The Neighbors

Chapter 27

After we had boarded the plane and gotten settled in our spacious seats, we all realized how exhausted we were. None of us had slept much since the night before, with the exception of little cat naps. Now we'd have at least ten hours in the air and hopefully we could get some rest. The stewardess brought us full-sized pillows and heavy blankets. I was really enjoying the perks of first-class flying. Harry reclined his seat and I snuggled in close to him, much like I had during the blizzard. He wrapped both arms around me and we both fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up several hours later with the sounds of flight buzzing around me – the constant drone of the engines, the soft conversation of those passengers who weren't sleeping, and the quiet questions being answered by the flight attendants. It all faded into a buzz around my head because I was only listening to one thing: Harry's heartbeat. His chest lightly rose and fell as he slept, and his heartbeat was soft and steady. I was overwhelmingly grateful to be with him like this again, even though the circumstances that brought us to this were quite tragic. I closed my eyes and was lulled back to sleep by his rhythm.

A few hours later, I felt Harry stroking my hair. I opened my eyes and he asked quietly, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, quite hungry, actually," I said sitting up. It didn't seem like we had been in the air for a full night, but it was already light outside, and I noticed that Charlie and Courtney were already eating breakfast. Then I remembered the time change. We had effectively flown five hours into the future.

Harry waved an attendant over and ordered some food and coffee for us. "How much longer until we land?" I asked.

"'Bout two hours, I think," Harry answered.

"We slept a long time, didn't we?" I smiled, still feeling a little drowsy, but rested.

"I had the best sleep I've had in a long time," Harry remarked.

"On an airplane?" I asked incredulously.

"With you in my arms," he clarified.

My heart felt warm and content with his comment.

The last two hours passed quickly and we soon landed at Heathrow. "Is anyone picking you up?" I asked.

"Yes," Charlie answered. "Our chauffeur will take us to our place."

When Charlie said "our place," I imagined maybe a swanky townhouse. I remember Harry mentioning an "estate," I thought he was referring to the entirety of his family's home and possessions. I was in no way prepared for an actual sprawling English estate.

I had to work hard to keep my jaw from hanging open. It seemed we drove for ten minutes from the front gate to the front door. I thought to myself what a step down it was for Harry and Charlie to live in the house next door, a modest 2000 square foot ranch, in what was considered to be a borderline upscale neighborhood on the outskirts of the Twin Cities. In comparison to their home in England, the house next door to mine seemed like a shack.

The chauffeur stopped, and Harry jumped out excitedly – he was clearly happy to be back home, even if it was to attend his father's funeral. He held his hand out to me and helped me out of the car. The towering french doors swung open and a middle-aged woman came running out. Charlie exclaimed, "Aunt Bev!" and he hugged her tightly. They both began to cry and it didn't take long before I felt the familiar wetness forming in my own eyes. Harry took his turn hugging Aunt Bev, and then he turned to introduce me to her.

"Aunt Bev, this is Lise," he said.

"Oh, so you're the lovely Lise. Harry has told me so much about you," she gushed. "Thank you for coming with the boys. This isn't the happiest of occasions, to be sure, but I'm so glad you're here."