Naomi was going to pick me up in five minutes and I was already running late. I hated Monday mornings and this morning was no different. I would have just wanted to pull the blanket over my ears and continue sleeping once my alarm went off. Luckily, summer break wasn't that far away and the thought of it made me get up from the bed in the end.

I brushed my hair and packed my bag as fast as I could. At this point, Naomi was already waiting for me downstairs and I heard her talking with mom. I wasn't usually that interested about what mom talked with her or with any of my friends but as I heard her mention Harry's name, I became quite anxious and worried. I turned the lights off from my room and rushed down the stairs.

"He is such a lovely boy and well-mannered. I think Gracie..." Mom was blabbing to Naomi who turned to look at me as I approached the two of them.

"Mom, enough with that. Sorry Naomi for having to wait for me. I just had the hardest time getting up this morning. Bye mom, see you in the evening." I said. As I gave her a hug, I gave a knowing look to her and wished she hadn't said anything too much to Naomi before.

Naomi didn't say anything to me as we walked to her car and got inside it. She nodded towards two take-away cups of coffee she had picked up for the both of us. I smiled at her and took a sip from my cup. And felt horrible.

"What exactly mom told you before I came downstairs?" I wanted to know and get the elephant out of the car.

"Nothing much... Harry apparently had dinner with you last night. And your mom likes him quite a lot." She said with a voice that sounded way too neutral to be real. I swallowed before I responded to her.

"Yep... We were out on Saturday with everyone and Harry was kind enough to borrow his hoodie to me since it was surprisingly cold. And then he came to pick it up on Sunday and as I was getting it from upstairs, mom had already invited him for dinner." I quickly explained and tried to come up with a believable lie. Naomi didn't say a word, just kept staring ahead of the road.

"And mom's boyfriend, Johnny, was there too. I saw him for the first time last night. A very nice man, can't wait for you to meet him." I had to continue but Naomi was still quiet. "There is nothing going on between Harry and me." I finally said and wanted to disappear and stop all this lying.

"Good. And yeah, I hope to meet Johnny soon too. Your mom is so amazing, I'm sure she can get any guy she wants." She started talking and acted more like herself.

All this time, she had just wanted to hear me say that me and Harry were nothing more than friends. She wasn't stupid and would eventually find out on her own unless I told her about us. This was her way to make sure that it was all my fault if I ever ended up with Harry. She was way too good at playing this game and no one wanted her as their enemy. I tried to act as normal as possible with her as we got to our class but somehow I felt like this was only the beginning of something very unpleasant.

The day went on as normally as it was possible, despite the fact that Harry and I were keeping a major secret from everyone else. During lunch break, he flashed his goofy yet cute smile at me when no one was looking and it totally made my day. The whole gang sat together around a big table and we enjoyed lunch together.

Zayn was telling excitedly to everyone, how he had booked an appointment to get another tattoo and Harry joined in that conversation quickly. Naomi was talking with me and Perrie, telling about the weekend at the cabin.

"And that Max, whose picture I sent you Grace, is really something. Perrie, look... Isn't he just handsome?" Naomi asked Perrie and showed a few pictures of him from her phone.

"Oh gosh, he sure is. So, are you two just friends or..." Perrie smiled and playfully pushed Naomi's shoulder with her own.

"If kissing him for the whole weekend is 'just friends', I'm bummed." Naomi said and laughed and Perrie and I joined her. "I really do like him. He gets me in a whole another way and is always up to new things. I like how curious he is about everything and he doesn't really stress about anything."

"Sounds good! I'm happy for you. How long have you two been 'just friends'?" I asked Naomi.

"I've known him for a little while, for about a year. But things first heated up between us like two weeks ago. We're going out tonight too. I can't wait to see him." Naomi said and looked up to the ceiling and sighed. "Gracie, your mom said I should spend the weekend with you as she is going out of town. You know what we are going to do?" Naomi continued.

"I might have a clue..." I responded hesitantly. Naomi was right, mom had informed me about a business trip over the weekend but I had kind of hoped to spend it with Harry. Not a chance, I thought.

"Partyyyyy! Right? Please don't say no! You could see Max and realise why I'm so into him!" Naomi raised her voice excitedly and pleaded. The boys turned their heads towards us.

"Okay okay... So, I'm having a party this weekend. Can everyone come?" I asked the boys.

"Hell yes!" Theo shouted and everyone else agreed.

Naomi gave me a ride back home after school and she was completely back to normal with her behaviour. She had been nice towards Harry today too, not ignoring him or anything. Maybe that Max would be our gateway to freedom and she would forget about Harry and them ever dating. I truly hoped so.

Mom came home earlier than she usually did and we ate dinner together. She asked how I felt about Johnny and if I thought he was alright. Then she talked about the upcoming weekend and how we could get groceries on Thursday together and if I knew the emergency numbers and so forth. Same old story every time.

"Gracie, one more thing. Harry. Are you two really just friends like you claim?" Mom suddenly asked and I almost choked on my meatball.

"What? Mom, seriously... I..." I started but got cut short.

"Hun, I can see that something's up. The way that he looked at you last night. He seemed to really care. I'm older than you and know a thing or two about these things. I know Liam is just a friend and I can see that but Harry and you... I'm not so sure." Mom pressed. I stayed silent for a bit, pondering if I should just tell her and get this huge rock off my heart.

"Um... It's complicated. Very complicated." I managed to say.

"Well, that's life. Why so?" Mom encouraged me to go on with her empathetic voice.

"It's complicated because of Naomi. She um... She dated Harry shortly and really liked him." I explained.
"But she never likes anyone for real!" Mom responded and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"That's the problem. She never does. And she actually cried over him although they went out only a few times. It really wasn't even dating. But Harry didn't feel the same way about her, she was just a friend to him. And um... This is really awkward." I struggled to tell mom the rest of the story.

"Come on, you've always told me everything. He likes you and you like him, is that it." Mom guessed and I nodded. "Right... And Naomi doesn't know about that?" I shook my head. "OK, it's becoming a bit clearer to me now."

I told her how I was afraid to tell Naomi and loose her as a friend. I told her about this morning and how I had to tell her a lie and say that there is nothing going on between me and Harry. I was clueless on what I should do.

"Obviously, she is very strong-minded and I can see her not taking this in a good way. But if it is really true and they only went out a few times, I don't see it as such a big deal. Maybe wait a little but definitely tell her before she hears it from somebody else or worse yet, sees something she doesn't want to. Not that I want you kissing boys in public to be honest. But maybe, just maybe, you are making this bigger in your head than it actually is." Mom said and placed her hand on top of mine.

"I know, Harry has said the same thing. Maybe I am over-reacting. But you are right about telling her. And I will when the time is right. Thanks for listening and being so cool about everything mom." I said and squeezed her hand.

"No problem. I really do like Harry though, he is very sweet. I'm sure things will pan out just fine. And don't worry, I promise to blab a little less from now on." Mom ended the conversation and winked her eye at me. She was the best.

---

Friday

Thankfully, the school week was almost over and the weekend was nearly here. I had been hanging out a lot with Naomi and the rest of the girls and it had been a lot of fun. I had missed being with her and listening to her crazy stories. And when she was herself, she had the best humour in the whole wide world. These past few days had reminded me, why we were still friends in the first place.

As I had realised how much I cherished our friendship, I had been thinking about my relationship with Harry a bit more too. But, I wasn't feeling guilty about it anymore. I had been talking with him every night during the week. I was more than sure, that I wanted to be with him and take all the possible risks there were to take. I had to make this whole thing work out; me dating Harry and still having Naomi as my best friend. There was no other way, they were both way too important to me at this point.

Mom had left for London early in the morning, even before I went to school. So as I came home, I was already alone. The party was not going to be until tomorrow evening and Naomi was having a date with Max again tonight so me and Harry finally had a chance to be together for a bit. I felt my phone vibrating in my jeans' pocket, grabbed it and answered.

"Hey babe! Can I come over soon? Like now?" Harry asked excitedly and I could feel him smile from ear to ear.

"Well hello Haz! Someone's eager about seeing me. Just kidding. Please, please, please come over as soon as you can. I can't wait to see you." I joked first but then pretty much pleaded.

"I'm leaving right now!" Harry said hurriedly and ended the call. I put the phone on my table smiling.

I quickly changed out of my jeans to a cute pair of grey sweats and a tight black top. I even decided to ditch the bra to tease him a little bit. As I was playing with my hair and figuring out if I should leave it open or do a ponytail, I realised how much I actually missed holding him, just hugging him close to me. I started to feel as excited as a kid waiting for Christmas.

I tidied my room a bit so it wouldn't look a complete mess and so that it would be a bit more inviting in case things heated between us. Even thinking about the upcoming night made me feel hot and eager. I was doing everything in fast-speed and breathing heavily as my phone started to vibrate again.

"Hello?" I answered without looking who the caller was.

"Gracie, are you alright? Why are you so out of breath?" Mom asked me.

"Oh, hey mom! Just cleaning my room for a bit. How's London?" I asked casually.

"Cleaning on a Friday evening, that's unheard of! Anyways, London is great, lovely weather surprisingly. Be safe honey! I'll call you tomorrow. Love you!" Mom ended the call after I told her I loved her back.

"Be safe..." I mumbled to myself and shook my head smiling. I threw a few pieces of clothing to my wardrobe and ran excitedly down the stairs as I heard the doorbell. I opened the door as quickly as I could.

Harry was standing there with an enormous bouquet of white roses, his hair curly and flipped away from his cute face. He stepped inside and handed the bouquet to me. I took the roses in disbelief, wondering if he was real. My ex never bought me flowers unless I hinted him about getting them from time to time.

Harry put his leather bag down to the floor and grabbed me to his arms, hugging me tightly. My arms flew over his shoulders, my hands caressing his hair, my face pressed against his neck. I could feel his big hands travelling across my back and pressing onto my skin.

"I missed you so, so much." Harry whispered to my ear.

Notes

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