Speak |h.s. a.u.|

Chapter 78

Annabelle and Gemma were back at Anne's house a few days later, on the event of Anne calling a "secret girls meeting." The three of them were very close, which used to be admired by Harry, until his mother basically cut him off. Harry had no idea Annabelle were still so close to Anne. He assumed Gemma kept making Annabelle go shopping, or something boring like that.

"Tomorrow is Gemma's first ultrasound," Anne took a deep breath, "but-"

"You're going to go, right, mum?" Anne's mouth fell open and her eyebrows lowered. "I can't do this alone, I don't know what to do or how this whole pregnancy thing works, I really need you there, and-"

"Gem, I have to be somewhere." Anne placed her hand on Gemma's on top of the table. Annabelle watched them intently, trying to figure out why Anne would skip her only daughter's first ultrasound.

"What's more important than your first grandchild's ultrasound?" Gemma pulled her hand away from Anne's and stood up. Anne looked at Annabelle with sad eyes, confusing Annabelle.

"Annabelle can go, right, Annabelle?" Anne tried to smile, hoping Annabelle would agree. Annabelle slowly nodded, but continued to stare at the two girls with confusion in her eyes.

"Mum, I need you there, why," Gemma's voice became fuller, showing she were about to start crying. "Why would you miss this?"

"I have plans, I have to be somewhere."

"This is bullshit!" Gemma cried out, turning to Annabelle for help. Annabelle stood up, agreeing with Gemma by nodding and taking Gemma's hand in hers, in a comforting manner. "Let's go, Annabelle." Gemma mumbled, wiping her cheeks and tugging Annabelle's hand.

"Gemma, please, I really wish I could go, but-"

"Why can't you? What's more important than this baby right now?" Anne's face showed guilt as her forehead was crinkled and her lips were pursed.

"I have a date."

•

Annabelle let out a deep sigh as she closed the front door. Harry greeted her with a short kiss on the lips and a small smile.

"What's up?" Harry asked, tucking her hair behind her ears. Annabelle shook her head, feeling guilty for knowing that Harry's mother was shutting out her children all due to a new man in her life.

Harry understood that Annabelle was tired and in a bad mood, so he gave her a bit of space. She'd seemed upset lately, not just today. Annabelle seeming closed off and sad were normal, it's how she has always been, always acted. Harry were used to it, but he couldn't say he enjoyed it. Harry wondered why she always had a sad undertone, and he always wondered how many kisses, how many jokes, how many 'I love you's' it would take to fix her. So far, the question remained unanswered.

Waffle definitely helped Annabelle feel a tad better. Seeing that the little guy was so excited to know Annabelle had returned home brought a warm feeling to Annabelle's chest, as she sat down on the cold wood floor to greet the puppy. It was simple moments like these when Annabelle couldn't help but thank God that Harry was placed in her life. Not feeling so lonely anymore, always having someone to seek comfort and love from, knowing she was truly accepted for who she was; all of these things were the most miraculous concepts to Annabelle, and she couldn't be more thankful. No matter how stressed, tired, or slightly depressed she were feeling that day, Harry would always be there to offer her all of his heart. He made sure she understood that, every single day, whether it be by making her dinner, taking her lunch to the flower shoppe, picking her up from work just to make sure she got home safely, telling her he loved her at the most random times, or simply by kissing her shoulder and tucking her long brown hair behind her ear. Harry always made sure to make Annabelle realize how loved and beautiful she was.

Annabelle did her best to return the same feelings, usually with small offers, or completely obvious actions. She would do the dishes and clean the apartment while Harry slept, or worked on new music. She would make sure he took his vitamins every morning with breakfast, and brush his hair and tie it up before he went to workout, and kiss his jaw (because she couldn't reach any higher) when he solemnly stood in the kitchen, overthinking too many situations. Making sure they knew how loved and appreciated each other were, was a huge deal to both of them, even though they wouldn't admit it all of the time.

Today, Harry brushed Annabelle's hair as she read Peter Pan. He kissed the back of her neck many times, making her scrunch up her shoulders while she quietly giggled and whined, showing him that it tickled. So he would scoot a tad closer, moving her hair away from her neck, and kissing her pale skin again, only this time on the side of her neck. She repeated her previous actions, and it wasn't until Harry attacked her neck and jawline is kisses until she tore her eyes from the black ink that were printed onto an off-white colored paper. Annabelle closed her book and let go of the hardback as Harry pulled her body closer, making her squeal while trying to hide her neck behind her cold hands. His lips continued to find her skin, making her belly hurt from laughing and her cheeks ache from smiling. She finally gained the strength to turn around and push his body back, causing him to thump onto the floor.

"Ouch," he mumbled, while trying to hide his smile, "my poor ass." Annabelle rolled her eyes and rolled off of the couch to meet him on the floor. She pressed her lips against his as soon as he looked up, wanting to feel his warm affection, and focus on the love of her life that she couldn't get enough of. Of course he kissed her back with such passion, his hands tugging on her thighs to bring her closer. This event was not uncommon, for they ended up kissing on the floor on a daily basis. Somehow one of them would end up on the floor, and the other would find a new way to start kissing the other. It happened to be their favorite part of every day.

Later that night, as they lay in bed together, Harry's head on Annabelle's chest as normal, he whispered a thousand (a thousand might be a bit drastic- maybe twenty or thirty) 'I love you's', hoping she heard every single one of them, taking the words and carving them into her heart for her to look at whenever she felt lonely or lost.

Annabelle pressed her lips to Harry's forehead, mouthing the words against his skin multiple times. She hoped he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling and shapes her lips made on his tan skin, and etched the memory into his mind, ready to close his eyes and reminisce the moment any time he felt unloved or unwanted.

Harry looked up at Annabelle with the goofiest smile he could pull, trying to make her smile. It worked.