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Over the next month and a half, River and Harry talked every single day, usually all day on and off. She felt so comfortable with him, although it still felt so surreal that she was really talking to him, to this person who felt like he'd been in her life for a very long time because in one way or another, she supposed he had.
Every time his name showed up as a text message or his smiling face materialized before her in a FaceTime, the butterflies in her stomach felt like they might make it explode.
She was falling for him, and hard. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt for anyone the way she felt for him. He was just so... kind, to his core. He was always ready to try and help and talk her through things. He let her vent and he let her be sad when she needed to be, and he seemed to always know the exact right thing to say to make her feel just that little bit more sane.
She also absolutely loved learning things about him. He was currently in the beginning stages of writing and recording his second solo album, and he seemed to be having a bit of a hard time. Every now and then he even ran lyrics past her to get her opinions.
She knew it was soon, she knew she hadn't even actually met him in person yet, but even if nothing ended up happening between them other than friendship, she'd be fine with it. She'd never had someone who seemed so genuinely interested in her, not since Jasmine anyway, and she was so ridiculously thankful for him. She felt... good, better than she thought she ever would again.
The day he was flying in, she woke up feeling almost overwhelmed with excitement. He had his interview and then was filming some videos with the radio station in the afternoon, and then a car service was going to bring him to her place. He texted shortly after she woke, telling her he'd arrived at the station and was excited to see her.
As she showered and got ready to see him, she still couldn't really believe it was real. Jasmine would've been so proud of her for actually pursuing it; normally she probably would've just gotten too shy and ignored it until it went away, but something about Harry and the warmth she felt from him when he spoke to her made it impossible for her to ignore.
Before she knew it, he was texting that he was outside her building. What seemed like a second later, there was a knock at the door and she felt like the butterflies in her stomach were going to break out. She took a deep breath and made her way to the door, trying her best to push her nerves deep down somewhere where they might disappear.
She opened the door and there he was. She was almost surprised to see him; she'd still been partially convinced that it had all been a dream or a hallucination or something. But no, there he was. His brown curls were touseled perfectly and framed his face gently and he was wearing a pair of dress pants and a light green button-down shirt that brought out the color of his already-brilliant green eyes. He was carrying a couple of grocery bags and there was a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled and she realized the dimple was even better in person. She smiled back, stepping aside and letting him step into the apartment.
"Hi," he said quietly, his voice having that same shy tone to it that it had when he'd first asked if she wanted to meet up.
"Hi back," she whispered, feeling just as shy as he seemed to be.
He chuckled quietly, dropping his things gently to the floor and pulling her into a tight hug. His long arms encircled her and she let herself melt into his chest just slightly. His hug was warm and soft and he smelled absolutely fantastic.
Somehow when they pulled apart, the shyness and partial tension that had lived between them just seconds before seemed to evaporate. She eyed his bags on the floor cautiously, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I know you don't cook and I can't really go out anywhere in public without paps finding me, so I brought some things and thought I'd make you dinner. I also brought things to change into because I came straight from the interview and this shirt is scratchy," he told her, and she chuckled quietly.
"Nobody's ever cooked for me before," she told him, and he frowned.
"Really? Well, prepare yourself. I don't really do anything in a small way and I definitely overbought," he told her, making her laugh again. He laughed with her, and she shot him a final look before leading him into the kitchen. She still just couldn't believe he was there - it still felt like a dream, but she couldn't believe how happy she was already just to be in his presence.
