A month passed and Grace could now say she had a family outside her actual family. Elise and the boys had become so close with her, she had even had the pleasure of meeting Eleanor and Danielle and both instantly took a liking to her as she did to them. She was so happy to finally have friends, perhaps all those years alone was worth it since she found good honest people like them.
Now then, it was the morning of Grace’s birthday, a Friday, and she didn’t have classes nor did her nana give her a shift at the shop, wanting her to have a day out. She was sleeping soundly in her own bed in her apartment when she felt somebody gently shaking her awake.
“Gracie.” That familiar husky, deep voice spoke gently in her ear.
“Hmm?” She hummed, not opening her eyes and still half under the black blanket of sleep. That wonderful laugh she loved to hear sounded nearby her ears and she felt a soft kiss being planted to her cheek.
“Happy birthday Love, it’s time for the celebrations to begin.” Grace’s eyes stubbornly opened, falling shut several times before she finally got them to stay open. She yawned cutely and smiled at Harry who smiled back down at her.
“Hi.”
“Hello, want to open my first present to you?” He grinned.
“Harry I told you not to—“
“Eh, you should have known I wouldn’t listen, in fact, none of us did. I bought you two things so hush. Sit up so we can open it.” He helped pull her up as she rested her back against the wall since she didn’t have a headboard, and Harry lifted a white box with a few holes cut into the top.
“Harry…” Grace started. There was a giant red bow on the top and Harry’s grin only widened.
“Go on, come on.” Grace heard movement inside the box and she lifted the lid up and gasped when she saw a puppy inside. He looked like a little fox, all curled up and soft.
“Harry!”
“Surprise!” He laughed.
“You got me a dog?!” She yelled. He nodded.
“I sure did, that way you can have a piece of me with you when I’m gone on tour! He’ll keep you company while we’re all gone but he’ll remind you of me since he’s kind of like our dog, yeh know? That’s as big as he’s going to get.” He lifted the puppy out of the box, curling the sleepy animal in his arms.
“Harry I cannot believe you got me a dog!” Grace exclaimed. Harry looked a little worried. Did she hate the present? Did he go too over the top? Louis and Liam had advised him against it, but he couldn’t resist. Not when the little guy had to be rescued anyway.
“I’m sorry, was this too much?” He looked guilty. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, shaking her head.
“Harry, this is a very thoughtful present, I’m just…it’s not too much? We’ve only known each other a month.”
“But we’re already close! He’ll be our babeh, he was in the rescue shelter and I saw him and I know you always wanted a dog and I just wanted you to have a reminder to stay happy all the time.” Grace smiled at him and she gently placed her hand on his cheek, Harry subconsciously leaning into her touch immediately.
“I love him, thank you.” Harry grinned again.
“I’m glad, we’ll take turns with him when I’m home if yeh want, since he’s ours and stuff. But you can name him.” She laughed. She found it so weird that Harry had gotten her a dog and kept saying he was theirs. They were not a couple, nor even close to one, they were just friends, though both their feelings had seriously grown in the month they had known each other.
“Tails.”
“Tails?” Grace gently stroked the sleepy puppy’s soft belly.
“Yes, he looks like a fox, but he also looks like the character from Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails. So Tails is his name.” Harry smiled.
“I like it, Tails it is. Here, hold him.” Grace opened her arms as Harry placed the puppy in them and she petted his soft fur, smiling to herself and Harry couldn’t help but take a picture on his phone so he could post it to Instagram. He was editing the picture while Grace giggled as Tails licked her fingers. He really was so cute and his paws looked too big for him but that made him even cuter.
“How old is he?”
“They said he was three months but that he’s going to stay that size, they don’t really know what breed he is though. But he got all his shots and I bought everything you’ll need for him. I found him a week ago and got everything set up. He even got chipped just in case we lose him, they’ll be able to find him right away. And we’ll get him fixed so no babehs, and he’s house trained.”
“For a puppy he’s smart.” She said.
“I said the same thing.” Harry scratched behind Tails’ ears before posting the picture to Instagram.
Everybody wish Grace “Straight Up G” Potter a happy birthday today! The wee lass is finally seventeen so she’s old enough to party hard and get arrested for it (just kidding)! Meet her new puppy Tails! <3 #igotherthepuppy #clearlyiwinthebestfriendaward #suckitelise #andlouiscansuckittoo #mypresentsarebetterthanbothofyours #birthdaygirl #sheisbeautiful #babehisnowagrownup
“Thank you Harry.” Harry looked up just as Grace leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. His face heated up immediately and she blushed too before he grinned cheekily.
“Anything for you Love. Now come on, we have a busy day ahead of us!”
“What?”
“Yeah, me and you have places to go and things to do! Get up and showered yeah?” Harry picked her up off the bed and deposited her outside of her bathroom, taking Tails from her, before he urged her on and left her bedroom to make her a special breakfast.
“Let’s get mummy a nice setup Tails.” Harry told the puppy as he set him on the countertop and washed his hands before he grabbed what he needed. Tails curled into a ball and went back to sleep. He was a very lazy puppy but he figured he’d be super easy for Grace and a good snuggle buddy too.
Grace busied herself in the shower, wondering what was going to happen for the day. She honestly thought she’d just be spending time with everybody but things were already shocking her more and more.
She decided to dress up a bit since it was her birthday and she wanted to feel pretty. She did her hair and makeup before grabbing her peacoat from her closet and stuffed what she needed into her satchel bag and left her room, shoes in hand. Harry was adding last minute touches to her breakfast when he heard her walk in.
He turned around to let her know it almost finished when his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Grace looked gorgeous! Not that she didn’t on a daily basis, but she just…something was different about her. It wasn’t just her edgier look no, he liked it a lot he had to admit, but it was like she had a certain glow, like her confidence was shining through.
“Wow.” Harry breathed.
“Is that good or bad?” She seemed shy again and Harry’s hands shot out.
“No no it’s an excellent thing! You look absolutely amazing Gracie, I mean not that you don’t on a regular basis, but you just and wow and—“ Grace’s giggling cut off Harry’s rambling and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as his face flushed. This never happened to him. But Grace did things to his stomach and his brain and his mouth worked at its own pace instead of cooperating with his brain first.
“Thank you.”
“I made you breakfasts.” He blurted out.
“Oh! You didn’t have to!” He blinked.
“I wanted to Love! Come, eat.” He pulled her chair out for her as he set the tray down in front of her and she told him to sit too. He did as she asked, sipping his coffee.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Grace inquired.
“I already did before I came over Love.”
“Well I can’t just eat in front of you, that’s rude!” Harry stopped her from ripping a piece of her crescent for him.
“I made this for you Gracie, this is your birthday breakfast, so take it.” He told her. She blushed.
“At least eat a slice of orange?” He chuckled and rolled his eyes before taking it, sucking it into his mouth and Grace giggled.
“So what are we doing today?”
“It’s all a surprise so no asking me anything. This day is all about you. And later tonight I’ll give you your final present.” Elise had thrown together a special celebration for her tonight. They were going to have cake and ice cream and then take her to a club so she could have a proper first drink and dance with all of them. Harry just had to distract her long enough for them to decorate, get all the presents together, and make the cake.
Grace was patient with him though and after she finished breakfast she cleaned up, much to Harry’s dismay, and they collected Tails to bring him along, and Harry put on his flannel print jacket hooded combination and then a peacoat over it before they headed outside.
The first portion of the day was spent with Harry taking Grace everywhere and anywhere, buying her everything she might have mentioned and she kept telling him to stop but he was having none of it. He loved spoiling her.
The picture he had taken of her in the morning already have over 500,000 likes and many more comments and when they were stopped out on a cliff with an amazing view of the city and the skyline alone at sunset, Harry took a picture of it and then wrapped his arm around Grace’s waist and angled it so it caught Tails curled up asleep in her lap as well as her leaning against him.
Harry took a risk and kissed her cheek and when he looked he saw that, of course his eyes were closed, and she was smiling happily like she was laughing and her eyes were closed.
“So beautiful.” He whispered in her ear before he edited the two pictures together at an horizontal angle and then posted it.
Beautiful sunset tonight on Gracie’s birthday evening. Happy birthday, Love.
The boys and Elise had all posted collages of pictures of them with Grace and posted them on Instagram with different captions. Grace felt so loved and adored and Harry sighed contently as he held her.
“Thank you for everything today Harry.”
“It’s not over yet.” He grinned. She blushed and Harry smiled at her. She bit her bottom lip.
“I honestly haven’t had a birthday this special since before my parents passed away.” She admitted and Harry could see the way her eyes glassed over as she looked out at the skyline, distracting herself by stroking the puppy’s head. Harry squeezed his arm around her a little tighter and she laughed, as if she was acting silly, but he knew she was hurting.
“My nan and papa always tried to do the best, but…when you don’t have friends or any other family, it’s a bit difficult.” She wiped under her eye and Harry pulled her into a proper hug as Grace sighed shakily against the crook of his neck.
“I’ll give you special birthdays for the rest of your life, I promise.” He wiped under her eye before kissing her cheek lovingly. She smiled at him.
“I miss them, especially on days like this.” He nodded.
“I’m sure you do, and I can’t imagine what it has been like for you Gracie, but I promise, it won’t ever feel that way again. Not when you have all of us.”
Grace nodded and Harry kissed her forehead again. He lingered there, knocking her hat off as he pressed his forehead to hers. He could tell she was nervous based on the way her breathing picked up.
He knew she had no experience and he wanted to make her first kiss special. And he was just about to lean in when his phone buzzed and Harry cursed under his breath, muttering an apology to her before brushing a kiss across her forehead as he checked his phone. It was from Louis using the stupid code name shit he thought was clever but really wasn’t.
The egg is in the basket…I repeat…the egg is in the basket.
“C’mon Love, time to go see the family.”
“Sounds good.” The sun had fallen behind the horizon and he stood up before helping her up. Harry petted Tails gently before they climbed in his car and started off again. Grace was excited to see everyone but she was buzzing with nervous energy from the almost kiss with Harry. Her heart was still pounding.
Was he really about to kiss her? Harry’s knuckles gripped the steering wheel in a death grip as he was so frustrated. He almost had her. He had liked this girl since the moment he had met her and Louis ruined it.
He was going to have words with that boy later on.
Upon arrival Harry took Grace’s hand, using the other to cover her eyes so she wouldn’t see which house they walked into. Harry began to speak up so everyone would know they were approaching as he opened the door to see it pitch black.
“Harry what’s—“
“SURPRISE!” A loud chorus of the word chimed out in the room and the lights flicked on just as Harry removed his hand from Grace’s eyes and she gasped seeing all her friends standing there happily.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE!” They all chorused again. There was a huge banner that read the same phrase in glittery wording and there were streamers and balloons everywhere, music playing as the girls immediately rushed over to squish her in a hug. Harry took Tails from her quickly before the poor thing got squashed as Grace laughed genuinely and happily, hugging each of the girls as they hugged and kissed her.
“I want some GiGi lovin’!” Louis whined as he rushed over and was the first of the guys to hug her.
“Happy birthday my little English Rose! You look stunning!” He had lifted her off the ground, spinning her around, before setting her down gently.
“Thank you Louis.” She blushed. Zayn hugged her next, squeezing her tight and kissing her cheek before Liam did the same, both telling her how amazing she looked before Niall pulled her off the ground in another tight embrace.
“My little Grace is all grown up and ready to face the big bad world! Oh! I could cry!” Niall kissed her cheek and set her down.
“Oh my goodness that’s the puppy! What’s his name?” Eleanor gasped at the puppy in Harry’s arms.
“That’s Tails.” Grace replied.
“Aww!” The girls and Louis all squealed as everyone took turns holding him.
“Come on Lovie, I made you a cake!”
“Elise you didn’t have too—“
“Poppy cock! It was my pleasure!”
“I helped!” Niall told her as he grabbed Grace’s hands and led her over. Louis was about to follow when Harry gave Eleanor the puppy and smacked Louis over the head.
“Oi! What was that for—“
“I was gonna kiss her!” Harry hissed between them.
“You what?”
“Yes! The sun was setting and I was about to lean in and you ruined it with your text message!” Louis frowned.
“I’m sorreh mate! My bad!”
“Yeah you’re damn right it was!”
“You’ll have more opportunities!” Harry rolled his eyes.
“Not the point, it was perfect, romantic, fuck.” Louis patted Harry on the back before Niall screamed at them.
“GET OVER HERE AND SING TO GRACE SO WE CAN FECKING EAT HER CAKE!” Niall shouted.
Grace giggled as everyone looked at Niall with wide eyes. But then the boys broke out into a very on-key version of “Happy Birthday” while the girls clapped along and then started to sing along too. Grace blushed and Danielle recorded the whole thing before Grace thought about a wish.
I wish Harry would kiss me.