Allure (ENG)

Chapter 12 - Emily

My stomach grumbles as the waiter returns with our sandwiches.

"Enjoy," I say to Harry. He smiles at me.

"You too." I let out a sigh of relief when I take a bite out of my sandwich and my stomach calms down again.

"So you don't speak Spanish, but spend your summers here? I don't get it." He laughs.

"How much time do you have?" He laughs.

"I'm on holiday, I have all the time in the world." He nods.

"My mum was born in the Netherlands and my dad in England. My mum went to Spain after she graduated and that's where she met my dad. He was on holiday with some friend and my mum was behind the bar." It secretly reminds me of Harry and me, but I remain silent as I listen to him. "They were young and weren't planning on starting a family. Their relationship didn't last past my first birthday."

"Were you only one when they split up?" I ask with astonishment. He nods.

"They did try living together, here on Mallorca. My mum had taken over the bar from her parents, but my dad got homesick. He wanted to return to England, but my mum didn't want to leave." He takes a sip from his drink and my hand reaches for my own without realising it. I take a sip and put down my glass at the same time as Harry. "I lived here until I was four, or at least that's what they tell me. I don't actually remember any of that. My mum lived a more explicit life in the bar than my dad wanted for me. It seemed like a great idea to them to send me off to England. To live with him and attend school there. I spent the holidays with my mum, but she always spoke Dutch to me. After months of not seeing my mum, it was difficult enough to speak Dutch again, let alone adding Spanish to that mix. It just never worked out."

"Why did I have to hide myself this morning, by the way?" Harry takes a sip from his coffee.

"She doesn't have to meddle in my life." I nod. "I just want to keep you to myself for a little while longer." I try to hide my smile by taking another bite. "Now you should tell me something, otherwise you will be all done eating and I will still have to start." I laugh out loud and nod.

"What do you want to know?" I see his mouth pull into a straight line and his eyebrows pull together.

"What's the deal with you and Niall?" I sigh, but I understand where this is coming from.

"Niall and I have known each other our whole lives. Doomed to be best friends." Harry nods and takes another bite out of his sandwich. My eyes find his necklace again through his half open shirt.

"Does your necklace have a special meaning?" I point at it with my sandwich in my hands. Harry shakes his head.

"No, no. I was asking you questions, remember?" I smile with a piece of bread in my mouth and nod. "What is on your bucket list?" I look at him and swallow. To join the mile high club, to have sex on the beach, skinny dipping. A lot of things flash through my mind, but it's not what I say.

"Bungee jumping," I tell him. His eyes widen as he looks at me. I raise my shoulders. "It terrifies me, but at the same time I think it would be extremely cool. Your whole life dangling on a rope." I ponder his question. "I think I would want to try scuba diving. That seems like an incredible experience," I continue. All kinds of things pop into my head that I might want to try.

"Graduate," Harry says softly. I look at him and can't help but smile. "Exploring more of the world," he adds. I nod in agreement.

"Do you have anywhere in particular you would want to go?" He has a contemplating look on his face as he thinks about my question, but the sound of Harry's phone interrupts our conversation. Harry shakes his head before he answers.