A/N: I know, it's been a while since I updated this but it's back :)) and this is quite a long chapter too :D
Aurelia
I can't believe I almost kissed Harry yesterday.
After reliving all that trauma with Fletcher as I told him about it, kissing should've honestly been the very last thing on my mind. Except...it wasn't.
Because, for some reason, when I looked at his lips, I felt like kissing them would whisk me away to a whole new universe...and give me a feeling so wonderful that I'd completely forget everything I just told him. And also because, well, his lips looked pretty fucking nice.
I really, really wanted to kiss him. And I was close, too – but then my stupid phone rang. Honestly, how fucking typical. You'd think that that was just a dumb cliché that's always overused in movies and TV shows. But nope – apparently not.
"Wow," Michelle rose an eyebrow at me as she saw me enter the room, "you look especially flash today. What's the occasion?"
"No occasion," I replied casually, "I'm just meeting Harry for coffee before work."
"Oh, again with Harry, huh?" Her eyebrow rose higher, "You know, Lia, I still haven't met this guy."
"I know. And you will," I smiled at her, "just...not today."
"Riiiight," she rolled her eyes at me, "so, be honest with me, Lia: is this a date, or what?"
"No! Well...I don't know," I admitted with a soft blush, "we're just...meeting for coffee."
"Aurelia, exactly how much are you crushing on this guy?"
"I am not crushing on him!" I blushed even more, "L-Leave me alone!"
"Sure you're not," she chuckled, "look, Lia, you don't have to lie to me."
"Wait, what?" I frowned, "I don't?"
She laughed and shook her head. "If you really do like this guy, don't let me stop you. Just...just as long as you're careful, yeah?"
"Oh, Of course, 'Chelle," I assured her, "but, I just...I'll admit, being with Noah is wonderful and all, but...sometimes, I...I still feel lonely," I lowered my eyes, "especially when I...when I see you and Dave together..." I sighed, "you two are so lucky. You're both so in love with each other. That's something I'd really love to have," I looked up at her, "I know how much you care, Michelle, and I love you for it – but I don't want to let what happened to me ruin my chances of having a love life. I want to...I need to get over it, for the sake of my own happiness," I then began to smile a little, "and Harry...Harry is really helping me do that."
"Aw," she finally smiled back, "he sounds like a nice guy."
"He is," my smile grew, "he really is, 'Chelle. A bit mysterious, but...he's definitely the nicest guy I've ever met."
"So, I guess that means you're hoping to get together with him, then?" She asked me with another chuckle.
"Oh...I don't know," I began to blush again, "I'm not expecting anything from him, but...I would like to see where this could go."
"Wow...I never really knew you felt that way, Lia," her face softened out of sympathy for me, "I guess...after what happened to you, I just...I automatically thought you'd never want another man in your life again..." she bit her lip sheepishly.
"I know. And maybe someone who's been through what I have would feel that way, but...not me..." I sighed, "I do want someone. And...so does Noah..."
"What?" She frowned a little, "What do you mean?"
"Noah...feels left out at his kindergarten, because he's the only one there who doesn't have a dad..." I lowered my eyes, "I felt so bad when he told me that, Michelle. I never knew how much not having a father bothered him. So...it would be really nice if I got into a relationship with a guy who's willing to be a father figure to Noah."
"Do you think Harry would do that, though?" Michelle asked me.
"I'm...not sure. That's what I want to find out," I then smiled a little, "he's already met Noah a couple of times, though, and he's really good with him. Almost like...like a natural..." I mused, "it really is amazing. He was able to connect with Noah almost straightaway."
"So, Noah likes him?"
My smile grew as I nodded. "He does."
"Well, go for it then," she smiled back at me and nudged me with her elbow, "I'm sorry if I've been overprotective of you, Lia. I just...I never want anyone to hurt you like Fletcher did...ever again."
"I know, 'Chelle. Neither do I," I took her hands and gave them a squeeze, "but...I've known Harry for a few weeks now, and...we have a really good rapport. We just...click."
"You sound like me when I first met David," she chuckled, "alright. You have fun. But, er...not too much fun."
I laughed. "You got it, 'Chelle. Thanks."
"Noah!" She called down the hallway, "Come on champ, what are you doing? We have to go!"
"I'm coming!" I heard him call back, and soon enough he came running out of his room and gave Michelle a hug, "Hi, Aunty Michelle!"
"Hi, cutie," Michelle smiled and hugged him back, "OK, let's get going. Give your mummy a hug."
Noah turned around and reached up to me, and I chuckled before picking him up and kissing his cheek before hugging him close to me.
"Bye, mummy!" Noah happily pressed his cheek to mine, "I love you!"
"I love you too, sunshine," I kissed him again, "you be a good boy today, alright?"
"Uh-huh!" He nodded as I put him down.
Michelle took his hand and led him to the front door, and smiled and waved to both of them as I watched them go.
***
"Hi, Harry," I greeted him with a smile as I opened the front door for him.
"Morning, Aurelia," he smiled back, "wow...you look really nice."
"Thanks," I giggled a bit, "are you ready to go?"
"Actually, I feel really bad for this, but I really have to go to the bathroom," he bit his lip a little, "I know I should've gone before I left, but I was in a hurry to get here. I was already running late."
"Aw, you should've just gone!" I told him, "It's fine – you can use ours. It's just the first door to the right as you go down the hallway."
"Thank you so much," he hurriedly set his keys and his wallet down on the coffee table, "I'll be right back."
"No problem," I replied with a chuckle as he rushed off.
However, it turned out that in his haste, he'd put down his things too close to the end of the table – and soon enough, his wallet tipped over the edge and fell face-down onto the carpet.
"Oops," I muttered to myself before making my way over.
I bent over, picked up the wallet and turned it over in my hand so I could click the wallet's button back in place. However, before I could do that, I suddenly caught sight of his wallet photo – and once I did, my eyes widened in astonishment.
It was a photo of an adorable little boy with curly blonde hair, gorgeous green eyes and a smile as bright as the sun.
"Aww," I felt a warm smile starting to spread across my face, "what a cutie..."
He looked like he was around the same age as Noah, but that wasn't the only thing I noticed about him. And once I did, my eyes widened again.
Wait a minute...that smile...
It looks exactly the same as Harry's...
"What are you doing?" A suspicious voice suddenly came from behind me – making me jump and turn around to see Harry's eyes narrowed at me slightly
"Oh, sorry..." I bit my lip, "I just...i-it fell-"
"Give that back!" Harry immediately snatched it back from me, "Who the hell just looks at people's personal things?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" I stuttered – shocked at his burst of anger, "I-It fell on the ground, a-and I just went to pick it up-"
"And then you decided to just take a look inside?" He glared at me, "What the fuck, Aurelia?!"
"I-It was already open when it fell!" I promised him – my voice breaking a little as I began to feel a little frightened, "I'm sorry, Harry!"
I only just began to feel a tear sliding down my cheek as I spoke – and as soon as Harry saw it, his eyes widened as he realized he was scaring me.
"Fuck..." he sighed, "No, no – I'm sorry. That was out of line. Way out of line."
"N-No..." I shook my head, "y-you're right...I shouldn't have looked at it..."
"No, don't let me bully you. Please," he clipped the wallet shut and placed it back on the table, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's just..." he bit his lip, "I...I know you would've seen the photo..."
I nodded and gave him a small smile. "He's gorgeous."
"Thank you," he lowered his eyes sadly, "I know."
"What's his name?" I asked, "If...if you don't mind me asking, of course."
"No. Of course not," he picked up the wallet and opened it up once more before letting out a deep sigh, "his name is Jack."
"He looks like you," I pointed out, "is he...like...your nephew, or something?"
Harry shook his head. "He's my son."
My breath hitched, and my eyes widened all over again at his words.
Wait...what?!
Harry
Aurelia was struck speechless by my confession, and I honestly didn't blame her. I knew she'd be knocked for six if I ever told her about Jack.
"I know you must be shocked," I told her in a low voice.
"W-Well...yeah, kinda..." her voice sounded distant, "I-I mean...first I find out that you've been married, and now I find out that you actually have a son..." she shook her head in astonishment, "you're, er...you're quite the bomb dropper, aren't you?"
I chuckled softly. "Yeah. I guess so."
"Er..." Aurelia bit her lip, "I don't want to pry..."
"No, it's fine," I assured her, "it's...it's really about time that I told you."
"OK...if you really want to..." I began, "you can, erm...you can sit down, if you like..." she gestured towards the couch.
"Thanks," I smiled at her softly and slowly sunk down on the couch, while she sat down beside me.
"So..." she began with a cough, "you...have a son..."
"Yep," I nodded, "I have a son."
"Am I right to guess that he's yours and Phoebe's son?" She asked me.
I nodded again.
"Alright, well...if he's your son..." she said slowly, "...where is he?"
"Well...before I go there, I have to go back in time a little," I replied, "so...a year after Phoebe and I got married, Phoebe visited me in the middle of my shift at the hospital one day, and told me that she'd just found out that she was pregnant," I smiled a little, "I was honestly over the moon when she told me, but...her thoughts were...a little different."
"Oh..." Aurelia bit her lip, "was she, erm...was she a bit more skeptical about becoming a parent?"
"Not only that," I felt my face harden a little, "she wanted to get an abortion."
"Wait, what?" Her eyes went wide.
"Yeah," I sighed, "look, I know it was supposed to be her decision ultimately, but I just...I couldn't bear the thought of losing my child like...like that. And so I begged – I literally begged her to keep the baby. I promised her we'd be able to cope. And it took a lot of convincing, but...but she agreed, eventually," I began to smile again, "so, of course, nine months later our baby Jack was born when we were both 21. And he...was literally the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The moment the nurse placed him in my arms, I was in love. I was so excited to be a father."
"Aww..." Aurelia began to smile as well, "that is so cute. I know exactly how that feels."
"Yeah. I know," my smile grew, "but with Phoebe...it was different. She didn't...she didn't feel that bond she was supposed to find with him when he was born. Maybe she didn't even try to find it. I don't know."
"Oh..." she frowned, "that's sad."
"But anyway, after he was born, I knew I had to step it up in terms of income earning if I wanted to support all three of us...especially if one is a newborn baby. Phoebe couldn't work, because she had to stay home and look after Jack. So...that's why I went back to school. To study to be a photojournalist, so that I could earn more money and give my family a life they deserved. Especially Jack."
"Oh, Harry..." I saw Aurelia's face soften admirably, "that's so sweet. It really is. You must've been such a dedicated husband...and even more of a dedicated father..."
"I like to think that I was," I sighed, "but...Phoebe made me feel otherwise. She was...impatient. While I studied, we still had to live off the income I was earning as a medical assistant. It was barely enough money for us – we always scraped through the bills by the skin of our teeth, and we had to lean heavily on our families for help with buying basic food – because after paying the bills, I used most of my earnings to buy essentials for Jack. We never bought anything we didn't need, and we never went out for dinner – because we just couldn't afford it. And...Phoebe didn't like that. She used to...complain about never getting to relax with a glass of wine and a block of chocolate, because we didn't have any – or other petty 'we have no money' grumbles like that."
She frowned again. "Er...I hope you don't mind me saying, but that sounds...kind of annoying."
"Oh no, I don't mind. It was annoying. It really got on my nerves, but I ignored it to the best of my ability because, well...because I loved her," I spat out the word 'loved' like it was poison, "we argued about money a lot. And if we weren't arguing about money, we were arguing about Jack," I sighed and shook my head, "I never liked how she treated Jack. She just...she was always so cold towards him. I was always the one remembering his favourite foods, how he liked to be tucked in at night, the signs in his face that meant he was using his diaper. It was always me. Phoebe just...didn't care," I huffed.
"She thought just because she fed him, changed his nappies and gave him baths while I wasn't at home, that was enough. She thought that counted as being a good mother. But I've always felt that if you want to be a good mother, you have to do more than that. A good mother has to nurture her child – cuddle them, kiss them...give them a love that only a mother can give. But Phoebe never did that. I mean, for fuck's sake...when he was a baby, she didn't even know how to hold him properly," I rolled my eyes, "she just...she never tried. We had this amazing, gorgeous little boy living with us in our home, and she always used to act like he wasn't even there. I even feel like she only paid attention to him while I was gone because she had to. Otherwise, if I was home, she'd usually just leave Jack with me and go off and do something on her own. She never cared much about spending time with him."
"W...What..?" Her eyes widened, "but...I don't...I-I don't get that. How can...how can you not want to spend time with your baby..?"
"I know. I didn't get it, either," I sighed, "it was my fault, I guess. Sometimes I feel like I might've forced her to keep Jack. But...I guess I was just...hoping that she'd learn to love him, even if she didn't want him initially..." I lowered my eyes.
"What? No, Harry! Don't blame yourself for how she treated him!" Aurelia said, "How could you have known she wouldn't bond with him? You saw a chance to be a father, and you took it – and you were hopeful for the future. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah...I guess," I sighed again, "I don't regret asking her to keep him. Not in the slightest, but...I just wish things would've played out differently..."
"I know," she placed her hand on my shoulder and sighed as well, "we all wish that about something..."
Knowing exactly what she was referring to, I took her hand down from my shoulder so that I could give it a gentle squeeze – which made her smile at me.
"Stop thinking about me," she told me softly, "keep saying what you want to say."
"OK," I replied, "anyway, so...when Jack was two, Phoebe and I had yet another huge argument about how our lives had turned out. That was...the night she told me that I'd ruined her life..." I bit my lip, "...and the night she told me that she wanted a divorce. And I agreed, but...I begged her not to say anything to Jack, because I didn't want him to stress about his parents separating, and because his birthday was coming up – and I wanted him to celebrate it with his family around him. And Phoebe agreed – but she still requested some divorce papers, and we began to sort it out in secret without telling Jack. But...getting that divorce...that's how I lost him."
"What?" Aurelia's brow furrowed, "Harry...what do you mean?"
"The divorce was finalized a couple of days after Jack's third birthday," I lowered my eyes again, "and then...on that same night...I woke up after midnight when I...when I heard the sound of the car starting outside..."
~~~~~
I was jolted awake by the sound of a car engine roaring to life – and I stifled a groan and opened my eyes to see a light shining through the curtains at my window. Frowning, I crawled out of bed, walked to the window and parted the curtains before glancing outside – and my eyes immediately widened as I saw that Phoebe was outside opening one of the back doors of the car...and Jack was with her.
My breathing shaky, I bolted away from the window and burst out of the spare room – racing down the hallway towards the front door as fast as I could. And once I reached it, I yanked the door open and ran outside to meet Phoebe.
"Daddy!" Jack ran over to me with a bright grin, "Daddy, daddy! You're awake! Are you coming with us?"
"What the hell are you doing?!" I wrapped my arms around Jack and glared at Phoebe, "Where are you going, Phoebe?!"
"Oh damn it, why the hell are you awake?" She spat at me, "Whatever. It's none of your business where we're going, anyway."
"'We're'?!" I tightened my grip around my son, "What do you mean 'we're'?!"
"I said it's none of your business!" She growled at me, "We're over, Harry. I don't have to tell you shit anymore!"
"Don't swear in front of Jack!" I shouted.
"Whatever," she scowled at me, "let go of him, Harry. We're leaving."
"No way," I shook my head vigorously, "you are not taking my son away from me, Phoebe! I won't let you!!"
"Shut up," she snapped, "come on, Jack. Let's go. Get in the car."
"I want daddy to come!" Jack told her.
"He's not coming," she told him harshly.
"Why not?!" Jack demanded.
"Oh for God's sake, Jack, just get in the car!"
"NO!" Jack tightly hugged my legs, "I want to stay with daddy!"
Phoebe's face hardened, but she didn't say a word and instead grabbed his arms and yanked him out of my grasp – causing Jack to scream in protest and violently fight back. I wanted to grab him and pull him back to me...but I was so scared that I'd hurt him if I did.
"NO, NO, NO!" He burst out crying, "I DON'T WANT YOU! I WANT MY DADDY!"
"For God's sake, Phoebe, let him go!" my voice broke as I was already on the verge of tears, "Please!"
Phoebe only scowled again as she took the screaming Jack and locked him the car – causing him to cry even louder as he banged his small fists on the window.
"Why are you doing this?!" I demanded her.
"I don't need to have a reason!" She yelled back.
"Damn it, Phoebe! This is MY SON!" I shouted at her, "I fucking demand a reason!"
She only rolled her eyes before she turned on her heel and started making her way to the car – and I knew I had to think fast.
I couldn't let her take him from me. I just couldn't.
"Wait! Stop!!" I begged her, "Fuck...God, if you really do have to take him..." I looked at her with pleading eyes, "...at least let me say goodbye."
Phoebe turned around to face me, but she didn't say a word.
"Please, Phoebe..." my voice was weak, "he's my son."
She was silent for a moment longer, but she finally spoke again.
"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, "fine. I'll wait in the car."
She turned around again, opened the door to the driver's seat and slid in behind the wheel before shutting the door behind her. And once she did, I looked towards the back window at Jack's tearful face, and I slowly made my way over.
OK, Harry. You can do this.
After you open the door, just take him and run for it.
However, just as my hand was about to touch the door handle, a loud skidding suddenly screeched in my ear, and before I could look twice, the car had disappeared. I exclaimed in alarm and glanced down the road – my eyes widening as I realized that Phoebe had floored it and was already speeding away.
"NO!!" I screamed at the top of my voice and immediately raced after the car, "JACK! JACK!!"
I ran as fast as I could, but I'd lost sight of the car within moments – and I was left standing in the middle of the road with tears running down my face and choked, gasping sobs coming from the back of my throat.
"DAMN IT, PHOEBE!!" I let out an angry scream, "GOD-FUCKING-DAMMIT! HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU?!"
~~~~~~~
"I didn't understand why she did it...n-not at first," my voice was wobbly and breaking as I recalled the night I lost my son forever, "but, as the time passed, I finally figured it out," I angrily gritted my teeth, "she hated me so much, that she took my son away...just to spite me. There was no other reason than that," I inhaled sharply, "she wasn't interested in taking care of him. She wasn't interested in building a proper relationship with him. She only did it...because she knew it would ruin me..." my eyes felt wet as they began to prick with tears, "wh-who the fuck does that? Who the fuck takes away the only thing that gives a person joy..?"
"Oh my God...Harry..." I could tell Aurelia could hardly believe what she was hearing, "fuck, I don't know what to say...oh my God..."
"Fuck...I'm sorry...this is so stupid of me..." I sniffled and wiped my eyes since I could already feel the tears sliding down my face, "look at me, crying about this in front of you, of all people..." I shook my head to snap myself out of it, "after...everything you've been through..."
"Oh, no..." she shook her head vigorously, "no...Harry...hey, look at me," she said, "look at me."
She didn't say another word until I tilted my head to meet her eyes.
"Listen," she gently placed her hand on my knee, "I would rather relive what Fletcher did to me 1000 times over, than ever have someone take my son away from me."
My eyes widened as I was instantly moved by her words.
Wow...
"I'm so sorry, Harry," Aurelia lowered her eyes, "God only knows what she put you through...after she took Jack away..."
"I..." I held back a sob, "I miss him so much, Aurelia..."
"Oh, Harry...of course you do," she softly rubbed my knee, "you love him so much. It's so easy to see it. Of course you miss him."
"I loved him more than anything..." I felt more tears already starting to seep out, "I was always at my happiest when I was with him...and she just...took him away from me..." my voice broke, "my only son..."
"I'm so sorry..." I saw Aurelia's eyes welling up with tears of her own as she wrapped her arms around me and held me close to her, "I'm so, so sorry...I-I can't imagine..."
I began to softly weep as I hugged her back – though I felt comforted by the feeling of her arms around my neck, and the way her fingers had slid into my hair as she hugged me.
"Isn't there something you can do?" She asked me softly as we pulled away, "You're Jack's father. You have rights. And she...she's denying you those rights, Harry. Surely you can take her to court for this or something?"
"I could," I replied, "but I won't. I...I can't," I lowered my eyes and sniffled again.
"Why not?"
"While we were sorting out the divorce...Phoebe & I, we...we fought so much..." I let out a shaky sigh, "he never showed it that much, but...I know it affected Jack. Sometimes, after we fought, I...I'd walk past his bedroom, and I'd hear him crying..." I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt, "we stressed him out so much, and I blamed myself for that. I was the one who begged Phoebe to stay while we sorted the divorce out."
"You can't blame yourself for that. You shouldn't blame yourself for any of this," Aurelia placed her hand over mine, "you were only thinking about Jack. You didn't want him to feel like his family was falling apart. I would've done the same."
I sighed. "All the same...if I take Phoebe to court for what she's doing, it's just gonna be exactly the same as when we were divorcing. More fights, more shouting...even more stress for Jack. And I'm not putting him through all that again."
"But...Jack would be happier with you..." she told me, "I'm sure he would be..."
"I think so too," I replied, "but...Jack's been living with Phoebe for over a year now. He'd...he'd be all settled into a new home, a new daycare, a new routine. Trying to use the court to take him back would...mess all of that up," I lowered my eyes, "I don't want to do that to him."
Aurelia's eyebrows rose at my words.
"Wow..." she sounded a little dazed, "wow, that's...that's amazing. I-I mean...not your situation, of course, but just...just the way you're...so dedicated to him..." I saw her starting to blush, "you...you're an...incredible father..."
"Am I..?" I asked her doubtfully.
She nodded and smiled softly. "Only a father who truly loves his child would let himself be deprived of time with them, just for the sake of their well-being..." she gazed up at me with a dreamy look in her eyes, "I don't think you realize...how amazing you really are, Harry."
Her smile grew as I looked up at her – astonished by her words.
The way she was smiling at me was making my heart run wild inside my chest – beating as loud as a drum being held right beside my ear. She was just so striking...and now that she knew my inmost secret like I knew hers, I felt more connected to her than ever.
I want to say I wasn't thinking straight about what happened next, but that would've been a lie.
My mind couldn't possibly have been clearer when I did what I did. I knew exactly what I wanted.
And that was why, just moments later, I cupped my hands around Aurelia's face and pulled her closer to me.
And that was when I kissed her.
A/N: LOOL I always do this don't I?? Cut it off right at the kiss xD
Just trying to keep things interesting here!! Don't kill me xD