A/N: Uggghh I really don't like this chapter. I got stuck loads of times, I'm sorry
The sweet chirping of birds stirred me that morning – causing my eyes to flutter open to slits before I stifled a groan as sunlight immediately seeped into my eyelids from the windows in front of me. After my eyes adjusted, I slowly opened them all the way – and I let out a soft gasp as I took in the sight of my luxuriant surroundings. I'd totally forgotten that I was at Harry's house – and was half-expecting to be met with the sight of my cosy but slightly poky room, instead of the large and lavish chamber that was Harry's bedroom.
I felt a lot less sluggish and way more well-rested waking up in Harry's bed, which was actually quite surprising due to how much energy I used up yesterday – the long drive from Worthing to London on top of Harry pretty much draining whatever was left of it during the evening. I'm gonna use the lyrics of Only Angel to assist me in explaining how exhausting it can get, being in this relationship: I had my own devil in between the sheets, and that was none other than him.
But, I suppose that's the perk of dozing off in a top-quality bed: waking up fully regenerated, no matter how tiring your previous day was.
"Oh, she's finally awake," the sound of Harry's amused voice coming from the doorway snapped me out of my thoughts immediately, "good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?"
"Harry..." my voice trailed away as I had to yawn and stretch a little bit, "what time is it..?"
"Don't worry. It's still early," he told me with a smile as I slowly moved into a sitting-up position, "it's not even 9AM yet, and the premiere starts at 5. We have plenty of time."
"The...premiere..?" My half-asleep brain was struggling to make sense of his words, but I let out a gasp as soon as I realized it, "Oh! The premiere! It's today!"
"Yes love, it is," Harry chuckled, "you're so cute when you're still sleepy."
"Shut up," I rolled my eyes at him and pushed my messy hair away from my face – and he chuckled again.
"I'm sure this will wake you up," as he came closer, I realized that he was holding two mugs, "ever had coffee made from a home espresso machine?"
I snickered a little. "Please. I'll never be able to buy my own espresso machine."
"Well, I guess this is a first for you, then," he smiled at me and set one of the mugs down on the bedside cabinet next to me, "I haven't exactly memorized how you like to have your coffee, though – so I hope you like it."
"As long as there's milk in it, I'm happy," I smiled back at him, "I can't handle black coffee – unlike you."
Harry chuckled once more. "Don't worry. I've still been able to remember that you take it with milk. It's stuff like sugar I'm talking about."
"Oh, well starting now, you can remember that too," my smile grew, "I usually take about one to one and a half teaspoons of white sugar."
"Oh, thank God," Harry sighed in relief, "I put in one teaspoon of white sugar already."
At his words, I had to let out a little giggle – touched at the way he looked so pleased with himself when he realized he got it right after all.
"Then I'm sure it's perfect," I smiled at him again and warmly kissed his cheek, "thank you for thinking of me, Harry."
"Of course, babe. Today's a big day for you," he took one of my hands in his and gave it a squeeze, "and I just want to tell you again: by coming with me to the premiere today, you've made me really happy."
"Aww," I giggled again, "I hope I can pull it off, though."
"'Course you will," he smiled at me warmly before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to my lips, "today's gonna be your time to shine, Leah. And you are most definitely going to shine."
"Yeah? How do you know that?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and chuckled a little.
"Because you already do," his smile grew, "and, just to bring it out a little, I have a friend coming over later to help out anyway."
"Oh? Well, I could use an extra hand, I suppose. I wouldn't know the first thing about the best hair and makeup for things like this," I then looked at him, "so...I'm meeting your friend as well as your mother? It's definitely gonna be a busy day for me today, then."
"You got that right. That's why you need the power of caffeine to give you energy," Harry chuckled, "so, you drink up that coffee, and come down for some breakfast when you're ready."
"Hmm. OK," I chuckled again, "thanks again, Harry."
He smiled again and leaned in to kiss me once more before he rose to his feet so that he could make his way back downstairs – leaving me sitting up in bed, feeling a little dazed and dreamy as I watched him go.
Wow.
Me and Harry's relationship...getting revealed today.
I can hardly believe it...
***
There's so much that's going to happen today...and I'm finding it a little overwhelming.
Believe it or not, I was actually more nervous about meeting Harry's mum than I was about the premiere itself. If your partner wants you to meet their family, that is a huge thing – and I do not want to mess it up. I really want Anne to like me, because I know her thoughts about me were gonna seriously impact on the future of me and Harry's relationship.
I've seen how close Harry is with his family, and especially his mum. He's definitely that type of guy who wouldn't date someone that didn't get along with his family. And while I can fully understand and respect that, it didn't do anything to ease my nerves. I know Harry told me not to worry, because he was certain that Anne and I would get along well...but I can't help worrying. For example, we might get along initially – but what if I say or do something that she doesn't like, and that completely demolishes any positive opinion she had of me in seconds? Or, if Harry's told her about me...what if she has an idea of my history from what he's said, and she already isn't too fond of me because of that?
My mind had been spinning and buzzing with questions like this all day. I don't want to do something stupid and ruin any chance I have with Harry by making a bad impression on his mum. Because I know that I'm falling in love with him, and if I lose him now...I'd just be crushed.
In the late morning, Harry told me that his mum had texted him saying that she was on her way – and that she'd try and get here as fast as she can despite the 3-hour drive from Holmes Chapel to London. I did the math and figured out she'd probably be here around 1PM, and it was actually already 1:16PM – so I knew she could be coming at any minute.
"You look tense, Leah," Harry came over and sat down beside me on the couch, "are you alright?"
"Oh...more or less..." I said with a soft sigh, "I guess I'm...just a little nervous..."
"Babe, it's gonna be OK," he smiled at me and gently rubbed my knee, "just think of today as nothing but us going on a movie date together, in fancy clothes."
I chuckled softly at his words. "Thanks, but...it's not really the premiere I'm nervous about. I mean, of course I am – but right now, I'm more nervous about meeting your mum, if I have to be honest," I bit my lip.
"Hey, there's no need to be nervous about that," his smile grew, "my mum will love you – I promise."
"How can you be so sure?" I asked him anxiously.
"Because I know her, Leah," he told me, "and besides – you both love Bridget Jones, for God's sake. That's one similarity you already know that you have with her – and you two haven't even properly met yet."
I chuckled again. "I suppose that's true."
"It's gonna be fine, love," he told me, "she's not one of those super protective mums who'll come up with all these crazy ways to test you to make sure you're 'worthy', or anything like that. She prefers being friendly over running weird tests. So, don't overthink this. Just be yourself – and you'll win her over just as easily as you won me over. I have 150% confidence in telling you that."
I felt a smile creeping across my face at his words – and I placed my hand over his where it was still resting on my knee, and gave it a squeeze.
"OK. I believe you," I said with a quiet giggle, "thank you, Harry."
I suddenly heard a gentle knock coming from the dining room – indicating that someone was at the door – and my breath hitched.
Oh, God.
Is that her..?
"Speak of the devil. That must be her now," Harry began to smile again, "I'll be right back, OK?"
Feeling the nerves starting to take over once again, all I could do was silently nod – biting my lip as he disappeared into the dining room to answer the door.
Oh, God.
Please like me.
Please like me.
Please.
"Hello, love! How are you?" A woman's cheerful voice suddenly came from the dining room – and I took this as my cue to stand up and dust myself off as I prepared to meet Harry's mother.
Fuck, how should I greet her?
Do I smile and shake her hand? Do I make myself all hyped up and swoop in for a hug?
"Hi, mum. Thanks so much for rushing over," I heard Harry reply, "I really hope you didn't mind."
"Oh, it's my job to be there when you need me, sweetheart," their voices got louder as they came closer to the living room, "and today is no exception."
Fuck, this is scary.
I don't even talk to my own mother! How can I talk to someone else's?
"Mum, there's someone I really want you to meet," I saw the back of Harry shirt appearing in the doorway as he began to lead his mother into the room.
Oh, fuck.
Here we go.
"This is Leah," Harry pulled her into the living room with a bright smile, "and Leah, this is my mum."
I had to admit – seeing Anne for the first time actually left me a little starstruck. I mean, the very woman who had brought someone as amazing as Harry into the world was literally standing right in front of me. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her – and I was totally in awe now that we were literally in the same room. And she was so pretty. I mean of course she was – because just look at her children, for God's sake – but dude. If I reach her age and manage to look as good as she does, I'd feel blessed.
"Hello," I spoke up in a soft voice and broke out a shy smile before I could even think about my words, "it's really wonderful to meet you."
I didn't even know if starting off with total formalities was a good idea...but it's too late to change my approach now. So, I decided to stick to them, and reached out to shake her hand.
"Oh, away with your formalities!" Anne playfully batted my hand away and flashed me a bright smile in return pulling me into her arms and hugging me tight, "It's lovely to meet you, too!"
Her warmness shocked me a little, but I felt my smile immediately growing as I hugged her back without hesitation. And glancing at Harry over her shoulder, I saw that he was grinning at me with a clear 'I told you so' look shining through his eyes.
"Wow..." I said with a soft chuckle after we pulled away, "that was really nice..."
"I've had to go through weeks and weeks of this one rambling on and on about you over the phone," Anne looked at Harry and chuckled, "he'd always tell me how amazing you are, and how you're always working so hard because you're so independent."
Harry's eyes immediately widened at her words.
"Er...mum?" I saw his face flush a little, "It's not necessary to tell her all that..."
I couldn't help but giggle at how cute the pink blush looked on his cheeks. He was honestly adorable when he was shy or embarrassed.
"Oh, shush you," Anne rolled her eyes at him before turning back to me, "anyway, I was delighted when I found out I'd be meeting you at last. And you're right, Harry – she does have very beautiful eyes."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at Harry and smiled, "Is that what you told her?"
"OK, I think we've talked about this enough," Harry's blush only deepened, "mum, where's my suit?"
"Ugh, what a killjoy he is," Anne rolled her eyes again and nudged me with her elbow – making me giggle again, "alright Harry, calm down. It's still in my car. Why don't you go on and get it for us?"
Harry hesitated momentarily before he slowly backed out of the living room to head outside towards Anne's car – leaving the two of us alone.
"Oh, he's so shy," Anne chuckled, "look, if he tries to tell you later that he never said any of that to me, don't listen to him. He'd be lying."
"Noted," I said with a chuckle, "but hey – you must be exhausted from the drive, and I've been in this house long enough to know my basic way around Harry's kitchen. Would you like a cup of tea or something?" I offered.
"Oh, a cup of tea would be lovely," she replied with a smile, "thank you, Leah. That's very thoughtful of you."
"Not a problem at all," I smiled back, "right this way."
As I led her towards Harry's kitchen, I immediately felt a wave of relief wash over my entire body. Harry was right – I guess I really didn't have anything to worry about after all.
This is already going way better than I expected.
Hopefully, it'll stay that way...
***
Harry & I both invited Anne to stay with us while we spent the last few hours of the afternoon to get ready for the premiere. And I figured that, being a mother, she'd love to take a bunch of photos of Harry in his suit – and I was really looking forward to that, because I may or may not be low-key hoping that he'd get a little embarrassed. I needed to see a shy, blushing Harry again – because he was just so cute.
I mean, he was probably already more than used to having tons of photos taken of him at once...but a girl can still hope, right?
Anyway, now that Anne was finally here, the only thing we were waiting for was the arrival of Harry's friend, to help us with hair and makeup. He was yet to tell me who was coming over, so I guess he wants to keep it as a surprise.
"Leah?" I heard Harry's voice followed by a gentle knock on the door of the guest room where I was changing, "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure," I called back as I just finished zipping up my dress, "what's up?"
Harry opened the door by a crack and peered through – smiling as soon as he saw me.
"Well babe, I've got someone else here to help you out," his smile grew, "someone who's gonna make sure you really sparkle this evening."
He opened the door even further – and my eyes immediately widened as soon as I saw the stylish, slender blonde woman standing beside him with a smile playing at her own lips.
"Lou Teasdale?!" My jaw dropped, "No way!"
"Oh yeah," Harry grinned, "and she will make you up like her own personal doll. She loves doing it."
"He's got that right," Lou chuckled, "ever since Private Alex here had to cut his hair for this movie, it's been ages since I've had a good amount of hair to play with. And your pretty face will be much more fun to put make-up on, sweetheart," she smiled at me.
"Holy shit!" I flailed my arms a little and tried my hardest not to squeal, "This is crazy!"
"Alright you – get the hell out of here," Lou turned to Harry and began to push him towards the door, "this is my turf now. Piss off."
"Have fun, Louise," Harry smirked and cheekily stuck his tongue out at her.
"Watch it, knobhead," she retorted in a mock-scolding tone and a smirk back, "now get out before I kick you out."
Harry chuckled and held his hands up in surrender before backing out of the room – leaving the two of us alone.
"Th-This is amazing!" I gushed as Lou shut the door behind her, "I can't believe my hair and make-up is getting done by you!"
"Well believe it, love. I'm here to make you look fabulous," she smiled at me, "this will be fun. It'll be just like an appointment at the hairdresser's – we can make small talk and complain about our kids."
I had to laugh at her words. "That sounds perfect. You don't believe how much I need to complain about my kid to someone."
"You and me both," Lou rolled her eyes before chuckling, "that dress is sick, by the way. Is it designer?"
"Yeah," I nodded and smiled, "Alexander McQueen. Harry found it for me."
"Oh, of course he did," she rolled her eyes again but smiled all the same, "still, you gotta admit – the guy has taste."
"Definitely," I nodded again and chuckled.
"Right, so what should we do with you, then?" She set down the bag she was holding on top of the bed, put on the glasses hooked on her shirt and stepped closer to me – closely examining my face, "Well, we certainly won't be here very long. You don't need much makeup at all with these lovely features."
"Oh...thank you!" I felt a bright smile immediately spreading across my face, "I'm glad you think so!"
"It's probably gonna take me longer to fiddle with your hair than your makeup," she mused, "but I'll figure something out."
"You always make Harry and the other boys look amazing," my smile grew, "I trust you with my hair and makeup wholeheartedly."
"A wise choice," she chuckled, "Lou's got you covered, babe – don't you worry. So, why don't you take a seat at the dresser for me, and I'll get out my bag of tricks to start dolling you up."
"Sounds good to me," I said with a chuckle before making my way over to the dresser.
This was super-cool. Me and Anne were already seeming to get along quite well, and now I get to hang out with Lou Teasdale?
This day really seemed to be getting better and better.
***
"Alright sweetheart, I think we're done here," Lou announced with a smile, "look in the mirror and tell me what you think."
I nodded and turned around on my chair so that I was facing the mirror once again. And as soon as I did...holy shit.
I could hardly recognise myself. My face was evenly and perfectly powdered, my lips were smeared with a smooth coat of light pink lip gloss, a rosy pink eyeshadow was blended into my eyelids, and a soft, blushing rouge was applied to my cheeks. It all matched perfectly with my skin tone, my dress and my jewellery – and it looked freaking amazing as well.
And not only that, but she'd also twisted my hair up into a gorgeous French plait that tumbled over my left shoulder – and it was the perfect finishing touch to my look for sure.
"Holy shit..." I breathed, "wow...I look...I-I look..." my voice trailed away.
"Gorgeous," Lou finished for me with a smile, "that's how you look, babe."
"I...I don't believe it..." I felt a dreamy smile starting to spread across my face, "Lou...you're so good at this..."
"I know," she chuckled, "now, all you have to do is put on those glamourous shoes, and you'll be 100% red-carpet ready."
"Thank you, Lou," I turned to her once more, "thank you so much."
"Don't mention it, love. It was a pleasure," she smiled again, "anyway, now that you're done, I can start working on our up-and-coming actor next, and then I can go home and try and find a new game to entertain my Lux."
"Oh?" I was intrigued, "What do you mean?"
"She's getting bored with the games she plays on my phone. Either I find her a new one to play, or convince her to get interested in the old ones again. And I have no idea which one is gonna be easier," she rolled her eyes and chuckled once more.
"Oh, have you tried Doctor Kids?" I asked her, "That's the one my Piper loves to play in her free time. She never gets bored of it, and it's making her very clever, too. She's really getting the hang of doing exactly the right steps every time."
"Really?" Lou's eyebrows rose, "What's it called? Doctor Kids?"
"Yep. There's Doctor Kids and Doctor Kids 2. Piper plays them both. And I know – the games' creator is absolutely useless with grammar."
"Yeah, I was about to say!" She laughed, "But thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she then looked at me, "but how old is your daughter again?"
"Four," I replied.
"Lux is nearly six. D'you think she'd still enjoy those games?" She asked.
"Definitely," I nodded without hesitation and smiled, "even I like to play them sometimes, and I'm 21."
"Oh, I see!" She laughed again, "Alright. I'll try and search for them on the app store when I get home. But, in the meantime – why don't you go downstairs and see what Romeo thinks of his Juliet now?"
"Oh," I giggled, "good idea."
She helped me out of my seat, and together we made our way downstairs and back to the living room – where Harry and Anne had been waiting for Lou to finish up with me.
"How's this for art?" Lou asked the two of them proudly as soon as we came in.
Harry's eyes immediately widened upon seeing me – his mouth slightly agape as he rose from the couch and made his way over to me.
"Holy shit..." Harry cupped my face in his hands and broke out a tender smile, "Leah...you're so beautiful..."
"Smudge any of that makeup, and you'll get whiplashed," Lou joked as soon as Harry's fingers touched my face.
Harry didn't seem to hear her at all – since he stayed silent and continued to smile at me before he ran my French braid against his palm.
"You really like it?" I asked him with a hopeful smile back.
"Are you kidding me?" His smile grew, "I'm loving it, Leah."
"Aww..." I giggled, "well, thank Lou – since this is all her doing, after all."
"Damn right," Lou said with a chuckle, "anyway, come on you – it's your turn for a touch-up now," she turned to Harry, "you can gaze at Leah with goo-goo eyes as much as you want after I'm done."
Harry seemed reluctant to leave my side, and Lou rolled her eyes before she grabbed his arm and started to drag him out of the living room.
"OK, Jesus! I'm going!" Harry rolled his eyes as well – taking one last look at me and smiling before he finally let Lou pull him away – leaving me alone with Anne once more.
"Oh, Leah...you really do look gorgeous, love," Anne spoke up with a smile.
"Oh...thank you, Anne," I smiled back at her, "I'm glad you approve."
"Come sit down with me," she gestured towards the couch where Harry had just been sitting, "Harry & I waited for you, and now you & I can wait for Harry."
"Sure," I nodded and made my way over to the couch – smoothing down the bottom of my dress before sitting down.
"I was hoping we could have a quick chat before Harry comes back," Anne spoke up once more, "if you're alright with that."
"Of course," I nodded again and gave her an assuring smile, "chat about what?"
"Well, I hope you don't mind, since it's only been a few hours since we first met...but I have to ask," she took a deep breath, "Leah, I'm not sure if you know this, but when it comes to relationships, Harry has been really hurt in the past."
"Yeah, I...I figured," I sighed softly, "he hasn't told me much of his relationship history himself, but whenever I listen to his songs...I can hear how vulnerable he sounds when he sings, and I can feel the pain in his voice. I know he wrote those songs straight from his heart, and I can tell that he's been hurt," I lowered my eyes, "and that hurts me, too...knowing that he'd actually felt all that pain..."
"Exactly," Anne nodded sadly, "and I've seen that pain with my own eyes, Leah. And it was always so hard for me. When a mother sees her child in any type of pain or suffering, she feels it ten times as much. Surely, you must know how that feels."
The moment she said that, all I could think about were all the times I've seen Piper in pain. If she bumped something that left a giant bruise, if she took a fall that made her burst into tears...and especially when I saw her in hospital, after Heath fed her that stupid brownie.
Anne was absolutely right. Every single time I had to watch Piper suffer from something that caused her pain, I suffered as well...and they were some of the worst feelings of suffering I'd ever felt.
"Of...course," I let out a shaky sigh, "there's no worse feeling than that..."
Anne nodded vigorously in agreement. "Out of all the pain that someone can go through...emotional pain is one of the worst – because it lasts so much longer than physical pain. And with Harry and his love history, all the struggles he's had to go through...thinking he was in love, only to become so upset and heartbroken when he realized that he actually wasn't...I don't want to see that happening anymore. Seeing how much these types of things can affect him...I never want them to happen again. And that's why I have to ask you..." she looked at me, "how do you feel about him? Just right now? Please be honest."
Oh, crap. I wasn't expecting this.
I know how I feel about Harry...but how can I explain it in a way that will show her I'm different..?
"Well, Anne..." I began slowly, "if it's honesty you want...I have to admit first of all, that when I started to get more acquainted with Harry, I thought our relationship would never go any further than a platonic one. And, to be honest...I was even afraid for it to go further than that..." I took a deep breath, "Harry & I...we're similar...in the sense that our past relationships had left both of us seriously hurt. My first boyfriend...cheated on me, and my second boyfriend – Piper's father – left both of us out in the cold not even three weeks after Piper was born. So, after him, I...I never wanted to get into another relationship again, and then I just dedicated myself to looking after my daughter. But...after meeting Harry...all of that...changed," I felt a smile starting to spread across my face as I lowered my eyes shyly towards the ground, "naturally, the way a man acted around and treated my child was very important to me, and Harry's been amazing with her, ever since he became a part of our lives. He always made her so happy...and I think it was that which made me start to develop...deeper feelings for him..." I blushed a little, "and as we grew closer, those feelings just deepened even more...and today, here we are, I guess..." I let out a soft chuckle before I looked up at her.
"Not only does Harry make Piper happy, Anne, but he makes me happy too. So, so happy. We've connected with each other...and it's a connection that feels stronger than any connection I thought I've had before," my smile began to grow, "I thought I already knew what falling felt like...but it wasn't until I started spending time with him that I realized how different 'falling' is to falling in love," my blush deepened as my heart began to race a little at the thought of the way I felt about him, "your son is wonderful, Anne. The most wonderful man I've ever met...and I am definitely falling in love with him," I then bit my lip, "I guess it's just a matter of whether or not he feels the same..."
Anne's face immediately lit up at my words – her eyes brightening happily and a beaming smile spreading across her face.
"Wow," she chuckled, "I don't think I've ever heard anyone confess their feelings for someone as expressively as you have just now," her smile grew wider still, "those words came straight from your heart, Leah – and I really felt that. If I can give you some honesty, too...I was initially slightly worried, that...being a fan of him, you might be confusing your feelings for him with the way you look up to him as a fan...but I can see now that I was wrong. Your feelings are more than genuine, Leah...just like Harry's are."
"Wait, what?" My eyes widened a little, "Just like Harry's? What do you mean?"
Anne smiled at me. "Leah, I know my son from the inside-out. And with the way he talks about you, about your daughter...I can easily tell how important both of you have become to him. He's crazy about you, and he's crazy about your little girl. You know, he'd love to have kids of his own – but he's very responsible. He'd only want to have children with that special someone who he already knows full well is the one for him. Obviously, he hasn't found that someone yet...but I'm pretty sure he's starting to feel like he's found her in you."
"Huh?" My eyes widened even more, "Y-You're serious?"
Anne's smile grew as she nodded. "Sweetheart, a mother can always sense when her children are falling in love."
Falling in love..?
"Please be patient with him, darling," Anne reached over and clasped my hands in hers, "Harry's still young, and he's yet to know how it feels to really be in love. And with his past heartaches, he finds it hard to identify his true feelings when it comes to these things. He himself might not even know how deep his feelings for you really are just yet – but I do."
"Wow..." my voice was soft, "I...I had no idea..."
"I'm not surprised. Sometimes, even though he says he likes to wear his heart on his sleeve...he still finds it hard to express himself. Especially if he's trying to do so to someone he really feels strongly about," she smiled again, "but when the time is right, and he realizes how he feels, he'll throw it all out on the table to you – I'm certain of it."
I was startled by what she was saying. Was it really true? Was Harry really falling in love with me, as much as I was falling in love with him?
Was I really going to hear those three beautiful words come out of his mouth one day? To me?
Fuck, I hope so. I really, really hope so.
"Anne..." I began to break out a dreamy smile, "you...you have no idea how happy you've made me, by saying all that...thank you..."
"Oh, love. I'm just telling it how I see it," she chuckled and squeezed my hands a little tighter, "thank you for how happy you're making my son. It means a lot to me," she gave me a warm smile, "you're a delightful girl, Leah – and it was wonderful to finally meet you today."
"You too, Anne," my own smile immediately began to grow, "you too."
A/N: Well, it got better towards the end, I guess :P I'm sorry for the wait – as some of you already know, I lost a couple days' writing time due to things like my 18th birthday last Saturday :) hopefully the updates will come a lot faster now. As always, thank you for your patience <3 xx