Prove It (H.S)

Chapter Eighteen

My mom and I bring out platters of fruit and cheese and crackers to the living room. When I walk in, Harry and my grandmother look right at me, both smiling. "Looks lovely," Harry says, as the food is set on the glass coffee table. I smile and sit next to him on the sofa.

My father walks in then. He strides over to my mother, putting his hand on her back. "So, since we don't have a guest room in this house, I'm allowing Harry to stay in your room, Claire, but no funny business, I mean it." There's nothing off putting in his voice, there never is, in fact he finishes his stern comment with a sweet smile. I laugh. "Okay, no funny business."

My dad winks at me and then turns to Harry. "Got it?" Harry vigorously nods. "Yes, sir," he says, looking like a scared puppy. My dad laughs and walks over to pat Harry's shoulder. "Alright, well let's eat!" My mother says, clapping her hands together, and Harry puts an arm around me.

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Harry's POV~

The evening was quite lovely, a good turn around from earlier. Dinner was delicious, and Claire's family really is great company. Her dad is funny, like slap my knee laughing, funny. Her mother is insanely sweet. Her smile is sincere, and you can tell how much she admires her daughter.

As for Grace, I feel like I have a special connection with her now. We both have something in common, we love Claire Hoffman so entirely, and she made sure of that. Our small yet very meaningful conversation before dinner was so important for me. It gave me a chance to confirm something out loud that I'd been thinking since day one. I love Claire Hoffman, so much, and I don't plan on ever letting her go, or ever giving her a reason to let me go.

Claire's head is rested on my chest as we lay under the covers of her small bed. I take this time to admire the beauty that she is. Her lips are slightly parted as she breathes softly, her eyes are shut, showing off her long eyelashes. Her bone structure is impeccable, like art, really.

And she's mine. All mine.

Looking at her is mesmerizing, and eventually, I feel my eyes start to weigh down. I kiss Claire's blonde hair one last time, before drifting off to sleep.

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The sun is bright, shining through the open window in Claire's bedroom. I rub my eyes, yawning. When my vision clears, I see Claire standing in front of the mirror, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She's already dressed, makeup already done. She's wearing black jean shorts with a loose red tank top and flip-flops. Flawless.

When she notices me sitting up, she turns around, smiling at me. "Good morning," she says planting a kiss on my lips. "Morning, love," I stretch my arms above my head and push my hair up away from my face.

I gather the energy to get up and get dressed. I throw on a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. Not making much of an effort, but I'm too tired to try any harder.

After I brush my teeth, Claire is practically dragging me out the door. As we near the front door, her mother's voice sounds from the kitchen. "Claire? Honey? Where are you going? Doesn't Harry want breakfast?" Claire wastes no time yelling back to her mother as she turns the knob. "He's good! We're going to the park!" And with that, we're walking down the driveway.

"I could've gone with some cereal," I tease, and she smiles at me. "Where are we going, anyway?" I ask, she holds my hand as we walk up her street. Birds are chirping and the sun is out, it's a beautiful day, almost as beautiful as the girl I'm sharing it with.

"There's a park really close to my house, and it's one of my favorite places to go." I nod, understanding why she loves it so much as we near the entrance to the park. There are grassy hills, tall trees of all different kinds and flower beds everywhere with beautiful colors. "Wow," I mutter and she nods, kissing me cheek and pulling me inside.

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Claire's POV~

Harry looks around as we walk through the park and I point out to him all my favorite spots. The big rock under the willow tree, the bench on the left side of the stream, the picnic table near the ice cream stand. All of it, and he just nods, smiling when I smile.

He pulls me close to him as we walk, and I inhale his sweet scent that I've become so accustomed to. "This is really beautiful, Claire." I look up at him, and his eyes are still wandering. "I knew you'd like it." He turns me to face him, his big hands lightly gripping my arms. "You know that I'll take care of you and love you for as long as you'll let me." His words are unexpected, and take me by surprise. "I'll always let you, because I'll always love you," I say back, staring into his eyes.

Harry is in a state I've never seen him before. His eyes are soft, his lips slightly parted, and he's hardly touching me, like he's suddenly afraid he'll break me. "Prove it," he whispers. I don't know what to say or do, so I go with my instinct. I lean up and kiss him, hard. He takes his hands away from my sides and brings them to my cheeks.

I need to let him know that we're secure, because I know that's what he was trying to tell me. He pulls away, rubbing his thumb under my eye. "I love you." I close my eyes and rest my head on his chest. "I love you," I say, breathing into his shirt.

Soon enough, Harry wipes away the lost look in his eyes, and we begin to walk again. We make our way through the park, laughing and pointing things out to each other.

When we reach the end of the park, my stomach is growling, and I can't imagine how Harry must be feeling, since I practically deprived him from breakfast this morning. "Wanna go grab a bite to eat? I know this really good sandwich place just a couple blocks up?" He nods, smiling at me. "Yeah, I'm hungry."