Arcane

chapter 85

Harry's pov

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My vision tunneled on Ember, watching as she talked with Carter who seemed to be beaming. She had a smile on her face but there was a tinge of sadness, I knew how much she wanted to tell her mum that we were going to get married on her own.

The sight of spending the rest of my life with her made my stomach flutter.

"Harry?"

I turned my gaze back to Ember's mum, forgetting I had been talking to her previously. I chuckled and felt my cheeks grow a bit red, "Right, sorry" She smiled and shook her head, "No need to apologize, I see you staring at my daughter like she's the only one in the room, you know."

Had I really been that obvious?

I heard her mom sigh, looking at Ember as well. "I saw the article just a few minutes before you two came." Her voice was a bit sad as well, and I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

It would be nice to have some moments that are documented for thousandths of other people.

I opened my mouth to answer but Ember came walking up to me, her hand on my chest as I wrapped mine around her waist. "Ready to go home?" She asked me, and I nodded.

I liked that she thought of it as home, not just a place she was living with me.

We said goodbye to her mom and Carter and left, driving back home as I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel along the radio. Ember kept her gaze out the window, her eyebrow creasing as she was deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked, clearing my throat.

She turned to me with a raised eyebrow, "Hmm okay grandpa." I dropped my jaw in fake offense, happy that she was joking.

She sighed and grabbed my free hand and engulfed it in her own, resting it on her thigh. "It's just, I know it isn't much of a big deal but I really wished I was able to tell her. Not some random article that has no idea about any of us or our lives."

I get where she was coming from, except I kind of signed up for the life I have now, she didn't.

I pulled into the front of our apartment and put the car in park, turning my body towards Ember. I pulled my hand away from hers and used my pointer finger to turn her chin towards me, her eyes staring at mine as I took in a breath.

"I'm sorry about that, Ember. I know you didn't really sign up for this whole thing, and it sucks that a bunch of people know about our lives yet we have no clue who they are. But I love you, and we are spending the rest of our lives together. So fuck them, yeah?"

Her frown turned into a grin and she shook her head and laughed, the sound I had missed within the last hour, my heart squeezing in my chest.

"Yeah, fuck 'em."

I beamed and leaned forward to press my lips against her own soft ones, hearing her sigh and the tension leave her shoulders.

I loved that I was the person in her life who took the stress away, not add to it.

We headed upstairs, opening the door and hearing a loud meow come from the living room. Ember dropped her bags and rushed towards the couch, picking up the gray cat and bringing it to her chest. She pressed hundreds of kisses on the small creature, who's purrs were so loud I'm sure the neighbors could hear us.

I placed my own bags on the floor and walked to both of them, rubbing behind Finny's ears with a smile. "Hi little miss, nice to see you again"

A friend had kept Finny fed, a little too fed, she seemed a bit chubbier than when I left. Not that it didn't suit her.

Ember placed her back on the ground and gave Finny some food, coming back to sit down next to me, sighing as she hit the couch.

I placed my arm around her shoulder and pulled her in, turning on the tv.

"What'd you want to watch, love?"

Ember shrugged, "Whatever you want."

"Alright" I smiled, kissing the side of her head.