Love Affair

Thirteen

"I kissed her for the first time to shut her up actually."

Harry belts out a soft laugh, cradling Poppy in his arms on the sofa in my office while I remain on my chair. She's a quiet little girl but it's obvious she's been in need of cuddles from her dad.

"That doesn't surprise me, you do get fed up easily."

I think he wants to wind me up constantly, Niamh thinks it's an affection thing because it gets him the attention he wants from me even if I'm hating him.

"Well, she was rambling, working herself up and I was like nineteen and didn't know how to stop her from spiralling into a panic attack...so I kissed her." Somehow he managed to get the story of Niamh and I's first kiss out of me, we were talking about my wife and he seems to enjoy hearing my stories.

"How did she react?"

A soft chuckle leaves me at the memory, it's so vivid in my mind. We were sitting on my bed at my parent's house, she'd received a nasty text from her mother who disagreed with her moving out. I think she started thinking she'd done the wrong thing, turning frantic so I kissed her in the hopes she'd melt into my arms and allow me to care for her.

"It was quick, she pulled back and just stared at me for a few seconds in silence."

"Did you think you'd done the wrong thing?" He questions.

I nod, "for a second I definitely thought I'd messed it all up with her, ruined my chance and that she'd leave."

"But she didn't." The grin painting his lips makes me smile to myself.

"She never did, neither of us had ever been with anyone else so we had to learn from each other." I explain, "we had no idea what we were doing, I was always second guessing myself but then looking back we were still so young."

"You taught each other how to love?"

"Yeah... she'd never had anyone love her unconditionally like she deserved and I'd never been able to love someone the way I wanted to, we slotted together well like that. I taught her to love and she taught me to accept love."

He shakes his head softly while combing his fingers gently through Poppy's curly hair, soothing her into a slumber that she looks like she needs. "I'd never think either of you grew up deprived of those feelings."

"Don't get me wrong, I was so loved by my family and all I ever felt was cared about. Niamh never had that with anyone, she doesn't think anyone loved her until she was seventeen... it makes me sad to think her only experience with love has been with me because she deserves so much more."

"You're perfect for Niamh, you both know how well you work. You were friends as kids, she must have known back then she had a friend in you."

I shrug my shoulders, "I'll never know really, she doesn't like to talk about anything that happened before she moved in with me."