Aurelie. [H.S]

CHAPTER 36

10 December 2017

Kensington, London

Aurelie's POV

Bare branches stretched their way across the garden, enveloping us in our new house. The past few days had been madness with all of the moving and now silence had never felt so sweet, the crashing and banging of boxes being unloaded completely halting.

I smiled as I wrapped my hands around my comforting, classic mug of english tea, taking a sip as if it's liquid gold. I can't believe that I've missed out on Harry's tea making skills for so long.

A few birds make their way into the garden, the pitter patter of their wings interrupting the silence. I watch as they scour the trees and the grass, looking for some kind of food. "You know, I'm sure that my Mum bought us some bird feed and a stand thing for those birds." Harry's voice startles me, making me jump out of my skin. 

"You scared me!" I turn and face him after putting my drink down, so to not spill it. "And you do know that your Mum can't do everything for us, right?"

Anne has been staying with us whilst we get settled in: helping us unpack, doing impromptu trips to the 'supermarkets' and buying us groceries, bringing things down from her house that she doesn't need any more.

She's also been helping me with the gardening, which I had previously believed was an impossible task when I took a look at the bare, wintery garden. She's been a real asset around here, making the process of moving in ten times easier.

"I just don't want her to leave, I never really get the chance to see her for this long," he frowns, "But at the same time, it mustn't be much fun for you having your mother in law hanging around. I just hoped that if I kept her busy, you wouldn't mind too much- like she had a reason to be here with us."

I carefully slide off of the chair that I was sitting on and move closer to him, sliding my hands over his broad shoulders in an attempt to relax him. "I love Anne, and I haven't thought of her to be a nuisance once. I really like having her around, H." a smile soon replaces the frown.

"And you know what else I love about her being around?" I ask rhetorically, pulling on the strings of his hoodie. He bites his lip inquisitively, shrugging.

"How happy it makes you." I cringe at my own words after I've said them.

"It's either that or the fact that we've got our own place now, not just an apartment in San Francisco, our own place in London." he rests his chin on the top of my head, inhaling the scent of my freshly washed hair.

"Good morning." Anne quietly makes her way into the kitchen, still wrapped in her dressing gown. Harry strays from me with a kiss to my forehead so that he can greet his Mum, welcoming her with her own cup of tea.

"Little milk, half a sugar." he says as he gives it to her with steady hands, Anne recieving it with a smile the same as the one I had earlier.

"Doesn't he make good tea?" she asks me after taking a swig, leaning into Harry's shoulder and a look on her face which can only be described as the proud mother look.

"The best." I grin, pulling on the sleeves of the hoodie that he let me borrow last night. We all fall back into silence, everyone still a little weary eyed and dreary.

"Anne, I was thinking that we could go shopping today? The refrigerator is still pretty full but I've got quite a few general things to buy like toiletries and cleaning products. I was also thinking that we should buy some more towels, for the guest rooms and that." I hobble my way back onto the chair, needing to rest my ankle.