The Artist [h.s.]

twenty one

After weeks of badgering from Pandora and the rest of her bridesmaids, Carter had finally agreed to let them give her a bachelorette party. However, she did have one rule: No strippers.

Carter was perfectly content with Harry and didn't want anyone else stripping for her or dancing on her. Granted, Harry wasn't really great with the theatrics part, but she didn't mind.

Pandora whined about it for a solid three days before finally coming up with an idea that would satisfy Carter's rule and let her throw her a raunchy bachelorette party.

"Are you ready for tonight?"

Carter playfully rolled her eyes, her machine buzzing in her hand and her mind focused on her current masterpiece, "No, because I know that you've found some way around my rule and that worries me."

Despite the fact that she wasn't particularly ready for whatever Pandora had planned, Carter smiled because having her bachelorette party meant that she was getting closer and closer to getting married and calling Harry her's forever.

That, and it meant that she and Harry were getting closer to adopting a child and actually having a family of their own.

Pandora laughed, her arms crossed under her chest as she leaned against the divider between their booths, "You know me so well. Will you be excited if I tell you that you will most definitely enjoy it?"

Carter shut off her machine and wiped the excess ink from her client's skin, her eyes briefly meeting Pandora's with a hint of curiosity, "It might."

Pandora could tell by the way that her smile had lifted that she was lying; Carter was definitely excited. She smirked and pretended not to notice, "In that case, you will most definitely enjoy it."

The bell on the front door chimed as Harry walked in. He was smiling long before he'd even made it to the street where Carter's shop was located.

Carter had just finished showing her client his new tattoo when Harry walked over, his teeth showing and his dimples on clear display, "Hi, sweetheart."

Carter told her client that Pandora would help him up front and smiled brightly, Harry wasn't supposed to be there, but it was a nice surprise.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you have an expo today?"

Pandora smirked as she walked past Harry and to the front, she loved the way that he made Carter happy, and she also loved to check him out from behind.

Carter playfully rolled her eyes at her friend before focusing her attention back on Harry. He pulled a solitary sunflower from behind his back and he was looking at her with so much love that she felt giddy.

"I brought you a flower and a proposition for a lunch date, since Pandora is stealing you for the rest of the night."

Carter blushed as she accepted his flower, he'd clearly gone out of his way to pick it somewhere and she adored it and the fact that he was here for a surprise lunch date.

"Lunch sounds wonderful."

While he waited for her to clean her machines and put them away, Harry beamed and rocked on his heels. It had been far too long since they had last gone on a date and he felt like he was a teenager again.

Carter briefly bit her lip as she looked at him, he was so handsome and so sweet, and her heart was crazy for him and only him.

She was curious about where he would take her for lunch, he liked to change things up sometimes just to have new experiences and she adored that about him.