Carmen's POV

"Mum, just leave it. We can clean everything up later." Gemma looks at Harry. "Or make Harry do it. He made most of the mess anyway."

"I did not!" I look up at him with raised eyebrows and he smiles. "Okay, maybe. But how come when Mum makes a mess making dinner she never has to clean it up?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Anne says, continuing to pick up the wrapping paper.

Harry just laughs, trying to keep me beside him when I stand up. Christmas day with Harry and his family is a little surreal, to be honest, but it's been incredible. Harry has been really cute, and while normally I feel like that much affection would annoy me after a while, I really can't get enough of him. Yesterday we spent the day around the house with everyone, much like today, and after much coercion on my part Harry finally agreed to try to get to know Oliver. Gemma figured it out and hugged me so tight I thought my lungs would break. Apparently Harry is a little hard on her boyfriends, and she almost cried she's so happy he's finally giving one a chance.

"Harry, stop," I laugh, trying to peel his fingers from my hips.

"Stay here," he says. He manages to put his arms around my waist and pull me back so I'm on his lap, his face buried against my neck.

"I'm not leaving, I just want to help."

"No, I don't think so."

"Here, let me help," Gemma says. She stands from her spot in front of Oliver on the floor and walks around the couch. "Remember this, Carmen."

"Gem, don't," Harry says, half serious and half laughing. She sits beside us and he uses my body as a shield from his sister. "Seriously, I'll kill you."

"Okay," she laughs. She reaches around me and digs her fingers into his stomach, and Harry immediately erupts in a fit of giggles that are so adorable I have to laugh with him. I'm not kidding, seriously the cutest thing I've ever heard. After a minute his hands leave my waist and I jump up while he tries to get her to stop.

"Ow!" she squeals when he wraps his hands around her wrists. "Harry, that hurts!"

"We made a pact," he says simply. "No more tickling and I wouldn't chase your boyfriends out with a bat anymore."

Gemma rolls her eyes and I laugh and look at Oliver, who doesn't seem too bothered. I have to say, even with Harry's outright distaste for him he handles it quite well.

"There's no bat, but you do fine chasing them away anyway," she says. "Now let go."

"I'll get you back," he says, releasing her wrists. He looks at me. "And you, too."

"What did I do?"

"No, I mean back here. On my lap."

Harry does nothing to aid my task, kicking my butt and putting his feet anywhere to try and be a giant pain in the ass. Problem is, he's got the most adorable smile on his face the entire time so it's really hard to be annoyed. Plus, these last two days have felt like one constant state of pure bliss, which I never thought would happen to me.

Flashback

"Are you ever going to ask me to be your girlfriend?"

Harry's face is priceless, charming smile replaced by wide eyes and a slightly nervous expression. I simply raise my eyebrows, arms still locked behind his neck. He swallows and blinks a few times.

"I umm..well, it was- I was waiting. I wanted to be- to have the good moment. The right time, I mean..." Harry closes his eyes and I have to bite my lip so I don't laugh out loud at him. "Fuck."

"You're so cute when you're nervous," I whisper. He smiles a slightly exasperated one and I peck his lips.

"It's your fault," he mutters. He opens his eyes again and sighs. "This is the twenty-first century, you know. You could have asked me." I roll my eyes and he laughs. "Kidding."

"Harry, will you be my girlfriend?" I tease. He laughs and shakes his head, kissing me once more. I place one hand against the back of his head, and he sighs against my lips.

"No," he whispers. "But will you be mine?"

A giddy smile spreads on my lips as I nod my head, mumbling yes a few times between kisses. Harry lifts me off the floor and spins me around, and in the fancy gown and with the perfect boy in my arms it almost feels like a fairytale. But better.

End of Flashback

"What?" Harry asks. His eyes scan my body once. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing." I finish filling the garbage bag in my hands so there's none left on the floor. When I walk behind the couch Harry is on I lean down next to him. "Save my spot."

"Done." He pecks my lips and I head into the kitchen where Anne took the rest of the trash. She stuffs what she had in the bag I'm holding and I tie it up to take it outside.

"Just leave that," she says. "Thanks, Carmen."

"You two are acting all honeymoon-ish," Gemma says when she walks in with some empty mugs. She smiles at me and my cheeks heat slightly. Gemma and I get along fantastically, better than I get along with girls normally, thank goodness. If I didn't get along with Harry's sister I have a feeling he wouldn't like that very much.

"Things are good," I agree, leaning against the counter. I stare at the back of his curly head for a moment. "Really good, actually."

"I've never seen him act like this," Anne says. "He seems...younger, maybe? I'm not sure. He's happy, that I do know."

"Thank you for the gifts," I offer, kind of wanting to change the subject. "You didn't have to get me anything, really."

"You got us presents," Gemma says, laughing a little. "What makes you think we wouldn't get you anything?"

"It's nothing," Anne says, placing a hand on my arm. "I just hope you like everything."

"I do, really."

"Did Harry get you anything?" Gemma asks. "I didn't notice you opened anything from him."

"We agreed not to do much for Christmas," I explain. "I think we're exchanging gifts later on."

"If that boy didn't get you anything I'm going to tickle him until he wets himself."

Anne and I both laugh and Gemma ventures back into the living room with the boys. Apparently they have some family and friends coming to the house tomorrow for a big Christmas dinner, so today we're just doing lots of snacks and dips and little sandwiches. I feel like I've eaten more than my body weight and it's all been amazing.

"I know I've said this a million times, but thank you so much for letting me stay here," I tell Anne, washing some strawberries for her.

"Carmen, it really is nothing. I'm glad you came, it's been so nice having you. Harry is...he's so happy, it's so nice to see that since I don't see him very often."

"It's too bad Robin isn't here." He had breakfast with us, but his brother is sick apparently and he wanted to go see him. Everyone offered to go with, but he's too tired for that much company and excitement so he went on his own. I can tell Anne is a little sad that he isn't here.

"It's alright," she says, smiling sadly. "He'll be here for dinner tomorrow and we don't make gifts a big fuss since those two got older."

"You have an amazing family."

She smiles. "Yes, I like them." I laugh and she stands next to me to chop some melon. "It's sad that you can't spend Christmas with your father."

"Yeah. I'm used to it, though. We always just do it whenever he can come home. He did email me this morning, so that was nice. It's good to hear from him."

"You must worry a lot."

"Yeah," I agree, sighing. "Harry helps keep my mind off it. He's the first person I told, actually. None of my other friends even know my Dad is in the army."

The amount of details Harry knows about my life is startling sometimes. No one has ever known me so completely. I mean, there's still tons of things we don't know about each other, but it's more than that. I feel like he gets me, like he understands me and I feel like I can be myself around him. He doesn't expect anything from me and he lets me just be myself, and that's something I will always love about him.

"There's always been something about him," Anne says thoughtfully. "People always seem to trust him so easily. It's an incredible quality."

"Yeah."

"What are you two doing in here?" Harry asks, walking into the kitchen. I turn to smile at him and he steps up behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Oh, can I have one?"

He opens his mouth up and I give him a strawberry, laughing while I do. He kisses my cheek and places his hand on my back when he takes a small step away from me. I just laugh at the playful banter that ensues between him and his mother, and all the while my heart just swells with happiness. I'm so glad he has this, that he has a family that loves him so much. He deserves that more than anyone I know.

---

It's a struggle to keep my eyes open after the day, but sitting here with Harry with both of us reading books feels like a forever kind of thing, and I honestly don't want to move. We're sitting on his bed, Harry leaning against the wall with me between his legs and leaning against his chest with my book in front of me. Harry is even reading, on to the third book in the series he started when he discovered them on my desk. It's adorable how invested he is in them.

"Jace kind of reminds me of you," I mention quietly, flipping a page.

"Does he?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." He kisses the back of my head. "Probably because he's so attractive."

"I was thinking it was because of his arrogance," I argue, smiling to myself. Harry laughs and brings his knees up on either side of me, so I feel even more cuddled by him.

"Harry, I washed-" Anne stops in the doorway with a basket of laundry, smiling when she looks up at the two of us. "Well aren't you two just the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Mum," Harry laughs.

"Yes, I washed a few of your tops, but there was a stain in one that I couldn't get out so I just threw it in the trash."

"What! I could have just worn it to the gym or something, Mum, you can't just throw away perfectly good clothes."

"Harry, there was a giant sauce stain over the entire front!" she says. "You're not going in public with that, not when you're my child."

"In public with what?" Gemma pokes her head in the door and smirks at us. "You look cute."

"Told you we should have closed the door," Harry tells me. I said we shouldn't because I didn't want everyone to think we were doing something besides reading in here, but now with how red my face is it probably would have been smart.

"Like an old married couple," Anne says, feeding Gemma's comment.

"Alright," Harry groans. "Enough embarrassing me. Shut the door, please."

"No need to be rude," Gemma says. "Remember, the walls are thin."

Harry shakes his head as Gem pulls the door shut, and I laugh and look up at him. His cheeks are slightly pink and he seems flustered by the conversation, but he's still smiling when he looks down at me.

"Hear that? They can hear us, so don't try to make any moves on me," he mumbles, leaning down to kiss me. He pulls away far too soon and goes back to reading, so I just continue to stare up at him for a minute or two before he notices. "What?"

"That's all I get?" I ask quietly. He smiles and sets his book on the bed beside him, taking mine out of my hands as well. My heart starts beating fast in anticipation as Harry's hand slides over my cheek, his lips meeting mine just softly at first. My body shifts, not breaking the kiss so I can turn around to make it easier. His hands are already under my shirt and mine are in his hair as I move my legs to either side of his hips. He sighs and suddenly pulls away from me.

"Why do you always do that?" I ask, trying not to be annoyed. He laughs a little and leans his head back against the wall.

"Because I can't control myself with you," he says quietly.

"Well then you should learn," I suggest. I kiss him once. "And there's only one way to do that."

"Maybe practice would help," he agrees.

"Or," I suggest, "We could do our gifts now."

"You're such a tease!" he says. He laughs and lifts me from his lap. "But that's a good idea."

"Okay, I'll go get mine." I run from the room and over to mine where I head the small box. It's really scary to give it to him, actually. I want him to like it, and if he doesn't it'll just ruin the day a little. When I get back he's also got a small box with him.

"So we both followed the rules," he says as I sit down in front of him, legs crossed on the bed.

"Looks like it." I hand him mine and put my hands in my lap. Harry smiles and leans forward to kiss me once, then starts gently unwrapping the box. My heart is pounding when he lifts the lid.

"A necklace," he says, smiling and lifting it out. It's long like his other ones and has an arrow pendent hanging from the silver chain.

"It's supposed to mean perseverance," I explain nervously. "Even when an arrow gets pulled back-"

"It always moves forward," he finishes. He smiles at me and holds the pendant between his fingers. "I was going to get one tattooed somewhere."

"Really?"

He nods. "Yeah. I love it, Carmen. Thank you." He sets it around his neck and kisses me against, finger under my chin. It's light and adorable and tender and just makes my heart melt. "Your turn."

Harry sets a small box in my hand and I open it quickly, lifting the lid of yet another jewelry box. My mouth falls open when I see what he got me.

"Harry..." I lift a gorgeous white-gold bracelet from the box to examine it closer. "This is gorgeous." I realize something and reach out to punch his chest. "And obviously expensive! We agreed-"

"The chain was my grandmother's," he says quickly, laughing a little. "I didn't have to buy it. But look." He touches each charm on the bracelet as he explains them. "This is your birthstone, topaz for November. This one is an eagle. I wasn't sure what to do for this one, but it's for your Dad, for the army. And this one is mistletoe. For this week."

My eyes stay on his face the entire time, and the only thing I can think about while he's explaining this incredibly thoughtful gift to me is that I think I might be in love with him. No one has ever done something like this for me, not ever. When I don't say anything he looks up at me with a smile on his lips.

"We can keep adding them," he continues. His brow pulls together suddenly and he scrambles to sit next to me, placing his arm around me. "Hey, don't cry. What? Do you hate it?"

I'm crying? I quickly wipe under my eyes and shake my head. "I love it, Harry. It's amazing."

"Why are you crying?" he asks quietly, wiping away a tear I missed. I shrug and he sighs.

"I love it," I repeat quietly, staring at the charms in my hand. "It's the best gift I've ever gotten."

"That's really easy to believe when it made you cry," he says nervously. I laugh a little.

"These are good tears. I don't know why I'm crying, but it's not because I'm sad."

"You sure?"

I nod and reach out to him. "Can you put it on me?"

"Yeah, of course." He fastens the clip so it sits on my wrist and I can't stop staring at it. "Are you sure you like it?"

"Harry, stop asking me that," I laugh. "How could I not?"

"I don't know! I'm confused, you're crying and I don't like that," he says. He tucks my hair behind my ear and my eyes close. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, lots of things."

"Anything you'd like to share?"

"Maybe," I respond quietly, staring at him. He looks at my lips quickly and I sigh.

"You're making me nervous."

"I can tell."

He laughs and combs his fingers through his hair, setting his arm around me again. Harry pulls me back so we both fall against the mattress, my body automatically turning to the side so I can place my head on his chest. I watch as our legs tangle together, seemingly without effort; every part of my body just wants to be close to him, it's not even something I have to think about anymore. At first it's all I could think about, and the second most thing I thought about was how to keep it from happening. After everything it's so hard to remember why I wanted to push him away so much.

"Thank you," I whisper, looking up at him.

"For what?" His fingers lace with mine over his chest.

"For not giving up on me." I sigh when he kisses my forehead, an overwhelming feeling of happiness and relief pooling in my chest.

"You mean the world to me," he says, his lips brushing my forehead as he speaks. "I would never give up on you."

Goosebumps raise on my arms and everywhere else at the sureness of his voice, and I know without a doubt that I can believe every word of that promise.

Notes

i hate the present thing. its sooooo hard to think of things lol so I just skipped the family thing.

so yay :) thats all :P i just love them.

let me know what you thinkk :) the comments after the last one were amazingg <3