Endlessly [h.s.]

seven

It was winter again and Rosemary was excited to look for meteor showers with Harry. The one they'd caught the previous winter was spectacular and she was giddy just thinking about another one. Not to mention that it was cold out again and it gave them each an excuse to be physically close to one another.

"Do you think we'll catch the December Monocerids again?"

Harry laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze from across the table, "Possibly. Guess we'll just have to go out every night to find out, won't we?"

Rosemary looked up from her letters and smiled at him, her mind already taken with the thought, "Yes, we will indeed. Have you been cheating? I find it hard to believe that you're getting all of the good letters and I'm stuck with all the bad ones."

Harry smirked knowing that he was winning by more than just a few points compared to his journalist girlfriend, "Maybe you're just bad at Scrabble."

Rosemary's eyes widened at his audacity and she picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at him, "I am not!"

Harry was laughing now, his eyes nearly closed and his smile wide, putting his dimples on full display, "You're really cute when your mad you know."

His smile only seemed to grow as the heat rose in her cheeks. She didn't agree with him on either notion. Rosemary crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him, "Shut up!"

Harry put his hands up in defense, he was still smiling, "Just saying. But no, I am not cheating, I promise."

Rosemary pouted at her lack usable tiles, "I can't make a single word with these letters and I certainly don't want to pass because then you'll definitely win."

Harry sipped at his hot chocolate, a slight smirk to his pink lips, "Would you like me to help you sweetheart?"

Rosemary looked at him incredulously, "Most certainly not!"

She sat there with her hands pressed to her temples in thought for a few minutes wracking her brain for words before something finally clicked, "Gerund! Ha!"

She placed her tiles on the board and smiled triumphantly, Harry looked at her like she had made it up and she was completely crazy.

"That is so not a word!"

Rosemary continued to smile, she knew very well that is was a word, "Yes it is, it a grammar word. It's derived from a verb but it functions as a noun, usually ending in -ing."

Harry didn't comment and she hummed happily along with the radio as he wrote down her score.

"Game on Rosie."

. . .

"I don't understand why it has to snow so much every time we try to plan something."

Rosemary was pouting and forcing herself not to walk on top of Harry, he was so warm and she was freezing but she couldn't get close enough just yet, as they turned onto his street.

"What, you don't like it when we stay in and play board games?"

It was quite the opposite really, she loved staying in with him just as much as she loved staying up all night and watching the stars in that empty field with him by her side.

Rosemary blushed and gave up on keeping some space between them, their shoulders and legs now touching as they walked hand in hand, "No, I love it when we do that, minus the fact that you usually win every game. But, I really love it when we're out late and looking at the stars."

Harry smiled warmly, he was hoping that she would say something like that, "I was questioning how long you'd be into astronomy when we met, there's definitely no question now...Do you see lights on in my apartment?"

Rosemary was slightly perplexed as she peered down the street and noticed a faint glow emanating from his front facing windows on the lower floor, "I believe so, yes. Did you leave them on when you left or...?"

Harry shook his head dismissively, "No. The only people that can get in are you, me, and my family, but they weren't supposed to be here for another two weeks..."

They walked on in silence until they reached his door, their fingers still linked despite the chill that it brought each of them. Their hands were warm where they connected but on the surface the frigid air was biting harshly at their skin.

The door had barely stood open for three seconds when everyone inside stopped what they were doing to yell and excited and welcoming, "Harry!"

A woman around his age ran up to him and threw her arms around him, "I missed you baby brother!"

Rosemary detached herself and stood awkwardly beside him as the door fell shut behind them. She had to have been his sister. Rosemary picked at the nail polish that coated her nails, it was suddenly very awkward to have come home with him.

Harry hugged her back and made it a point to state his confusion in hopes of gaining an answer, "You too sis. Uh, what are you all doing here? You weren't supposed to be her for another two weeks?"

The woman who had now been confirmed as his sister smiled brightly as she spoke and took notice of Rosemary standing a slight way away from him, "We thought we'd surprise you! Is this her!?"

Rosemary's cheeks flushed instantly, she felt very awkward and out of place and wished that she had gone home instead. Meeting his parents was a big step and she hadn't planned on meeting them at random.

Harry nodded and gave Rosemary a reassuring smile, "Yes, Rosie, this is my older sister Gemma."

Gemma gave her a quick hug as well despite the fact that she had just met her, "It's so nice to finally meet you! Harry talks about you all the time! Although, I thought he said your name was Rosemary?"

Harry shifted on his heels rather awkwardly and mumbled an embarrassed, "Gemma."

She looked between Rosemary and her brother briefly, a slight laugh passing her lips.

Rosemary had a turn to speak and ended up speaking uncharacteristically softly as a deeper blush crept to her cheeks, "It is, he calls me Rosie though."

Gemma looked rather amused as she looked at her brother with a bright smile, "Aw, that's so sweet!"

"Gemma!"

She smirked in response to his heightened embarrassment, "You did it yourself little brother!"

. . .

"I'm really sorry about all of that Rosie." Harry broke the silence between them after a few minutes of walking.

Rosemary answered softly as she leaned into him, it really wasn't that bad it was just very unexpected which made things rather awkward for a while, "It's alright, you didn't know they were coming."

Harry smiled, internally sighing in relief, and changed the subject slightly, "You get really shy when you're nervous, it's very cute."

Rosemary looked at her shoes embarrassed that he had even gotten the chance to see her so nervous and flustered, "Stop that, it was not."

Harry kissed her cheek in a small apology, "I beg to differ. They really liked you though."

Rosemary's smile returned, "I really liked them too. Do you want to come inside for a cup of tea?"

She fiddled with he key in her hand and Harry leaned down to kiss her despite her current little struggle, "I would love to."