Mint [H.S.]

52

HARRY

The airport was crowded with impatient travelers as they hurried to their planned destinations. I stood idly in the corner, with a backpack swung over one shoulder and my grasp tight on the handle of my suitcase. It felt as if all eyes were on me, but the validity of that assumption was very, very low. As I stood here alone, Ben had run off with Jaz to track down a coffee stand. After a long flight, they needed their caffeine fix. I on the other hand only needed to get out of here.

A loud buzzing sound could be heard from my pocket, indicating an incoming text message: I'm almost there xx

Now, I'm not normally one to get his heart rate up over a simple text message, but knowing that Isabella was almost here had my heartbeat up at an alarming rate. It's a funny thing. I was never the kind of guy who allowed himself to get swooped into the emotions of a relationship...not since everything happened with Sarah. But here I am, four years deep with the woman of my dreams, and I couldn't stop the intense hammering of my heart. I wouldn't be surprised if my ribcage fractured. I always took the piss out on my mates when they were wrapped up in a bird. Now somehow I became the one thing I always made fun of.

"Iz must have texted you. That's the only explanation for that God-awful grin," Ben snapped me out of my thoughts, with his elbow digging into my arm. Jaz wasn't too far behind.

She gave me a knowing look, handing over a coffee cup with my name written across. "Ignore him."

I thank her for the coffee, taking a long sip. "...To answer your question, yeah that was her. She should be here any minute." And as if she heard me, the phone buzzes once more with another text, confirming that she was here.

The winter wind is bone chilling as it cuts through the wool of my coat. It had been a month since I was last here and November didn't wait to lose it's autumn warmth. I pulled on the fabric of my beanie, covering my ears. Waiting outside in a pale blue coat and matching scarf stood Isabella.

We both don't say as we walk closer to each other. The moment we meet face to face, I pull her into me, her arms wrapping itself around my neck. She buries her head against the base of my neck, her breath warming my skin. Instinctively I pull her even closer, never wanting to let go.

"Missed you," she whispers against my neck. I place a kiss on the top of her head, whispering that I missed her too.

"Quit hogging my best mate," Jaz interjects her self between us, pulling Izzy out of my arms. She ignores my protests. "I missed you, Izzy girl. Let's not go that long without seeing one another again, got it?"

"Promise," both girls stood there, wiping away the few tears that managed to slip down their cheeks. "Ok, let's get inside before a paparazzi catches us."

We all piled into the backseats of the tinted van. As the driver began to pul out of the parking spot, he told us to buckle our seats. It was a good thing we did so, because once we were all set, he tore out of the parking lot with full speed. I automatically held onto Isabella's hand, squeezing it.

"Are the paps still being an issue? Those lousy pigs. Do they not have anything else to do than harass a family going through a crisis?" Jaz had asked about the paparazzi when I first arrived back in London. It had been unusual to have my face plastered across certain tabloids, going on about my involvement in Franklin's case. It was even harder to explain the situation to my mum when she called me the next day, asking why Miss. Cuthbert from down the lane was asking if this was her son.

"My father is a lot more well known than I may have led you all to believe. He runs one of the biggest corporations in the city...so it's not that surprising that the media has taken an interest in his case. It's still right annoying. I'd rather not have fifty-year old men calling after me with cameras trying to get a picture for the papers." Izzy had called me many times over the month because of the invasion of privacy from the media. It made being so far away even harder. I couldn't protect her and it ate away at me every night.