The Encounter |H.S|

59

A FEW YEARS AGO…

I check myself in the mirror, nervously adjusting my clothes before making my way downstairs only to have my mum pull me into the kitchen with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure this boy treats you well?"

"Mum, for the last time, yes he does," I laugh, patting her shoulder before helping her set the table, "besides, I wouldn't bring a boy I don't trust to have dinner with us all."

"That I know." She mutters with a shake of her head while my dad steps into the kitchen with furrowed eyes and crossed arms before a knock on the door is heard throughout the house.

"I'll go there!" I exclaimed, rushing towards the door as Norah shakes her head while sitting down on the couch with a snicker.

I open the door, grinning at the sight of Harry standing there with a visible tense posture and avoiding eye contact while holding a bouquet of flowers. "You alright?"

"No, I'm terrified but thank you for asking." He looks down at me with a frown before I take his free hand in mine to pull him inside, closing the door behind us.

I press a quick kiss on his cheek before helping him take his jacket off and hanging it by the front door, his hand latching onto mine as soon as we start walking towards the kitchen.

"Mum, Dad, Harry's here," I state while we both stop by the kitchen doorway before my mum immediately rushes closer to us and pulls Harry into a quick hug.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Harry!" She smiles brightly and Harry hands her the flowers while nervously smiling back at her.

She grabs the flowers, walking past my dad and giving him a slight slap on the arm so he comes to talk to Harry. He merely rolls his eyes before walking closer and extending his hand for Harry to shake, which he gladly does while my sister taps him on the back.

He turns around and she pats his shoulder awkwardly while my dad walks away to sit down by the table. "It's good to see you again, you look weird by the way." She jokes, stepping into the kitchen and sitting down as well while smirking at me.

I roll my eyes, pulling him to sit down on the chair next to mine which causes my dad to narrow his eyes at us, grabbing the bottle of wine at the centre of the table and pouring himself a glass.

"Harry, do you want some wine?" My dad asks, it's a trick question clearly and I side glance at Harry as my mum scoffs while taking her homemade lasagna out of the oven.

"Sure," He shrugs and my sister laughs loudly while my dad raises his eyebrows before shaking his head with a laugh, passing him the bottle, "do you want some as well, Eve?"

"No!" My dad exclaims, widening his eyes as my mum sets a rectangular glass bowl with lasagna in the middle of the table while shaking her head.

"Don't be so harsh, just a glass!" My mum instructs Harry, who nods with a laugh while doing what she said, pouring wine into my glass and Norah's as well, who was giving my mum a pleading look.

After everyone had food on their plates, the tension seemed to fade away gradually and Harry clearly started feeling less uneasy and more comfortable.  

"I hope you help Evelyn studying because she's so lazy to do it!" My mother laughs and I send her a playful glare as Harry chuckles, taking a sip of wine before replying.

"I try to, she's always trying to distract herself from actually studying… she's complicated." He shrugs and I slap his thigh lightly with furrowed eyebrows, causing him to smirk at me.

"I don't doubt that really, she never wants to do anything." My sister chimed in, raising her eyebrows when I slump on my seat with crossed arms.

"I was literally the only one who helped mum in the kitchen!" I defend myself, reaching forward to put more food in my mouth while my mum nods and my dad shakes his head.

Throughout the dinner, Harry often grabbed my hand and squeezed it before letting it go, the touch so fast that for some moments I thought it was just my imagination. It was noticeable that he had started to feel less timid around them and it warmed my heart because I could tell my parents actually liked him.

Harry even helped my mum and I clean the kitchen after everyone was full and ready to go to the living room, drying the dishes while my mum washed them and I helped set everything in their right place.

After that, I told them that I wanted to walk around outside for a little while with Harry to which they gave me weird looks. "It's dark outside, don't you think?" My sister frowns as Harry sets his hand on my lower back while we stand in front of them.

"We can defend ourselves pretty well." Harry laughs and my dad grins before waving us off, shaking his head while my mum leans back on the couch where she's sitting.

"You can go, not for too long though, be careful." 

Harry and I waste no time, rushing towards the front door and grabbing our jackets before stepping outside. As soon as the door closes behind us Harry crashes his lips against mine unexpectedly, his hands on my hips while I grab onto his arms.

We both start walking after putting on our coats, his hand holding mine while he swings them back and forth with a smile. It's a thing my parents don't know about, I sneak out of my room every single night just so we can walk around for a while.

It isn't a lot, but I truly do enjoy spending time alone with him, just the two of us and nobody else. 

"My parents liked you, how do you feel about that?" I ask, smiling up at him while he stops the movement of our hands, narrowing his eyes as if thinking of an answer.

"It's a bit predictable, nobody can resist my charm." He smirks when I nudge his side jokingly, letting go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

We quickly find our usual spot on a bench at a nearby park, since the darkness of the night makes it much more available and quiet and the only sounds that are heard are the cars driving by once in a while and quiet chatter from people strolling in the distance.

After we both sit down, I decide to rest my head on his shoulder while playing with the rings of his free hand while he still had an arm around my shoulders. "I'm really happy that this turned out so well."

"Me too, I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." He laughs, kissing the side of my head as I close my eyes momentarily, patting his hand while chuckling to myself.

"You were being dramatic." I tease, earning a scoff from him and a pinch on my shoulder before he pulls his arm away to cup my cheek, staring seriously into my eyes with a big smile on his lips before talking.

"You're profoundly special to me ma chérie, I hope you know that because I  never had someone like you in my life."

I have to be honest, I really like writing these. I hope you're enjoying!♡