Over Again
Chapter 7
Chapter seven
I felt the light shine through my eyelids, and they slowly fluttered open. I stirred lightly, glancing towards the windows where the sun shone in freely, the drapes wide open. I realized that I was sprawled over Harry’s chest, tucked under the crook of his arm. I looked up at him and he smiled at me.
“Good morning, love,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.
“Good morning,” I smiled back, closing my eyes in sheer content. I felt him gently kiss my head and smiled in response. We laid there for an immeasurable moment, neither one of us saying a word. Interrupting our pleasant Wednesday morning was the sound of Harry’s phone. He sighed loudly and reached around me to pick it up from where it rested on the night table beside me.
“Hello,” he said, stifling a yawn. I snuggled in closer to his side, as he rubbed my back. “What do you mean the meeting is pushed up?” he asked, becoming seemingly alert all of a sudden. “Oh,” he seemed to relax a bit. “Well that shouldn’t change things too much.” He said before another pause as the other person on the line began speaking. “Alrighty,” he said. “We’ll see you guys Friday morning at noon.” I heard laughter on the other end of the phone and Harry rolled his eyes. “Oh God,” he smiled. “Not now!” he laughed before hanging up the phone and throwing it on the bedside table next to him.
“Who was that?” I asked him.
“That was Louis.” He told me, shifting out from under me to stand up and pick his shirt up from the ground, which I hadn’t even seen him remove. I looked at him questioningly, which he noticed as he turned to look at me again. “The meeting on Friday has been moved up a couple hours, that’s all.” He smiled at me.
“Oh,” I said. “Well that’s okay; I can go shopping or something for a couple of hours while-”
“Sarah,” he cut me off, smiling at me crookedly. “You’re not leaving our house just because there’s a meeting. A meeting which you are invited to, by the way.” I smiled at him. I loved the way he said “our house”, like I belonged there, like we belonged together. I jumped up off the bed, stretching on my tippy toes to reach his lips. He placed his thumb under my chin, pulling it up towards him. “Now,” he laughed quietly. “These boxes aren't gonna pack themselves into my car.” He turned for the door and walked into the living room.
We loaded the boxes into his car, and truthfully there wasn’t that much room left for us, but we managed to squeeze in. The trip back to the house was a nice one. The radio played softly and Harry and I joked incessantly. There was a lull in conversation after a while, however, and so I took the opportunity.
“Harry?” I asked him. He smiled.
“Yes, love?”
“Tell me about the boys.” I looked at him, gauging his reaction. He smiled, clearly unperturbed by my question.
“Well,” he began. “Liam is commonly known as the ‘good one’, but he can party just like the rest of us. He’s also undyingly loyal; as I’m sure Danielle will tell you.”
“That’s right,” I realized. “He has a girlfriend. So does Louis, right?”
“Yep, Eleanor. There’s also Perrie, Zayn’s girlfriend. I think you’ll all really hit it off.” He winked at me.
“Oh,” I said. “Will they be coming on Friday, too?” I was curious, but also a little nervous. I’d never been super close friends with any girls, mostly spending my childhood with Harry and his friends, who eventually also became my friends. Harry leaned over and kissed my forehead gently, giving me a knowing smile, seeing the worry on my face.
“Don’t worry, babe.” He said to calm me down. “Perrie is on tour, so she won’t be able to come but Eleanor and Danielle will.” I looked up at him and pecked his lips quickly.
“Sounds good.” He smiled at my attempt to be positive before continuing to speak, trying to ease my nerves.
“Then there’s Zayn, and don’t be mistaken by his badass appearance, he’s a softie.” I laughed at this, for some reason I’d always thought that of him. “Niall is just a ton of fun all the time, there is no bringing that boy down.” He smiled and shook his head fondly. “And of course there’s Louis, and he loves to poke fun and be sarcastic but once you get to know him, he’s the best friend you could ask for. They all are really.” I nodded, pretending to absorb everything he’d just said, but really I was thinking about how much had changed in the time we’d been apart. Not going to lie, I may have been a bit jealous; I didn’t like feeling like I had to compete for Harry’s time, but there was a larger part of me that really just wanted to be friends with them, too. These thoughts, however, were interrupted as Harry pulled up in front of the house, not bothering to park in the garage, to make unpacking the contents of my flat easier. Harry and I each took a box and once both were settled in the entranceway Harry scooped me up into his arms and planted a firm, lingering kiss on my lips and whispered, “Welcome home.”
--
It was five o’ clock in the evening, and Harry and I now sat in our room, surrounded by all of our belongings. It had taken several long hours to reach this point; the hours made all the longer as being so close to Harry and the bed had made our task seem irrelevant. Yet we persisted, and now we were finished, and so we sprawled out on the bed, hugging each other close. Laying there next to Harry, I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend a Wednesday evening. Which is why I was very disappointed when Harry sat up.
“Harry,” I whined. He laughed, leaning down to press his lips to my forehead before pulling back.
“Love, at some point in time we have to make dinner,” he sighed, but I persisted.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, pausing a moment cheekily before adding, “For food.” I raised my eyebrows at him, and he laughed loudly.
“Well then,” he smiled as he pressed his lips to mine. “I certainly won’t force you.” He trailed off, leaving kisses on my neck before returning to my mouth. I reached my hands up into his hair, tangling my fingers in his curls, so lost in the moment that I was startled by three distinct knocks. I broke our kiss, and Harry explored the length of my neck, oblivious while I looked towards the door.
“Harry,” I mumbled against his lips as he tried to reclaim them. “Harry did you hear something?” I asked him as he pulled me into a tighter embrace and continued with his trail of kisses.
“Not a thing,” he said breathlessly without looking up at me. I lifted his face back to mine, trying to restore my previous mood. He leaned me into the pillows, his hands caressing the length of my thigh. I closed my eyes, losing any thought other than Harry, deepening our kiss, tracing his lips with my tongue. Suddenly the doorbell sounded, causing both of us to sit up and look towards the door. Harry looked confusedly towards it before standing up. I got up after him.
“Told you I heard something!” I teased him as we made our way down the stairs. He laughed and entwined our hands.
“Unfortunately you were right,” he laughed giving me a wistful look. “But I fully intend on picking up where we left off.” He winked as he lifted our hands to place his lips on mine. We reached the door, and Harry began reaching for it.
“I’m going to make us some tea.” I told him.
“Alright, sounds good,” he smiled. “I’ll be there in a sec.” He gave me a quick peck on the mouth and I turned round the corner towards the kitchen. Just as I entered and flicked on the kettle, I heard Harry.
“Oh my God! Mum!” he exclaimed.
“Aww, my baby!” I heard Anne. A smile instantly lit up my face and I began heading back towards the front door but stayed behind the corner so as not to intrude in their moment.
“What are you doing here, mum?” Harry asked happily, clearly just as surprised by her visit as I was.
“Well, we were in the area and I have--”
“We?” Harry asked. “Where’s Robin? Or are you here with Gemma?” he asked hurriedly, cutting Anne off and looking over her head, searching for them in the darkness.
“Harry, let me finish.” She laughed. “I’m here with Robin, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about and it just couldn’t wait till tomorrow!”
“Alright,” Harry hesitated and I peeked round the corner to see his tentative smile. “But where is Robin?”
“He’s at the hotel,” Anne said, her tone creating suspense. “He thought he would let me share the news with you privately.” She smiled widely. I didn’t want to over hear something I shouldn’t so I decided it was time to reveal myself. I walked around the corner, acting naturally.
“Anne!” I smiled. “I thought I heard your voice!” She looked at me, and smiled largely.
“Oh my goodness! Sarah?!” She reached around and hugged me tightly. She pulled back to look from me to Harry confusedly. “What...” she drifted off and breathed out a laugh. “Clearly I’m out of the loop.” She laughed, looking pointedly at Harry.
“I left you a message at home, but apparently you were too busy to answer.” He defended himself and Anne laughed.
“Well, that’s tied into what I’ve been trying to tell you!” She smiled, pretending to be exasperated, but we all knew that she never felt that way with Harry for real.
“Well, I was just making some tea,” I said. “I’ll bring it out for you guys and you can talk in the living room.” I suggested. Harry nodded looking towards Anne.
“Nonsense, don’t be silly,” she said, wrapping her small arm about my waist as she began ushering me into the kitchen. “I’ll help you with the tea.” She winked at me as Harry followed along behind us.
Once in the kitchen, Harry sat at the table as Anne and I arranged the spread. Moments later, we were all sitting at the table with our steaming cups of tea.
“So,” Harry said. “What’s this fantastic news of yours, mum?”
“Ah-ah, Harry,” she smiled. “All in good time, but first I need to get caught up on what’s going on with you kids!” She smiled. Harry smiled at me, and reached his hand over to eclipse where mine rested on the table. I looked back into his eyes, continuing to gaze into them even as he spoke.
“We’ve picked up from where we left off.” He said. I could feel Anne’s gaze on us, and I turned to meet her eyes. She was smiling, but she looked like she was holding back tears.
“Anne,” I reached my free hand across the table to hold hers in comfort. She blinked a couple times and laughed.
“I’ve missed you two together so much, you have no idea!” She said. “I’m so happy you’ve worked things out, not gonna lie, it took you long enough!” We all laughed. “Robin’s going to be so pleased!” She gushed. “It’s perfect timing, too!” Harry and I looked at her in wonderment.
“Prefect time for what, mum?” Harry asked her.
“Robin proposed,” she said, a smile stretching across her lips and colour rising into her cheeks.
“Congratulations!” I said excitedly.
“Mum, that’s fantastic!” Harry grinned.
“When is the wedding?” I asked her eagerly.
“We’re thinking May. That should make attending easier for you Harry!”
“Mum, there’s no chance I’d miss it no matter when it was!” Harry said, full of affection. “Where are you thinking of having it?”
“Well that’s the other thing,” Anne began. “Robin and I have been talking about it for a while now, and we’ve decided that we’re moving back home.”Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Home as in Holmes Chapel?” he asked.
“The very same.” Anne laughed. Harry kissed my forehead, unable to hide his enthusiasm. Anne watched us, an impossibly large smile playing out on her features at the sight of us together. “Oh, this is all just perfect!” Anne gushed.
“Yes,” Harry said looking into my eyes. “Yes, it really is.”
I felt the light shine through my eyelids, and they slowly fluttered open. I stirred lightly, glancing towards the windows where the sun shone in freely, the drapes wide open. I realized that I was sprawled over Harry’s chest, tucked under the crook of his arm. I looked up at him and he smiled at me.
“Good morning, love,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.
“Good morning,” I smiled back, closing my eyes in sheer content. I felt him gently kiss my head and smiled in response. We laid there for an immeasurable moment, neither one of us saying a word. Interrupting our pleasant Wednesday morning was the sound of Harry’s phone. He sighed loudly and reached around me to pick it up from where it rested on the night table beside me.
“Hello,” he said, stifling a yawn. I snuggled in closer to his side, as he rubbed my back. “What do you mean the meeting is pushed up?” he asked, becoming seemingly alert all of a sudden. “Oh,” he seemed to relax a bit. “Well that shouldn’t change things too much.” He said before another pause as the other person on the line began speaking. “Alrighty,” he said. “We’ll see you guys Friday morning at noon.” I heard laughter on the other end of the phone and Harry rolled his eyes. “Oh God,” he smiled. “Not now!” he laughed before hanging up the phone and throwing it on the bedside table next to him.
“Who was that?” I asked him.
“That was Louis.” He told me, shifting out from under me to stand up and pick his shirt up from the ground, which I hadn’t even seen him remove. I looked at him questioningly, which he noticed as he turned to look at me again. “The meeting on Friday has been moved up a couple hours, that’s all.” He smiled at me.
“Oh,” I said. “Well that’s okay; I can go shopping or something for a couple of hours while-”
“Sarah,” he cut me off, smiling at me crookedly. “You’re not leaving our house just because there’s a meeting. A meeting which you are invited to, by the way.” I smiled at him. I loved the way he said “our house”, like I belonged there, like we belonged together. I jumped up off the bed, stretching on my tippy toes to reach his lips. He placed his thumb under my chin, pulling it up towards him. “Now,” he laughed quietly. “These boxes aren't gonna pack themselves into my car.” He turned for the door and walked into the living room.
We loaded the boxes into his car, and truthfully there wasn’t that much room left for us, but we managed to squeeze in. The trip back to the house was a nice one. The radio played softly and Harry and I joked incessantly. There was a lull in conversation after a while, however, and so I took the opportunity.
“Harry?” I asked him. He smiled.
“Yes, love?”
“Tell me about the boys.” I looked at him, gauging his reaction. He smiled, clearly unperturbed by my question.
“Well,” he began. “Liam is commonly known as the ‘good one’, but he can party just like the rest of us. He’s also undyingly loyal; as I’m sure Danielle will tell you.”
“That’s right,” I realized. “He has a girlfriend. So does Louis, right?”
“Yep, Eleanor. There’s also Perrie, Zayn’s girlfriend. I think you’ll all really hit it off.” He winked at me.
“Oh,” I said. “Will they be coming on Friday, too?” I was curious, but also a little nervous. I’d never been super close friends with any girls, mostly spending my childhood with Harry and his friends, who eventually also became my friends. Harry leaned over and kissed my forehead gently, giving me a knowing smile, seeing the worry on my face.
“Don’t worry, babe.” He said to calm me down. “Perrie is on tour, so she won’t be able to come but Eleanor and Danielle will.” I looked up at him and pecked his lips quickly.
“Sounds good.” He smiled at my attempt to be positive before continuing to speak, trying to ease my nerves.
“Then there’s Zayn, and don’t be mistaken by his badass appearance, he’s a softie.” I laughed at this, for some reason I’d always thought that of him. “Niall is just a ton of fun all the time, there is no bringing that boy down.” He smiled and shook his head fondly. “And of course there’s Louis, and he loves to poke fun and be sarcastic but once you get to know him, he’s the best friend you could ask for. They all are really.” I nodded, pretending to absorb everything he’d just said, but really I was thinking about how much had changed in the time we’d been apart. Not going to lie, I may have been a bit jealous; I didn’t like feeling like I had to compete for Harry’s time, but there was a larger part of me that really just wanted to be friends with them, too. These thoughts, however, were interrupted as Harry pulled up in front of the house, not bothering to park in the garage, to make unpacking the contents of my flat easier. Harry and I each took a box and once both were settled in the entranceway Harry scooped me up into his arms and planted a firm, lingering kiss on my lips and whispered, “Welcome home.”
--
It was five o’ clock in the evening, and Harry and I now sat in our room, surrounded by all of our belongings. It had taken several long hours to reach this point; the hours made all the longer as being so close to Harry and the bed had made our task seem irrelevant. Yet we persisted, and now we were finished, and so we sprawled out on the bed, hugging each other close. Laying there next to Harry, I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend a Wednesday evening. Which is why I was very disappointed when Harry sat up.
“Harry,” I whined. He laughed, leaning down to press his lips to my forehead before pulling back.
“Love, at some point in time we have to make dinner,” he sighed, but I persisted.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, pausing a moment cheekily before adding, “For food.” I raised my eyebrows at him, and he laughed loudly.
“Well then,” he smiled as he pressed his lips to mine. “I certainly won’t force you.” He trailed off, leaving kisses on my neck before returning to my mouth. I reached my hands up into his hair, tangling my fingers in his curls, so lost in the moment that I was startled by three distinct knocks. I broke our kiss, and Harry explored the length of my neck, oblivious while I looked towards the door.
“Harry,” I mumbled against his lips as he tried to reclaim them. “Harry did you hear something?” I asked him as he pulled me into a tighter embrace and continued with his trail of kisses.
“Not a thing,” he said breathlessly without looking up at me. I lifted his face back to mine, trying to restore my previous mood. He leaned me into the pillows, his hands caressing the length of my thigh. I closed my eyes, losing any thought other than Harry, deepening our kiss, tracing his lips with my tongue. Suddenly the doorbell sounded, causing both of us to sit up and look towards the door. Harry looked confusedly towards it before standing up. I got up after him.
“Told you I heard something!” I teased him as we made our way down the stairs. He laughed and entwined our hands.
“Unfortunately you were right,” he laughed giving me a wistful look. “But I fully intend on picking up where we left off.” He winked as he lifted our hands to place his lips on mine. We reached the door, and Harry began reaching for it.
“I’m going to make us some tea.” I told him.
“Alright, sounds good,” he smiled. “I’ll be there in a sec.” He gave me a quick peck on the mouth and I turned round the corner towards the kitchen. Just as I entered and flicked on the kettle, I heard Harry.
“Oh my God! Mum!” he exclaimed.
“Aww, my baby!” I heard Anne. A smile instantly lit up my face and I began heading back towards the front door but stayed behind the corner so as not to intrude in their moment.
“What are you doing here, mum?” Harry asked happily, clearly just as surprised by her visit as I was.
“Well, we were in the area and I have--”
“We?” Harry asked. “Where’s Robin? Or are you here with Gemma?” he asked hurriedly, cutting Anne off and looking over her head, searching for them in the darkness.
“Harry, let me finish.” She laughed. “I’m here with Robin, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about and it just couldn’t wait till tomorrow!”
“Alright,” Harry hesitated and I peeked round the corner to see his tentative smile. “But where is Robin?”
“He’s at the hotel,” Anne said, her tone creating suspense. “He thought he would let me share the news with you privately.” She smiled widely. I didn’t want to over hear something I shouldn’t so I decided it was time to reveal myself. I walked around the corner, acting naturally.
“Anne!” I smiled. “I thought I heard your voice!” She looked at me, and smiled largely.
“Oh my goodness! Sarah?!” She reached around and hugged me tightly. She pulled back to look from me to Harry confusedly. “What...” she drifted off and breathed out a laugh. “Clearly I’m out of the loop.” She laughed, looking pointedly at Harry.
“I left you a message at home, but apparently you were too busy to answer.” He defended himself and Anne laughed.
“Well, that’s tied into what I’ve been trying to tell you!” She smiled, pretending to be exasperated, but we all knew that she never felt that way with Harry for real.
“Well, I was just making some tea,” I said. “I’ll bring it out for you guys and you can talk in the living room.” I suggested. Harry nodded looking towards Anne.
“Nonsense, don’t be silly,” she said, wrapping her small arm about my waist as she began ushering me into the kitchen. “I’ll help you with the tea.” She winked at me as Harry followed along behind us.
Once in the kitchen, Harry sat at the table as Anne and I arranged the spread. Moments later, we were all sitting at the table with our steaming cups of tea.
“So,” Harry said. “What’s this fantastic news of yours, mum?”
“Ah-ah, Harry,” she smiled. “All in good time, but first I need to get caught up on what’s going on with you kids!” She smiled. Harry smiled at me, and reached his hand over to eclipse where mine rested on the table. I looked back into his eyes, continuing to gaze into them even as he spoke.
“We’ve picked up from where we left off.” He said. I could feel Anne’s gaze on us, and I turned to meet her eyes. She was smiling, but she looked like she was holding back tears.
“Anne,” I reached my free hand across the table to hold hers in comfort. She blinked a couple times and laughed.
“I’ve missed you two together so much, you have no idea!” She said. “I’m so happy you’ve worked things out, not gonna lie, it took you long enough!” We all laughed. “Robin’s going to be so pleased!” She gushed. “It’s perfect timing, too!” Harry and I looked at her in wonderment.
“Prefect time for what, mum?” Harry asked her.
“Robin proposed,” she said, a smile stretching across her lips and colour rising into her cheeks.
“Congratulations!” I said excitedly.
“Mum, that’s fantastic!” Harry grinned.
“When is the wedding?” I asked her eagerly.
“We’re thinking May. That should make attending easier for you Harry!”
“Mum, there’s no chance I’d miss it no matter when it was!” Harry said, full of affection. “Where are you thinking of having it?”
“Well that’s the other thing,” Anne began. “Robin and I have been talking about it for a while now, and we’ve decided that we’re moving back home.”Harry’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Home as in Holmes Chapel?” he asked.
“The very same.” Anne laughed. Harry kissed my forehead, unable to hide his enthusiasm. Anne watched us, an impossibly large smile playing out on her features at the sight of us together. “Oh, this is all just perfect!” Anne gushed.
“Yes,” Harry said looking into my eyes. “Yes, it really is.”
Ah!! They're too adorable. Really, they are! And I just have this sneaking suspicion that a proposal is very near in their future. Maybe even at/ after his mom's wedding. I can't wait til the next chapter!! More please!!!
3/16/15