Dusk [sequel to Aurora] - HS AU

Chapter 18

Oh I'm a mess right now
Inside out
Searching for a sweet surrender
But this is not the end
I can't work it out
How going through the motions
Going through us
And oh I've known it for the longest time
And all of my hopes
All of my own words
Are all over written on the signs
But you're on my road
Walking me home

Song: I'm A Mess, by Ed Sheeran

***

Harry's P.O.V:

"I guess I'm asking you to marry me."

The words fall out of Aster's mouth and seem to linger in the air between us, echoing in my ears like some kind of reverberating music.

Honestly, I'm happy to be sitting on the bed right now - if I was standing, I would've fell to my arse at this point, I can barely feel my legs.

"W-- What?" I manage to blabber, with my heart racing so fast inside of my chest I'm quick to close my lips, afraid it might jump up my throat and out of my mouth.

Her smile gets bigger as she looks at me with sly eyes, still kneeling on the soft white rug on the floor, as naked as the day she was born. Her cheeks are flushed red, as well as her chest, as if she's experiencing the same adrenaline that I am right now, though I don't think it's possible.

I'm so utterly and completely shocked,  I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming right now.

"So... Will you marry me, Curly?" She insists, still repeating the words I can't believe that are actually being said right now.

"Are you... Are you serious?" I raise my eyebrows, barely recognizing my own voice, that's how fucking shocked I sound.

Aster throws me a stern look. "I mean, I don't have a ring yet, but, yeah. Marry me?" She asks, again.

It feels like I'm having an outer-body experience as I jolt from the bed, kneeling on the floor in front of her and grabbing both her tiny hands and holding them inside of my palms.

"Honey Bunny..." I mumble, my voice not doing a thing to hide how fucking astonished I am. "I've been meaning to marry you ever since we were little and you made me play house with you and your dolls."

Her smile grows bigger, her beautiful eyes sparkling and glossing at the same time, which is confusing, I can't tell if she's on the brink of tears out of happiness or because of her nerves.

What would she even be nervous about? She knows I'm hers since day one, there's no way she can be afraid of my answer being anything other than fuck yes.

"Why are you crying?" I ask her, frowning as I watch a fat tear escapes from her eye and rolls down her cheek.

She shakes her head, the breathtaking smile still on her lips. "N-nothing, I'm just emotional."

I bite down my bottom lip, pulling her body closer to mine so I can wrap my arms around her and hug her for dear life. Shoving my face onto her neck, I inhale deeply, capturing the jasmine honey scent of her cologne that's ever so present, I'm sure its imprinted on her skin at this point. She hugs me back, and I notice her body shaking softly.

"You know the mess that I am..." I mumble against the curve of her neck, holding her tighter. "You know I've been at a dark place for a while now, and I don't think I'll ever be the same man I was before everything."

My heart races incredibly fast in my chest as I blurt out the words I'm the most afraid of. I love Aster with my whole heart, and I didn't lie when I said I've been meaning to marry her since we were little. I feel it, deep in my bones, that we're meant to be together, that we were made for each other, and if I believed in God, I would definitely say he put her in my life ever since I was 2, to make sure that my heart would never belong to anyone else.