Underwater. ||h.s.||

chapter ten.

Day One.

It was officially day one with Harry, but I woke up, wailing.
I had an unusually abrupt pain in my left leg and I concluded that it was from the way I slept, but I wasn't quite sure. Grabbing my make-up bag from the dresser and limping over to the mini-fridge for water, I downed my medicine and tried to suppress the pain.
I wasn't going to cancel on Harry today.
Though taking extra slow steps to the bathroom and closet, I encouraged myself that if I could deal with that boneless leg for twenty-two years, I could do it a day more.

I read in Cosmopolitan magazine that the little black dress hiding away in your closet is the weapon for seductive conversation and a jaw-dropper. I had my doubts about the seductive part, but I did want to make Harry's jaw drop. The form-fitting dress was also knee-length so I didn't have to show my scars. I didn't think to pack any accessories like bracelets and all that because I didn't want to make it seem like I was trying too hard, but I did bring my legendary pearl earrings along with me. They summed up any outfit I had, and went perfectly with that curve-cutting dress. My feet were limited to simple black flats, but when I looked into the mirror, I looked confident.

It was only brunch, granted, but it was also the first time seeing him in a week and odd days. What was a girl to do if not impress him over a cup of tea?

After gelling my hair into a 1920's Marcel Wave and applying a little blush to my cheeks, I texted Harry to ask where to meet. When he responded, telling me that he'd pick me up, I wondered if it would only be the two of us.

When I hear a knock on the door minutes later, I'm surprised to see Harry wearing a sherbet-maroon beanie and grey jumper, one that resembled the ones Calum used to wear before he conformed to muscle shirts and sunglasses. He held two roses in his hand; red and fiery. Before I could fully give him the sound of a giggle, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed away the sound. I held onto him as he softly pulled me off of my heels, literally picking me up. I opened my eyes to see a bright smile painting his mouth. "...Hi."

"Hi," I whispered back. Gently putting me back on my feet and handing me the roses, I looked down at the thorny flowers before laughing, "Did you steal this from someone's garden?"

"Close. I stole it from a local floral shop. Didn't want to take the whole bouquet because it'd seem too fishy."

"Smart idea. Where are we off to?"

"There's a nice little diner by the concert grounds if you wanted to..."

I nodded, almost frantically. "Oh, that's fine."

Before leading me out of the room, he turned and said, "Before we go, I just wanted to apologize beforehand."

"For what?"

He smiled that dashing smile and I almost lost footing. "I'm a little shy around you. Might make a fool of myself."

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The diner wasn't filled with many people—that I was thankful for—and Harry found us a nice booth that allowed me enough space to dangle my miniature leg.
When a waiter came to give us menus and take down our drinks, Harry's hand made its way to mine. The gesture was quite sweet and I relished in the feeling.
When the waiter left, Harry's eyes met mine and the same staring contest we'd engaged in days before was back. No words were exchanged at first, but I felt connected with him.

"Bambi," he chuckled softly. "I wonder what I was thinking when I first called you that."

"You saw a wobbling woman coming your way and you reacted, maybe?"

"Yeah...that's exactly what happened. I didn't offend you or anything, did I?"

"No. To be honest, I was a little annoyed that you didn't ask what was wrong with me sooner."

He crinkled his nose adorably. "Why?"

"I dunno, I like story-telling and you sort of waited for the wrong time to ask..."

He sucked in a breath and held my hand a little tighter. "I'm just getting scolded from left to right, aren't I, Greylene?"

"Yes, you are..."

Taking a sip of his orange juice and puffing out his cheeks like I noted him to do, I felt a humorous silence overtake us.

God, he was so breathtaking and watching him stare back at me wasn't awkward at all.

"I need to kiss you again," he mumbled and I looked at our interlocked fingers. "That's all I've been wanting to do since Rory showed me your picture."

"Yeah, about that—"

"I needed to know who you were. Quinn has this weird sixth sense about things like that, and I believe her. She saw the way I looked at you and she knew that I wanted to meet you...she told me it was—"

"Please," I interjected. "Don't say 'true love.' It's only been four weeks for you and one for me."

"But it feels like decades," he repeated from two nights before.

"...More time than Calum and I have had?" I asked. I realized that when I spoke now, it was more to myself than to others. I was really asking myself if it'd been more time when I knew it wasn't.

Harry closed in the limited proximity we shared, his nose practically touching my cheek. "You know how you feel. Neither of us can change that. Calum feels like you deserted him and all, but you're just following your heart."

I smiled softly, but blatantly out of remorse. "I can say that I am, but...I don't know if I'm making the right choice. Is it really fair to him?"

He sat back but kept my hand in his, thumbing circles into the back of my palm. "I know that you're trying to get closer to him, like, how it used to be. Why else would you bring him along? You're doing everything you can."

"...If I would've done this to you—"

"Bambi," he interrupted, "I'd never give you a reason to."
My breath caught upon hearing those words.