Chapter twenty-two

Harry was decked out in black, skinny jeans with a suit blazer over top of his black and white dress shirt that was besotted with hearts.

Getting into the car outside the hotel, I could feel people’s stares, but I was confident that I looked like I belonged next to Harry. I wore a flouncy white, strapless dress that had a silver-patterned bodice decorated with all blue accessories. I’d even selected a blue iPhone case for the evening. My hair was in a low-lying bun with delicate tresses framing my lightly made-up face.

Birthday Dinner by authorsdescriptions featuring turquoise drop earrings It didn’t take long for fans to fill the street, pressing themselves against our tinted windows and trying to take pictures. I stuck close to Harry, a little afraid that someone was either going to get hurt or break into the car.

“This is crazy, how did they know we were leaving?” I asked in bewilderment.

Harry looked at me sheepishly.

“I may have been a slight moron and tweeted about tonight...” he trailed off, a guilty smirk peering at me from under his lashes. I laughed and rolled my eyes at him.

“Well, I never bragged to have the smartest boyfriend in the world, just the best,” I winked at him and he threw an arm around me, kissing my temple.

“Well, unfortunately, I love bragging about you... a little too much apparently,” he laughed as he looked past me at all the fans that had shown up after one little tweet.

I smiled to myself, secretly pleased at his admission. It felt amazing to know that the world knew how much we loved each other, even if it did make things a little harder. I glanced down at my phone to see that it was just past four o’ clock in the afternoon.

“Harry, babe, are you going to tell me where we are going?” I asked him, leaning against his shoulder. He looked down at me with a smirk.

“Well, I would but, unfortunately, it’s a surprise, sweetheart,” he said in a tone of regret.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“Considering that it’s your surprise, I’m sure you could tell me if you wanted to...” I persisted and he laughed at me gently.

“You’re right,” he said, kissing my hair. I looked up at him expectantly and he playfully pinched my nose. “But I don’t want to!”

--

Weaving in and out of fans made our journey ever so much slower. So many times a girl would stray past security and run out into the road. By the time we finally got on the highway, it was already six thirty, and my patience was waning. Harry still hadn’t told me where we were going, and my curiosity was getting out of hand.

Harry was aimlessly answering his mentions on twitter, something I had been doing earlier as well, but now my mind wandered; my thoughts as infinite as the highway that stretched before us. I watched as the ocean accompanied us on our trip, an unchanging view of seaside perfection displayed out my window. I hoped we were going to be by the water, that way maybe later Harry and I could walk the beach and go star gazing. I smiled quietly to myself at that thought, struck by the recollection of that night just over two weeks ago, when my parents had come over for dinner at our house. How long ago that seemed! But what hit me the most was the remembrance of what Harry had said to me afterwards. He’d promised to somehow give me a star. A silly, romantic idea that made me love him all the more. I looked over at him, and smiled adoringly at his face, his eyes focused on his phone in front of him. That night, he’d been so sure that I was the one giving things up for him when in reality, I was doing no such thing! Yes, I’d put university on hold for now, but Harry was bringing me to new, exciting places, showing me things I’d never seen! In a way, he already had given me a star; he’d given me himself.

My eyes took all of him in, starting with his impeccable face and travelling down the length of his body. When I came to his pocket, the outline of a small, square object caught my eye. I studied it thoughtfully and it seemed impossibly familiar. And then I had a thought... could it be the jewellery box from the other night? I stared at Harry, openly gaping which he thankfully didn’t notice, as I worked up the courage and nerve to ask him my aching question: what was in the box?

“Harry – ” I started.

“Here we are, darling,” he said simultaneously. Without another word, he was whirling me out from the car. I looked around, rather disorientated. The scene before my eyes was undeniably beautiful. The aqua blue waters of the pacific coast stretched before us as the late day sun danced along the rippling waves, reflecting in brilliant patterns.

“Wow,” I gasped. “It’s magnificent!”

Harry smiled down at me before softly pecking my lips.

“Glad you like it, babe,” he said taking my hand. We began walking along a dock, reaching far out into the bay, my blue heels clicking against the wood and sometimes becoming lodged in the spaces between the planks. At the end of the dock, there was a twenty-foot long speedboat, and I looked at it questioningly.

“Are we getting on this?” I asked Harry.

“No, sweetheart, I brought you here to look at it,” he teased me. I rolled my eyes at him and released his hand, stepping onto the boat without him. It would have made quite the statement had I not tripped and nearly fallen into the salt water below, but Harry’s powerful arms saved me. Harry smirked at me as I tried to muster what was left of my dignity and get into the boat.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I said coolly.

“Of course you are,” Harry said, climbing into the boat after me. I sat down near the bow, and Harry came down next to me, his arm snaking around my body as his hand found mine, intertwining our fingers. I looked down at our locked hands and smiled.

All of a sudden, the motor blasted to life, sending the bow of our vessel flying into the air where it bounced atop the waves. The wind blew wildly at my hair, my messy bun becoming even messier, but I didn’t care. I leaned into Harry, comfortable in his embrace as sea spray formed a halo mist around us. I squinted my eyes, catching sight of something looming off in the distance.

“What is that?” I asked Harry, squinting harder.

“That is our restaurant,” he said with a smile in his voice. I gazed out at the ominous shape, watching a building appear on a jut of an island, tall cliffs spearing up from the sea. We got closer and I could see a white terrace with what looked like a dance floor and outdoor seating for the restaurant. However, the closer we got, the less we saw of what was atop the cliffs. Eventually, we were too close to see anything and the boat came to a stop and docked. Harry stood up and stretched his long limbs. I stood too, and was automatically wobbly, barely able to stand, my balance affected by the waves.

“Come on babe, the car is waiting,” Harry said as he practically picked me up and lifted me from the boat.

“Good to see you’re not in a hurry,” I mumbled. Harry laughed loudly at my sarcasm.

“Stop your complaining,” he winked at me.

We got into a small little buggy-like vehicle that in contrast to the steep grade of the road, seemed like it would never make it to the top. We putted along, moving slowly but surely, up the mount. The view was fabulous, every angle picturesque. It seemed like just moments had gone by and already we were parked in front of the restaurant where a young man in a suit came to escort us.

“Good evening, Mr. Styles,” he said, giving Harry a slight bow before turning to me. “Welcome to Kinetica Taqueria, Ms. Wilson,” the fellow said, taking my hand gingerly in his gloved one and kissing it like he were from another time. He stood up straight and motioned for us to go in.

I looked wide-eyed at Harry with a small smirk.

“Fancy,” I mouthed at him, and he stifled a laugh, concealing it gracefully with his hand. We walked through the French doors, Harry ushering me in with his hand at the small of my back. The room was fantastic; everything was painted white making it feel very open. There were plants hanging from the ceiling and any other possible surface, the green contrasting brilliantly against the pale white pallor.

“This way please,” the young man said to us. He guided us outdoors to the far end of a shaded patio where there was a neatly set table for two made up bordering a wrought-iron fence. The view extended down to the ocean, our small dock in sight, against the vivid sunset that melted into the horizon like liquid topaz. Harry pulled out my chair for me, tucking me in closer to the table, before taking his own seat. I took another long glance around us.

“This place is amazing, how’d you find it?” I asked him.

He smiled at me before picking up and rifling through the menu.

“My mum mentioned it when she found out we were coming here,” he paused with a sly smile before continuing; still looking at the menu. “She said this is where Robin proposed.”

Proposed? Was this supposed to be a hint to the box in his pocket? Or was it just a nonchalant comment, a conversation starter? Maybe he thought I didn’t know about the box. Only that was stupid, Harry always wore his pants so tight, I’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to notice it. I was getting frazzled, I needed to calm down, so I started flipping through the menu, too; a little too quickly however, because Harry noticed.

“Sweetheart, are you alright?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I responded, infusing fake innocence into my tone. Harry put his menu down and reached across the table for my hand. I looked down at it before meeting his eyes.

“What is it?” he said simply. He knew me too well, I couldn’t hide anything. But I didn’t want him to know what I was thinking. I was concerned with how I was going to answer him when he asked? That was a stupid question, because I knew that I would say yes without a second thought, but was I ready? Marriage seemed like such a grown-up concept; far away and distant.

“Nothing, I’m just taking it all in,” I justified, looking back down at the menu. Harry gave me a knowing look but let it go, turning back to his menu. He seemed perfectly at ease, not the least bit anxious. He sat there across from me as if he had not a care in the world. I took a sip from the water that was in front of me, preparing my throat for conversation.

“Sarah,” Harry said suddenly and I looked up at him wide-eyed.

“Yes?”

Harry sighed, but was soon smiling again.

“I was going to wait, but I find that I just can’t,” he explained.

Oh goodness, I thought to myself, this was it. Everything I’d been fretting over the past couple of days was being brought to the forefront, positively inescapable. I sat up a tad straighter, preparing myself for what was surely to come next. I watched as he dug into his pocket and retrieved a small box. Only something was different; this wasn’t the same box I’d seen the other night. I could swear it was different! Less expensive, far more plain. Maybe he had switched boxes; but why?

“I have something for you. I never got a chance to give it to you on your birthday, but I’m kind of glad that I didn’t, it’s rather personal,” he smiled at me, his free hand seeking out mine again as I breathed in an excitedly anxious breath. My eyes locked on the box and I began to feel panicked. This was happening so fast! I thought I’d have more time to prepare, but now time was gone. My entire future was in this box, a daunting thought. I forced my eyes up and away from the box and focused on Harry’s face. His eyes were bearing into mine like shimmering emeralds, instantly filling me with a calmness that my body ached for. I loved him. This reassurance made everything else insignificant; all I would ever want was him. Sure, we were young but why should marriage be so terrifying? I began picturing myself in beautiful wedding gowns that flowed out behind me as I made my way to Harry, standing dashingly at the altar and suddenly I wanted it; desired it like I did air. I’d always wanted it, I’d just been scared to admit it, fearful that if I did, he’d leave again. Even now, I was scared that I’d be let down, that I was wrong about this box.

I took a deep breath, creating a solace in my mind. I was ready and smiled at Harry in encouragement. His returning smile was radiant and, without uttering another word, he flipped open the tiny box that sat between us.

Notes

Sorry about the wait, been a bit busy with school :( Let me know what you all think, because it makes me happy :) As usual please rate/comment/subscribe! Xx