn't a good idea, but the other half of me wanted to be with Harry.
"Really?" He looked over at me, with a shocked expression on his face.
"Why not?" I smiled. I could see his shoulders relax, as he grinned.
The car ride was easier, and not as awkward. It was like we were old friends, blasting music, and laughing. We pulled into the driveway of a very big house. It was gorgeous. The driveway was long, and the house itself, was made of bricks, with gorgeous lights around the whole perimeter. I stared in awe, as we made our way to the front door. I watched as Harry fed the key into the lock. He pushed the door open, and I was mesmerized by the house immediately, and it was just the entrance. The ceiling was high, and the stairs curved slightly. The place was luxurious, yet comfortable at the same time. I was in complete shock. I could hear Harry chuckle slightly at my reaction.
"Well, this is it. This is my home." He spoke, looking around.
"It's amazing."
"Come, I want to show you something." Harry said, grabbing my hand. I felt butterflies in my stomach, as his hand touched mine. I followed his lead, as he walked me into a room. The room was beautiful, and big. The walls were filled with books, and more books. There were comfortable sitting places, and pillows. I gasped when I realized, all the books were literature books. Olden books. I walked towards one shelf, and ran my index finger across the spines of multiple books.
"This is incredible," I whispered.
"You can look at some." Harry nudged. I smiled, and carefully pulled one off of the shelf. I gasped.
"This is Pride and Prejudice! One of the original copies from 1813!" I was truly amazed. It was so hard to find original copies anywhere, and Harry had many of them right in his house! I looked through several more books, being as careful as I can be. The pages were yellowed, and fragile, and there were a couple of tears here and there. They were very delicate, and needed to be handled with care.
"Come on, let me show you the rest of the house." Harry led me throughout the mansion, and showed me many things. I was fascinated the whole time, and it meant a lot to me. I've been to Harry's house once before, when he was in a drunk state of mind, and I myself, was too tired to pay attention to the gorgeous house. This was a better experience; Harry wasn't drunk, and I wasn't exhausted as fuck. I could see things much clearer, in the light, when it wasn't 2 in the morning. I smiled at the- what was now- a silly thought.
"What time is it?" Harry asked. I glanced at my phone.
"5:56, why?" I asked. Was he expecting someone? Was he hinting that I needed to leave?
"Come with me, I have one more thing to show you." He slipped his hand into mine, and led me up the extensive staircase. He led me into his room, which was bigger than I remembered. There was also a balcony, that I did not give notice to, before. We both walked through the double doors, onto the balcony. There were 2 chairs that sat nicely on the platform, and a small coffee table in the middle of it. He led me around the chairs to the railing. I watched as his lean arms folded and leaned against the black railing. I did the same, and watched his profile. His jaw line was so defined, and that itself gave me goosebumps. I examined his tattoos, and his curly hair that swept almost perfectly. Harry was incredibly good looking, it doesn't make me surprised that he's the type of guy to do things with any girl. It just makes me uncomfortable, and unsure. But nevertheless, he was a sight. His arms were perfectly toned, and-
"Okay, look out at the sky." Harry interrupted my thoughts. I looked away from him, and looked out at the horizon. The sky was mixed with beautiful shades of pink, purple and orange. It was a gorgeous sight.
"Wow," I said, speechless. I've never seen a sunset that beautiful before. The colors were faded a bit, and the sky was clouded slightly. On top of that, the view was exquisite. I could see the slightest bit of his pool, and there was a border that separated his gigantic backyard, and the rest of New York City. There was a lake, that met with the sunset, creating a beautiful reflection. Buildings and lights lit up in different colors, adding to the scenery.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Harry grinned.
"Cool? It's beautiful." I laughed. I heard Harry chuckle along, as he looked at me.
"Annabel?" He spoke, in a softer tone.
"Hm?" I turned to look at him. His eyes met mine, as he stared at me.
"You're so beautiful." With that, he leaned in, slid a hand on the back of my neck, and connected his lips with mine. His lips were cool, and I could taste the mint flavoring his mouth seemed to always trace. I wrapped my hands around his neck, as sparks ignited throughout my body. My stomach felt like butterflies fluttered all around, taking over my strength. My knees weakened, as his tongue brushed against mine several times. "Annabel," He whispered between breaths.
"Hmm?"
"You're my end and my beginning."
______________________________________
Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy, and stuck with what to write about! I hope you liked this chapter, and the song I talk about in this chapter is All Of Me by John Legend it's SUCH a good song! Go search it up if you don't already know it! And Harry quotes it at the end(;
I know it's a little cheesy, but hey, it's cute!