prince in jeans

t w e l v e

He was there...He was there and he was holding me...

His arms were strong...Tattooed...His cheeks were pale in the moonlight but his eyes were alive and they were dancing.

His lips were curved into a small smile, his dimples prominent in his cheeks and his heartbeat was slow...Steady...Real.

He was there and he was real.

None of us wanted to break the silence. It was too perfect, too beautiful.

So we lay there on the mattress, covered in the thin blanket, with empty mugs of coffee on the floor beside us and with the sliding door open beside us, letting in the moonlight.

Let's go home, Harry.

I...Yeah...Yeah.

Don't be mad at Lex.

I'm not.

Good, c'mon then.

We'd left the beach and he'd gotten into his car and I'd gotten into Lex's.

Then we were home and Lex was leaving, her cheeks still tear-streaked.

And we'd fallen asleep, finally home.

"I can't...Yeah, alright. Yeah, fine. Twelve, it is. Hmm. Okay, okay. Bye."

The phone was tossed onto the dresser and my eyes opened.

"Harry?" I propped myself onto my elbows with a yawn. He was standing next to the dresser, absent-mindedly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Morning." He shot me a smile. "Breakfast's already made."

"Thank you," I said as he walked over and bent over me, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

He just smiled before straightening and leaving the room.

Ten minutes later, I was standing in the cold kitchen, rubbing my arms. "Cold," I said to Harry as he observed me from the counter.

I began my meal and Harry left the kitchen to return with a grey, woolly sweater.

"Here." He held it out to me and I raised my arms. Chuckling, he helped me put it on and immediately, I was encased in warmth and cinnamon. "It's mine but it looks better on you."

It fell just below my hips and I wiggled in it. "Mm, nice and warm."

He laughed, kissed my cheek and then seated himself on the stool next to mine, curling his hands around his mug.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, staring at his coffee.

"Of course I did," I responded, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Got anything to do today?"

"I...Yeah. Meeting at Era Publishing Institute."

"I thought you didn't want to publish it there."

"I don't. Only doing it 'cause your clinic is right next to it."

I don't even know how to describe my feelings then. It was a mixture of disbelief, surprise and something else that fuelled me to kiss him then.

"That's sweet."

"Sweet?" he scoffed but his cheeks were pink. "I'm not sweet."

"No," I said, smiling. "You're my prince in jeans."

It went on like that for weeks. I continued my job, he continued his. We met up here and there but mostly, I'd go over to his house after I'd finished work and wait for him to come home. Then we'd fall asleep in his room, tangled in each other. We went to Writers Central the next week and it was splendid. Harry introduced me to some of his writer friends and we sat by the trees in the park, had a bonfire and then browsed through the books.

I learned his favourite colour: denim blue.

I learned his favourite food: spaghetti. 

I learned that he got up at five every morning.

I learned that his skin was his book and the ink was his words.

I learned that he liked his coffee with cinnamon.

I learned that his favourite word was 'Celeste'. I'd scoffed but he'd insisted.

I learned to love him.

"Cel," he murmured in my ear. Lately, he'd taken up the habit of calling me Cel and I found it quite endearing even though he grumbled about me calling him cute.

"Mhmm," I mumbled through the covers.

"Get up, time to go."

"Where?" I croaked, digging my head into the pillow.

"Somewhere, c'mon." He tugged at the blanket and it fell away, leaving me curled up and cold.

I groaned. "Harry, I'm freezing."

He laughed, softly, scooping me up. Immediately, I snuggled into his chest and let the heat radiate through me.

Then he was placing me in the even colder bathroom. "Get ready," he said, kissing the corner of my mouth, lightly.

"Shoo," I grumbled.

After I was ready, Harry took me to work, parked in the lot there and then kissed me goodbye.

"Be good," I murmured against his mouth and he smiled.

"Don't worry," he replied, softly. "Your prince in jeans will be a good little boy."

I pulled away with a laugh and spotted Lex coming out of the café next to the clinic. She waved at me and I took a step towards her only to be pulled back by the wrist.

His lips were on mine again, his hands around my face and I giggled, resting my hands on his sides.

"Don't kill anyone, yeah?" he smiled down at me and I pushed myself onto my tiptoes to kiss him again.

"What if it's the guy who was flirting with me last week?" I answered, innocently.

A smile covered Harry's lips. "On second thought, please kill him."

I laughed, he kissed me and I went to join Lex. Harry crossed the road and disappeared into Era Publishing Institute.

"It is so weird seeing my best friend date my brother," Lex crinkled her nose at me, clutching two coffee cups in her hand. "Here, I got you one."

I took it from her. "Thanks, Lex. And we're not dating."

"He takes you out, you stay at his house for the night, he drops you to work and kisses you. I think you're dating."

I sipped my coffee. "Well, he's never asked me."

"I think he doesn't want a label."

"I guess so."

"I think—"

"Stop thinking. You're not used to it."

"Hey!" She leapt to grab me but I was running into the clinic before she could.

"Morning, Celeste!" Kane waved at me from the counter where he was conversing with Beth and Samuel, one of the other interns.

"Hey," I walked over as Lex joined me.

"Doing well?" Samuel asked, nodding towards both of us. His sandy hair flopped onto his forehead, his cheeks pink from the cold outside.

And I was okay then because I knew I would see Harry at the end of the day and he'd whisk me home and order takeout and we'd stay up till three with coffee and hot chocolate and we'd be utterly and brokenly perfect because that's just how we were.

{aw aw that was cute wasn't it. fluff fluff fluff}