within the meadow √ h.s.

t e n

when the sun greeted the meadow the next day, harry was already in his car to make the trip to the cafe. it was a long drive, and he would get there a few hours after opening time.

he drove by the meadow and admired the scene for the brief moment it was in his view before he finally pulled into the cafe parking lot where there were many cars, but none of them delilah's.

"harry, delilah's not here today, and i'm kinda swamped," lenny called from behind the counter as he poured coffee.

harry wanted to offer help, but he also just wanted to ask where the nearest supermarket was and where delilah lived so he could drop by. "would you like an extra hand?" he asked with hopes of rejection.

"no, no. i'll manage, thank you though, son," lenny answered mindlessly as he grabbed a muffin from the glass case and handed it to a customer with a smile.

"i hate to ask this, but i was wondering if you could tell me where delilah lives because i heard she wasn't feeling well so i wanted to drop by and give her some soup, or tissues or something?"

lenny gave him the address and quickly went back to his customers. "also, where would the nearest supermarket happen to be?"

lenny told him the turns and street names to remember before harry was on his way to surprise delilah.

harry picked up what seemed like a lifetime supply of soup and tissue boxes before he typed delilah's address into his phone to lead the way.

palms were sweating and his body was shaking, yet harry wasn't the one that was sick. he was just nervous about seeing delilah and hoped she would react in as happy of a manner as she could muster up to mirror his emotions.

he knocked on the thick wood door and stood there biting the inside of his cheek and focusing on his breathing before the door swung open and his eyes met wide brown ones that were slightly red and watery before his focus traveled to her red nose and chapped lips. delilah's skin was dull instead of glowing, but harry still found himself in awe.

"h-harry? i-come in," delilah was in shock, but not necessarily the bad kind. she had missed harry, and the meadow, she just wished she had a little notice before being surprised. he noticed she sounded worse than when he had spoken to her on the phone the previous day.

"i hope you don't mind me surprising you, i just wanted to bring by some essentials for a sick day," harry said holding the heavy bag up. delilah was scurrying through the living room picking small items off of the floor to make her home seem somewhat decent while he set the bag on the kitchen counter that was conjoined with the living room. when he finally got a good look at the space, he realized how much she truly reads. the stacks of books next to the shelves already filled with novel after novel amazed him.

delilah felt embarrassed. she knew harry had seen the neighborhood, and the chipped paint of the building. now he had seen the small, slightly messy apartment, and she felt insecure. harry had a nice car, so surely he had a place nicer than hers.

but despite what delilah imagined harry thought of where she lived, he didn't think twice about the neighborhood, or the chipped paint of the building, and he definitely didn't have negative thoughts about her small, slightly messy apartment. harry found delilah's life interesting and would never even think about judging her for something so simple like an apartment.

"you really didn't have to, harry-" delilah broke out into a fit of coughs making him stop his actions of taking the items of out the bag and rush over to her to help her take a seat on the couch. he saw a glass of water on the coffee table and handed it to her while rubbing circles on her back.

"you feel a little warm. you should go lay down, i'll fix you some soup and tea," harry suggested. delilah went to say something, but harry cut her off before she could protest. "don't fight me on this, you need to get better."

harry helped delilah up and she thanked him before slowly making her way to the bedroom. he returned to the kitchen and easily found his way around.

when he took the bowl of soup and mug of tea back to her room, harry found delilah with her nose in a book curled under what seemed like dozens of blankets. only when the sound of the bowl and mug being set down echoed throughout the room did delilah snap back into reality and notice harry standing there with a soft smile.

when delilah finished her soup and tea, after harry's numerous orders to eat as much as she could, he stood up to take the dishes back but was stopped by delilah's tired and weak voice.

"could you lay down with me? just for a little bit," delilah muttered with her face smushed against a pillow and her eyes craving to block out any light.

warmth seeped into harry's heart at delilah's words. "of course. just let me wash these really quick."

when harry returned to the room, delilah was curled into the mattress with fluttering eyes. he gently climbed into the bed and delilah instantly felt his body heat radiating. she moved herself closer before harry wrapped his arms around her and frowned at how warm she was yet how she shivered.

they both fell asleep leaving the meadow to bask in the warmth of the sun for the rest of the day with a wind blowing through looking for emotions to capture, but the emotions were within that bed that delilah and harry laid in. so, the whirlwind brewed between the two as harry held delilah close and they remained hopeful and content in their dreams.