British Rose

8. Back For You

Charlotte's Apartment – Brighton, UK – Friday, 13th of September

Since her phone had announced Harry's departure from Manchester main station two hours ago, Charlotte had been running around her apartment, frantically cleaning the already clean surfaces and tidying the already tidy place. It had been Giovanna's turn this week and she had done her job properly. The flat was not big enough to divide it into rooms for a cleaning plan so they agreed on alternating every week on doing the whole flat. Still, Charlotte was pacing around, swiping nonexistent dust and whatnot.

One hour before Harry's arrival at Brighton main station, Charlotte checked herself in the mirror. Tousled hair, sweaty face, gym clothes still on from her yoga session in the morning. Crap. She needed a shower, a quick one to fix this mess. It was now 1pm, she would have to leave in about 40 minutes to pick up her guest. 

Shouting to her roommate "I need the bathroom for a while!", she locked the door and commenced to polish herself up at least a bit for her weekend guest.

Manchester main station – Friday, 13th of september

"Daddy will be back soon, okay princess?" Harry had crouched down in front of his daughter, who had grown at least half a foot since he had returned to Holmes Chapel two weeks prior.

Relative to her body, her vocabulary had extended, too. Sentence structure, however, not so much.

"Why I can't come, too?" As happy as she had been that her father was finally back and at her disposal 24/7 the past two weeks, as sad was she now that she couldn't come with him to the seaside and to Charlotte.

"Charlotte doesn't have a house like we have here, so it's not easy having lots of guests over. And Daddy needs to see first how things are in Brighton for small children like you are, love. I'm sure at a later time you can come too." He held his daughters' hands and wiped away some of the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Anne stood a few steps away, watching the adorable but also a bit heartbreaking scene. The two weeks Harry had been at home had felt way too short, as always. 

"I like Charlotte." Harry's heart almost exploded by the confession from his daughter. He tried his hardest to hide the giant smile forming on his face to avoid his daughter thinking he was making fun of her and her feelings.

"I know, princess. I like her, too. And I promise you will see her again soon, okay? Maybe you can ask her yourself if she would want to visit you sometime?"

The prospect of talking to the girl from Barcelona made Aria's eyes light up instantly. Harry sometimes wondered if the connection Aria had mysteriously formed right away to Charlotte was even more special than the one he had with her.

"I call her?"

"No, love, I think I will call you when I'm there and then you can talk to her, okay?"

In that moment, Anne noticed the train arriving and stepped in to separate her son and his daughter. "You're gonna miss the train, love," she alerted him.

"Okay. Pinky promise?" Aria didn't seem entirely convinced yet.

"Pinky promise." Harry held out one of his to meet with Aria's. "Now go stay with Grandma. I'm back soon! I love you, my little girl." Kissing her cheek, he placed the tiny hand he was still holding into one of his mothers' and said goodbye to her, too.

Waving one last time to his little family, he got on the first of two trains that would bring him to the person his heart had ached for every day since their parting.