Unexpected Love

Chapter Forty Nine

"What time are we supposed to be at your mum's?" I asked Harry, watching as he opened the presents under our tree.

"Dinner's at about 2pm, so any time before then," he answered, ripping the paper off the gifts that people had wrapped for us. It was our first proper Christmas together and our last before we got married.

"Shall we swap our presents now or later?" I asked, pointing to the present that I had wrapped for him.

"Now!" he screamed, jumping up from the floor and sitting on the sofa next to me. I handed him the present I had wrapped, and he handed me the other.

"Ready?" I asked, suggesting that we do it at the same time.

"You first," he announced, and I started to tear at the colourful paper. I saw a small grey box, and I carefully opened the lid to reveal two sets of cufflinks. I pulled one out, studying the engraving on them.

"This one has our initials on, and the other has the day of the wedding. I thought maybe we could both wear them on the day, as our something new" he said, smiling down at me. I smiled back at him, thanking him for the thoughtful gift and giving him a little kiss.

"Your turn," I said, watching as he carefully unwrapped the paper. When he saw the bag, he opened it, gazing inside and pulling out what I had bought him.

"Matching ties?" he asked, looking over at me.

"Yeah, my idea was that we could wear them to the wedding. They perfectly match our colour theme. I also had a little 'H+L' stitched on the inside. They could be our something blue?" He held one up to my face, looking between me and the tie.

"It perfectly matches your beautiful eyes," he smiled, "I absolutely love it, thank you."

***

"Mum, we're here!" Harry shouted as we walked into her house. We had picked up my mum on the way, so we all arrived together.

"Merry Christmas, Harry!" she expressed, coming out of the kitchen to greet us. "Merry Christmas to you too, Louis! Jay, you look wonderful. Please come in, come in, its freezing out there!" she exclaimed, ushering us into the living room to avoid the harsh winter snow. Gemma was sat with her partner, Michal, and we all greeted each other before sitting down and chatting.

"I can't believe it's been a whole year since you two love birds made it official!" Gemma called out, causing Harry and I's cheeks to flush slightly.

"Yeah, it's gone so quickly," Harry replied, smiling over at me.

"I was so nervous," I stated, remembering how I felt when I stood in front of everyone and came out to them. "I was so scared you'd tell me you didn't feel the same way anymore!"

"I never stopped loving you, Lou, even when things were difficult." He planted a soft kiss on my cheek, causing Gemma to pretend to be sick. Her partner laughed at her, reminding her that they kiss too.

"Yes, but watching my little brother so in love is sickening!" she wailed, being overly dramatic. We all laughed at her, and I thought about how grateful I was to have such an incredible and supportive extended family. That night, we stayed at Anne's house. It felt strange to sleep in Harry's childhood room. I looked around, noticing the old pictures hanging from the walls and the toys sat on the shelves, collecting dust.

"Can you believe we've been together for a whole year?" Harry whispered, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You've completely flipped my world upside down, but it's been the best year of my life," I replied, enjoying how his body was so close to mine. It was true. Before I met Harry, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. "Before you came along, I remember thinking that I had my whole future planned out. I was going to marry Eleanor, become a dad, and work to provide for my family. Luckily for me, the world had other ideas. Who would have thought that one little accident on the ice could change my plans forever?"

"Do you not want those things anymore?" he asked, spinning me around so that I was facing him.

"I do, but I want those things with you. I get to marry the person who has made me the happiest I have ever been. There is no doubt in my mind that I want children with you, Haz. The thought of a mini you running around the house fills me with absolute joy. I want to push myself to become head of English and I want to be able to grow old with you, knowing that we have achieved all of our dreams together."

"You have no idea how much I want all of those things, Louis. God, I love you so much," he whispered, planting a soft and passionate kiss to my forehead.

"Happy anniversary, darlin'," I whispered back, reaching up to bring his lips towards mine.

Sorry for the short chapter again, but we're getting to the good bits now! Don't forget to vote and comment!