Poppy/H.S

Chapter 34

I woke up with a knowing smile on my face, counting down the minutes till I get off the train in Holmes Chapel. Harry is supposed to come pick me up at the train station and give me a ride to his mum's house, where the party is going to be taking place. Today is the day when Harry turns thirty years old, which is a huge milestone in his life, as he says.

Personally, I'm one of those people who think age is just a number. What really matters is the way you take care of yourself, and the way you feel about yourself. Life is about trying to achieve the most desired dreams of yours, and you can't let your age stop you and tell you otherwise. If you keep yourself healthy, which is what Harry is literally obsessed with, your stamina will remain just as good.

I turned twenty-eight about two weeks ago, and instead of being depressed by the fact I'm getting closer to hitting the age of thirty, like many women my age keep complaining about, and yet I'm still single, childless and living alone in Brighton, I smile at the memory of my birthday. The nineteenth of January, the day of my birthday, was the last time I saw Harry and Poppy, and I can't help but wish I could relive that day one more time.

Ever since Harry and I had that conversation on New Year's Eve, I've found myself wondering how it would be like if Harry really asked me out. He's mentioned he wanted to ask me out many times, but he'd never had the courage to do so, being reminded of the fact that Poppy is incredibly dependant on my presence. I understand his doubts, as he's confused about his feelings for me, since we've only known each other for a few months, and yet we've grown extremely close to one another.

However, I've never been so sure about anything in my life. I love him dearly, and the surprise he'd prepared for my birthday made me fall for him even more, as if it were possible for my heart to grow an extra inch so that it could fit all of my deep feelings for him.

I knew he and Poppy had something in mind, since Harry had mentioned he didn't want me to be alone on my birthday and wanted me to spend the special day with the two of them instead. What I didn't expect was for the two of them to knock on my front door early in the morning. I was fast asleep when I woke to the sound of the loud knocks, and I had no other option than to put on my bathrobe and answer the door in my pyjamas, a permanent blush on my face when Harry smirked in my direction, his eyes traveling up and down my body.

"Happy birthday, Valentine!" Poppy exclaims happily, and before I can thank her, Harry pops a party popper into my face, making me shriek.

"Oh my goodness, Harry!" I laugh, trying to remove all the small pieces from my hair, blushing at Harry's satisfied grin.

"Good morning, birthday girl," he smirks, leaning towards me and meets me in a hug, his strong arms wrapped around my body, squeezing the material of my silky bathrobe.

"You've scared the shit out of me," I whisper, hiding my face in the crook of his neck so that he doesn't see how embarrassed I am.

"I'm so sorry, my love," he whispers back cheekily, and I know very well he doesn't mean it. "Didn't mean to do that."

"You fucker," I scold him, whispering it to him so that Poppy doesn't hear the bad word. My lips almost touch Harry's earlobe as I let the cheeky words fly out of my mouth.

Harry's chest loves rapidly up and down as his breathing turns heavy, laughing out loud before planting a small peck on my right cheek. "Happy birthday, Vallie."

"Thank you," I pull away from him, clearing my throat as I bring the bathrobe closer to my body. "Please, come in," I encourage the family of two to enter my house, struggling to remember the last time they visited my place.