Dream Catcher (amnesia) - h.s.

25: A day in Brighton with Zalfie

AN: sort of double update! Yay!

By the time it's Saturday, I'm nervous as hell to meet Zoe and Alfie though I won't admit it to Harry. During the drive to Brighton, I plug my iPhone in the car and we play all my current favorite music. Every now and then, Harry tells me that this used to be my favorite song 'before'.

The city Brighton is not that impressive, though when we reach the beach, I'll almost change my mind. We put the window down even though it's cold. The sun is shining, making the water sparkle, and the sounds of the sea and the seagulls fill the air. It makes me calm immediately.

The little beach huts in different colors make the pebbled beach look even more pretty and I can't wait to go out there. Harry sees the longing look in my eyes and chuckles. 'I'm sure we'll go to the beach this afternoon.' He says.

Zoe and Alfie's house is easy to find. It's quite big and white, with a neat lawn leading up to the front door. When we ring the doorbell, the cheerful barks of a dog are our response. The door goes open and Zoe is standing in the doorway, beaming.

'Hi, Anna, so good to finally meet you!' She says, and she pulls me in for a hug.

'Hi, Harry, we've met before, but I don't know if you remember-'

'Of course I do.' He smiles, and they hug too.

She ushers us in and closes the door behind us. 'Alfie's just in town, he'll be back soon.' She says.

We walk into the living room. It's decorated in a modern style, but it still looks cozy, with a huge couch you'd easily fall asleep on and stacks of pillows on it. I kind of recognize parts of it from her videos.

'You want some tea? Coffee?' She asks.

'Yeah, I'd like a cup of tea, thanks.' Harry says, and I tell her to make it two. We sit down on the sofa and then a small black pug comes running towards us.

'She's called Nala.' Zoe says as she returns with two cups of tea. She puts them down on the coffee table then sits down herself.

We pet Nala and play with her for a minute.

'So how are you?' Zoe asks.

Harry and I look at each other for a moment. 'We're good. We had a couple of rough days this week, but we're better now.' I say.

'She used to watch all your videos before the accident.' Harry says.

'You know, I'd get all shy if I'd remember, but I don't.' I chuckle. Zoe looks at me for a second, not knowing if it's appropriate to laugh as well.

'Oh, it's okay. We try to keep the subject as light as possible.' I tell her. The look on her face softens and she smiles.

'I've been watching your videos as well. You're doing really well.'

'Thanks. I think being Harry's wife did help, so I'm not sure if I deserve all the attention. I'm really grateful, though.'

'It took me a long time to even get viewed. I didn't really mind, though. In the end, you do it because you like doing it and not because you want a lot of people to see it, right?' Zoe says.

'Yeah, that's true.' I nod.

'You know, it might sound strange but it still feels weird having Harry in my living room. Is that weird?' She shyly asks.

Harry laughs. 'No, I'm used to it.'

'We actually have this big pillow upstairs that has your picture on one side and Emma Watson's on the other.' Zoe admits, laughing.