ABTS 2: Chances

The Date Ends (Fantastically)

After dinner, Harry and I decide to walk around London, but we turn it into a little game. Avoid the super busy tourist-infested roads to avoid the fans. Fans mean pictures and pictures mean people will start questioning why me and Harry are dressed nicely and about in London alone. I haven't forgotten about my argument with Simon about bailing on him, I'd hate for pictures to go around to rub it in even more. 

I couldn't tell you when it happened, but Harry is holding my hand. His fingers are warm despite it being chilly outside but he keeps a firm grasp on my hand, like he never wants to let it go.

"So what do you plan to do now that you're home again and everything has kind of settled down?" Harry asks me.

"I... don't really know. I guess I have never really given it much thought." 

In college in Florida, I was majoring in sales promotion and marketing, although I fell short of ever getting my degree because I left behind everything I knew for a man. And not to mention what happened to Hannah. My heart still aches knowing what really happened to her, I wish I could hug her one last time. I don't even hold any resentment for her sleeping with the man I loved at the time, if anything, I hold a lot of guilt, because she'd still be here if I never fell in love with him.

If she were still here, I think that we would have probably moved back to London when we both got our degrees. She wanted to be a nurse and she'd be perfect at it too. I can see it all now. Her coming back to our shared apartment in the heart of London. She just worked a twelve hour shift. I spent all day replying to emails to get my clients the best brand deals in the country. We share a whole bottle of wine on our suede couch and gossip about how the people we went to school with are pregnant now or married to old men. She'd suggest on our next off day together we head over to the boys' house and then attempt to beat them at every video game we can think of. I know that she would know of my crush on Harry before I even knew. She would tease me relentlessly until I finally made a move. And if all went well, she would be my maid of honor.

"Alex?" I am snapped out of my thoughts by Harry. He is shaking the hand that is intertwined with his to wake me up from my daydream.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I reply while letting the impossible dream fade from my mind.

"Where were you?" He asks genuinely.

I look down and smile, "Just, you know, imagining life if all the really insane stuff that happened in the last two years didn't actually happen."

He gives me an understanding nod and after a moment of silence he says, "The 'what if' game is a dangerous little thing. I always wonder if I could have protected you from this all if I hadn't been so encouraging of you to do your own thing when you told us you wanted to move to Florida."

"Oh, Haz," I stop walking which forces him to stop walking as well. I force him to face me and take his other hand in my free hand. "Don't tell me you blame yourself for what happened."

He looks down and says, "I just wish I would've been more cautious. I know what happened was completely out of my control, but sometimes I wish it wasn't."

"I understand completely. All 'what ifs' aside, I always adored you more when you let me make my own decisions. You did right by me," I encourage him. And it is true, he has always wanted me to be happy, even if it wasn't with what he wanted.

He smiles and then drops my second hand and continues walking. 

There is like an intense thick fog that has just left the air, and suddenly I feel light. I feel so comfortable with Harry to be completely open with him and I know he feels the same about me.

"You know we got married," I smirk as I look up at him. "In my daydream."

He looks down at me with the softest smile I have ever seen. A smile that represents hope and serenity, but also passion and genuinity. He opens his mouth like he's about to say something, then all of a sudden we hear someone ahead of us shouting.

"It's Wroetoshaw!"

Harry and I both whip our heads forward and see a group of younger boys.

"Oh nelly," Harry says under his breath. "Come on!"

He pulls me unexpectedly into a dimly lit alleyway and we run through it together, quietly giggling and looking back to make sure we aren't being followed. He then pushes me up behind a dumpster with my back against the wall, him facing me, our chests touching as we both try to remain unseen. 

We are both panting from running and just staring into each others' eyes. His eyes are icy, kind of like the air tonight, and for a moment, I forget we are meant to only be hiding from fans. 

"I think we lost them," Harry says after a few moments of silence. However, he doesn't seem too interested in that fact and he doesn't break eye contact either. For a second I think he is going to start making out with me, he visibly fights the urge to get closer to me and then turns his head to his left, looking at the other opening end of the alley.

"Come on," he takes me by my hand again and I let out a breath as I shake the idea of Harry kissing me like he means it with me up against the wall.

We walk into the opening, Harry leading the way, and I look around. It is like a very small residential leisure area. There are small grassy spots, a pathway that wraps around the whole area in a circle, and benches. There are full trees that are wrapped with white LED lights and small lamps lighting up this little area even more.

There is no one else here as it is quite hidden and probably exclusive to the residents of this community. I like that it is hidden and doing it's own thing. 

He takes me to the middle of it which is surrounded by the beautifully lit trees. We both look around and then end up facing each other again. This time he takes my other hand.

"Alex," he seems nervous, and I can sense his stuttery mesh of words coming along any minute.

"Shh," I say with a smile. "You don't have to say anything." 

He nods and stares at me for a moment before I can see him make the decision in his head to reach into his pocket. 

He pulls out a box that is long but skinny. I give him a confused look, but he hands it to me.

As soon as I open it, I feel the whole world stop. 

Inside the box is the diamond encrusted necklace that I thought was absolutely stunning at the jewelry shop Harry and I went to when trying to figure out if the pendant was worth anything. 

"Harry, what... how...?" Now I'm the one stumbling over my words.

He does his awkward giggle then says, "I bought it before we left, when I told you to go wait in the car. As soon as you told me you thought it was beautiful, I knew I needed to get it for you. I didn't know when I should give it to you, let alone if I'd ever get the chance to, but I always had it with me in case the timing was perfect. And this feels... perfect."

I stare up at him, tears welling in my eyes, and mouth wide open in shock. I never knew any of this. I never knew he felt the extent of his emotions for me that early. I knew I felt something for him that day, but I didn't want to admit it. 

"I- I'm speechless," I say and look back down at the necklace. He takes it out of the box and walks behind me and puts it around my neck, clasping it shut in the back. 

He comes back around to face me and I feel his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss.

His lips on mine feel amazing. And I'm so glad he kissed me because I couldn't form any words. And I just like kissing him.

After he pulls back, I find the sense to say, "But Harry! You said it yourself, one would have to spend their entire life savings on it!"

"Ehhh, what can you do really," he says trying to avoid the topic of price. 

"Oh geez, Haz," I hit his shoulder playfully and take a deep breath as I process this.

Maybe my daydream was not a complete impossibility.