Room 301 [Zarry]

sunlight and songwriting

Sunlight filters through the blinds, I wake up slightly confused, eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness flooding through the room. Kit's arms are wrapped around my waist, cheek creasing the pillow. The door bursts open, Lana smiles at me sheepishly as she takes off her heels.

"Gooood morning," she sings. "I'm sure you missed me dearly but no worries, another night on the town didn't kill me. I know, it's shocking."

"Shut up," I chuckle. "I'm just not the party type. I don't want to lose control of myself or do something that I'll regret."

She smirks "well you embarrass yourself on the daily with your outfits Harry. What's the difference?" I open my mouth to fire back but Kit stirs, smiles at me like I'm the only person on Earth.

"Morning," she mumbles before finding my lips. Her head rests on my chest and I run my fingers through her loose beach waves, butterflies taking flight inside my ribcage.

"Thanks for letting us crash here Lana. If you ever need anything, let me know. I definitely owe you." I pull on my jeans, fumble around for my room card in my back pocket.

She looks slightly stunned when we reach my room, eyes wide with fear. "Harry," she says coarsely. "You're in 301? I thought they didn't put people in here anymore. I've heard stories...I don't think I can go in there," she shallows quickly.

"It's okay," I chuckle, ruffling her hair. The door creaks open and I'm frozen in place. There's a vase of fresh flowers on the night stand, the dust has all been wiped off, the carpet stains have vanished. It even looks like someone steam cleaned. The sheets are fresh, bed neatly made and all my stuff is tucked away neatly, perfectly pressed, tucked and folded in the closet. My shirts are all hung up, dirty laundry in a basket.

"Woah, everything is so neat," she exhales, clearly impressed. "Oh Harry," she places her hand over her heart and gasps as she picks up the card next to the flowers. "Your beauty shines through in everything you do. That's so cute thank you," she blushes, cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson.

"Um yeah," I scratch the back of my head, thoroughly confused. "You're welcome."

"Did you plan on bringing me back to your place? I mean...I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just surprised you wanted to do that so soon. How did you plan this? Did you make Lana do this?"

I can't stop laughing as I pull her into my arms, kiss the top of her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you like it. I have a very special task for you. Are you up for it?"

"Well," she giggles, shying away from me. "It depends. I might not be super helpful." She knocks the tips of her shoes together, gazes down at the carpet. Her shyness is refreshing. Despite her beauty, her confidence isn't excessive.

"Hey," I cup her chin, gently tilt her face up. "You know you're beautiful right?"

"Stop," she giggles again, sound so soft and adorable it melts me. "What do you need? I'm happy to help you."

"Well I want to play you some new music, can you give me your thoughts? And I want you to be brutually honest, if you don't feel the lyrics or connect with the song tell me. It's okay, I need constructive criticism. You're sweet but I need a bit of sour, okay?"

"Okay," she laughs. "I am a producer's daughter. I've acquired a certain talent for recognizing good music. Trust me."

"Perfect," I give her a lopsided smile, pick up my guitar and start strumming. I don't glance over at her or try to read her expressions. I'm just focused on the chords and the story they tell.

She taps on my shoulder and I pause, pulse strumming in my throat. "Was it bad?" I don't know why I'm so nervous but her opinion really matters to me. I know she'll be honest but considerate of my feelings and how invested I am in my music and creating my own distinct, personal style.

"I really like the transition into the bridge but I think you could get away with slowing it up a bit more and lightening your tone because those lyrics are so expressive and important. You're putting a lot of stress on the chorus and I like that you're emphasizing it because it's more rushed and frantic and very rock and roll but your softer tone is very nice."

"Oh...I appreciate that. It's just that this song is supposed to all be kind of heavy. Maybe that transition is the problem. I want it to feel cohesive. If it sounds like two different styles then I'm doing something wrong-"

"No," she blurts. "You're just trying things out. Maybe use that progression in another song but keep it in your songbook."

"Hmm okay. I definitely don't like that I went too soft into the bridge. It felt kind of odd," I frown. "I don't even know that I like this song."

"Oh no," she cups my cheek. "You're so talented, don't say that Harry. What if you start soft and slow and then break out into the bridge? That way you can still punch those lines really hard and infuse that rock inspiration but you can fade out the ending really nicely. It will tie everything together."

I'm so lucky Kit knows what she's talking about, I'm so appreciative of her advice and how nicely she put it. I set down my guitar, replace it with her. I can't stop peppering her face with kisses. "Thank you," a kiss on the tip of the nose. " Thank you," a kiss on her temple. "Thank you, thank you-" on her forehead, her cheekbone.

"Will I always be rewarded with kisses?"

"Is that your reward of choice?" We're both laughing as I lace our fingers together.

"You're so silly Harry but I do like kisses."

"So you don't love them?" She rolls her eyes playfully and I bring her hand to my lips.

"I like cuddles so you can add those too but you don't ever need to buy me anything or get me gifts. No man has ever bought my affection."

I tuck sone hair behind her hair, lips teasing her skin. "Then how do I gain your affection?"

"You earn it," she whispers, shivering as I kiss the shell of her ear.