The Maiden in Winter // Harry Styles Series #4

TEN

~H~

(email to Leigh)

It's Friday afternoon so I don't know when you'll get this. I've invited Alex and Bean for pizza and a swim tonight. It's going to be ok. I've made up my mind that it will be. I'm going to manifest ok. Better than ok. Fun. Happy.

I can do this.

Right?

***

~A~

I decided to surprise Bean. I just said we'd be having dinner out, and snuck his bathing trunks out of his dresser and into a tote bag, along with my own suit and two towels, while he was feeding the cats.

"Are we going to Uncle Andy's?" he asked as we turned onto the causeway to the island.

"Nope. Guess again."

"Are we going to Harold's? We forgot his fish!"

"We're going to his house, but not to take him fish."

The gate began to open before my finger pressed the button. Someone was definitely watching.

"What are we going to do here? Can I get out this time?"

"You can."

Harry was waiting at the door as I pulled up, and Bean was out of his booster seat and opening the door almost before the truck was in park.

"Hi Harold! We don't have fish today, or scallops. Can I see your house? Do you have any toys? I like your hair! I wish I could have a sparkly thingy in my hair!"

The front of Harry's hair was pulled back from his face with a rhinestone crusted clip. The rest was in impressive disarray, sticking up and out in tufts and curls.

"Hello to you, Bean." He ruffled the boy's short cornsilk hair so that it stood up like a hedgehog "Did you bring your suit?"

"I don't have a suit. I have a blue blazer. Alex says every man should have a blue blazer."

Harry looked at me, questioningly.

"I brought our suits. I haven't told him. I thought it would be a good surprise."

"I love surprises. What is it?" He looked between Harry and me, bouncing on his toes.

"Well," said Harry, leading us into the house, "first we're going to have some pizza, and then we're going for a swim."

We walked through the front hall into a large living space. The back of the original house was open from floor to rafters; a wall of windows and glass doors two storeys high faced the sea. Hallways lead from either side of the room. We turned to the left and into the kitchen.

"It's too cold to swim, Harold. And it's dark down on the beach. Alex says it's important to be smart and be safe, and I don't think swimming tonight is either. But I'd like to have pizza here. Can I have Hawaiian?"

"Your sister is very wise, and so are you. This isn't the right time to swim at the beach. But what if I told you I have a heated swimming pool?"

"Really?"

"Really."

"I think that would be smart and safe. But we have to wait for a little while after we eat before we swim. Alex says that's smart, too."

"As I said, Alex is very wise. George will be back with the pizza any minute now. We ordered one Hawaiian and one spinach and mushroom. Is that right?"

"Yup. Who's George? Is he your boyfriend?"