Curls [H.S. A.U.]

Curls: Chapter 10

Harry

"It starts at noon."

"I don't think I can come on time. My brother's fiancé has an appointment for cake tasting at eleven thirty."

I don't speak for a moment. I don't care if she's a little late as long as she comes. I just don't want my mother to get the wrong idea. "As long as you come."

"What should I wear?"

"No dress code. Stop stressing, okay? It's going to be warm, wear shorts or something comfortable."

We talk for another few minutes before we hang up. Louis knocks on my doorframe. His eyebrows wiggle, no doubt because he was listening to the entire conversation.

"She's going to your family barbecue?" I nod. He claps his hands excitedly and runs off to tell his boyfriend. He's something different.

Niall Horan walks right into my room. I chuckle as he drops down on my bed. I'm not entirely sure why or how he's here but he's lying on my bed with his eyes covered.

He explains that Liam told him to come over to help me clean up for my girl. I didn't know I couldn't dress myself.

He stands up with a grunt and fumbles through my closet. He groans again, not because he's tired but because he finds a pair of blue cotton panties in a pile of my jeans.

"Is this--? Oh my God!"

What can I say? She forgot her panties and I forgot to give them back.

He tosses them into an empty dresser drawer and continues to look through my things. He comes back with a pair of dark blue jeans and my Aerosmith t-shirt.

"Have fun fuckin' your girlfriend after the party. Maybe you'll start a panty collection."

➖✖➖

She walks in with a Jack Skellington tank top tucked into a midthigh length leather skirt. Her feet are clad in Doc Martens and those curls are held back in a slick high ponytail.

I press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm glad you made it here considering it's Fourth of July."

She shrugs and snuggles into my arms. "We don't really do anything. My mom makes food and we eat then go on with our day."

Just to ruin my moment with my newly established girlfriend my sister makes her way over to us. She pulls Ara from my arms and squeezes her.

"Wow! I've never touched a model before! I see you all over Victoria's Secret."

Arabella giggles. "It's weird seeing my face all over the place."

I tug Gemma off of my girlfriend. She does things like this just it agitate me. My older sister smirks at me. "Why don't you introduce her to everyone, Harry?"

"I was going--."

"Hey everyone!" Gemma shouts to catch the attention of my mother's guests. "Harry brought his girlyfriend." Mother gasps, tears pooling in her eyes.

Arabella looks panicked. She may be an up and coming model but she's still a normal person. She's already out of her comfort zone meeting my family, but now it's happening all at the same time. Her perfectly manicured finger nails dig into my arm as relative after relative insists on having conversation with her.

I pull to back to my chest so I can dip down to her ear. "I'm so sorry, baby."

She freezes at my slip up. Did I just mess everything up? She relaxes in my arms and rubs the sore spots where she left her nail marks.

"It's not your fault. I just wasn't. . . prepared."

My lips graze the shell of her ear. My hands wander down her curved to the swell of her bottom. He rubs back onto me. My voice is airy. "Did I mention how amazing you look?"

She laughs at my attempt to seduce her. "You always tell me how amazing I look."

Gemma gags at us and stalks off. I turn Arabella's face so she's look behind her. Our lips meet for a slow, soft kiss. Mother breaks through the small crowd of relatives to finally meet Arabella. She breaks the kiss first to greet my mother.

"Harry," mom gasps again, those tears still in her eyes. "look how beautiful you two are together. I cannot believe my son has his first girlfriend."

She did not just say that in front of Ara.

My girlfriend looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I just shrug, confirming her suspicions. I've dated girls before, but a girlfriend seemed too mainstream for me. But Arabella Pérez changed my mind.

After she starts crying her husband drags my mother away. Arabella turns so we're face to face. Her hand cups my face so I'm looking straight at her marvellous face. She smiles at me and I can see where my kisses have already taken some of her lipgloss off.

"Why didn't you tell me I was your first girlfriend?"

I groan and she giggles at my distress. "I'm twenty two and have never had a girlfriend before. It's embarrassing." She just hugs me still laughing. I don't think I'll get any luckier than Arabella.

I don't want to get anyone but Arabella