Captivated

First Love

Aw, omg, I forgot what I wrote in this chapter, but I just melted my own heart when I went to proofread it. You'll like this one. Have fun! Comment and vote if you wish xxx
-ab

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December 15, 2024

Patrick

Before we make it back to my flat, Harper falls asleep in the car, leaned up against the door. Once I park the rental car on the street, with plans of returning it later on, I shake her lightly.

"Harper, hon, come on. We are here."

She groggily rubs her eyes and hops out of the car onto the sidewalk, dragging herself into the building and up the lift to my flat. She's been here so many times that it is something she can literally do in her sleep, though this is the first time she's spending the night here.

I let her in, then we make our way to my bedroom, where I pull some old sweats and a tee shirt out of the bottom of my dresser drawer. I send her to the bathroom to change, and when she comes out, she instantly crawls under the duvet. I do the same, wrapping my arms around her.

"Goodnight, love. I love you. I'll see you in the morning."

"Love you too," she murmurs, snuggling in closer to me before she falls asleep almost instantly.

I do so as well, but eventually, we both wake up, around the same time. It is about 9:30 in the morning, meaning that we have gotten about seven hours of sleep, since we went to bed around 2:30. Figuring that's enough, I prop myself up, and Harper does the same.

"Good morning pretty girl. Do you remember agreeing to spend the night here?"

"Vaguely," she giggles.

"Are you feeling more rested up now?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

"I'm glad," I tell her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "Now, are you hungry?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I thought I'd never be able to eat again after that huge meal last night."

I kiss the top of her head lightly. "Let's go find some breakfast then."

We pad out to my little kitchenette, which is nothing too fancy, but enough to serve me. "Go ahead and raid the cabinets. I've got nothing to hide from you... do you have anything weird that you eat for breakfast?"

"Usually just cereal, but I'll eat whatever you place in front of me, honestly."

"Great, I've got cereal up here." I open a cabinet and pull out a box of Special K. "This good?"

"Perfect," she replies, getting a clean bowl and spoon from the dishwasher and the jug of milk from the refrigerator.  After fixing her breakfast, she sits down, and I fix myself the same thing, then take a seat beside her.

"So, you had a nice time last night?"

"Of course I did," she replies. "It was a lovely wedding."

"It was..."

The two of us share a moment of silence before I hear Harper take a deep breath and speak again.

"Patrick, can I ask you something?"

"What's that, hon?"

"What you said to me last night while we were checking the venue... about wanting to marry me... did you mean it?"

I'm slightly taken aback at her question, though I don't have to debate on what the answer is. "Of course I meant it. Harper, you're the most amazing girl I've ever met. I'd be a fool to not want to marry you."

"It's just... you're the first boy who has ever paid any sort of attention to me, and well, it makes me feel really special... so, I guess that I just wanted to let you know that I feel the same way. About wanting to marry you, that is. Not for some time still, but someday, I hope I'll get to be that lucky."

"I hope so too," I tell her, placing my hand on top of hers. "I really, really hope so... but I want you to know that even if fate should step in, and the stars were crossed for us, I've been the most lucky man in the world to have this time with you. For the rest of my life, you'll be my first love, Harper Kennedy. And do you know what they say about first loves?"

"What's that?"

"They say that they never truly die. We will always have that spark, no matter how tiny it may be."

As I finish speaking, I notice how much she's blushing. "Oh my god, I'm so in love with you," she just whispers, grasping the sides of my face and pulling me in for a passionate kiss.

When we are both finished with our breakfast, I know that Harper has to get home. She doesn't have any day clothes to change into, and she promised her flatmates that they can have some girls' time this afternoon.

"How about this," I suggest. "I'll drop you back at your flat, and then I can take the rental car back to the lot. Your place is only a few miles off course anyway."

"It's fine, I can take the tube..."

"No, I insist. Plus, what are you going to take that train in? You've got pajamas or a formal dress. Neither of those will really blend in with the Londoners, hm?"

"I suppose you're right," I giggle. "Do you care if I wear this home? I can wash it and give it back to you."

"No, keep it," I insist. "Those aren't my favorites anyway. You can wear them when we can't be together and think of me."

"That's so sweet," she gushes. "Thank you."

"No problem, love. Now, let's get you home so that you can spend some time with the girls, alright?"

"Alright," she replies, giving a small smile as she picks up her dress and clutch from the night before, then leads the way down to the car, climbing into the passenger seat. I hop into the drivers seat and begin the route to her neighborhood.

Though I've taken the train countless times, I've not driven this exact route before, so it does take a moment to find my way. With the help of a GPS, though, I'm able to do it and drop Harper off at her place all safely.

"I'll text you," I tell her, sending her off with a quick kiss, then driving away.