Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Goodbyes Or How We Bought A Christmas Tree

Hi everyone, instead of studying I decided to write another chapter (which I will probably regret later). I hope you enjoy it- I really really want to have Christmas right now, but unfortunately it's still another three months to go. All the love, as always, Summer xxx

Harry was very quiet when he returned from the talk with my dad. He was about to leave and was hunched over his bag, struggling with the zipper. I was watching him from the armchair next to the window, a wide grin my face. He looked adorable when he was concentrating so hard, especially when he pouted. My eyes lingered on his lips for a moment before Harry let out a loud groan and slumped down onto my bed next to his bag, letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Would you like some help?" I asked in an amused tone and he grumbled something which I interpreted as a yes. I got up and walked over to my bed where I took a closer look at the stubborn zipper. I tugged at it a few times and the zipper miraculously moved smoothly, letting me close the bag within seconds. "Tada!" I said with a smug grin on my face and presented Harry his bag. "All done." He sat up and suspiciously inspected his bag, only to find that I had indeed managed to close it. "How did you do that? Are you some kind of sorceress?" he asked me with  frown. I giggled and shook my head. He glared at his bag, before he picked it up, letting his eyes wander over my decorated walls one more time.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night." he thanked me with a small smile which I returned. "Thank YOU for driving me home, yesterday. And you know for, um, being there for me when I was a mess." I blushed a bit and looked down at my feet until Harry's next words made me look up at him. "I'll always be there for you, Claire." He sounded very sincere and I didn't doubt him for a second. "Thank you, Harry. Same goes for you." We smiled at each other for a minute, before he cleared his throat and checked his watch. "I should probably get going." There was an awkward silence before I nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll walk you downstairs." He grabbed his bag and when he wasn't looking I quickly grabbed his Christmas present and shoved it into my pocket, then I followed him downstairs.

He and my dad shook hands and my dad held onto Harry's hand for a bit longer, pulling him down at bit to quietly say something into his ear. Harry nodded with a very serious look on his face and squeezed my dad's hand before letting go. I was dying to know what they had talked about while my mum and I had been doing the dishes, but he hadn't mentioned it, so I hadn't brought it up either. My mum pulled Harry into a tight hug which he returned and then handed him a lunch box with some homemade sandwiches, some fruits and veggies and a thermos with tea in it. "Thank you, Martha, this is very generous of you. And again thank you very much for your kind hospitality and especially the delicious food." My mum blushed a bit and thanked him for his kind words, assuring him that he was welcome any time.

Harry turned around to face me and there was an awkward silence, both of my parents watching us. "I'll, eh, I'll walk you to your car." I said quietly. He nodded and patiently waited until I had put on my boots and handed me a jacket. Stepping past me, he opened the door for me, before following me outside into the cold. He put his bag into his trunk and then turned around to face me. "I know it's not Christmas yet, but I wanted to give this to you." He pulled out a small, thin parcel which felt like a CD and handed it to me. I smiled sheepishly at him and reached into the back pocket of my jeans to give him a very similar looking present and a folded up piece of paper which was attached to it.

"Looks like we had similar ideas." Harry smirked and I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Great minds think alike." I chuckled and he laughed, but then became serious. "Are you sure you'll be okay? Remember, I'm always just a phone call away, alright?" I nodded and gulped, trying to not to cry again. "I'll be going to LA for a couple of weeks right after Christmas for the audition for the film, but if anything happens, and I mean literally ANYTHING, I'll be on the first plane back to England, okay?" I nodded again, my tongue seemingly unable to form any words. He pulled me into a tight hug and I felt him kiss my hair. "You are one of the strongest people I know, Claire. Never forget that." I nodded into his chest and then pulled back.

Harry looked down at me, and gently caressed my cheek with his thumb. "I'm always just one phone call away, love." He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, before he climbed into the car and shut the door behind him. He rolled the window down a bit and grinned up at me. "Don't miss me too much when I'm gone." I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. "I'll try my very best. If I miss you too much, I'll just google you." I told him with a smirk. He shook his head at me, his eyes twinkling. "Take care, love." I smiled down at him. "You, too, Harry."

I waved until he had vanished around a corner and then trudged back towards the house. After I had taken off my boots and my coat, I joined my parents in the living room. They were playing Ludo which was my dad's favourite game and both looked up with big grins on their faces when I entered the living room. "I think your mum has bewitched the cube, there is no way that she's getting so many sixes one after another." my dad complaint to me and I chuckled. "I'm sure she didn't do anything, dad." I sat down next to my mum and assessed the situation on the board. My mum was definitely winning and my dad didn't look too happy about it. "Come on, dad, you always win. Let mum have her moment." I teased him and both of my parents glared at me. "I do win from time to time!" my mother defended herself and me and my dad exchanged a look and burst out laughing. "Sure, love, whatever you say." my dad chuckled and patted my mum's hand.

We played Ludo for another two hours, before we all got ready to go out and buy a Christmas tree. We always did that on the 23rd of December so we were all very excited to go out and continue our tradition. A farm which was a twenty-minutes-drive from our house always sold some beautiful Christmas trees so we all got into the car with the wheelchair shoved into the back of the car next to where I was sitting. 

It took us at least an hour to decide which Christmas tree we wanted. We all had a silent agreement to make this Christmas the best one ever as it could be my dad's last Christmas, so we were a bit picky when it came to choosing the perfect tree. On the way back we stopped at the shops and got some last minute foods for the holidays, including some essentials for the Christmas cookies me and my mum baked every year. Everyone was happy to see me and my parents and spent a very long time in the small shop talking to different people who were also doing some last minute shopping before the holiday, while trying to avoid the madness on the 24th. 

When we got back home, my mum and I put up the Christmas tree while my dad directed us. "A bit more too left. No, that's too far, a bit back! Now turn it a bit, no, not that way, the other way round." We both glared at him and he shook his head at us. "You are hopeless." We decided to just leave it the way it was now and my mum left the room to get the Christmas decorations, while my dad put the Christmas CD into the stereo. All three of us helped to decorate the tree, eating a couple of sandwiches, while we decorated, careful not to spill anything on the ornaments. My dad was responsible for the lower branches, while me and my mum took turns on climbing up a chair to hang some ornaments at the very top of the tree. After an hour of decorated we were all completely exhausted, but the tree looked beautiful. The three of us exchanged proud looks and nodded. We were ready for Christmas.