Harry

I felt her legs wrap around my waist and pulling me so I was laying on top of her. She tugged at the bottom of my shirt as I was kissing the soft skin that was exposed by the cut neck of her shirt. I pulled down on it exposing her breasts and kissed down further. She forced me to move so she could get my shirt off and pulled me back down to her. I felt her legs tighten around my waist as she began to writhe around beneath me. We’d had incredible sex but for some reason this felt tremendously different and I couldn’t pinpoint why. Maybe it was just because she didn’t wake me up with it, but even that didn’t seem like the only difference. I kissed back up to her lips.
“Sit up.” She did and I pulled her shirt up before kissing down her stomach and pulling off the sweatpants and knickers she was wearing before pulling off my sweatpants. I kissed over the birds tattooed on her hips and back up her body to her lips again. “You are so beautiful.”
“You’re making me nervous,” she said quietly.
“I’m sorry. Do you need me to stop?” I asked resting on my forearms and staring down at her.
“No, the way you look at me. It’s intense. It makes me nervous but excited at the same time. I…I’ve never felt like this.” She just verbalized what I’d been thinking and hadn’t been able to figure out.
“To be honest, I haven’t either. But I like it.”
“Me too,” she said leaning up to kiss me. I grabbed the condoms I’d stashed in the bedside table earlier today
“If you want me to stop tell me.”
“I don’t want you to stop. I just wanted you to know what I was thinking. I like this. I feel safe being 100% honest with you.”
“I’m glad you feel safe with me.” I tore one of the condoms open and put it on before our bodies connected. We were slow tonight. Our lips barely leaving the others. It was an amazing feeling to be with this woman. My body felt electric but more than that, my heart was beating rapidly and nerves were on high alert. Being with this woman made me feel alive in a way I didn’t realize was possible. The room was filled with only the sound of our breathing. Our bodies and limbs were so intertwined that just glancing down at us I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. I liked feeling this close to her, this connected. She didn’t have to tell me when she was close to climaxing, I knew from the feel of her body, the sound of her breathing, and the beat of her heart. Together we slowly came back down and I laid beside her staring at the ceiling.
“Mmm I wanna snuggle,” she said rolling to her side and climbing under my arm. I hugged her body close to mine as her leg lifted up wrapping around my thigh and sliding between my legs. She was gently pressing kisses in to my bare chest as I circled her hair between my fingers. “Not gonna lie. I could really get used to that.”
“Me too. I’m not sure how I’m gonna ever let you stay in your own bed after tonight. You feel like you belong here.”
“Well you wouldn’t have to twist my arm hard. I love this bed. It’s so soft. Reminds me of my bed before I moved.” She had started to trace the outlines of my tattoos with her finger. “Will you hand me my phone?” She had set it down on the table on my side of the bed.
“Why? You don’t need to play on your phone. You have me.” She was queen of looking at her phone too much. She was still paying attention to me and could usually repeat what I said to her verbatim. I discovered early on it was because she and her dad liked to text each other incredibly random things. Usually pictures or GIFs that made no sense but made her laugh. It was why I’d started sending her random facts and pictures of myself. Even though I couldn’t be there to hear it I knew she was laughing and just that made my heart feel incredibly full.
“I know that. But I do have to set my alarm. One of us has to go to a normal job in the morning.” She took the phone from my hand and I brushed my finger along the side of her cheek. I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her again. “You’re distracting me. I can’t see my phone,” she mumbled against my lips.
“That was the plan. If you can’t see your phone to set your alarm then you don’t have to get out of bed and go to work and you can just lay here with me all day tomorrow. Lots of snuggles.”
“As awesome as that would be I do have to work. Need to pay rent.”
“So unfortunate that you feel the need to be responsible.” I kissed her again as she after she put her phone down on the table closest to her to charge. She snuggled back in to my arms. “Are you tired?”
“Not really. Why? You ready for another round this quick?”
“Well no…I mean yes but that wasn’t why I asked. I can think about things other than sex. Though we could totally do that again if you want.” I laughed as she raised an eyebrow at me. “I was thinking we could turn on a movie or something on TV.”
“I like that plan. But TV is good too.” I turned on the television and started to flip channels until we found something we agreed on. Our fingers were laced together and resting on my chest. We’d been quietly watching a news show for a while before she spoke again. “So tomorrow. Do you know what you want to do with Gemma?”
“I thought we could grab dinner and drinks. Do you want to meet her at O’Brien’s? I thought you might feel more comfortable being on your own turf.”
“That’s sweet of you,” she said. “But I’d be fine anywhere. If we go there though you can meet Frankie. But I have to admit to you. Cam works on Tuesdays. Are you comfortable meeting my ex?”
“Well its tomorrow or Wednesday so it’s not like I can delay it long.”
“Why Wednesday?” she asked.
“You work. I figured that I could pick you up from work so you don’t have to take the tube home and then walk from the stop.”
“Umm, my flat is walking distance from the pub. Someone planning on me being here Wednesday night too?”
“Well you did threaten to never leave because you wanted to use me for my bed.” She giggled a little and crawled up so her face was next to mine. I rolled on to my side wrapping my arms around her as she kissed the tip of my nose.
“I did say that. It would be nice to have you pick me up from work. I won’t likely get out of there until late. I don’t have to close on weeknights but it’s still after midnight.”
“Fine with me.” She yawned.
“Let’s go to sleep baby.”
“Mmkay.” She snuggled in closer and was asleep within a few moment. Her body fit so perfectly next to mine. I fell asleep with ease listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing. Her alarm started to scream through the bedroom. She maneuvered out of my arms reaching to shut off the phone. I pulled her back to my chest nuzzling my chin in the crook of her neck. “I need to get up.” Her voice was hoarse and sounded tired.
“You don’t work until 10. It’s 8:00. You don’t have as far to travel love. You can drive one of my cars to work. Just stay here for a bit longer.”
“I haven’t driven a car in six months. I don’t think you want my first foray behind the wheel where you crazy people drive on the wrong side of the road to be with one of your cars.”
“I don’t care. Take it. As long as you don’t hurt yourself I don’t care about the car. Only you.”
“Well I’d likely be a mess. I’ll have to leave with enough time to walk to work from here.” She rolled over to face me, burying her head in my neck.
“I’ll get out of bed and drive you. Then maybe we will teach you how to drive in England and you can start taking my car so I can get the proper amount of sleep.”
“You’re crazy.” A few more minutes and the snooze went off on her alarm. “I’m getting out of bed now. I need to shower and get ready. Maybe when I’m ready we can snuggle a bit.” She kissed my cheek and removed the trap I’d set up with my arms. I watched her walk completely naked in to the bathroom and heard the shower kick on. I sent Niall a text seeing if he wanted to grab lunch. I thought it was my duty to warn him about Nate’s intentions. And then one to my sister.

Message with Gemma
So I was thinking tonight we could meet for dinner and a few drinks at the pub that Annie works at, could be a fun.
You’re being sweet. Giving her come field advantage, aren’t you?
I am. She’s pretty special and I don’t want her to kill herself with her nerves. We can meet around 7ish.
What pub does she work at?
An Irish place in Camden called O’Briens.
Fantastic. I will meet you at 7:00. And just so you know, you have no reason to nervous. You are so happy these days that whatever it is that is making you feel that I want to see stay in your life.
Thanks Gem. She’s incredible. I really think you’ll like her. At least I hope you do.
I’m sure I will. She sounds wonderful. I’m excited to meet you guys tonight.

“You really have to go to work?” I yelled as I heard the shower shut off.
“Yes. It’s not for long. I’m off at 2 but I’m taking Lyla shopping today. You will see me when I get back here tonight.” She walked in to the bedroom in just her lingerie. Pink boyshorts and a gorgeous bra. I picked up the throw that was at the foot of the bed and threw it at her, hitting her side. “What was that for?”
“Walk around the bedroom half naked and I’m not going to be able to let you out of the house.” She dropped the blanket on the chair in the corner and walked towards the bed. Scaling the footboard she climbed up towards me straddling me over the blankets. “Well hello.” I rested my hands on her thighs. Her hair was still wet from the shower dripping down her body and on to mine as she bent over to kiss me. I pulled her closer to me and kissed her.
“I may need to stop at my place tonight to get clothes to wear tomorrow.”
“I think we can manage that. Maybe get you clothes for a few nights.”
“I can’t exactly abandon Kim,” she said before kissing me. “I’ll have to stay at my place too. Plus you’re gonna get sick of me.”
“Can’t imagine that ever happening.”
“It will, promise. I need to get ready.”
“Just lay here another minute.” I kissed her forehead as she relaxed her weight on to me. She laid still for a few moments before struggling to get out of my arms. I finally relented and she went back in to the bathroom. I turned the TV on and found a morning chat show. I was checking my email so I wasn’t paying complete attention to the television. I saw Annie walk out of the bathroom fully dressed and ready to leave for work. She had on black leggings, a white top that was long enough it flowed just past her bum and her hair was in her signature waves. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. You’re still naked.”
“I am. I was hoping it would convince you to stay here and not leave me today.”
“I have to go to work. I really don’t want to now but I do,” she said as she climbed back on to the bed next to me. “You can stay here. I’m gonna walk. It’s not far and it will be nice to be outside. You stay here in bed, looking cozy and warm.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’m sure. I like walking around London and I brought boots to wear today. Figure I’ll need them walking around with Lyla.”
“I will see you when you get home then.” A few lazy kisses and she climbed from bed. I watched as she slipped on her jewelry, scarf and boots and grabbed her gray stadium jacket. She leaned over and gave me a kiss as I hooked the toggles on her jacket. “I’ll see you tonight.” She was out of the bedroom and finally pulled myself from bed and showered. I got dressed and went down to the car to head to Niall’s. He’d responded and said that lunch sounded perfect. I grabbed my phone from the center console and made a phone call.
“Hampstead Florist, how can I help you?” the woman on the other end of the line answered.
“Hello, I needed to place an order to pick up today. Can I have pink roses ready to pick up at 1:45.” They kept asking me questions about what I wanted. Once we were through with the order I was pulling in to Niall’s drive. I knew he’d have the door unlocked so I let myself in and headed to his living room.
“Hey man,” he said as I sat down on the other side of the couch. “How was the first date?”
“It went really well. She seemed to love it. I took her down by the Thames, to the original Apple Records headquarters on Savile Row, Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey. We took a lot of really great pictures.”
“You took her to a church? Are you weird mate?”
“She loves to write. I’ve been reading her blog since the first time she told me about it. She says that she is trying to feel inspired to write a novel. So I took her to Poet’s Corner. Wanted to inspire her.”
“Okay, I take it back. Not weird. That’s pretty romantic. You really like her?”
“I really like her. I didn’t want her to leave this morning. I am trying to figure out how I can convince her to share a bed with me every night because Sunday was misery. I missed the feeling of her next to me.”
“That’s awesome mate. I’m happy for you.”
“You feel any of that?” I asked hesitantly. I didn’t know what I should do. Annie and I hadn’t really talked about it. We were trying to focus on ourselves and not the potential turmoil that lay ahead for our friends. I liked that she didn’t want to let the lives of our friends effect the happiness we were experiencing.
“No, I liked being back in my bed by myself. Kim’s cool. I like her. We had fun together but I’m not anywhere near where you are. I’m not wishing she was in my bed every night and planning these massively detailed dates and rushing her to meet my family. I like having fun. She seems to like having fun. I don’t know how much she’s being honest with herself but if she wants to have fun for real then I’m okay with it.”
“What do you mean you don’t know how honest she’s being?” Maybe he caught on to what I did.
“Her face, when we were talking about Nate and Cam. Anyone could see she hadn’t wanted casual there. Right now I do want casual. I mean yes, I want to meet the girl of my dreams, someone who makes me think like you do. That makes me dread sleeping alone. But I haven’t had that yet. And so far I don’t feel it with Kim. I mean could I someday, sure. It’s a possibility. But so far it’s not. And I don’t think she’s being honest with herself. I think she still has feelings for Nate based on how she defended him when Annie was saying he was an ass the last time he was here.”
“I think she could too. I talked to Annie a bit about it. Annie says she’s not sure. She believes what you were saying, that Kim wasn’t entirely happy with being casual with Nate and that she isn’t over it.” Do I tell him? Will Annie be pissed at me? Niall is one of my best mates. I have to tell him. “Nate called Annie yesterday when we were together.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, evidently had an epiphany and says he’s realized that he’s in love with Kim and wants all of the stuff she said she wanted before he convinced her casual was the way to go. He’s going to be here this weekend. Says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to convince her that he’s right for her.”
“Well good for him.”
“What are you gonna do?” I asked.
“Well I don’t know. I am not going to force her to make a decision she shouldn’t have to. We talked about hanging out at O’Brien’s next weekend for the Super Bowl. Just because he’s back doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop getting to know her. She’s cool. There’s potential that she could be the person that makes me want to be stupid like you. But I don’t know yet.”
“I am not stupid.”
“You are. You’ve checked your phone at least 10 times since you sat down trying to see if she’d text messaged you.”
“Well she walked to work from mine and didn’t let me know if she made it.”
“So check in with her.”
“That just makes me seem pathetic,” I said laughing.
“You are mate. It’s okay though. So why did you tell me about Nate?”
“Felt like you should be warned that he’s gonna show up this weekend. Not fair for you to be ambushed. Plus it gives you time to figure out what you feel for her before he shows up.”
“Thanks Harry. I’ll try to help you not get in trouble with the lady for helping me.”
“I should be okay. She was pretty shocked.”
“Well I guess I should figure out if there’s something there with Kim. But for now, I’m hungry. Let’s go get food. I’m starving.” We left and headed to lunch. We talked about all of the stuff we had coming up. The Brits were only a few weeks out and it would be the first time since December that we’d all be together at once. Holidays usually provided a good chance for us to relax and have some down time, this year had been longer. Soon after that we’d start rehearsals, writing, recording and getting to work on the next record. We headed back to Niall’s and hung out for a bit longer and at about 1:30 I took off. I stopped at the florist that was just down the block from the bookshop and picked up the flowers.
They were perfect. Roughly two dozen bright pink roses wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. I found a card and wrote a note quickly. I’d been debating it in my head all day and finally decided on it as I pulled up in front of the shop. Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you. A Paul McCartney lyric, the song had come on in the car. She’s expressed her internal debatedwith me plenty of times. She loved McCartney’s entire body of work but George Harrison caused problems for her which made me laugh. She said there was always something about his spirit that attracted her. I walked down the block and opened the door to the bookshop. She was in her coat ready to go, with Lyla also dressed.
“What are you doing here?” she asked me, moving to her tip toes to kiss me. I pulled the flowers out from behind my back. “Harry…they are beautiful. Pink roses. You shouldn’t have done this.”
“I wanted to.” I saw her grab the card from inside the flowers and read it. A tear snuck out of the corner of her eye before I bent down to kiss her again. She whispered in my ear.
“I’m amazed too.”
“Do you girls want a ride to the shops today? I’ll chauffer you while you pick out your dress Lyla.”
“You don’t have to,” Annie said.
“Yes. Of course I’ll take a chauffer,” Lyla said speaking over Annie.
“Okay, fine,” Annie said. “But you really don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t. I want to though.”
“Okay, fine.”
“Give me those flowers. I’ll get them in water,” Lizzy said taking them. “You’re sweet Harry.”
“I try,” I replied. We went outside and Lyla climbed in to the back and Annie in to the front. “So where to today ladies?”
“Well somewhere I can get a nice dress. I’m the president of an outreach group that works with children at the hospital. We are giving them a chance to have a night to get dressed fancy, dance, drink punch and forget that they are sick. I want to be dressed nice because this is my last event for it. Being done with school in the spring I need to focus on what’s next. I turn 18 in a few weeks. Do I go to uni? Do I work for a while? Do I take a gap year? I swear it’s something my Dad and Mum ask me every night.”
“What do you want to do?” I asked her.
“If I could choose anything I would take a gap year and travel. But I also want to get started on a career because I see how hard it is to get in to the industry I want in and I think it’s better to start young than wait.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Work with people to develop a personal style, do hair and makeup on top of it. I’ve had a few chances with the fashion shows in school working on hair and makeup. I’ve always been involved behind the scenes with theater. Doing makeup, hair, costuming. But I want to do it for a career, not just for fun.”
“I may know some people I can put you in touch with. Let you talk to them, see how they got their start. Maybe help you make more contacts, get internships and experience outside of theater.”
“That would be awesome but you don’t have to. I don’t want to use you,” Lyla said.
“You’re not. I offered. You should’ve told me months ago. You could’ve helped when we were actually working on things. We’re on break until tour starts in April so there’s not a whole lot left for me. When are you done with school?”
“End of spring term. I am finishing early. Most of my friends are finishing at end of summer term. So I have less time to figure out what is next. Dad said if I wanted a gap year he was okay with it and would send me wherever I wanted to go. But I know he also loves that his girls are all so motivated to do things on their own. Yes, he gave Lizzy the start up money for the shop but she built that all on her own. He paid for Lindsay to open her boutique in London when she was done with school. But it was her fashion contacts and marketing skills that got her as far as she did before she sold it and moved north. And it was her dedication that opened up the new shop after she got settled. I know if I told him I wanted to follow my sisters and go to uni that he’d support me through that and after when I decide what I want to do. But I don’t know what the point of going to uni is if I know what I want to do now.”
“Well school is extremely important. I figured out so much about myself by going away from home and being in that setting when I was your age,” Annie said. “But at the same time it didn’t lead me down some magical path to the perfect job and knowledge of what I was going to do the rest of my life. Hell I’m just under three weeks shy of my 30th birthday and I still can’t tell you what I want to be when I grow up other than happy.”
“I know that I will figure it out when I’m supposed to. I just hate that people ask about it all the time.”
“Well we won’t ask then,” I said. “Annie and I will only ask you questions that pertain to your immediate future. Like are you thirsty?” Both of the girls laughed at me. Shopping with them was entertaining. Lyla was being so incredibly undecided about what she was going to wear that she was willing to try on anything and everything that Annie and I threw in the room with her. “Baby, why don’t you try on something new?”
“I don’t need any new clothes. I’ve got nothing fancy coming up quite like Lyla.”
“Oh but you could. Maybe I want to take you out to dinner for your birthday. Or you could get something new to wear for mine.”
“I’m okay,” she said moving to rest her head on my shoulder as we sat waiting for Lyla.
“I saw you eyeing that sequin skirt. You should try it on.”
“Okay,” she said. She kissed my cheek and ran out grabbed the skirt and a few other items. I got to watch a fashion show between Annie and Lyla for at least an hour before they’d each found a few things and we were at the checkout. She had tried on a red dress that she’d decided against. I loved it. Sort of a retro cut, flaring out at her waist and it was pretty low cut. She had claimed she didn’t know when she’d wear it or why. So I picked it up off the rack and carried it to the salesgirl at the checkout. “What are you doing?”
“Buying this dress. I thought it would look great with my eyes.” I batted my eyelashes, her response was to frown, so I mimicked her. “I am allowed to buy things I like. I like this dress. Particularly on you.”
“You can’t keep doing this.”
“Oh but I can,” I said as I pulled her closer to me and kissed her temple. We dropped Lyla off at her house once we were done and headed back to my place. “So we are gonna meet Gem at 7:00. Do you need to change?” We were heading up the stairs to put her bags in the room.
“I was planning on it. I brought a cute dress. I want to impress your sister.”
“Baby, she’s gonna be impressed with you if you were a dress or a potato sack.”
“Well I will feel better going in to it if I get to fix myself up.” She kissed me and went to her bag. I saw her pull out a dress, boots and tights. After a few minutes in the bathroom she was ready to go. Her makeup now more dramatic than before and her clothing changed. She was wearing a short black and white striped dress, black tights, knee high black boots and a black leather jacket.
“I may not want to leave the bedroom with you dressed like that.”
“You will have to. We need to leave to meet Gemma.” I kissed her and squeezed her bum a bit before my hand slipped under her dress to squeeze her bum again. “Stop. We really need to go.” She was laughing now.
“Fine. Ruin all my fun ideas about how many different ways there are to get you out of that dress.” We were out the door and at O’Brien’s in about 20 minutes. Annie put on some lip gloss before she got out and we headed inside and straight to where Patrick was standing behind the bar.
“Dollface, you look beautiful tonight,” he said hugging her.
“Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself tonight Patty.” She walked further behind the bar to punch someone in the shoulder. His back had been to me the entire time. When he turned to hug her I saw it was Cameron, I recognized him from the pictures I’d seen of him. “Cam, I want you to meet someone. This is Harry,” she said as she pulled him over to the bar where I’d grabbed a stool in front of Patrick.
“Nice to meet you,” I said sticking my hand out to shake his.
“Nice to meet you too. I’m glad she finally stopped being stupid.”
“Me too,” I said as she came around the bar and I pulled her in to me kissing her cheek. I caught a hint of a blush sneak in to her cheeks.
“So what brings you two in tonight?” Patrick asked.
“She’s meeting my sister tonight.”
“Big step,” Cam said before walking to get the drinks he’d been making.
“Shut it Cameron Eugene.”
“Well that’s good thing. Means she’s letting you stick around for a while,” Patrick said. I laughed at Patrick as Annie snuck off to go say hi to a table full of people. Patrick and I chatted for a little while before I caught my sister sitting down out of the corner of my eye.
“Hey Gem,” I said leaning over to hug her.
“Hey, so where is she?” Gemma asked. I pointed over to where Annie was standing talking to a guy who looked about her age with dark brown hair. He had a case of beer bottles in his hands. He looked enough like Cate that I knew it must be Frankie. “She’s really pretty Harry. The photos were only the tip of the iceberg.”
“I know. Just wait until you meet her. You’ll love her.” Annie saw that Gemma was sitting with me and excused herself from the conversation with Frankie and came over.
“Sorry, Frankie wanted to know how shopping with Lyla went.”
“That’s okay. Annie, this is my sister Gemma. Gemma, this is Annie.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Annie said shaking Gemma’s hand. “He’s told me a lot about you.” I could see her hand shaking a bit. I knew she was nervous.
“Couldn’t possibly be as much as he’s told me about you. I’m pretty sure that you might be his favorite conversation topic.” Annie smiled at me.
“There’s a booth at the back that I threw my purse in. Let’s go grab it so we have a table.” Gemma and I followed Annie through the pub and I sat next to her in the booth. “Is this your first visit to O’Brien’s?” Annie asked.
“No, I’ve been here with a girl from work once or twice. How long have you worked here?”
“Around six months. It was the first pub I came in when I moved to London. My favorite bar back home is an Irish bar so it was comfortable that first night when all I wanted was a drink to help me sleep when I was wacked out because of time zones. I met Frankie that night and started my job that week. He liked that I didn’t take shit from Cam and his wife fell in love with me the first night I met her. Loved that I was just so excited about everything I was seeing in London. Plus she loved to laugh at the way I talk. I get in a groove and talk a million miles an hour sometimes.”
“Lizzy and I do have to remind you to take a breath every once in a while when you get in to that mode.” I was a slow talker, always had been. Annie was the polar opposite. Most of the time, I was pretty sure that she was trying to see how much she could say in the smallest amount of time. She said it was from years working in a phone bank trying to keep up with mortgage brokers from New York at 8:00 in the morning.
“I know. I try not to because you just tend to get this glassed over look like I’m speaking a foreign language. But so yeah, Frankie offered me a job the first night. At the bookshop I work for his wife. But they both just sort of adopted me. I babysit their kids sometimes. I am invited to family functions. My flatmate was dating Lizzy’s cousin so that sort of helped when it came to us coming to family functions.”
“That’s awesome. This is a really cool bar. I loved the first time I came here looking at everything on the walls. They all tell a great story.”
“The relic behind the bar is my favorite part,” Annie said laughing and pointing at Patrick. “You’ll have to meet him tonight. He and his son own this place. They moved here from Ireland when Frankie got married.”
“That’s cool.” I tried to remain as quiet as possible so that my sister and Annie could talk. I wanted them to get to know each other. “So my brother has been stalking you for a while.”
“I have not,” I defended.
“You have Harry. Admit it. You called me the second time you met this girl and gushed about her.”
“Okay, I may have done that.”
“It’s okay,” Annie said smiling at me. “I gushed about you a lot too.”
“I rather like that my brother is smitten. It makes him and easy target.”
“Gemma,” I said dropping my head to the table. I felt Annie’s fingers in the back of my hair massaging my scalp. “She likes to relentlessly pick on me about you.”
“That’s the job of a sister,” she said smiling. “Plus she’s right. Sometimes you are an easy target.”
“We are going to get along great,” Gemma said. “Where did you get your dress by the way? I love it.”
“Lizzy’s sister owns this really great boutique and we took a trip up there with the girls a few months ago. I bought more clothes than I should’ve. She sends me pictures of everything she has that she thinks I will like and then mails them to me. It’s amazing. You’d love her shop judging by your outfit and what I’ve seen in pictures your brother has shown me. Maybe someday we can take the trip.”
“Where is her boutique?”
“Macclesfield.”
“That’s not far from where Mum lives,” Gemma said. “We grew up in Holmes Chapel.”
“That’s awesome,” Annie said. “Lizzy’s Dad grew up just outside of Manchester. Lindsay’s husband works for a tech firm I think. I’m still so confused by what he does. But I know they lived in London up until he got his job like five or six years ago and moved to Macclesfield. It’s a beautiful area of the country. We drove because the girls can get a bit rowdy. I have wanted to go to Manchester but haven’t made it yet.”
“We’ll go,” I said. “Maybe get you to a match.”
“Oh dear, are you a footie fan?” Gemma asked.
“Not entirely. I have a lot of friends back home that are and tried to teach me. And my ex is a big fan. But we couldn’t agree to save our lives. He’s a Tottenham fan.”
“She’s a Man U fan,” I said proudly. “Though yesterday she was trying to get me to take her to Emirates Stadium.”
“My best friend when I was in college was a diehard Arsenal fan. But I come from a family where football involves a quarterback and a tight-end not a goalie and a mid-fielder. Dad tried to make me promise I wouldn’t become a ‘soccer’ fan when I moved.”
“But she’s a Man U fan.”
“Yes, I am,” she said laughing. “David Beckham could convince me to be a fan of a team based in Antarctica.”
“I think he could do that for most women,” Gemma said. “So are you excited about your birthday Harry?”
“I am. I’m glad Annie doesn’t have to work and can be with us.”
“Me too,” Gemma said. “Mum is excited to meet her.” I heard Annie take a deep breath. “She’s going to love you Annie.”
“I hope so. I’m really nervous about it. I just worry that she won’t like me. Or won’t like that her son is dating someone so much older. Or will think I’m after your brother for some nefarious reason.”
“She will know you aren’t baby,” I said kissing her cheek.
“Mum will like you. You’re smart, kind, you make my brother laugh and smile like a kid on Christmas. She’s going to love you. She said that she and Robin were going to come down early so that they could have lunch with you so that there’s time to get to know you without everyone else around.”
“That will be good. Are you coming?” Annie asked.
“I wasn’t planning on it. I wanted a chance for you guys to get to know each other. I’ll be at The Spaniard’s Inn Saturday night for his birthday though. Are you guys doing something Friday night?”
“We hadn’t talked about it yet,” I said. “I know her flatmate’s boyfriend or ex boyfriend or whatever Nate is will be in town. We may go out with them Friday.”
“You’d be okay with that?” Annie asked.
“Yeah, if that’s what you want to do. If not I figured we could hang out here. Maybe stay at yours so we don’t have to drive if we come here.”
“We can figure it out.” Annie smiled. She looked less nervous. We ordered dinner and Cameron brought us another round of drinks. The girls were laughing together which made me so happy. Annie excused herself for a moment to go talk to Frankie about work.
“She’s wonderful Harry.”
“Thanks. I think she’s pretty great.”
“She is. And you look happy. Mum is gonna love her. She told me to report to her tonight and there’s nothing I can say other than being jealous of her jacket and dress.” I caught Annie doing a shot with Cam and Patrick.
“Baby, you work two jobs tomorrow. Go easy on the shots,” I called. She stuck her tongue out at me as she put the shot glass down.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Yes you do,” Cameron replied and I laughed.
“Who is that?” Gemma asked.
“Her ex. His name is Cameron.”
“He’s fit.”
“Hey!”
“You’re my brother. Totally not allowed to think you’re fit. He is fit. I mean if you like the scruffy tattooed guy who you can tell has an incredible body under that shirt.”
“I hate you,” I said.
“You do not.” I watched Annie down the last of her drink and get another before coming back.
“How many shots did you do while you were away from me?” I asked.
“Only one. I’m trying to be a good girl. But Cam poured me the shot without asking. Sorry.” She pouted at me before I kissed her.
“You’re fine.”
“So Gemma what do I need to know going in to things with your brother? Like what is your family like or his friends?” Annie asked.
“Well Mum is a hugger. She’s gonna hug you and probably kiss your cheek the second she sees you. She’s totally protective over Harry though. She hasn’t gotten to meet many girlfriends. Robin is really funny. He and Harry will get on a roll and I feel like I laugh for hours. Louise will be there, she is really fantastic. You’ll love her. And you will have found your key to avoiding box color for your hair. She does Harry’s and mine sometimes. If she doesn’t it’s often her sister Sam or one of the other stylists at Bleach. Lou’s daughter Lux is the funniest little thing. Do you like kids?”
“My niece is my life,” Annie said. “She got to FaceTime your brother Saturday.”
“Yeah I may or may not have answered the FaceTime knowing it was her mother. I got to chat with Gigi. She’s cute.”
“As for our Dad. He’ll adore you because my brother adores you. I think he’s gonna like any woman Harry brings around. Mum is a bit more selective. The guys he’s around day in and day out are a riot. You’ve met Niall.”
“Oh have I ever. He pranced around my flat partly naked most of the weekend. I’ve met Ben too. He actually was who sent your brother in to my bookshop.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. Ben is a good guy. I have a feeling you will be along with Julian really well. And for reasons other than you are both American. You give me the same vibe that he does.”
“Kiddo, here’s another shot for you,” Cameron said as he slid in to the booth next to my sister. “Hi, I’m Cameron and you are beautiful.”
“She’s also Harry’s sister.”
“So?”
“Yeah that’s weird. No,” Annie said laughing. “And I will not do another shot. Harry reminded me that I work both jobs tomorrow.”
“So the boyfriend says no and you listen? This is new. You never listened to me.”
“You just annoyed me. I still like him a bit.” She didn’t flinch at boyfriend that time.
“It’s mainly because he is basing it off of his own tolerance level. Harry is a weird drunk. He gets really touchy feely with everyone. I’ve watched him try to give lap dances to people, women and men. He stripped to his pants and ran around the halls of a hotel when we were in Japan and he was drunk. Though he had gone as Miley Cyrus for Halloween that night. So I’m not sure if it was the alcohol or if he was channeling Miley.”
“Hey! That was a good costume. Even she said I looked good.”
“Annie and I went as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf,” Cameron said. Annie just shook her head.
“What else were we going as? You refused to shave that godforsaken beard. Our other option was like Duck Dynasty or some other sort of lumberjack character.” She and Cameron seemed so comfortable talking about their past. I didn’t know whether I should feel awkward or not.
“Harry was being lazy. He put his hair in weird little ponytails, wore tiny little shorts because he likes being naked and that was as close as we’d let him and molested a foam finger while drunk all night.” Gemma pulled up a picture of us on her phone and showed it to Annie.
“Oh he sent me a picture of he and Olly. Fucking disturbing.” Annie started to laugh. “He did the Miley tongue thing almost too well.”
“You like my tongue quite a lot,” I whispered in her ear. She laughed uncomfortably before elbowing me. We sat talking to my sister as she continued to embarrass me. I forgot the number of pictures she had of me on her phone being absolutely stupid. She also had a video from when she was on tour with us of me, drunk, talking about missing Annie. That was by far the worst. It was around 11:30 when we went out and climbed in to the car to head home. We made it to the stairs outside of my bedroom when Annie started to undress as she walked. The jacket was off and thrown in a chair immediately upon entering the room. Her boots followed before she pulled the dress over her head and slipped out of the tights. She threw her bra on top of her jacket and took the t-shirt I’d discarded earlier in the day and pulled it on before climbing in bed. “Someone sleepy?”
“Unbelievably so. And tomorrow is gonna be such a long day. I work 10-5 at the bookshop then have to be at work by 6 and I’m not off until probably 11 or 12. I’m gonna pass out tomorrow.”
“How early do you work Thursday?” I climbed in next to her and snuggled her close to me.
“Noon. Lizzy tries to convince me not to work when I am at the bar the night but I know she also needs me there.”
“You did really well tonight. Gemma likes you I can tell.”
“I know. She text messaged me when we left. Evidently she stole my number out of your phone. Said we needed to have a girls’ day and go shopping soon. I like her a lot. Makes me slightly less nervous about meeting your Mum. But only slightly. She won’t have funny videos of you talking about me or humping Olly Murs and a foam finger all at the same time.”
“No my Mum won’t. But she will love you.”
“Always a good thing.” She gave me a kiss before she got settled in and was asleep shortly. Tonight with Gemma went better than I could’ve imagined. Annie did great. I knew she was nervous but she didn’t show it. She was still her bright, cheery, funny self. I smiled watching her sleep before I drifted off with her.

Notes

Thank you for being patient. Work is draining me and I can't wait for Christmas to be over because I just want to sleep for a few days.

What did you think of Gemma and Annie meeting? There are so many different ways I imagined it going in my head. Some fun. Some highlighting Annie's nerves. Some slightly awkward. But I felt like Annie and Gemma would get along, if for no reason other than they both care about Harry. But we've only gotten the sister out of the way...Mum is hanging out in the distance to make Annie nervous even further. What do you think will happen there? Do you think Harry should've told Niall about Nate? And we still don't even know what, if anything, Kim knows about Nate's intentions! I know I'm anxious to see them around each other again. What will she do?

I'd love to hear what you thought, and again thank you for your patience with me. It was a long weekend. I hope to have another update before Christmas and fingers crossed the one shot prequel series started soon as well.

The song used for the title is an old favorite of mine. Alison Krauss has such a distinct voice and one of my absolute favorites. If you've never listened to her do it! Also listen to her and Robert Plant sing together. It's like they were made for each other.

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