Moon Tower

18.

this chapter has been edited and updated. enjoy!xx

luz

Bounding down the steps of the cabin, I met Harry in the kitchen. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Great, I just finished packing our lunch- What are you wearing?"

Harry was, in fact, in the middle of packing one of the sandwiches he'd made for the two of us when he looked up at me, an amused smile creeping onto his face.

"What?" I asked, looking down at my choice of clothing for the day.

"Nothing, I just- I've never, um, seen you in shorts like that before." He was trying to keep a laugh in, I could tell.

I decided to try out this pair of biker shorts Rox had gotten me for my birthday earlier this year. Normally, I stuck to loose running shorts or leggings, but at Thanksgiving, my sister asked how I was liking them, and I felt bad for not wearing them.

"They were a gift from Rox. Thought I would try them out while we're here, and- Why are you laughing?" I asked, exasperated, but I couldn't help but do so a little myself. They were a little ridiculous.

"I'm not laughing," Harry said, schooling his features the best he could, but I could still see the corners of his mouth flickering a little. "You look lovely, as always."

I moved to playfully shove his chest, but he caught my hand in his, pulling me towards him. "They're a little out there, I admit. But they're actually quite comfortable. And my ass looks great in them."

Harry made a huh sound, and spun me around, to which I rolled my eyes. "You are absolutely right."

I spun back around and gave him a pointed look. "Oh, now he likes them."

"Hey, I never said I didn't like them. They just took me by surprise, is all."

The two of us finished getting stuff ready for our day, waters, sunscreen, snacks and sandwiches. Big Sur was an outdoorsy place, and I wanted to take full advantage of it. Because of this cabin, my family and I had been coming up here for years, and when my siblings and I were old enough, we started driving up by ourselves for weekend trips here and there. I wasn't sure how adventurous Harry was, though, so I decided to keep things light today, settling on a short hike that led to a small little cove.

Harry drove us, while I controlled the music and gave him directions. He got all shy on me when the opening chords to his new song came on, but I only gave him a big grin. I was proud of him, and I wanted to show off how I'd learned all the words, even though the song had only been out for a few days.

"Brown skin and lemon over ice,

Could you believe it?"

I sang loud and like the person who hadn't written the song wasn't in the driver's seat next to me. Especially that line. Sarah had once casually mentioned that I inspired some of his music, but I never thought much of it after she initially told me. Hearing that line for the first time, though, brought that conversation back to the forefront of my memory. There was a part of me that believed the line was an artistic choice, but I also liked to think Harry might have been thinking of me when he wrote that line too.

Now though, Harry shook his head at my silliness, his cheeks and the tips of his ears dusted with a faint pink, but he smiled the whole time until the song finished and a new one began to play. I take Harry's hand when he offers it to me face up on the center console.

"When did you learn all the words?" He asks, squeezing my hand as he does so. His hands were a little rough with calluses from playing the guitar, but they were still lovely. He was lovely.