Delilah's P.O.V
After we've put our bags in my old flat we hit the road and head for the shops. My dad now rents it out to earn a little extra money but nobody is renting it at the moment so us girlies are 'renting' it for the week.
We arrive at the high street and take our usual path to Starbucks to begin the day. It's just like it used to be we sit in the same places and order the same things except me who orders a hot chocolate instead of a cold strawberries and cream since it's winter and it's fucking freezing out!
Feeling toasty and having finished our hot drinks we leave Starbucks and split off into groups; Brad, Mil and Connor are one group, Tilly and Tris are the second group, and me and James are the last group. The others head their separate ways but me and James stand there in silence until they've all left.
"So, where shall we go first?" I ask James and he smiles at me.
"I don't mind. Have you got any ideas?" James asks me politely.
"Nope. I have none."
"Well, shall we just walk?" I nod in reply and the two of us walk down the cobblestone path. It's surprisingly empty considering how close to Christmas it is but people are probably indoors trying to keep warm. I've layered my clothes so I'm as warm as I can be in this weather. I'm sporting a pair of black jeans, a white turtle neck, my black boot docs, a big navy duffle coat, a knitted black scarf, with matching mittens and bobble hat. James is also layered with his black duffel coat and grey scarf.
We walk at a slow stroll and suddenly there's a gust of wind making me grab my hat tightly so it doesn't blow away. James laughs at me and I push him jokily but we carry on walking as I gradually get colder and colder the further we walk. James looks down at me and his face drops slightly.
"You're cold." he states.
"I'm fine, I'm used to it." I reply but James wraps his muscular arm around me and pulls me closer to his warm body. In my mind I'm thinking I should pull away but I can't. This is how I want it to be; me and James. Naturally, my head rests itself on his shoulder and I can feel the smile that dances across his lips. "Thank you." I say as we carry on but I feel a lump in the pit of my stomach and it rises to my throat. When I realise what exactly it is it's too late they've started...the tears. I pull away from James and he looks at me upset by my action until he sees my expression.
"De, what's wrong?" He asks and I just look at him as the corners of my mouth pull upwards into a weak smile.
"I've missed you." I reply and I can't help it. My body lunges forward to hug him and at first he's taken aback but soon returns the hug by wrapping his arms around me and resting his cheek on the top of my head.
"I've missed you too." he echoes and breathes a deep sigh of relief. He's waited for this, for this moment that he is forgiven. I think back to the day I left him at the train station, the day it ended. James said to me 'I'll never forgive myself, but I'll do everything in my power to earn your forgiveness...' and he's done exactly that. "You're forgiven." there it is again that sigh of relief as he squeezes me.
He pulls away and looks into my eyes a smile plastered across his face. "You don't understand how happy that makes me." and I don't but I'm happy purely because he is.
James slides his fingers between mine and wraps them around my small hand. He's cautious about it as he has no idea how I'll react but he does it anyway and I don't stop him. I also fold my fingers around his hand and I smile before looking up to see that he's staring at me with a smile dancing across his lips. Naturally, I shy away from his gaze and took my hair behind my ear.
"Shall we go in that guitar shop?" I ask gesturing to a window filled with guitars behind James. He looks behind him and nods so the two of us walk towards it still holding hands.
We walk in the shop and the bell above the door rings and a scent of old paper from the sleeves of the records lingers a while. I head over to the records and James follows closely so the link doesn't break. The two of us scan through the vinyls finding a few that we'd like to have a listen to. James takes them over to the man at the counter and asks, "Can you play a couple tracks from these for us please?" The man nods and plays the first track while me and James move over to look at the guitars.
There's old, new, and exotic ones but there's one that catches my eye. It's slightly dusty, showing nobody had played it in a while, but it was beautiful. The front is light wood but there are dark red tears on it that match the colour of the back, there's no strap however there's the clips to place astral on. It looks just like my old guitar but the one difference is the writing that's beautifully engraved in the side, it says 'to play music isn't a want but a need'. James notices that I'm captivated and picks the guitar up off of the high stand and hands it to me. I look at it hesitantly and take it from him, as I hold it in the correct position I feel my breathing change and play a single off key chord. He winces away from it before observing my face as I look at the guitar remembering it all.
"I'll get that for you." James says as he takes the guitar and places it back on the shelf so I can't reach it. But I'm not sure I want it...
"James, I can..." I try to tell him I don't want it but the song ends and the next song that comes on is a slow song. I know it. It's the song my mum and dad danced to for their first dance. James looks into my eyes and I look back into his. He steps closer before his hand finds mine and the other finds my waist. I go along with it but I rest my head on his shoulder so his arm that was on my waist wraps around me. He knows, he senses that this song means a lot and this is his way of comforting me. Its working.
James and I dance until the song is over then we part. "Shall we get this guitar then?" James asks as he gets the guitar back down from the stand before I answer and takes my hand before guiding me to the till. "I'll take the vinyls and this guitar thanks." James says to the man who adds everything up.
"Y'know you two are real sweet." the man says in his gruff northern accent. "I saw y' dancin'. It's been a while since I had a couple like you two in. Most of 'em are arguing or don't speak." I look at James and I can tell he's caught on the word 'couple'. "I'll tell y' what lad, hold onto her go because y' won't find another like 'er."
James looks down at me and squeezes my hand a little tighter. "I wont."
We leave the shop and walk to a nearby bench and sit down with our fingers still interlocked.
"Thank you James." I say nervously as I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. Why did he buy me a guitar when I can barely look at it?
"It was my pleasure, count it as an early Christmas present." He replies but I don't mean just for the guitar and vinyls. I mean for the dance, for being there, for saying he wouldn't let me go. Now, I know, I know that he loves me still and that he plans on loving me for a long time yet. James taps me so I lift my head and he stands up before walking a couple paces away from me.
"What're you doing?"
"What I've wanted to do for a long time..." He starts to play the melody to So by Ed Sheeran. The song is slow and he makes sure to look me in the eye throughout it. A single tear escapes the corner of my eye and slides down my cheek but I don't bother to wipe it away. At the final chorus he moves closer to me before the song ends and he puts my guitar back down. I'm now sat with my head in my hands. "De?" I continue to sit here with my head down. "De, I'm s..."
Suddenly, my body leaps up and I press my lips against his. His eyes close before I giggle into the kiss and I slowly wrap my arms around his neck. James pulls me closer to him before lifting me up and I wrap my legs around his hips. The kiss gradually deepening, becoming more and more impassioned before it just stops. I hug him tightly and he gladly hugs me back.
"I've been waiting to do that." I say softly in his ear.
"Me too."
James puts me down and I shy away, tucking my hair behind my ear as my gaze drops to the floor. "Look at me." he pulls my chin up so that I'm looking into his eyes. "You're absolutely beautiful." he kisses me again and I happily return the kiss.
When we pull away and decide that we should head back I jump onto James back. The two of us notice another guitar shop on the way back so we go in and James buys me a new black strap to put on my guitar before slinging it on his shoulder. James offers me a ride on his shoulders and I don't object. As I sit on James' muscular shoulders I glance down at the guitar knowing full well I won't be able to bring myself to play it. Not after all my busking life. However I ignore the gnawing feeling and on the way back to the car I plant a kiss on James' forehead and he smiles; this is how it should be.
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Sorry for the slow updates but just remember they are updated at some point so just hang in there! Thanks to you all hope you're happy with this chapter I know a lot of you were waiting for this! Anyways hope y'all had a great Christmas and those of you who've had snow have enjoyed it!
Love you heaps, Finola!😘