You're the place my life begins. [l.s]

Part VIII.

Harry tries to block the happenings of that morning as he stands in the front porch of Johannah´s house. He does not want to be tense, but the image of Louis’s eyes stays vivid in his mind like a photograph, his broken voice echoes in his ears like glass crashing on the floor. Praying that it all goes out well in the end, he knocks on the door. He hears a feminine voice yelling, ‘I’ll get it’ and he recognizes it right away, Daisy. When she swings the door open, her eyes and smile widen and she does not wait a second to hug him tightly.

        “Harry!” And while he is only beginning to hug her back, Phoebe sees him too and in a second, she is also hugging him. He giggles in delight, and catches sight of Louis’s mother above the girls’ heads. The twins let go of him and Johannah pulls him into a hug too. He kisses her cheek with respect and fondness.

        “Hello, lovely, come in, come in,” she leads him to the couch in the living room. He takes a look around the house, something he always does when he and Louis visit, only because he likes to see the frames hanging on the walls. There is one of Louis, Felicity and Charlotte with the twins when they were just two little babies, from what he has been told, the picture was taken the day Johannah had brought Daisy and Phoebe home from the hospital. There is another one of Charlotte with a turquoise dress from the day of her graduation party. In a Hello Kitty shaped frame, there is a photo of Felicity in a school play when she was thirteen. There is also a picture of Johannah kissing Louis’s cheek, he has frosting on his face and if you look closely, you can see a peek of a mop of curls from one of the corners; it was taken on Louis’s 23th birthday and Harry of course, was there. He wants to be part of this family so badly.

 The twins plop down on the sofa by his sides, sandwiching him as they start harassing him with questions.

            “So, how are you treating our brother?” Phoebe asks, stabbing his cheek with her index finger, right where his dimple is located.

            “Yeah, is the sex good?” Now it’s Daisy speaking, and Harry blushes furiously. Both girls laugh and Johannah shakes her head as she puts a tray of pastries and tea on the small round table.

            “Girls.”

They laugh even harder and Daisy pinches Harry’s cheek. Daisy and Phoebe tell him about their life in Doncaster. They tell him about the universities they want to apply for, and the karate class Daisy has signed up for. Phoebe’s cheeks go impossibly red when Daisy tells him about the girl’s crush. They also show him Mufasa, their newly adopted kitten, and he cannot help awwing at it when he sees the small pet. Harry loves these people so dearly; he cherishes them with his entire soul and heart. And he wishes nothing more than making that unbreakable bond official by law.

            “Girls,” he says with a serious yet kind voice, “I need to talk to your mummy alone.”

            “What? You got our brother pregnant?” Phoebe questions with a playful smirk worthy of a true Tomlinson.

            “Girls, the room!” Johannah half-scolds them and they leave, laughing loudly as Harry hides his face in a fluffy cushion.

            “I swear, I didn’t, just, I,” he surely loves the girls as if they were his own sisters, but some days he wishes he could just smack them. He remembers when he met them; they were two innocent little girls unaware of the world, now they are two monsters who never miss a chance to embarrass him.

            “I’m sure of that, honey.” Johannah smiles fondly and he relaxes. After his mother, Johannah is the wisest and kindest woman he knows. “What do you want to tell me?” A small silence falls upon the living room, but it is not uncomfortable, and Harry searches for the best words.

            “Your son,” he begins, and looking at the woman, his eyes get watery, “your son, he is, he is the most important person in the world to me. Every day that I get to spend by his side is, like, a new reason to smile.” He pauses, licks his lips and continues talking, “that sounded cheesy, didn’t it?” He smiles sheepishly and scratches the nape of his neck. “I mean, I love him. I love him so much that I wake up every day and I try to understand how I can be so lucky. I try to understand how it is that I deserve him. He makes me so happy and the only thing I wanna do is to spend the rest of my life making him happy too.” He chokes, and she takes his hands, squeezing them to provide him with the support he needs. “I-I, I bought a ring,” her eyes widen when realization hits her and soon she is tearful too, her mouth slightly agape, “I will propose to him in a few days, and it would make me very happy to have your blessing.”

She takes a minute to take in the words her son’s boyfriend has just said. Ever since Harry and Louis started dating, he has become a stronger person. He is now more mature and without a doubt, happier. Louis and Harry complement each other, and are constantly overcoming obstacles in order to protect their relationship. And even during the hardest battles they have fought, they have never questioned the love they feel. She only wishes the best for her baby, -who will always be her baby, no matter if he is twenty-seven by now-, and she knows that the best is Harry. So she says, “I am sure you will make him very happy, love.”

He smiles proudly, feeling triumphal and overjoyed; both of them tear up a little with a choked laugh. In a minute, the girls are flying down the stairs, squealing and laughing. He gasps when they both jump on him and hug him.

He really does not understand why he was so nervous in the first place; they are the warmest people he knows.

*

So, there's only one part left and then the sequel. Thank you for reading this! I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what you think?