A/N: Hiiiii :D Who's ready for Harah's outing?? :))
~Harry~
When Saturday finally rolled by, I have to admit – it was the first time in a long time I'd felt so excited. I couldn't help but smile at the very thought of spending more time with Leah. It's been over two weeks since we last saw each other, and...I missed her. I really did. I missed her, and I missed Piper, too.
After Leah kindly let me stay over at hers after the wedding, I was actually sad to leave. It felt weird coming from the small but cozy, welcoming home of a sweet mother and her happy daughter to my quiet, solitary house once I came back to London. When I came back home, it actually took me a while to realize that Leah and Piper were nearly two hours away – and that I couldn't just drive back and visit them again the next day – because I was stuck here in London for the next two weeks. But, finally, I could see them again.
Asking Leah to show me the Worthing beach front did make me a little nervous, I confess. I don't know – I was just worried about her saying no, when I knew that I didn't even need to. But I couldn't help it. I just felt...drawn to Leah. I enjoyed being with her, and I've always found myself looking forward to us spending more time together. And it wasn't just Leah who I was taking a shine to...it was Piper, as well.
Piper was just so sweet. She was bubbly and energetic with a beautiful smile that could easily brighten your day in an instant. I'm amazed by her, even...I can hardly imagine what that little girl is going through right now – with her still being so young, and having to grow up without the love of a father. She was lucky to have such a dedicated and loving mother who would do anything for her. That was one of the things I admired so much about Leah.
There was no way I could deny how fond I was growing of Leah. There was something in her smile, and something in her eyes that always drew me in. She was quite stunning, after all – she had a pretty face and a small but shapely figure, not to mention that glossy black hair, and those eyes...those big green eyes, soft and gentle – and yet at the same time, there was something so captivating about them.
I'm in awe of everything about her...how she was so independent, how she can still face life with a smile after getting pregnant at 17 and being kicked out of her home by her own parents, and how she turned out to be such an amazing mother, despite Heath walking out on her when Piper was barely born. She had all this optimism and resilience about her that I couldn't help but feel attracted to. She was gentle and soft-spoken...but at the same time she could also be witty and cheeky – and it was that contrast in her magnetic personality that appealed to me. And whenever I saw her blush and become all shy and flustered around me, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find that adorable...at the same time, tempting.
I wish I could see Leah and Piper more often. But putting time aside to make those long trips to Worthing too often were impractical and inconvenient for all three of us. If they didn't live so far away, I'd go to see them as often as I could, because lately, I find myself wanting to spend more and more time with them. If only there was a way I could be closer to them...then nothing would hold me back. Because, someday, I want to be one of those people that both Leah and Piper can trust with all their hearts. And the only way I can do that, is if I spend more time with them – and I don't like how I can't do that as much as I want to.
But, at least I'm seeing Leah today. And I can hardly wait. Being around Leah is very quickly becoming one of those times when I'm at my happiest.
Although we've only known each other a short time, Leah's already opened up to me so much...told me so many of her life stories that I know she wouldn't be comfortable telling to just anyone. And I loved that – because to me, it showed that she trusted me, and felt at ease around me. But I can't help but feel as if there was more to Leah's story. When she tells me stories of her past escapades with boys, or about her burdens with Heath, she speaks of them casually, and even laughs about them...but even so, I sometimes see a look of forlornness in her eyes that she's trying so hard to mask behind a soft smile.
To me, that suggests she might be holding back on something – as if there was another story or two that she was keeping to herself...stories she didn't know how to tell me...or perhaps, maybe even didn't want to tell me. And if there was...I'm not that surprised she hasn't told me. I really don't blame her for not spilling everything out on me at once – in fact, that's actually another thing I admire in her – how she's careful and doesn't trust anyone new wholeheartedly straight away. But I didn't want her to hold back on me. I wanted her to trust me enough to tell me what she's been through. If she's been hurt by anything, or anyone else – I wanted to know – because I want her to know that I'm there for her when she needs me.
Why I wanted to be her shoulder to cry on so much, I wasn't exactly sure yet. It's just that...even way back to our second meeting – when I first saw her on the verge of tears after she found out Piper had accidentally eaten peanuts – I've always just felt this urge to take her in my arms and hug her tight whenever I saw that she was upset. I hated seeing Leah upset – and when I do, I almost want to stop at nothing until I can see that sweet smile on her face again.
But, anyway...I have to let Leah take baby steps into fully trusting me. I don't want to rush or force her. I know she'd be hesitant in trusting men due to her history with them...but I want her to see that I'm different. I don't want to hurt her like Heath did. I would never do that. I don't even see how anyone could do that to Leah. Heath was lucky to have held her heart...and I can't believe he just went and broke it like he did. It's no wonder she's been put off guys for so long.
But I hope I can change that. I really hope I can.
Because I don't think I want our relationship to stop at 'just friends'.
***
~Leah~
"I feel so bad right now, Ash."
"Why, Lee?" Ashley asked me.
"Well, with how often you're having to babysit Piper lately," I replied, "I'm going out a lot more, and you're here, left with a toddler that isn't even yours."
"Girl!" Ashley laughed, "It's fine! I love looking after Piper, and I'm happy for you. After four years of fully dedicating yourself to nothing else except your baby girl, you deserve all these breaks. Especially to hang out with a guy like Harry," she smiled at me and turned my necklace around since the clasp had moved to the front, "I can see how happy you are when you're with Harry. And that makes me happy. It's about time a good guy came into your life, babe."
I smiled at her. "Thanks, Ash. You're amazing."
"I know," she chuckled, "don't worry about me & Piper, OK? We'll be just fine. And besides – Piper will be ecstatic to hear you're going out with Harry again."
"We're not going out," I rolled my eyes, "we're hanging out."
"Honestly, what's the difference, Leah?" She asked with a giggle, "Now go on and finish up your makeup and stuff. Harry's gonna be here soon. You wanna look pretty for him, don't you?"
I rolled my eyes at her again, and she flashed me a bright grin before she left the room – leaving me to twist my hair up in a messy bun before I decided to smear on a bit of lip gloss.
It felt like an eternity before Saturday finally rolled by. And when I woke up this morning and realized what day it was, the hugest smile just spread across my face like fire. I couldn't wait to see Harry again. I was so excited for our time together...and all morning, I've been wondering what we'd do, where else we'd go and what we would talk about. I really hope this day won't go by too fast...because I loved being in his company. I was always so comfortable and at ease around him...and I felt as if I could talk to him about absolutely anything. I honestly don't think I've ever enjoyed being around a guy so much.
"Mummy!" Piper suddenly came racing into my room – bouncing up and down on the spot excitedly, "Mummy, mummy! Aunty Ash says that Harry's here!"
"What?" My eyes widened, "Already?"
"Yes!" She giggled excitedly, "Come on, mummy! Let's say hello to Harry!"
She left the room before I could even reply – running out just as fast as she'd run in. Terrified of keeping Harry waiting, I quickly smudged on a bit more lip gloss and smacked my lips together several times while hurriedly chucking everything into my bag – murmuring back to myself what I was putting in to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. Once I was done, I slung the bag over my shoulder and rushed out of my bedroom and into the living room...just in time to see Harry crouching down with open arms as Piper ran up to him and hugged him tight.
"Harry! You're back!" She said with a giggle, "We missed you!"
"And I missed all of you," Harry held her at an arm's length and smiled at her warmly, "especially you, Piper," he lightly tapped her nose, and she immediately giggled again.
I let out a soft gasp of awe and couldn't help smiling myself. Honestly, the more I see of the way Harry treats Piper so tenderly, the more it made me melt.
"Oh, and I have something for you," Harry continued – and my eyes widened slightly as I suddenly realized that there was a shopping bag sitting on the ground beside him, "take it as an apology gift for being gone for so long."
He reached for the shopping bag and pulled something out of it – and my eyes widened even further as I realized that it was a little stuffed rabbit toy with floppy ears, a cute smile, and a baby pink bow tie. Piper let out a loud gasp, and a beaming smile began to rapidly spread across her face.
"A bunny!" She cried happily before snatching up the toy and hugging it tightly to her chest, "I love bunnies!"
Harry chuckled. "I'm glad you like it, Piper."
"I love it! It's the bestest bunny ever!" Her bright grin grew even wider as she threw her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him again, "Thank you, Harry!"
"It's alright," Harry smiled back at her, "so, are you going to name her?"
"It's not a girl bunny," she said, "it's a boy bunny, and I'm going to name him Harry," she then giggled and played with the silky pink ribbon around the bunny's neck, "because he makes me think of your pretty pink clothes."
Harry's smile grew. "That's very sweet, Piper. Thank you."
"Mummy!" Piper finally spotted me and came running up to me holding her new toy, "Mummy, look what Harry gave me!"
"Aww, is that a bunny?" I smiled down at her, "Did Harry give you a little bunny, Piper?"
"Yes! The bunny is called Harry because he's wearing pink like Harry!"
"That's so nice of Harry to give you that bunny, isn't it Piper?" I crouched down to her height, "Did you say thank-you to Harry?"
"Yes I did, mummy!" She promised.
"Good girl. Now, how about you show aunty Ash your beautiful new bunny?" I suggested.
"OK!" She nodded excitedly before running off, and I let out a soft chuckle before rising to my feet and making my way over to Harry.
"You really didn't have to buy her a toy bunny," I told him with another smile.
"Relax. It wasn't expensive, and I wanted to get her something," Harry smiled back at me and greeted me by pecking my cheek and pulling me into a warm hug, "how are you, Leah?"
"I'm good," I replied as we pulled away, "how are you? Relieved that your interviews are all done?"
"Definitely," he nodded and chuckled, "oh – I almost forgot..." he began to reach into his shopping bag once more, "I got you something, too."
"What?" My eyes widened – and I immediately shook my head, "No. You didn't."
"Chill out, will you?" He rolled his eyes and chuckled once more, "This wasn't expensive, either. The other day, I just wanted to pass some time – so I decided to do a bit of window shopping around a few department stores. Initially, I wasn't planning to buy anything – but then I found a load of DVDs on sale. You know – DVDs that were kinda getting old. And I got curious," he explained, "so, when I started rummaging around, I actually found this," he pulled a DVD out of the bag, "I remembered how, back at the wedding, you said you loved the stories of the Brontë sisters. And I also remembered how you said you had DVD copies of the mini-series for Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall...but I never recalled you mentioning this one."
He handed the DVD over to me, and I immediately gasped as I realized it was a copy of Wuthering Heights – a story by the third Brontë sister, Emily – and the only Brontë story I hadn't yet read or watched.
"Oh my God..." I said breathlessly, "Harry..."
"I really hope you haven't seen that one before," he bit his lip, "or else this would be a massive fail if you have."
"No, I...I've been wanting to know what Wuthering Heights is like for so long...but I've never found a copy of the book or the mini-series..." I shook my head at the DVD in amazement and wonder – and I felt a smile starting to spread across my face, "holy shit...I can't wait to watch this..." I felt my smile grow as I looked up at him, "thank you so much, Harry..."
"It was my pleasure, Leah," he smiled back at me, "and besides – there was no way I could come here with a gift for Piper and nothing for you."
I let out a soft chuckle, and I couldn't resist the urge to hug him again – my heart swelling inside my chest as I felt him wrap his arms around my shoulders and tightly hug me back.
"No-one's ever thought of me like this before..." I murmured as we pulled away.
"No? Well, it's their loss – missing out on seeing that smile on your face right now," his own smile grew, "it's funny – I just give you a DVD, and you act like I'd just handed you a diamond necklace."
I laughed. "You have no idea how much I love the Brontë sisters. I actually do treat their works like diamonds."
"Well, I hear that Wuthering Heights is actually a pretty heavy story – so if you need someone to watch it with you for emotional support, I'm more than happy to oblige," he said, "maybe we could even just...dedicate one whole day to a Brontë story marathon."
I giggled. "That...actually sounds pretty nice. I think I'll take you up on that offer."
"Cool. Because I definitely wanna watch that one," he nodded towards the DVD in my hand, "the cover says that Tom Hardy's in it – and...considering that I've just worked with him on Dunkirk – I'd be quite interested in seeing what he's like in this," he said with a smile.
"Fair enough," I smiled back at him, "although...if you really wanna do this marathon...you're actually gonna have to be looking at something more along the lines of two days – because these mini-series range in between 3-5 hours in length. Each."
"Is that right?" His smile broadened, "Two days, you say? Well, bring it on."
"Huh...you're game. I like that," I felt myself smirking a little, "looks like we'll have to start setting aside a couple more dates for hanging out, then."
He chuckled deeply. "Works for me."
"I'll just put this away with my other Brontë stories," I held up my present, "and then, after I say goodbye to Piper, we can head on down to the beach front."
"Alright, Leah," a smile crept across Harry's lips once more, "I'll be waiting."
***
"How about we get that lunch over and done with first?" I suggested once we'd reached the beach front, "That way, we'll have more energy for walking along the beach."
"Good thinking, Leah," Harry nodded and smiled even though he couldn't take his eyes off the road, "Sea Lane is just a little further down this road, right?"
"Yeah...that's right," I was impressed, "you've got a pretty good memory, haven't you?"
"Well...I mean, having a job where you write a bunch of songs and then have to learn and remember them for performing live...it's kind of a necessity," he replied with a chuckle.
"True...true," I nodded, "it's like how I had to memorize all these routines back when I did dance troupe, I suppose..."
"Exactly," Harry nodded back, "so, you must have a pretty good memory too, yeah?"
"Well...yeah, I guess," I shrugged, "I haven't really had to memorize anything for a while, though."
"You know, Leah..." he began slowly, "I know you don't like to do it, but I still really hope that I'll get to see you dancing one day."
I smirked at him a little. "Oh, do you really?"
"Yeah. I'm genuinely intruged about how you dance," I could see him starting to smirk as well.
I chuckled softly. "Well...I don't know if I'll ever get into it again. But if I do, you'll be the first one to see it. Promise."
"Hm...alright," his smirk grew, "I'll remember that promise. So you'd better not break it."
I giggled. "I wouldn't dare."
***
"Right, where's that carrot cake at, then?" Harry asked as we walked into Sea Lane.
"I don't know, the cake cabinet?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and laughed, "Don't you want to try something different, though?"
"What else is there to try?" He asked.
"There's a whole menu that you haven't seen yet, Harry," I rolled my eyes at him, "come on."
I took his arm and led him to a waitress gathering a few plates – a woman who looked in her mid-40s with a kindly face and greying hair.
"Afternoon," I addressed the waitress with a smile, "my friend is new around here, so when your hands are free, can we please have a menu so that he'll eat something else other than the carrot cake?"
The waitress chuckled. "Of course, love. I'll be back with one in a tick."
"Thank you," my smiled grew, and she smiled back before disappearing back behind the counter with her plates.
She returned a minutes later with the promised menu – and I took it before Harry & I both gave her a simultaneous "Thank you" before we headed towards a nearby table so that we could sit down and look through it.
"So, er..." Harry sat down beside me so that neither of us had to read the menu upside-down, "what do you usually order on here, then?"
"It depends on what I feel like," I replied, "and right now, I kinda feel like something sweet, so..." I turned over to the next page of the menu, "oh my God – I totally forgot that they serve jam sponge here. That's me. I'm taking the jam sponge."
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you like a jam sponge," Harry said with a chuckle.
"Um, no. I love a jam sponge," I corrected him cheekily, "especially a jam sponge from this place. Honestly – it's the best thing ever."
"You'd recommend it, then?" He asked me.
"Hell yeah I'd recommend it," I nodded vigorously, "but it's up to you. You don't have to order the same thing as me. And besides – if you're really hungry, the sponge might not be enough for you. If you feel like chips or something instead, feel more than free to ask for it."
"Nah, I'm not that hungry," he said, "and you've already made me curious about that jam sponge."
"OK then. Two jam sponges it is," I nodded, "and you want coffee?"
"That would be wonderful," Harry nodded back and smiled.
"Right. And let me guess..." I gave him a knowing smile, "Americano?"
Harry chuckled. "Yep. You definitely have a good memory, too," his smile grew, "thanks, Leah."
"No problem. I owe you this, after all," I chuckled as well, "alright. I'll be right back."
I rose from my chair and proceeded to leave the table to head over to the counter – but my foot snagged the table leg and almost made me trip over.
Well, I actually would have tripped over...if I hadn't felt one of Harry's hands latching on to my wrist and his other hand on the small of my back as he stopped me from falling and held onto me until I'd steadied myself. My breath hitched quietly at his touch – startled at the way he'd acted so quickly to help me.
"Are you okay?" He asked me softly – taking his hand away from my back but still keeping a hold on my arm – making me turn towards him slowly and drop my eyes down towards his large hand wrapped around my wrist.
"Uh...yeah," I replied with a nod, "yeah, I'm...I'm good..." I felt a hot blush rapidly warming my cheeks, "thanks..."
"You gave me a bit of a scare there, Leah," Harry told me with a quiet chuckle as he finally released my wrist, "you need to be more careful."
"Mhmm. Will do," I nodded again and took a deep breath, "I'll...go make that order now..."
I bit my lip and timidly scratched the back of my neck as I slowly made my way towards the counter – letting out a shaky sigh as I could feel my heart beating loudly inside my chest – and it wasn't because I'd gotten a scare from the near-fall.
Just thinking about the way Harry held me just then was enough to deepen my blush until it burned. I almost wished I could freeze-frame that moment just so I could feel him clinging to me all protective-like for the rest of my life. As I joined the line-up in front of the counter, I looked back at Harry and saw that he was now scrolling through his phone – the thumb and index finger on his free hand playing around with his plump bottom lip – and I felt myself breaking out a dreamy smile as I watched him. He was so cute and so handsome at the same time.
I forced myself to tear my gaze away – not wanting to stare at him for too long in case he'd sense it. I twiddled my thumbs behind my back and began bashfully nibbling at my bottom lip – my thoughts constantly drifting back to Harry, and imagining how it could possibly feel to be held even closer to him than I was a few minutes ago.
Whenever he touched me, I felt revived. Even if his hand would just accidentally brush against mine across a table – it always seemed like my heart would rattle against its chains and tremble within its walls. It was as if more and more of me began to want him, every single time I saw him – and the only thing stopping me was...me.
But what would happen if I chose to finally listen to my heart today? Is there even a chance of the odds being in my favour if I do?
If I give in to my feelings, if I choose to let myself fall...will I actually be caught this time?
Would Harry stop me from crashing to the ground and having my heart shattered to pieces again?
Well...I know what Ashley would tell me if she was here.
There's only one way to find out, Leah.
A/N: LOL, I was an idiot for thinking I could fit this whole outing into one chapter. Oh well, I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out what happens at the beach lmao :p