"I'm heading out!" I holler to my parents as I exit the house, both of them sat at the table by the pool, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, their daily morning routine.
"Alright, kiddo, be safe. Wear sunscreen." My father waves me off as I slip out through the gate.
We had no plans for today so I decided to go make some plans on my own, see if I could find anything to do around town. Despite coming down here for the past five years, there were some locations I've never really been inside. Maybe today I can finally change that.
I came across the restaurant at the corner, promptly spotting Harry sat at the bar alone. Just the sight of him made that pit in my stomach come forth once again. I still felt extremely horrible for what I did yesterday, snooping around his house without permission. I've always been a good girl who never went off like that; I had always respected people's privacy and I never really cared that much for other's business. But Harry was different. There was something about him that made me want to figure out what I didn't know.
I took a nervous breath before I started towards him. I wanted to start off new with the man. The thought of having disappointed him like that made me feel horrible, I didn't like the idea of Harry having the wrong impression of me. I was so much better than that.
He sat hunched over at the bar, a pair of round sunglasses shading his beautiful eyes. He wore a white dress shirt, similar to the one he wore yesterday, half undone to showcase his toned torso once again, paired with teal slacks. His hair was kind of a mess, the short curls facing in all directions, the soft breeze coming in from the open doors blowing them around ever so often.
He didn't notice me approaching him, his gaze still focused away from me, his hands cupping a mug of coffee in front of him. I hesitantly lay my hand lightly on his bicep, his head snapping towards me as I take a seat on the stool beside him. "Hi, Mr. Styles."
A smile raises on his face, his body shifting towards me. "Alena, good morning." His tone came off surprised yet delighted that I came to see him. "Please, call me Harry."
"Harry," I return the smile. "I came to apologize for yesterday. It was rude of me to enter your personal space without your consent."
Harry releases a sigh, pushing the mug away from him before turning his body to face me fully. "It's alright, darling. I understand you were curious and meant no harm, and I may have overreacted with you."
I nodded, remembering the way he grabbed me so roughly. I have never seen someone that angry before. I never wanted to experience that again. "So, does this mean we're okay?"
He lets out a laugh, his finger booping the tip of my nose. "Of course we're okay."
Harry reaches into the back of his pocket, fishing out his wallet. He places a dollar on the bar before standing up, slipping his thick wallet back into his pants. "Want to go for a walk?"
I shrug, deciding to join Harry since I didn't have anything else to do. We started down the road, the blaring sun not as bad as it has been due to the nice constant breeze going on, a few clouds littering the sky.
"Why are you spending the day alone?" Harry hums, his hands in his pockets as we stroll down the sidewalk, passing by loud families and couples.
"My parents didn't have anything planned for the family today and I didn't want to sit at home." I shrug, kicking my feet at the concrete. "I came to find things to do."
"Ah, I see." Harry nods, glancing at the shops around us. "What haven't you done?"
"I don't know," I pout.
"You don't know?" Harry chuckles, flicking his head towards the white lighthouse down the road ahead, the tip peaking through the trees. "Have you ever been up the lighthouse?"
I shake my head.
"No?" Harry gasps in shock, holding his ring-clad hand to his chest in hurt.
"I'm afraid of heights, okay?" I huff, eyeing the lighthouse that got closer. It wasn't your normal sized lighthouse as it was pretty small, but still, I wasn't interested in going up.
"Come on, it's not that awful as you think." Harry stops walking as we reach the entrance.
I turn towards him with a look of uncertainty, my eyes drifting back to the lighthouse in thought.
"The keeper's quarters is a museum, let's at least go look there."
I finally give in, following Harry up the path towards the small, white house.
* * *
Harry and I spent a good 45 minutes going through the keeper's quarters, viewing the artifacts the house had on display from the Civil War. It shocked me at how well Harry knew his history, rambling on with facts and tales he had learned about the past that the museum didn't capture. I loved hearing him talk, whether it be about himself or a war from a hundred years ago.
We exit through the museum, strolling along the small garden set up around the premises, some copper statues of soldiers sat alongside the beautiful flowers. Continuing through the garden, the both of us soon approach the entrance of the lighthouse.
"Are you up for it?" Harry questions again.
"I don't know..."
"The view at the top is breathtaking, you can see the whole island." Harry pressures, and it seems to work. "I promise it'll be worth it."
"Alright, I'll go." I sigh, excited yet nervous to face this fear of mine. My father had always tried to get me to go up, and it was shocking that I had gave into Harry out of everyone.
Harry leads me inside the doorway, the natural lighting from outside lighting the inside up dimly. I stand in the middle, looking straight up. I got dizzy viewing the black, metal staircase swirl all the way up the top, the feeling of nausea erupting in my stomach.
I ignore my fear and move towards the staircase, following close behind Harry as we start to climb. The first few flights weren't that bad, but the closer we got to the top, the smaller and steeper the steps got. One bad step and you'd be falling towards your death.
"Harry-" I whimper, gripping ahold of his shirt as I stop my tracks, causing him to turn back towards me. "I'm scared."
"It's okay, I got you." He reaches for my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. My heart skips a beat at the contact. "Do you trust me?"
I nod, not even hesitating to think of the answer. I did trust him. He steps to the side and pulls me carefully up in front of him, his other hand grabbing my waist. With me standing one step above him, his height leveled out to mine, his lips close to my ear. "I'm right behind you, okay?"
With that I kept going slowly, Harry holding onto me as he followed behind. In no time, we finally reached the top, the opening allowing me to let out a sigh of relief. As I stepped out on the balcony, my breath was taken away.
The view was absolutely beautiful. The edge of the island in every direction could be seen with the naked eye, the baby blue ocean wrapping around my view completely. Every street and building sat upon the island I could see, sailboats miles out at sea I could view.
"This is so beautiful." I gawk with wide eyes, looking up at Harry who held his stare out in the distance, enjoying the view just as much as I was. A satisfied smile etched on his face, his eyes flick down to meet mine.
"I told you so."
My stomach began to feel queasy after awhile as we both spent quite some time gazing out into the ocean, the sun beaming harshly as the star settled in the middle of the sky, indicating the time past noon.
Harry decided to lead the way as going down was worse than coming up, the steep stairs feeling as if you're falling. My small hands held onto his shoulders, my front pressed against his back as I tried to keep close, not wanting to risk falling.
Successfully exiting the lighthouse, my mood altered realizing my time with Harry for today was over. However, Harry extended our time, suggesting we both go grab a bite to eat, insisting he'd pay for us.
Mother cooked a great breakfast this morning, my stomach still a bit full from the food ate hours prior. I suggested to go get a bite of dessert, my sweet tooth never seizing to be suppressed no matter how much I ate. Harry accepted my offer, leading us to the gigantic bakery shop down the road.
The bakery was packed, kids running around with ice cream cones as their parents are pastries. The tall ceilings gave room for the big chalkboard on the back wall, displaying an endless menu of treats and sweets freshly made this morning that sat behind a glass buffet bar, the smell swirling around the room.
I ordered a simple fudge brownie, Harry grabbing a big slice of key lime pie. We take our treats outside, sitting on the bakery's ledge in front of their window as bystanders flooded back and forth on the street.
We ate in silence, the faint sound of music playing from a shop down the road, seagulls crowing in the sky as they flew above the mumbling people on the streets. I pulled off pieces of brownie and chewed on them as I watched the people around me.
I took this time to study Harry. His chocolate locks were pulled back from his sunglasses sitting atop his head, out of the way of his face. His skin appeared much tanner, evidence of the sun's damage as his cheeks were a faint of baby pink, slightly burnt. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he focused his attention down the street, his jaw clenched as he chewed his bite of pie. Green orbs lit like a nightlight as he faced the direction of the sun. God, he was beautiful.
"Want a taste?"
I almost choke at his words, not realizing he was referencing to the piece of pie sat on his fork he held out.
"I- sure..." I open my mouth, letting him enter the fork into my mouth as I wrap my lips around it, taking what was on the plastic. Harry watches my reaction, licking his rose tinted lips, his eyes flickering down to my lips.
I hum in satisfaction, wiping my bottom lip with my finger to clean up the little bit of icing that missed my mouth, sucking it off. "That's really yummy." I never tried key lime pie until now.
"It's my favorite." He smiles before taking another bite of his pie.