Solace ~ h.s.

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"Belle, why're we outside an empty storefront?"

With a happy grin on my face and a puzzled look upon Harry's, I take a couple steps in front of Harry and turn to face him. His eyes fall from the storefront behind me to my face, where a slight grin is working it's way onto his lips.

"Harry, welcome to Belle's," Harry's eyes widen as I motion to the property I own behind him, "my bakery." I add, biting down on my lip as Harry takes the news in.

The realization of what I've said to him appears to be coming slowly, maybe because I just sprung this on him. I haven't really talked about my dreams of opening up a bakery in a very long time and everything just happened so fast when I spotted this cute storefront on my way home from the shops.

"Your...?" Harry seems in shock and I would normally be worried, but he is smiling.

"Yes, my bakery." I assure him as I take a step to him and hold out my hand. With his eyes still trained on the building behind me, he lifts his hand and places it on mine. "I'm finally doing it. It's really early in the process, very early actually. But I saw this place on the way home from Tescos one day and I just knew it was perfect. I had to dip into my savings for the down payment and first few months rent, but I couldn't let this place go. In hindsight, maybe it was foolish to purchase the place prior to having any real plan in the works but I-"

Harry's lips are on mine in an instant, the initial kiss shocking because I didn't expect it. Before long, my whirling brain is stopped from continuing down it's hectic path and my lips are meshing perfecting with the lanky man in front of me. Far too quickly, Harry brings the kiss to an end, resting his forehead against mine and allowing his eyes to flutter open with mine.

"You talk way too much." He tells me, causing us to both chuckle. We both know that I can't help it. "Don't second guess yourself, love. I'm so unbelievably happy for you and I will support you no matter what, whether it be with my crafty baking skills or -"

"Don't you dare bring up money." I order him, trying to keep a death glare even though we both know I could never be truly angry at the man before me. "And I won't need your crafty baking skills, Mr. I-told-you-I-was-a-baker-but-I-was-actually-a-cashier." Harry rolls his eyes at my excessive nickname before pecking my lips once more and standing to his full height.

"I'm proud of you." His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me flush against him as we both look up at my, nowhere-near-finished, bakery.

"Would you like a tour?"

"Would I like a tour? Of the bakery I named and get free sweets from, how could I ever pass that up?" My heart warms at his comments, surprised that he actually remembered our so-called deal that we made from our first date; our first date that was over four months ago.

It seems like just yesterday the man was nervously asking me out through his best mate at a restaurant whilst Edward sat by with an ornery attitude.

"It's a bit of a fixer-upper." I warn Harry after I've used my keys to open the door. "But with a major clean, some new paint, and some love, it'll work for the time being." Showing him the front of the bakery, I run my hands along the dusty countertop of the till.

This place as been on the market for quite sometime, due to its high price and location off a main high-street. After months of it not being taken by someone, the owner dropped the price and I snatched it up before anyone else could.

"The appliances," I lead Harry into the back of the bakery, where a full, very large, kitchen sits, "are a tad dated, but they work perfectly." Everything about this place is perfection, at least in my eyes.

The front has room for some seats for guests to relax in whilst they eat their treats. The glass showcase at the front till allows for some favourite treats to be shown off and sold daily. The back kitchen is large enough for storage of all baking equipment and supplies, as well as for big orders, shall we ever get them.

"Baby, it's perfect." Harry says with a gleam in his eyes as he admires the place.

"You think so?"

"I know so." With a grin that was becoming unbearably uncomfortable to hide, I hop around in place like a small child. Harry merely laughs at me and inspects the place further.

"I just can't believe this is finally happening! I'm so bloody excited, and nervous, and already stressed, but mostly -"

Harry surprises me again with another unexpected kiss. This time he's quick to wrap his arms around my waist and lift me off the ground, keeping our lips locked together. Giggling through the kiss, I pull away first, the feeling of butterflies lining my stomach. I don't know if they're from the kiss or just my pure excitement on my big purchase, but I'm happy.

Glancing down at Harry, I see that he's looking expectantly up at me, almost as if he's said something to me that I haven't heard.

"What?" Laughing to himself, Harry sets me down on my feet softly and brushes a loose strand of hair back away from my face. With a deep breath, he smiles down at me and repeats whatever it is he had said to me in the first place.

"I love you."

If I didn't have butterflies before, I had them now.

"You do?" I mumble, so happy that tears begin to brim my eyes.

The idea of love should terrify me, and in a way, it does. Because of my past, I'm hesitant to love again, but with Harry there really isn't anything I need to be worried about. He'd never hurt me intentionally, he'd be there for me, and he would love me; I have no doubt about that.

"Yes, I do!" He nearly shouts. "I love you so, so bloody much. I think I've loved you since the day we met, the day you told me off in the corridor of the pediatrics ward."

That day might have been the worst day of my entire life, but I can't deny that even though that day brought so much sadness, it also brought me so much happiness. Like I've said before, everything happens for a reason.

"Are you crying?" Bringing my hands to my face, I feel the moisture that's collected underneath my eyes. I wipe the tears away and laugh to myself. I never knew I was going to be the type of girl to cry when the man she's loved for a long time now pours out his heart to her.

"I'm just so emotional, don't blame me!" I playfully yell at him.

In a matter of seconds, I pull him into a tight hug, burying my face against his chest to my hide my tear-soaked face. He wraps his strong arms around me and holds me there as I compose myself, rocking me back and forth and whispering I love you's into my ear.

"I love you." I mumble against his chest, which only makes him pull me tighter against him.

And like any normal couple after saying I love you for the first time, we make the decision to make out... on the countertop... in the back of the bakery.

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