Desolate - h.s. ✓

° forty-eight °*

     Harry's first game returning to baseball had gone incredibly well. It was as if he had never left, and everyone was glad to have him back. Emily and Noah were happy to see their uncle when the game was over, the two children hugging him tightly. He didn't let go of them for a while, his arms staying wrapped around them tightly. I could tell they were two of the most important people in his life, even if they were four and six. When he did let go of them, they grabbed onto his legs, Harry smiling down at them.

"You both are too much," he laughed.

"We love you!" Noah yelled.

"I know that," Harry smiled, picking them up quickly. "Hey, Gem, why don't Nicole and I put them in your car?"

She looked confused, but then seemed to understand. I told my family I would be back in a minute, Ethan telling me not to let Noah buckle himself. I thought that was a weird statement, but on the way to the car, Harry explained that the little boy I was holding had told Harry he could buckle himself. It turned out that he only fake buckled, because Harry was at a stop light with him in the backseat, and Noah was tapping on his shoulder.

"Noah, that's bad!"

"'S okay, Nicole! You gonna be Auntie Nicole, right?!"

Harry's face flushed as much as mine, and I told Noah that I wasn't sure about that one. He said he liked me a lot, and wanted me to date Harry. I laughed at that, buckling the little boy easily once we made it to the car. Emily buckled herself, Harry checking the buckle before starting the car. Noah asked for a kiss, so I pressed a kiss to his forehead, the little boy holding his hand out to me.

"Nicole, you're nice!" he shouted.

"Why are you so loud?" I asked softly "I'm not loud!"

"Yes, you are," Emily told him. "Mummy tells you allll the time, Noah."

"I'm not loud, you're loud!" he yelled.

"Alright, enough," Harry laughed, walking over to my side of the car. "Noah, you need to be quieter."

"Uncle Harry, no!"

"Noah," he stated sternly. "Quiet."

"Sorry, Uncle Harry."

"It's okay, buddy," Harry nodded, playing with the boy's hair briefly. "Get some sleep. Mummy and Daddy are walking to the car right now." 

I glanced over my shoulder, waving at Gemma and Peter. Harry's brother-in-law waved at me, and I smiled, telling him his kids were cute. Peter agreed, getting into the driver's seat after thanking me for putting his children in the car. Harry was still joking around with Noah when Gemma waved me over. She hugged me tightly, Harry's sister pulling back and smiling.

"He's happier because of you," she told me, my instinct being to look back at my boyfriend and see that he was laughing with both Noah and Emily. "Harry was an angry boy. Even with Ethan as his friend, my brother kind of hated everything. Thank you for making him happy."

"He means a lot to me," I told her honestly "I can tell. He talks about you like you're the greatest thing to ever happen to him, but I'm pretty sure it's true. He shows us pictures he takes of you, and he's always so enamoured, and his eyes light up, and I can tell he would not be the boy he is now without you."

Smiling, I thanked Gemma for saying such nice things. She hugged me goodbye, hugging her brother also. Harry waved goodbye to Peter and his niece and nephew, my boyfriend jogging over to me.

"What'd Gemma talk to you about?"

"Just about how proud of you she is."

"Really?" he asked.