Guarded Masterwork

Prologue

Sofia's posture shifted waiting for the blind date her coworker set her up with. At first proposal, she was tempted to decline, claiming her time was limited, but eventually, her excuses would distance her from the rest of the world as she lays on her couch with a Ben & Jerry's Phish Food to follow up the next morning at the gym, sweating out the full belly from the night prior.

Tapping her foot, Sofia took another glance at her watch, rolling her eyes: he was late. The afternoon could have been ideal in her snuggie, current Hulu obsession, and the new scent she splurged on at Yankee Candle to get ready for the holiday season. Instead, she's here waiting for an untimely man who better have a decent excuse.

Sofia got her dress for the date the morning of. Her lack of interest and reluctance motivated the procrastination. A high ponytail laid upon her shoulder like a loyal serpent, dewy makeup with rosy cheeks, and a rosé shaded tight dress: she looked like a goddess. And she just might've been.

At least that was Harry's first thought when he rushed into the brightly lit restaurant. It was almost a picturesque moment. Her silhouette curled like dark smoke on a white canvas in front of the window. Out of breath and late, the wild maned man prayed the tanned mare by the window was waiting on him.

Even though he was incredibly late.

Taking a deep breath, Harry looked at the unread messages Trisha had sent while he was driving to the restaurant, breaking some driving laws on his way - speeding and accelerating at yellow lights. A true rebel, as Trisha would call him. She was at home with his fifteen month-old, babysitting.

Harry first met Trisha in a grocery store, they had gotten into a little quarrel over who was before who in the deli line. The situation may or may not have included some hip bumping, tripping, and snagging jackets. Harry proved to be victorious, but Trisha took it upon herself to annoy him ever since then. To this day, he still can't figure out how she obtained his phone number. As Harry read the description of the woman before him, he couldn't help but to let out a laugh of pleasant disbelief.

Trisha Pink dress, she looks hot.

Trisha Oh, and high pony, her stupid latina genes allow those to look sexy while I'm bald.

After a quick response, he pocketed the device and jogged up to the beauty waiting on him for almost twenty minutes already.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I am so sorry! You're Sofia, correct?" Up close, this woman was even more miraculous. Her eyes were naturally cinched up, making her look fierce. Dainty shoulders and arms as well as soft features made up the girl. It was beautiful how someone could look so delicate yet so strong, and Harry certainly took notice.

"Hi! Yeah, I'm Sofia. Harry, right?" She stood, not sure if she was to hug him or offer a handshake.

But Harry's a hugger and an eager one at that. His arms wrapped securely around her waist. She had a warm floral scent that smelt homely. He could imagine scenarios, planning out ahead: them on the couch together, her smell almost intoxicating, before he realised how weird he was being and let go. He's been lonely.

"My god, I am so sorry. I really didn't know it was going to take that long to get here." They situated themselves in their seat after parting - Sofia smoothing her dress under her. She hates the feeling of her legs sticking to the leather of the chair.

"Oh don't sweat it." She assures. Admittedly, Sofia was mad at first, but now that he's there, she's over it. "Besides, to look that good, it must take time, right?" She eyed his yellow floral neck tie admirably. She was always one to appreciate fashion as well as a good looking man. Her eyes moved to the mess on his head and a smile formed. The long strands were slightly wet, but it was obvious he drove with the windows open. He looked childish, but it was oddly charming. Sofia tried not to spend too much time admiring the man before her, but he was unaware of her scrutiny because he was guilty of the same damn thing, looking at her in awe, dimples popping out, trying to suppress a smile of his own.

"Well, I did have to figure out how to put this bloody thing on." Harry's finger hooked in his collar where the yellow rose rested. "No, but in all honesty, my son started crying whenever I tried leaving him, so that was a bit of a set back. Although, he was left with Trisha, so I understand his fuss."

Sofia tried not to look so shocked at the mention of his kid, but her eyes had already widened, sparking the bubbling feeling of dread in the pit of Harry's stomach. He had a feeling Trisha 'forgot' to mention his kid, so Harry took the first chance he got to spill it. He wanted everything out in the open. Countless times he had mentioned his kid in the presence of a beautiful woman, but only a fraction of the ladies stayed, and he wanted to save himself the emotional investment if she was just going to walk out at the mention of a child. "It's- I just," he takes a breath, "I wanted to be up front and honest with you. I'm not hiding anything."

It wasn't that Sofia disliked kids, because she did, but it was the fact Trisha deliberately left out this important detail. Damnit, she could even recall some slip-ups while the boisterous blonde boasted about her friend.

Yeah, "he's a hot dad-daddy," bite me, Trish.

"Oh, no it's fine. I don't mind." It wasn't exactly a deal breaker if he had a kid, she was just going to see how this was going to go. "I actually liked that you were honest. Trisha just didn't mention anything, so I was just a little shocked." Sofia chuckled, taking a sip of the wine she ordered. Her nude theme contrasted to the dark, almost black, pinot noir sliding past her lips.

"Yeah, she has a tendency of dodging details, but that's Trisha for you." Harry shrugged, barely focusing on his response as he blurted out, "I'm sorry if this is too forward, but might I say that you are one of the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on?" Sofia looked exquisite drinking the dark wine, and he wanted her to know exactly what he was thinking. Harry has always been a gentleman, and his mother taught him well, to be honest. He plans to parent his son the same way.

Sofia, however, was not expecting such a compliment and spluttered a bit within her glass, getting some splatters if wine on her nose. The laugh she emitted was genuine. No high pitched giggle, it was a deeper, mature laugh, and Harry really appreciated that. Grabbing the cloth napkin, Sofia dabbed her nose gently enough to soak up the droplets without removing any makeup. "Thank you so much, that's so kind. I love your forwardness, it's refreshing," she smiled up at him. Her lip curled upwards, showing half as much gum as teeth. " And since we're being truthful, you look good too. Like... really good." She wished she wasn't so awkward with her words. Sophia's hand reached for her glass again, but before she took a sip, she followed up, "You're a really handsome man, Harry." She then tipped her head back to gulp down too big of a sip. It kind of burned, but she needed to become more loose. She liked to compliment people on the streets, but on a date with someone was a different story. She felt vulnerable praising him. She was never good at relationships, and lacked the consistency to ever obtain one. Sofia freaks out when it comes to opening up to people, so she disappears on them.

The date continued. Harry was successful with his game, he had lost his mojo after Will was born, but having such a beautiful woman in front of him gave him enough incentive to not screw things up. He ordered her a chocolate cake for dessert when she requested that he surprise her with what he thought she liked. She covered her ears while he ordered, scrunching her nose, her lips separated in a smile that showed small teeth and gums. The image motivated him to remove her hands from her ears a second longer than it should have because she was just so adorable. When Harry leaned over the table, careful not to knock over the flower centerpiece, he uncovered her ears, her wrists reminded him of Will's. She was just as soft.

There was no kiss goodbye when Harry walked her to her car, he didn't want her to feel pressured. Instead, they shared a hug, it was longer than their initial one, both rubbed the other's back slightly before parting.

And the warm floral scent lingered on Harry as he walked away.

A/N 

Hello to anyone who has decided to click on my story! Firstly, I would like to thank you for giving this a shot! I have wanted to do this story for a while now, and I currently have the first five chapters prewritten. So if you like the prologue and would like to read more, (please!) let me know! This is my first story on here, and I've worked hard on the plot, so I'm excited, and you should be too!

All right that's enough from me! lmao I prolly won't be as proper in any future a/n's

Have a great day!