Getting You Back

Chapter Twenty-One: Early Christmas Gift

Chapter Twenty-One: Early Christmas Gift

        I stare at the unknown man wondering who could of gotten me anything. I make no attempt to follow him out the door, nervous that this is some sort of joke rather than a delivery. Everyone that could possibly know in New York are standing behind me and I know for a fact that not everyone behind me would just randomly send me something.
"Excuse me sir? What is it?" He smiles at me while tapping the clip board he has in his hands.
"It's an early Christmas gift for you." I look over to my mom, hoping that she would admit to sending me something. She gives me a simple shrug. I look over at Elliot and Luca hoping one of the two sent me a gift. It is like these two to pull a joke at moments like this just to ease the tension. But both raise their hands in surrender.  
"It was him." They say at the same time pointing towards one another. Lena shakes her head before I can even ask her. Even in my heels, my height is not enough for me to peek into the hallway before leaving the room.
"It it will be okay." The man says when I stand right."So if you will, please follow me please." The man says as he turns on his heel and walks out of the room. I as well as my entire family follow the nameless man out into the hallway. I stop mid-step when I step out of the room causing Elliot to bump into the back of me.
"Oh my gosh." I whisper to myself at the sight in front of me.Outside the room I see flowers before I see anything else. The once cold and empty hallway is lines from the exit to where we stand by the door with flowers. Red, white, and pink overpower the bland white walls. The delivery man stands in front of me with a smile across his face.  
"Aren't you happy you came out?" I nod my head, unable to use my words because of the shock that goes through me. I walk along the hallways garden, taking in every flower as possible. I reach out and gently touch the petal of a red rose. The petal is soft against my skin and delicate in my hand. "Twelve dozen red and white roses. Long stemmed and no thorns. Then twelve dozen peonies, I hear that the blush ones are your favorite color." How does he know? I look up at him with wide eyes, bewildered at the fact that this stranger, who's name I don't even know, could know this small detail about me. I bend down to my knee so that I can get a closer look at them. I press my nose into the small flower in taking the light scent. Memories flash through my mind with this one smell. 
The door to my room bust open causing me to jump in the middle of my bed. Before I can say anything or yell at my sudden visitor my eyes come in contact with bouquet of blush pink peonies tied together in a white ribbon. 
"Someone told me you were missing little ol' me." I hear him before I see him but that is enough for me to push everything off me and stand up in my spot. Harry comes into the room with a bag draped over his shoulder, his arms open, and my flowers in his right hand. He drops the bag to the floor and opens his arms for me. I stand in the middle of bed shocked that he is actually here in front of me rather than Watford preparing for the first show. My lower lip begins to quiver as my tears fill my eyes and threaten to fall out. I didn't think I wouldn't see him until I could fly out or until the American leg of tour.
"Are you not going to kiss your boyfriend hello?"  He mocks me playfully. He closes his eyes and puckers his lips, waiting for me to finally come over and press my lips to his. "I can wait here all day." 
"You better catch me." I run across my bed and throw myself at him. When our bodies meet my legs wrap around his waist and my arms wound around his neck. His arms go beneath my butt, holding me up so that every line of our bodies touch. Harry pucker his plump pink lips out as far as he can go but rather than giving in I press kisses on his cheeks, his chin, his jaw, his neck, his forehead, the corner of his mouth. Right as I place a small kiss to the tip of his nose, he opens his eyes, allowing me to see those pretty green eyes. He places his forehead against mine allowing our lips to merely touch as we stand here.
"Hi baby." He mumbles causing his lips to brush against mine. His deep, Cheshire accented voice destroys my little game. 
"Oh God, I missed you." I cup his cheek in my hand and press my lips to his. I feel his body relax against mine as our lips move. The drops both the flowers and the bag to the ground then brings his hands to my waist. 
"There's even a note for you." The man's voice breaks my memory before it could finish. When I look up I find him standing beside me with his hand out. When I stand right up, he hands me a white rectangle card that has words printed across it.
"It is not about who gave you the gift. It's about who's holding it." I read out loud, slightly confused on what this phrase could mean. The message is typed onto the card rather than handwritten, making it hard to figure who could of sent all these flowes.
"Wait! Sir..." When I look back up the hallway is empty, the delivery man is long gone. I look back down at the card and read the message over and over. How could it be about the person who delivers when he has already left? What piece am I missing? From my peripheral vision, I see shadows come walking towards us. When I look up, more roses and peonies are being carried towards us.
"Who did this?" I hear my mom whisper from behind me. I look down as both sets of flowers get set down. Right as the vases touch the ground I recognize the two sets of dusty, worn out boot.  
It is not about who gave you the gift. It's about who's holding it. 
My body begins to shake with happiness and tears fall down my cheeks. That is when it all hits me, it is not about who delivered the flowers or who ordered them for me. It is about the two that hold the last two. The card falls from my hand just as it all hits me.
"DADDY! ALEX!" I felt my own scream pierce my throat and echo off the wall as it pierces the ears of all of those who stand near me. I drop my clutch to the ground, it suddenly become irrelevant to what is happening now right in front of me. Despite being in heels and them being half way down the hallway, I run to my dad and my brother. With each step I take, I feel more tears run down my cheek and my heart beat against my chest. "Daddy!" I call out to him, hoping that my eyes haven't deceived me. His arms open and catches me just as I throw myself into his arms. My dad picks me up and lifts my feet off the ground. When I feel his arms wrap around me, it all becomes real he is really here with me, with our family. He spins us around like he would do when I was a little girl. I cry into his neck as my hands move around. Please don't be a dream, I think to myself. Please tell me you're here and I'm not going to wake up back home with you not there. His hands smooth out my hair then he presses a kiss to my head.
"I'm here, I'm here." He whispers in my ear. My body slumps against his and I give into my sobs.The material of his uniform feels itchy and scratches against my skin. The facial hair that is on his chin tickle my skin but I welcome it.
"You've grown so much." My dad says as he pulls away from me so he can get a good look at me. Tears fill his eyes as he sees the differences from the last time we saw each other. His skin is a bit tanner from endless days under the sun but everything else he is still my dad.  
"I have missed you so much daddy." He holds me tighter as we both cry together. A whole year and a half, a whole year and half that both my brother and father have been away at war.
"I've missed you too my little butterfly." I feel a hand touch my back . When I look up I am met with the warm brown eyes of my oldest brother. We look wordlessly at each other, taking in the fact that though we aren't in Texas that he is finally home.
"Hey bug." He says with the smile that I have missed so much. My dad lifts me and passes me to my brother gently. Once my arms wrap around his neck we both break down. "I missed you so much bug. I missed your midnight calls and your random visits. I missed you so much." Seeing my eldest brother cry makes me hold him tighter. He runs his hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me as we both bawl our eyes out. That is when I feel my dad wrap his arms around us and just hold us.
"I miss y'all so much." I cry to them. Dad presses a kiss to my head then begins to wipe away the tears that fall down his cheeks.
"Mom, Lena, Elliot, Luca!" I yell from their arms. At the sound of their names they all come running. Just like me, all their eyes go wide with shock and tears fall down their cheeks.
"Dad!!" Elliot and Luca yell as both of them coming running down the hallway. Lena peeks from the back with both Mace and Avie in her arms. And just like he did when he was last home, Alex gasps at the sight of his family.
"Lena!" He calls out for her. Alex puts me down and goes running to his family.
"D-daddy." Masen's little voice cracks at the sight of Alex. Both Ava and Masen are handed to him and he holds onto them with everything that he has. I turn back to see my dad holding onto Elliot and Luca as they both cry into his shoulder and blubber all the worries we all had. When they let go of our dad the first place he stares up at is where my mom stands. And I swear I see him fall even more in love with ther than he did they day he laid eyes on her. Her pretty brown eyes fill with tears as he walks towards her.
"Welcome home General Martinez." He pulls her into the circle of his arms by her hands and buries his face in her neck.
"It feels good to be here Mrs. Martinez." She places both hands on his cheeks and looks into his eyes, she scans over him, making sure that he is okay, that he isn't hurt. That is when her lower lips begins to tremble and  she breaks down in my dad's arms.
"God, I love you so much. I have missed you." She presses kisses all over his face as he laughs. He gets a hold of her and brings her into his side. Lovingly, my mom wraps her arms around his torso and cuddles herself to him. My dad suddenly gets a very serious look and focuses his eyes on me.
"Thank Harry, he got us here." My eyes widen at what my dad just said. I look back towards the room with wide eyes and a melted heart. He stands there in that room knowing of this gift and he never said thing. After everything that has happened between us and the words that we both have yelled at each other, he remembered. Even when it was months ago. It was months ago that I told him what I wanted for Christmas. 
It was just us in the depths of his room. His body lays on top of mine,  I could feel every inch of him against me. Every line of my body matches up with his perfectly as we lay here in a mess of limbs. His lips traces across my collar bones causing goosebumps to raise across my skin. His go from mine to my skin and back to my eyes continuously. Before each kiss he tells me he leaves me with each look. He leaves soft lingering kisses on my neck as his name falls from my lips so softy that one might think I was praying. Every time my heart would beat his would beat at the same time. We were one and together. He brings my legs up to his waist, ready to have me again. To ravish me in every way possible that only he can.
"Wait Harry, hold on baby." I place my hands on his shoulder and push him off me. He rolls over then easily pulls me across the bed by my arm and brings me into his chest.  I rest my forehead against him and press kisses to chest. The tips of his fingers begin to run up and down the curve of my back. With each circuit of his fingers shivers runs through my body. 
"What do you want for Christmas baby?" He asks me suddenly. I turn so that I can look him in the eye. He hitches my hip across him and holds me tight so that my bare chest his pressed to his, skin to skin. I wrap my arms around his neck and snuggle close to him. Being here with him is enough for me. He doesn't have to buy me some lavish Christmas gift. I don't want him to do that, I just want him but I know he won't take that as an answer. 
"I just want my dad and brother home. They have been gone for so long." I finally answer, thinking of gift that means something to me. 
I remember the day as if it was yesterday. He remembered. After all the meetings, gigs, and events he remembered. I bury my face in my hands and cry. I cry because of the happiness I feel, I cry because of the emptiness I have without Harry.
"Sweetheart?" My mom says in a worried tone. I bring my head up and run back towards the room. When I make it to the threshold of the room, I feverishly look around the room searching for the mop of curly hair. I find him in the corner of the room leaning against the wall with head down and his hands in his pockets. I stand a few feet away from him but I feel farther away from him than ever. Everything that I want is him. I run over to him and wrap my arms around him. I bury my face in his chest and I just be. It has been too long since I have last felt him in my arms or his body against mine. A sigh of content escapes me when I hear Harry's heartbeat against my ear. Even when I'm in my heels he towers over me. His arms suddenly wrap around me and he lifts me up off the ground. My arms go around his neck, I hold him close, and I sob.
"Thank you so much Harry. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much." His nose trails up and down my neck and jaw, inhaling my perfume and caressing me with his touch. At the feel of his skin against mine, a warmth that I have been missing for so long shoots through me. I relax in his arms, allowing my body to align with his.
"I would do anything for you. Anything. Seeing that smile on your face is everything. You're everything to me." He whispers against my skin.