I want to write you a song

Harry loved opening up the diner. It was quiet, the sun was coming up, and it just felt right. After so much time grieving and being unhappy, it was nice not feeling overwhelmed by sadness. It was nice to just nice to sit and enjoy the quiet.

Except the door opened with a creak, reminding Harry he needed to grease the hinges.

Harry liked quiet. But he loved the noise coming through the door more than anything. “Do you think the parents and kids will think I’m insane if I do a murder mystery—kid friendly, of course—at story hour?”

The door clicked shut as she settled her bag on a table and headed to the counter to start wiping it down. Talking, as if she was continuing a conversation they were already having. Even though Harry hadn’t spoken to her since before she fell asleep last night.

She was going to wipe down all the tables next, even though he told her, at least a million times, not to. She was wearing a trench coat and an old timey detective hat. He could see a magnifying glass poking out of the coat pocket and he was confident there would be a tape recorder in the other pocket—or maybe a little notebook to jot down clues.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Every day. Costume or not. “M’pretty sure they already think you’re insane, Peach,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes and frowned so cutely. Harry hated when she was sad, but he could take her fake little pouts—she was adorable. “I don’t know… a lot of them have seen a lot of my outfits already, I don’t want to bore them with the same stories. I like to keep things interesting.”

That was an understatement. Since she came to town, life had been very interesting for everyone, not just Harry.

He shook his head, smirking to himself. It was an odd worry she had. He certainly didn’t mind telling her, but he reminded several times over that she could do her Cat in the Hat performance a thousand days in a row and no one would care in the slightest. Harry liked routine and so did the rest of the town; Christmas tree lighting on December 1st, Summer Solstice Party in June, and a Thanksgiving lunch at the diner. It was all very lovely. She changed every routine and made it better. People came to expect her wiffle ball tournament and waited anxiously for her to dress up as an elf alongside their mysterious Santa (how they hadn’t figured out it was Harry was beyond him). Harry still remembered the one year he had to force her to stay home when she was sick and couldn’t provide her homemade lemonade back when they weren’t dating. He tried to make it himself, but everyone complained it didn’t taste anything like hers.

So, no. The town wouldn’t think she was insane for doing a children’s mystery. But they wouldn’t have minded the same characters she performed every day either.

“You’re supposed to wake me up before you leave,” she reminded him with that pretty little pout on her pretty sweet lips.

He shook his head again. “Y’needed t’sleep, Peach,” he shrugged. He looked at her pointedly as she scrubbed along the counter where she would hopefully sit before heading to story time in a few hours. “Should I even bother telling you not t’wipe down the counters?”

She began humming a song. Loudly. Continued cleaning as if he hadn’t spoken at all. He chuckled to himself and headed to the back making sure he had cold coffee for her. He made sure the eggs were close to the griddle and that the pancake batter was ready to go too. There wouldn’t be peach and white chocolate chip ones this morning, just a muffin on the go instead since story hour still made her nervous.

Up front, when he returned, she was putting salt and pepper shakers out, making sure each table had a bottle of ketchup and hot sauce too.

“Peach,” he tutted.

But she was ready for his complaint before it started. “How come you’re allowed to repair my shop all the time. And my house. Why are you allowed to do all these things but me helping you open for the day is like the worst thing in the world?”

He smiled. “I jus’ like when y’sit on your stool and look pretty. I think s’the only time of day y’relax.”

She turned a pretty shade of pink and pursed her lips. “I was pretty relaxed last night,” she grumbled taking the rolled silverware and setting them out next. It was routine. Even if Harry didn’t want her to be part of the routine only because he didn’t want her to have to lift a finger.

Harry chuckled and he could feel half the blood in his body rush to his dick, and the other half to his cheeks. “M’very aware of that, kitten,” he strolled over to the table she was setting up. He stood behind her, his hands on her hips, and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “S’that the only way t’make you relax?” He knew he struck a chord because she shivered, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he spoke.

“Why? Are you going to make me relax right now?” She asked quietly, the smallest bit of hope in her voice.

He took off her hat and coat, leaving it on the counter close to her spot. Gently he guided her by the hips and pushed her toward the apartment behind the diner that they didn’t sleep at much anymore… but still found quite useful—especially for moments like these. “Think y’should relax before the day really begins, don’t you?”

*

Harry was extremely skillful at making her come when he wanted to. He was a terrible tease when he wanted to be, too, but he was great at making sure she finished as quickly as he could if there was a time crunch.

She was still blushing as he slid his pants back on. His stomach muscles still made her blush (even though moments ago he was literally inside her).

“Y’look at me like that, Peach, we won’t be going to work today,” he warned sliding his shirt over his head.

“Isn’t it a good thing I come by at the crack of dawn to help you get set up and then make sure you’re emotionally ready for the day by sucking your dick? I thought you liked routine.”

“Peach,” he chuckled, but his face turned a light shade of pink.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Even though she just practically cried with how good he made her feel, the kiss felt almost as orgasmic. His lips were so soft and gentle. The touch made her vibrate with electricity. Her toes curled inside her shoes, and she hoped that her hair still looked okay. At least she had the detective help cover anything out of sorts. “Will you please behave now?” He asked.

“No.”

He smiled. “That’s my girl.”

*

It was possible that detective hour was a much bigger hit than she anticipated. It was very likely that she was going to have to launch a giant scavenger hunt across town.

At lunch, she shed the hat and coat and sat at her stool. She wondered if anyone ever sat on it or if Harry shooed them away whether she was nearby or not.

He was insane. A little anyway. The cutest thing in the world.

Before she was fully seated, her cup of cold coffee was in front of her and she reached for the cream behind the counter—he smacked her hand lightly and she smiled at him. “Give me a second, Peach,” he rolled his eyes.

But it was routine and she was a stickler for it as much as the man in front of her who didn’t like any surprises.

She took her laptop from her bag and set it beside her specially made coffee. She briefly thought how lucky and special she was to have such a lovely little life. But she couldn’t think about it for long because she would get all teary. “I have to research how to create a town-wide scavenger hunt,” she mumbled.

He smirked. “Sounds like murder-mystery went well,” he shook his head. “M’not being part of it,” he said knowingly.

Her eyes flicked from her screen up to him, gazed at him with a dead expression in her eyes, and then back to her computer without comment. “Can I have a peach pancake and a white chocolate chip pancake, please?”

“One or the other, Peach.”

She didn’t answer him, but also didn’t look at him either as she began researching. Harry sighed dramatically and headed back to the grill to make her one of each anyway.

It was simply routine.

*

Harry waved to Dave and Edith as he parked and headed up the front steps to her house that very much felt like his house as well. “Harry, could you take a look at our hot water heater tomorrow?” Edith called.

“Sure thing, Edith.”

“We can just call someone to look at it, Edith.”

“Miss Peach said Harry gets really annoyed when we don’t ask him first. Remember the gutters?”

“That’s only because you asked Miss Peach,” he reminded her.

Harry kept his smile hidden from the neighbors but headed inside.

“Peach?” He called.

“Back here!”

Her voice came from outside. A tiki torch, a book light, and the new and improved hammock he set up for her were all perfect. It was picturesque and Harry knew she would stay out in the hammock well into the cool fall and winter if she could. (But Harry usually had to drag her back inside with the promise of hot chocolate (and maybe an orgasm.)) But her book was closed on her stomach, and her phone was propped up against her thighs so she could FaceTime with her friend.

“Hi Harry!” Bailey chirped from the screen.

“Hi Bailey,” he smirked.

“How was work?” She asked.

“Thrilling. There was a murder mystery, didn’t you hear?” He asked knowingly. He kissed the top of her head while she smiled at Bailey. “Did y’eat dinner, Peach?”

“No, do you want to order pizza?”

 “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

He headed back in the house to order.

“Extra garlic knots!”

“I know, I know.”

“You look happy, babe,” he heard Bailey say quietly.

“I’ve never been happier,” she said without pause, without emphasis, it was common knowledge. This was what happiness felt like.

Harry smiled to himself.

*

Routine was great for Harry. He knew she liked it too, but sometimes he wondered if it wasn’t enough. Typically, around the anniversary that his mum passed. It was like the ides of March but wasn’t March.

The way she got frustrated made him nervous. But it was a busy time of year. Back to school, textbooks, AP classes, summer reading that students put off, all made her anxious. She missed her family and wanted to go see Bailey in the city.

Her fingers held the moon charm on her necklace, and she moved it back and forth along the chain. He set her pancakes in front of her while she listened to the person at the other end of the line with her phone pressed against her ear. “You understand that makes no sense, right?”

Harry loved—but simultaneously feared for the person at the other end of the line— when she spoke like that. “Amazon has no problem making deliveries here, so you have not a leg to stand on. I’ll call back later.”

Her delivery was behind and it was making her anxious. Something about how it’s out of the way on their route to other places. It would cost more to get a timelier delivery. There was a lot of expenses happening right now for her (the costly deliveries, there was a leak in the bathroom and since it happened in the middle of the night was looking like a big renovation was going to be needed, and she was on her next batch of window replacements at home now that the previous batch had been paid off) and it always made Harry nervous that being off the beaten path would make her miss the city life more.

In the city, she would have an apartment, not a house. Anything that went wrong would be fixed by the landlord. The book deliveries wouldn’t be as expensive. The help to fix the bathroom wouldn’t cost as much either. All that travel wouldn’t be the problem that often cropped up every time there was a problem.

She would be near friends; and her family would probably come visit her more often.

Her big ideas and extravagant planning… she was meant to live in a city.

Harry went to the grill and took a deep breath. He knew she would yell at him if he brought this up again. Not in a mean way. In a way that he needed to hear. Harry wanted to leave this place so many years ago it would have been the smarter decision, maybe. Then she could have left and if he ever decided to come back it wouldn’t have affected him. He wouldn’t have known her.

That seemed tragic in itself.

“Harry?” She called. “Sutton’s looking for you.”

She doesn’t want to leave. He repeated to himself. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. It was the time of year.

But Bailey was having her for a girl’s weekend next week and it was all aligning too well; and he really wasn’t sure why, but in his head, he worried that girl’s weekend would turn into forever.

*

What do you mean the diner’s closed? Is he okay? Did anyone check on him?

Her call went ignored for the third time and she sat up straight on the sofa. Bailey would understand if she left in the middle of the night. Why didn’t he say anything about closing for the day? They texted all day and he was short, and quiet. But he was Harry and that was how he texted.

He asked her if she saw the moon before bed and it wasn’t that unexpected. But to see the Instagram story from one of the teens in town writing how am I supposed to get French fries NOW? From six hours ago, with the picture of the door with the closed for today sign up…

Why on earth wouldn’t he tell her?

She called again—which was also unlike Harry to leave her unanswered. Then she worried when he did wake up, he’d probably be terrified. So she just had to keep calling. “Pick up,” she mumbled tapping his name again.

On the seventh or eighth call, the phone stopped ringing. “’Lo,” he murmured.

“Harry,” she said softly.

“Oh,” he sighed; there was a thread of relief in his oh. Like he wasn’t expecting her. As if someone else would be calling him in the middle of the night. “Hi, Peach,” his voice was soft, warm, drenched in honey it seemed. “You okay?”

“Are you okay?”

“M’sleeping,” he mumbled.

“Mm…” she hummed. “So… have you been sleeping all day?”

“No,” she knew she was being a little unfair when he was this tired, but he scared her. So she was going to be a little miffed. “Y’can’t sleep?”

If she wasn’t so annoyed with him, she would have reminded him that it felt impossible to sleep without him anymore. The first time they slept (and just slept) together it made her realize how shitty her sleep had been for years.

But she was annoyed. So she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Maryam posted on Instagram that you were closed today.” There was silence at the other end of the line. She didn’t want to be the one to break it.

Eventually he sighed. “S’late, kitten. Y’should sleep.”

“You know I can’t sleep without you,” she rolled her eyes and shook her head at the dark ceiling. She could hear the traffic, the road construction, the late-night birds, and a distant siren outside Bailey’s apartment. It was nothing like home. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew you’d be mad or nervous.”

She huffed. “I’m not mad.”

He snorted. “Mm, y’don’t sound mad at all.”

“Harry.”

“I jus’ miss you when you’re gone, Peach. S’not that serious. S’a hard time of year,” he mumbled.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that. She knew exactly why. “I hate that I’m not there.”

“Also why I didn’t tell you. I knew you wouldn’t go. M’not going to hold you back.”

She nearly groaned in frustration. “You don’t hold me back, Harry. Why—” She stopped herself and took another deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s late, we shouldn’t do this on the phone.”

“Sorry t’worry you, Peach. M’fine, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She bit her lip, her heart aching to hold him even though she hadn’t been gone that long. It was a nice kind of feeling. She hoped he felt it too—that she missed him just as much. “I miss you, too, by the way.”

She could almost hear his sleepy smile. Eyes closed, dreamy look on his face, his lips curved up just for her, so that cute dimple dented into his cheek. “Yeah?”

It made her smile. “Yes, Harry. Of course I do.”

*

Bailey had a work emergency. She apologized about two hundred times, but she wasn’t upset in the slightest. Going home a little early to see her favorite guy was a dream come true and she still had a lot of fun with Bailey. After his rough day yesterday, she was hoping to surprise him and make up for how crummy he felt. Plus, even though it had only been a couple days, she’d grown very accustomed to having peach and white chocolate chip pancakes on a very set schedule and her time away had thrown her off and she had never craved anything more.

So to see that the diner was closed. Again. When she arrived, made her irritated, frustrated, and simply sad.

She pouted, holding the duffle bag on her shoulder (she didn’t even stop at home to drop it off. Wanted to see Harry and his grumpy face turn into that slight smile at the sight of her as he poured her cold coffee and told her she couldn’t have what she wanted (and still gave it to her anyway).

“You need to warn the rest of us when you leave, Miss Peach,” Alice winked at her as she stared at the little sign saying he wasn’t home.

She snorted. “Sorry,” she grumbled. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Oh, it’s alright. You don’t need to apologize. We know how he gets. We love him and just want him to be happy. It’s lovely he has someone like you,” Alice gave her arm a squeeze. “Did you get that special edition I requested?” She asked as she walked away toward the bookstore.

“I think it should have delivered, check with Emmett and tell him I’ll be by this afternoon for me!” She called.

“Miss Peach,” Sutton approached her next. Her duffle bag was heavy and she wanted to set it down.

“Afternoon, Sutton. How are you?”

“Just dandy, can you please assure me you’ll be here for the Fall Harvest? I was hoping you could make that apple cider that you did last year.”

“Sutton, I’ve not missed it since I moved to town why on earth would—” but Sutton’s gaze flicked to the sign on the diner door, and she took a deep breath and composed herself. “We’ll be there,” she said and dug her keys out of her pocket and let herself in.

“Are you opening up, Miss Peach?” Caden was on his bike. “Harry said he would make me a chocolate milkshake if I read my summer reading book and—”

“Caden, sweetheart, she just got in. Let her breathe,” his mom smiled sheepishly at her as she held Lily’s hand while sauntering up after the little bike rider. Lily waved shyly.

She grinned sweetly. Tiredly. “I’ll make sure Harry opens up and makes it for you right away,” she winked and headed inside.

“Peach?” His voice called from the back

“No, just a burglar,” she rolled her eyes and locked the door behind her and headed for his apartment.

Harry rushed to the front as she made her way back, so they bumped into one another right in the little hallway. “Hi Peach, what are you doing home early?” He asked.

That sweet, bright, half smile that he didn’t let anyone see except for her bloomed on his lips and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him in such a short amount of time. He was so lovely it made her chest hurt. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then a soft brush of his lips against hers. It was too sweet. Sweeter than the syrupy pancake concoction he made him. It was almost too good. It should have been illegal to feel that good.

Without waiting for her to respond, he took the duffle bag off her shoulder and if it wasn’t for the fact she could barely contain how much she loved him from the get-go, she would have loved to profess she loved him for the first time right there. “Hi, I missed you. Bailey had a work emergency…” she didn’t care how good his lips tasted (okay she did. But.) “Harry, why is the diner still closed?”

Harry pressed his lips into a line, and he looked away from her. Anywhere but her.

“Harry,” she cooed.

“Peach,” he sighed. “I’m trying really hard, I promise. S’jus’ certain things… they make me sad.”

“I know, baby.”

He deflated a little more at the word baby. “You leaving… for any stretch of time… it’s one of them.”

“But why? I’m always going to come back, Harry. I promise.”

Harry dropped her duffle bag, and he ran a hand over his face, he leaned against the wall and sighed. “I don’t know, Peach… m’jus… sad.”

“But I don’t want you to be sad about me, baby,” she whispered. “I adore you. I couldn’t dream of leaving.”

“That’s the problem, Peach.”

“Harry—”

“No, Peach… you don’t get it… I think you deserve so much more. I see it in everything you do. Think of the parties you could plan. A bigger place you could have weddings for God’s sake. People would love a happily ever after themed venue. You could do so much more than this stupid little town and every time you go, I think this is going to be it. You’re going to realize it, you’re going to see it—”

She couldn’t stop it, her eyes welled with tears. “You’re being mean, Harry,” she croaked.

“I’m not being mean, Peach. I just want you to—”

“I don’t see that. I don’t see any of that.”

“Peach—”

“No, you said your mean piece. I’m saying mine.”

“But—”

“Harry, what you went through is one of the worst, most awful things a person can go through, but not every person is going to leave you. I’m not going to leave you. I love you and I love it here. It’s where I want our kids to grow up. It’s where I want to live for the rest of my life. There’s nothing more out there for me. You can’t see the stars in the city. The moon looks nothing like it does out here. You, Harry, you aren’t there in the city. So it has nothing to offer me anymore.”

Harry knew the sweet bookstore owner would be good with words the moment he met her. But he was still amazed by her every time she talked him down from his sad and scary feelings. He swallowed, his chest tightening for a new reason. “You want to have kids with me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Harry, who else am I going to have them with?”

He ignored that. It wasn’t that kind of question. “What if they’re grumpy like I am?”

She huffed, but the corners of her mouth tilted up just a little. “That’s okay, they’re going to be stubborn like me.”

“You’re really too pretty and lovely to have grumpy little kids and a grumpy boyfriend, Peach.”

“Aw Harry, won’t you be my grumpy husband if we’re having kids?”

He smiled, looked at her pretty sweet face, that he loved so much. “You still want to marry me?”

She smirked again. “What is wrong with you?” She shook her head.

“Peach.”

“Yes, Harry. I want to have grumpy little kids with you in this adorable little town in a leaky house with painted shut windows and a bookstore and a diner. I want to get married in the backyard and not tell anyone because I love it here. Because I love you even if you’re grumpy.”

He took a deep breath. “You just… you deserve so much more.”

“Harry,” her voice was soft and she closed the distance between them. She pressed her hands to either side of his face and gazed at him with the softest expression he’d ever seen. It felt like all his organs were melting inside him. He gently reached for her wrists and turned his head toward her palm to place a kiss there. “I have everything I need. I only want you. Everything else is a bonus.”

“Can I still think y’deserve more?”

She smiled. “You wouldn’t be my Harry if you didn’t.”

“Peach?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I thought you might,” she shrugged. “I love you too,” she pressed her lips against his and both of them sighed with a breath they both seemed to be holding together. “Now, you promised Caden a chocolate shake and there’s a cider recipe I need to perfect, and I don’t know if you know this, but I haven’t had a pancake in three days.”

He smiled, grabbed her bag off the floor to store away while they opened the diner. “Yeah, Peach. I know.”

--

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Harry loved opening up the diner. It was quiet, the sun was coming up, and it just felt right. After so much time grieving and being unhappy, it was nice not feeling overwhelmed by sadness. It was nice to just nice to sit and enjoy the quiet.

Except the door opened with a creak, reminding Harry he needed to grease the hinges.

Harry liked quiet. But he loved the noise coming through the door more than anything. “Do you think the parents and kids will think I’m insane if I do a murder mystery—kid friendly, of course—at story hour?”

The door clicked shut as she settled her bag on a table and headed to the counter to start wiping it down. Talking, as if she was continuing a conversation they were already having. Even though Harry hadn’t spoken to her since before she fell asleep last night.

She was going to wipe down all the tables next, even though he told her, at least a million times, not to. She was wearing a trench coat and an old timey detective hat. He could see a magnifying glass poking out of the coat pocket and he was confident there would be a tape recorder in the other pocket—or maybe a little notebook to jot down clues.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Every day. Costume or not. “M’pretty sure they already think you’re insane, Peach,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes and frowned so cutely. Harry hated when she was sad, but he could take her fake little pouts—she was adorable. “I don’t know… a lot of them have seen a lot of my outfits already, I don’t want to bore them with the same stories. I like to keep things interesting.”

That was an understatement. Since she came to town, life had been very interesting for everyone, not just Harry.

He shook his head, smirking to himself. It was an odd worry she had. He certainly didn’t mind telling her, but he reminded several times over that she could do her Cat in the Hat performance a thousand days in a row and no one would care in the slightest. Harry liked routine and so did the rest of the town; Christmas tree lighting on December 1st, Summer Solstice Party in June, and a Thanksgiving lunch at the diner. It was all very lovely. She changed every routine and made it better. People came to expect her wiffle ball tournament and waited anxiously for her to dress up as an elf alongside their mysterious Santa (how they hadn’t figured out it was Harry was beyond him). Harry still remembered the one year he had to force her to stay home when she was sick and couldn’t provide her homemade lemonade back when they weren’t dating. He tried to make it himself, but everyone complained it didn’t taste anything like hers.

So, no. The town wouldn’t think she was insane for doing a children’s mystery. But they wouldn’t have minded the same characters she performed every day either.

“You’re supposed to wake me up before you leave,” she reminded him with that pretty little pout on her pretty sweet lips.

He shook his head again. “Y’needed t’sleep, Peach,” he shrugged. He looked at her pointedly as she scrubbed along the counter where she would hopefully sit before heading to story time in a few hours. “Should I even bother telling you not t’wipe down the counters?”

She began humming a song. Loudly. Continued cleaning as if he hadn’t spoken at all. He chuckled to himself and headed to the back making sure he had cold coffee for her. He made sure the eggs were close to the griddle and that the pancake batter was ready to go too. There wouldn’t be peach and white chocolate chip ones this morning, just a muffin on the go instead since story hour still made her nervous.

Up front, when he returned, she was putting salt and pepper shakers out, making sure each table had a bottle of ketchup and hot sauce too.

“Peach,” he tutted.

But she was ready for his complaint before it started. “How come you’re allowed to repair my shop all the time. And my house. Why are you allowed to do all these things but me helping you open for the day is like the worst thing in the world?”

He smiled. “I jus’ like when y’sit on your stool and look pretty. I think s’the only time of day y’relax.”

She turned a pretty shade of pink and pursed her lips. “I was pretty relaxed last night,” she grumbled taking the rolled silverware and setting them out next. It was routine. Even if Harry didn’t want her to be part of the routine only because he didn’t want her to have to lift a finger.

Harry chuckled and he could feel half the blood in his body rush to his dick, and the other half to his cheeks. “M’very aware of that, kitten,” he strolled over to the table she was setting up. He stood behind her, his hands on her hips, and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “S’that the only way t’make you relax?” He knew he struck a chord because she shivered, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he spoke.

“Why? Are you going to make me relax right now?” She asked quietly, the smallest bit of hope in her voice.

He took off her hat and coat, leaving it on the counter close to her spot. Gently he guided her by the hips and pushed her toward the apartment behind the diner that they didn’t sleep at much anymore… but still found quite useful—especially for moments like these. “Think y’should relax before the day really begins, don’t you?”

*

Harry was extremely skillful at making her come when he wanted to. He was a terrible tease when he wanted to be, too, but he was great at making sure she finished as quickly as he could if there was a time crunch.

She was still blushing as he slid his pants back on. His stomach muscles still made her blush (even though moments ago he was literally inside her).

“Y’look at me like that, Peach, we won’t be going to work today,” he warned sliding his shirt over his head.

“Isn’t it a good thing I come by at the crack of dawn to help you get set up and then make sure you’re emotionally ready for the day by sucking your dick? I thought you liked routine.”

“Peach,” he chuckled, but his face turned a light shade of pink.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Even though she just practically cried with how good he made her feel, the kiss felt almost as orgasmic. His lips were so soft and gentle. The touch made her vibrate with electricity. Her toes curled inside her shoes, and she hoped that her hair still looked okay. At least she had the detective help cover anything out of sorts. “Will you please behave now?” He asked.

“No.”

He smiled. “That’s my girl.”

*

It was possible that detective hour was a much bigger hit than she anticipated. It was very likely that she was going to have to launch a giant scavenger hunt across town.

At lunch, she shed the hat and coat and sat at her stool. She wondered if anyone ever sat on it or if Harry shooed them away whether she was nearby or not.

He was insane. A little anyway. The cutest thing in the world.

Before she was fully seated, her cup of cold coffee was in front of her and she reached for the cream behind the counter—he smacked her hand lightly and she smiled at him. “Give me a second, Peach,” he rolled his eyes.

But it was routine and she was a stickler for it as much as the man in front of her who didn’t like any surprises.

She took her laptop from her bag and set it beside her specially made coffee. She briefly thought how lucky and special she was to have such a lovely little life. But she couldn’t think about it for long because she would get all teary. “I have to research how to create a town-wide scavenger hunt,” she mumbled.

He smirked. “Sounds like murder-mystery went well,” he shook his head. “M’not being part of it,” he said knowingly.

Her eyes flicked from her screen up to him, gazed at him with a dead expression in her eyes, and then back to her computer without comment. “Can I have a peach pancake and a white chocolate chip pancake, please?”

“One or the other, Peach.”

She didn’t answer him, but also didn’t look at him either as she began researching. Harry sighed dramatically and headed back to the grill to make her one of each anyway.

It was simply routine.

*

Harry waved to Dave and Edith as he parked and headed up the front steps to her house that very much felt like his house as well. “Harry, could you take a look at our hot water heater tomorrow?” Edith called.

“Sure thing, Edith.”

“We can just call someone to look at it, Edith.”

“Miss Peach said Harry gets really annoyed when we don’t ask him first. Remember the gutters?”

“That’s only because you asked Miss Peach,” he reminded her.

Harry kept his smile hidden from the neighbors but headed inside.

“Peach?” He called.

“Back here!”

Her voice came from outside. A tiki torch, a book light, and the new and improved hammock he set up for her were all perfect. It was picturesque and Harry knew she would stay out in the hammock well into the cool fall and winter if she could. (But Harry usually had to drag her back inside with the promise of hot chocolate (and maybe an orgasm.)) But her book was closed on her stomach, and her phone was propped up against her thighs so she could FaceTime with her friend.

“Hi Harry!” Bailey chirped from the screen.

“Hi Bailey,” he smirked.

“How was work?” She asked.

“Thrilling. There was a murder mystery, didn’t you hear?” He asked knowingly. He kissed the top of her head while she smiled at Bailey. “Did y’eat dinner, Peach?”

“No, do you want to order pizza?”

 “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

He headed back in the house to order.

“Extra garlic knots!”

“I know, I know.”

“You look happy, babe,” he heard Bailey say quietly.

“I’ve never been happier,” she said without pause, without emphasis, it was common knowledge. This was what happiness felt like.

Harry smiled to himself.

*

Routine was great for Harry. He knew she liked it too, but sometimes he wondered if it wasn’t enough. Typically, around the anniversary that his mum passed. It was like the ides of March but wasn’t March.

The way she got frustrated made him nervous. But it was a busy time of year. Back to school, textbooks, AP classes, summer reading that students put off, all made her anxious. She missed her family and wanted to go see Bailey in the city.

Her fingers held the moon charm on her necklace, and she moved it back and forth along the chain. He set her pancakes in front of her while she listened to the person at the other end of the line with her phone pressed against her ear. “You understand that makes no sense, right?”

Harry loved—but simultaneously feared for the person at the other end of the line— when she spoke like that. “Amazon has no problem making deliveries here, so you have not a leg to stand on. I’ll call back later.”

Her delivery was behind and it was making her anxious. Something about how it’s out of the way on their route to other places. It would cost more to get a timelier delivery. There was a lot of expenses happening right now for her (the costly deliveries, there was a leak in the bathroom and since it happened in the middle of the night was looking like a big renovation was going to be needed, and she was on her next batch of window replacements at home now that the previous batch had been paid off) and it always made Harry nervous that being off the beaten path would make her miss the city life more.

In the city, she would have an apartment, not a house. Anything that went wrong would be fixed by the landlord. The book deliveries wouldn’t be as expensive. The help to fix the bathroom wouldn’t cost as much either. All that travel wouldn’t be the problem that often cropped up every time there was a problem.

She would be near friends; and her family would probably come visit her more often.

Her big ideas and extravagant planning… she was meant to live in a city.

Harry went to the grill and took a deep breath. He knew she would yell at him if he brought this up again. Not in a mean way. In a way that he needed to hear. Harry wanted to leave this place so many years ago it would have been the smarter decision, maybe. Then she could have left and if he ever decided to come back it wouldn’t have affected him. He wouldn’t have known her.

That seemed tragic in itself.

“Harry?” She called. “Sutton’s looking for you.”

She doesn’t want to leave. He repeated to himself. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. It was the time of year.

But Bailey was having her for a girl’s weekend next week and it was all aligning too well; and he really wasn’t sure why, but in his head, he worried that girl’s weekend would turn into forever.

*

What do you mean the diner’s closed? Is he okay? Did anyone check on him?

Her call went ignored for the third time and she sat up straight on the sofa. Bailey would understand if she left in the middle of the night. Why didn’t he say anything about closing for the day? They texted all day and he was short, and quiet. But he was Harry and that was how he texted.

He asked her if she saw the moon before bed and it wasn’t that unexpected. But to see the Instagram story from one of the teens in town writing how am I supposed to get French fries NOW? From six hours ago, with the picture of the door with the closed for today sign up…

Why on earth wouldn’t he tell her?

She called again—which was also unlike Harry to leave her unanswered. Then she worried when he did wake up, he’d probably be terrified. So she just had to keep calling. “Pick up,” she mumbled tapping his name again.

On the seventh or eighth call, the phone stopped ringing. “’Lo,” he murmured.

“Harry,” she said softly.

“Oh,” he sighed; there was a thread of relief in his oh. Like he wasn’t expecting her. As if someone else would be calling him in the middle of the night. “Hi, Peach,” his voice was soft, warm, drenched in honey it seemed. “You okay?”

“Are you okay?”

“M’sleeping,” he mumbled.

“Mm…” she hummed. “So… have you been sleeping all day?”

“No,” she knew she was being a little unfair when he was this tired, but he scared her. So she was going to be a little miffed. “Y’can’t sleep?”

If she wasn’t so annoyed with him, she would have reminded him that it felt impossible to sleep without him anymore. The first time they slept (and just slept) together it made her realize how shitty her sleep had been for years.

But she was annoyed. So she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Maryam posted on Instagram that you were closed today.” There was silence at the other end of the line. She didn’t want to be the one to break it.

Eventually he sighed. “S’late, kitten. Y’should sleep.”

“You know I can’t sleep without you,” she rolled her eyes and shook her head at the dark ceiling. She could hear the traffic, the road construction, the late-night birds, and a distant siren outside Bailey’s apartment. It was nothing like home. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew you’d be mad or nervous.”

She huffed. “I’m not mad.”

He snorted. “Mm, y’don’t sound mad at all.”

“Harry.”

“I jus’ miss you when you’re gone, Peach. S’not that serious. S’a hard time of year,” he mumbled.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that. She knew exactly why. “I hate that I’m not there.”

“Also why I didn’t tell you. I knew you wouldn’t go. M’not going to hold you back.”

She nearly groaned in frustration. “You don’t hold me back, Harry. Why—” She stopped herself and took another deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s late, we shouldn’t do this on the phone.”

“Sorry t’worry you, Peach. M’fine, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She bit her lip, her heart aching to hold him even though she hadn’t been gone that long. It was a nice kind of feeling. She hoped he felt it too—that she missed him just as much. “I miss you, too, by the way.”

She could almost hear his sleepy smile. Eyes closed, dreamy look on his face, his lips curved up just for her, so that cute dimple dented into his cheek. “Yeah?”

It made her smile. “Yes, Harry. Of course I do.”

*

Bailey had a work emergency. She apologized about two hundred times, but she wasn’t upset in the slightest. Going home a little early to see her favorite guy was a dream come true and she still had a lot of fun with Bailey. After his rough day yesterday, she was hoping to surprise him and make up for how crummy he felt. Plus, even though it had only been a couple days, she’d grown very accustomed to having peach and white chocolate chip pancakes on a very set schedule and her time away had thrown her off and she had never craved anything more.

So to see that the diner was closed. Again. When she arrived, made her irritated, frustrated, and simply sad.

She pouted, holding the duffle bag on her shoulder (she didn’t even stop at home to drop it off. Wanted to see Harry and his grumpy face turn into that slight smile at the sight of her as he poured her cold coffee and told her she couldn’t have what she wanted (and still gave it to her anyway).

“You need to warn the rest of us when you leave, Miss Peach,” Alice winked at her as she stared at the little sign saying he wasn’t home.

She snorted. “Sorry,” she grumbled. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Oh, it’s alright. You don’t need to apologize. We know how he gets. We love him and just want him to be happy. It’s lovely he has someone like you,” Alice gave her arm a squeeze. “Did you get that special edition I requested?” She asked as she walked away toward the bookstore.

“I think it should have delivered, check with Emmett and tell him I’ll be by this afternoon for me!” She called.

“Miss Peach,” Sutton approached her next. Her duffle bag was heavy and she wanted to set it down.

“Afternoon, Sutton. How are you?”

“Just dandy, can you please assure me you’ll be here for the Fall Harvest? I was hoping you could make that apple cider that you did last year.”

“Sutton, I’ve not missed it since I moved to town why on earth would—” but Sutton’s gaze flicked to the sign on the diner door, and she took a deep breath and composed herself. “We’ll be there,” she said and dug her keys out of her pocket and let herself in.

“Are you opening up, Miss Peach?” Caden was on his bike. “Harry said he would make me a chocolate milkshake if I read my summer reading book and—”

“Caden, sweetheart, she just got in. Let her breathe,” his mom smiled sheepishly at her as she held Lily’s hand while sauntering up after the little bike rider. Lily waved shyly.

She grinned sweetly. Tiredly. “I’ll make sure Harry opens up and makes it for you right away,” she winked and headed inside.

“Peach?” His voice called from the back

“No, just a burglar,” she rolled her eyes and locked the door behind her and headed for his apartment.

Harry rushed to the front as she made her way back, so they bumped into one another right in the little hallway. “Hi Peach, what are you doing home early?” He asked.

That sweet, bright, half smile that he didn’t let anyone see except for her bloomed on his lips and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him in such a short amount of time. He was so lovely it made her chest hurt. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then a soft brush of his lips against hers. It was too sweet. Sweeter than the syrupy pancake concoction he made him. It was almost too good. It should have been illegal to feel that good.

Without waiting for her to respond, he took the duffle bag off her shoulder and if it wasn’t for the fact she could barely contain how much she loved him from the get-go, she would have loved to profess she loved him for the first time right there. “Hi, I missed you. Bailey had a work emergency…” she didn’t care how good his lips tasted (okay she did. But.) “Harry, why is the diner still closed?”

Harry pressed his lips into a line, and he looked away from her. Anywhere but her.

“Harry,” she cooed.

“Peach,” he sighed. “I’m trying really hard, I promise. S’jus’ certain things… they make me sad.”

“I know, baby.”

He deflated a little more at the word baby. “You leaving… for any stretch of time… it’s one of them.”

“But why? I’m always going to come back, Harry. I promise.”

Harry dropped her duffle bag, and he ran a hand over his face, he leaned against the wall and sighed. “I don’t know, Peach… m’jus… sad.”

“But I don’t want you to be sad about me, baby,” she whispered. “I adore you. I couldn’t dream of leaving.”

“That’s the problem, Peach.”

“Harry—”

“No, Peach… you don’t get it… I think you deserve so much more. I see it in everything you do. Think of the parties you could plan. A bigger place you could have weddings for God’s sake. People would love a happily ever after themed venue. You could do so much more than this stupid little town and every time you go, I think this is going to be it. You’re going to realize it, you’re going to see it—”

She couldn’t stop it, her eyes welled with tears. “You’re being mean, Harry,” she croaked.

“I’m not being mean, Peach. I just want you to—”

“I don’t see that. I don’t see any of that.”

“Peach—”

“No, you said your mean piece. I’m saying mine.”

“But—”

“Harry, what you went through is one of the worst, most awful things a person can go through, but not every person is going to leave you. I’m not going to leave you. I love you and I love it here. It’s where I want our kids to grow up. It’s where I want to live for the rest of my life. There’s nothing more out there for me. You can’t see the stars in the city. The moon looks nothing like it does out here. You, Harry, you aren’t there in the city. So it has nothing to offer me anymore.”

Harry knew the sweet bookstore owner would be good with words the moment he met her. But he was still amazed by her every time she talked him down from his sad and scary feelings. He swallowed, his chest tightening for a new reason. “You want to have kids with me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Harry, who else am I going to have them with?”

He ignored that. It wasn’t that kind of question. “What if they’re grumpy like I am?”

She huffed, but the corners of her mouth tilted up just a little. “That’s okay, they’re going to be stubborn like me.”

“You’re really too pretty and lovely to have grumpy little kids and a grumpy boyfriend, Peach.”

“Aw Harry, won’t you be my grumpy husband if we’re having kids?”

He smiled, looked at her pretty sweet face, that he loved so much. “You still want to marry me?”

She smirked again. “What is wrong with you?” She shook her head.

“Peach.”

“Yes, Harry. I want to have grumpy little kids with you in this adorable little town in a leaky house with painted shut windows and a bookstore and a diner. I want to get married in the backyard and not tell anyone because I love it here. Because I love you even if you’re grumpy.”

He took a deep breath. “You just… you deserve so much more.”

“Harry,” her voice was soft and she closed the distance between them. She pressed her hands to either side of his face and gazed at him with the softest expression he’d ever seen. It felt like all his organs were melting inside him. He gently reached for her wrists and turned his head toward her palm to place a kiss there. “I have everything I need. I only want you. Everything else is a bonus.”

“Can I still think y’deserve more?”

She smiled. “You wouldn’t be my Harry if you didn’t.”

“Peach?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I thought you might,” she shrugged. “I love you too,” she pressed her lips against his and both of them sighed with a breath they both seemed to be holding together. “Now, you promised Caden a chocolate shake and there’s a cider recipe I need to perfect, and I don’t know if you know this, but I haven’t had a pancake in three days.”

He smiled, grabbed her bag off the floor to store away while they opened the diner. “Yeah, Peach. I know.”

--

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Harry loved opening up the diner. It was quiet, the sun was coming up, and it just felt right. After so much time grieving and being unhappy, it was nice not feeling overwhelmed by sadness. It was nice to just nice to sit and enjoy the quiet.

Except the door opened with a creak, reminding Harry he needed to grease the hinges.

Harry liked quiet. But he loved the noise coming through the door more than anything. “Do you think the parents and kids will think I’m insane if I do a murder mystery—kid friendly, of course—at story hour?”

The door clicked shut as she settled her bag on a table and headed to the counter to start wiping it down. Talking, as if she was continuing a conversation they were already having. Even though Harry hadn’t spoken to her since before she fell asleep last night.

She was going to wipe down all the tables next, even though he told her, at least a million times, not to. She was wearing a trench coat and an old timey detective hat. He could see a magnifying glass poking out of the coat pocket and he was confident there would be a tape recorder in the other pocket—or maybe a little notebook to jot down clues.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Every day. Costume or not. “M’pretty sure they already think you’re insane, Peach,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes and frowned so cutely. Harry hated when she was sad, but he could take her fake little pouts—she was adorable. “I don’t know… a lot of them have seen a lot of my outfits already, I don’t want to bore them with the same stories. I like to keep things interesting.”

That was an understatement. Since she came to town, life had been very interesting for everyone, not just Harry.

He shook his head, smirking to himself. It was an odd worry she had. He certainly didn’t mind telling her, but he reminded several times over that she could do her Cat in the Hat performance a thousand days in a row and no one would care in the slightest. Harry liked routine and so did the rest of the town; Christmas tree lighting on December 1st, Summer Solstice Party in June, and a Thanksgiving lunch at the diner. It was all very lovely. She changed every routine and made it better. People came to expect her wiffle ball tournament and waited anxiously for her to dress up as an elf alongside their mysterious Santa (how they hadn’t figured out it was Harry was beyond him). Harry still remembered the one year he had to force her to stay home when she was sick and couldn’t provide her homemade lemonade back when they weren’t dating. He tried to make it himself, but everyone complained it didn’t taste anything like hers.

So, no. The town wouldn’t think she was insane for doing a children’s mystery. But they wouldn’t have minded the same characters she performed every day either.

“You’re supposed to wake me up before you leave,” she reminded him with that pretty little pout on her pretty sweet lips.

He shook his head again. “Y’needed t’sleep, Peach,” he shrugged. He looked at her pointedly as she scrubbed along the counter where she would hopefully sit before heading to story time in a few hours. “Should I even bother telling you not t’wipe down the counters?”

She began humming a song. Loudly. Continued cleaning as if he hadn’t spoken at all. He chuckled to himself and headed to the back making sure he had cold coffee for her. He made sure the eggs were close to the griddle and that the pancake batter was ready to go too. There wouldn’t be peach and white chocolate chip ones this morning, just a muffin on the go instead since story hour still made her nervous.

Up front, when he returned, she was putting salt and pepper shakers out, making sure each table had a bottle of ketchup and hot sauce too.

“Peach,” he tutted.

But she was ready for his complaint before it started. “How come you’re allowed to repair my shop all the time. And my house. Why are you allowed to do all these things but me helping you open for the day is like the worst thing in the world?”

He smiled. “I jus’ like when y’sit on your stool and look pretty. I think s’the only time of day y’relax.”

She turned a pretty shade of pink and pursed her lips. “I was pretty relaxed last night,” she grumbled taking the rolled silverware and setting them out next. It was routine. Even if Harry didn’t want her to be part of the routine only because he didn’t want her to have to lift a finger.

Harry chuckled and he could feel half the blood in his body rush to his dick, and the other half to his cheeks. “M’very aware of that, kitten,” he strolled over to the table she was setting up. He stood behind her, his hands on her hips, and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “S’that the only way t’make you relax?” He knew he struck a chord because she shivered, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he spoke.

“Why? Are you going to make me relax right now?” She asked quietly, the smallest bit of hope in her voice.

He took off her hat and coat, leaving it on the counter close to her spot. Gently he guided her by the hips and pushed her toward the apartment behind the diner that they didn’t sleep at much anymore… but still found quite useful—especially for moments like these. “Think y’should relax before the day really begins, don’t you?”

*

Harry was extremely skillful at making her come when he wanted to. He was a terrible tease when he wanted to be, too, but he was great at making sure she finished as quickly as he could if there was a time crunch.

She was still blushing as he slid his pants back on. His stomach muscles still made her blush (even though moments ago he was literally inside her).

“Y’look at me like that, Peach, we won’t be going to work today,” he warned sliding his shirt over his head.

“Isn’t it a good thing I come by at the crack of dawn to help you get set up and then make sure you’re emotionally ready for the day by sucking your dick? I thought you liked routine.”

“Peach,” he chuckled, but his face turned a light shade of pink.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Even though she just practically cried with how good he made her feel, the kiss felt almost as orgasmic. His lips were so soft and gentle. The touch made her vibrate with electricity. Her toes curled inside her shoes, and she hoped that her hair still looked okay. At least she had the detective help cover anything out of sorts. “Will you please behave now?” He asked.

“No.”

He smiled. “That’s my girl.”

*

It was possible that detective hour was a much bigger hit than she anticipated. It was very likely that she was going to have to launch a giant scavenger hunt across town.

At lunch, she shed the hat and coat and sat at her stool. She wondered if anyone ever sat on it or if Harry shooed them away whether she was nearby or not.

He was insane. A little anyway. The cutest thing in the world.

Before she was fully seated, her cup of cold coffee was in front of her and she reached for the cream behind the counter—he smacked her hand lightly and she smiled at him. “Give me a second, Peach,” he rolled his eyes.

But it was routine and she was a stickler for it as much as the man in front of her who didn’t like any surprises.

She took her laptop from her bag and set it beside her specially made coffee. She briefly thought how lucky and special she was to have such a lovely little life. But she couldn’t think about it for long because she would get all teary. “I have to research how to create a town-wide scavenger hunt,” she mumbled.

He smirked. “Sounds like murder-mystery went well,” he shook his head. “M’not being part of it,” he said knowingly.

Her eyes flicked from her screen up to him, gazed at him with a dead expression in her eyes, and then back to her computer without comment. “Can I have a peach pancake and a white chocolate chip pancake, please?”

“One or the other, Peach.”

She didn’t answer him, but also didn’t look at him either as she began researching. Harry sighed dramatically and headed back to the grill to make her one of each anyway.

It was simply routine.

*

Harry waved to Dave and Edith as he parked and headed up the front steps to her house that very much felt like his house as well. “Harry, could you take a look at our hot water heater tomorrow?” Edith called.

“Sure thing, Edith.”

“We can just call someone to look at it, Edith.”

“Miss Peach said Harry gets really annoyed when we don’t ask him first. Remember the gutters?”

“That’s only because you asked Miss Peach,” he reminded her.

Harry kept his smile hidden from the neighbors but headed inside.

“Peach?” He called.

“Back here!”

Her voice came from outside. A tiki torch, a book light, and the new and improved hammock he set up for her were all perfect. It was picturesque and Harry knew she would stay out in the hammock well into the cool fall and winter if she could. (But Harry usually had to drag her back inside with the promise of hot chocolate (and maybe an orgasm.)) But her book was closed on her stomach, and her phone was propped up against her thighs so she could FaceTime with her friend.

“Hi Harry!” Bailey chirped from the screen.

“Hi Bailey,” he smirked.

“How was work?” She asked.

“Thrilling. There was a murder mystery, didn’t you hear?” He asked knowingly. He kissed the top of her head while she smiled at Bailey. “Did y’eat dinner, Peach?”

“No, do you want to order pizza?”

 “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

He headed back in the house to order.

“Extra garlic knots!”

“I know, I know.”

“You look happy, babe,” he heard Bailey say quietly.

“I’ve never been happier,” she said without pause, without emphasis, it was common knowledge. This was what happiness felt like.

Harry smiled to himself.

*

Routine was great for Harry. He knew she liked it too, but sometimes he wondered if it wasn’t enough. Typically, around the anniversary that his mum passed. It was like the ides of March but wasn’t March.

The way she got frustrated made him nervous. But it was a busy time of year. Back to school, textbooks, AP classes, summer reading that students put off, all made her anxious. She missed her family and wanted to go see Bailey in the city.

Her fingers held the moon charm on her necklace, and she moved it back and forth along the chain. He set her pancakes in front of her while she listened to the person at the other end of the line with her phone pressed against her ear. “You understand that makes no sense, right?”

Harry loved—but simultaneously feared for the person at the other end of the line— when she spoke like that. “Amazon has no problem making deliveries here, so you have not a leg to stand on. I’ll call back later.”

Her delivery was behind and it was making her anxious. Something about how it’s out of the way on their route to other places. It would cost more to get a timelier delivery. There was a lot of expenses happening right now for her (the costly deliveries, there was a leak in the bathroom and since it happened in the middle of the night was looking like a big renovation was going to be needed, and she was on her next batch of window replacements at home now that the previous batch had been paid off) and it always made Harry nervous that being off the beaten path would make her miss the city life more.

In the city, she would have an apartment, not a house. Anything that went wrong would be fixed by the landlord. The book deliveries wouldn’t be as expensive. The help to fix the bathroom wouldn’t cost as much either. All that travel wouldn’t be the problem that often cropped up every time there was a problem.

She would be near friends; and her family would probably come visit her more often.

Her big ideas and extravagant planning… she was meant to live in a city.

Harry went to the grill and took a deep breath. He knew she would yell at him if he brought this up again. Not in a mean way. In a way that he needed to hear. Harry wanted to leave this place so many years ago it would have been the smarter decision, maybe. Then she could have left and if he ever decided to come back it wouldn’t have affected him. He wouldn’t have known her.

That seemed tragic in itself.

“Harry?” She called. “Sutton’s looking for you.”

She doesn’t want to leave. He repeated to himself. It was just his mind playing tricks on him. It was the time of year.

But Bailey was having her for a girl’s weekend next week and it was all aligning too well; and he really wasn’t sure why, but in his head, he worried that girl’s weekend would turn into forever.

*

What do you mean the diner’s closed? Is he okay? Did anyone check on him?

Her call went ignored for the third time and she sat up straight on the sofa. Bailey would understand if she left in the middle of the night. Why didn’t he say anything about closing for the day? They texted all day and he was short, and quiet. But he was Harry and that was how he texted.

He asked her if she saw the moon before bed and it wasn’t that unexpected. But to see the Instagram story from one of the teens in town writing how am I supposed to get French fries NOW? From six hours ago, with the picture of the door with the closed for today sign up…

Why on earth wouldn’t he tell her?

She called again—which was also unlike Harry to leave her unanswered. Then she worried when he did wake up, he’d probably be terrified. So she just had to keep calling. “Pick up,” she mumbled tapping his name again.

On the seventh or eighth call, the phone stopped ringing. “’Lo,” he murmured.

“Harry,” she said softly.

“Oh,” he sighed; there was a thread of relief in his oh. Like he wasn’t expecting her. As if someone else would be calling him in the middle of the night. “Hi, Peach,” his voice was soft, warm, drenched in honey it seemed. “You okay?”

“Are you okay?”

“M’sleeping,” he mumbled.

“Mm…” she hummed. “So… have you been sleeping all day?”

“No,” she knew she was being a little unfair when he was this tired, but he scared her. So she was going to be a little miffed. “Y’can’t sleep?”

If she wasn’t so annoyed with him, she would have reminded him that it felt impossible to sleep without him anymore. The first time they slept (and just slept) together it made her realize how shitty her sleep had been for years.

But she was annoyed. So she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Maryam posted on Instagram that you were closed today.” There was silence at the other end of the line. She didn’t want to be the one to break it.

Eventually he sighed. “S’late, kitten. Y’should sleep.”

“You know I can’t sleep without you,” she rolled her eyes and shook her head at the dark ceiling. She could hear the traffic, the road construction, the late-night birds, and a distant siren outside Bailey’s apartment. It was nothing like home. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew you’d be mad or nervous.”

She huffed. “I’m not mad.”

He snorted. “Mm, y’don’t sound mad at all.”

“Harry.”

“I jus’ miss you when you’re gone, Peach. S’not that serious. S’a hard time of year,” he mumbled.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that. She knew exactly why. “I hate that I’m not there.”

“Also why I didn’t tell you. I knew you wouldn’t go. M’not going to hold you back.”

She nearly groaned in frustration. “You don’t hold me back, Harry. Why—” She stopped herself and took another deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s late, we shouldn’t do this on the phone.”

“Sorry t’worry you, Peach. M’fine, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She bit her lip, her heart aching to hold him even though she hadn’t been gone that long. It was a nice kind of feeling. She hoped he felt it too—that she missed him just as much. “I miss you, too, by the way.”

She could almost hear his sleepy smile. Eyes closed, dreamy look on his face, his lips curved up just for her, so that cute dimple dented into his cheek. “Yeah?”

It made her smile. “Yes, Harry. Of course I do.”

*

Bailey had a work emergency. She apologized about two hundred times, but she wasn’t upset in the slightest. Going home a little early to see her favorite guy was a dream come true and she still had a lot of fun with Bailey. After his rough day yesterday, she was hoping to surprise him and make up for how crummy he felt. Plus, even though it had only been a couple days, she’d grown very accustomed to having peach and white chocolate chip pancakes on a very set schedule and her time away had thrown her off and she had never craved anything more.

So to see that the diner was closed. Again. When she arrived, made her irritated, frustrated, and simply sad.

She pouted, holding the duffle bag on her shoulder (she didn’t even stop at home to drop it off. Wanted to see Harry and his grumpy face turn into that slight smile at the sight of her as he poured her cold coffee and told her she couldn’t have what she wanted (and still gave it to her anyway).

“You need to warn the rest of us when you leave, Miss Peach,” Alice winked at her as she stared at the little sign saying he wasn’t home.

She snorted. “Sorry,” she grumbled. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Oh, it’s alright. You don’t need to apologize. We know how he gets. We love him and just want him to be happy. It’s lovely he has someone like you,” Alice gave her arm a squeeze. “Did you get that special edition I requested?” She asked as she walked away toward the bookstore.

“I think it should have delivered, check with Emmett and tell him I’ll be by this afternoon for me!” She called.

“Miss Peach,” Sutton approached her next. Her duffle bag was heavy and she wanted to set it down.

“Afternoon, Sutton. How are you?”

“Just dandy, can you please assure me you’ll be here for the Fall Harvest? I was hoping you could make that apple cider that you did last year.”

“Sutton, I’ve not missed it since I moved to town why on earth would—” but Sutton’s gaze flicked to the sign on the diner door, and she took a deep breath and composed herself. “We’ll be there,” she said and dug her keys out of her pocket and let herself in.

“Are you opening up, Miss Peach?” Caden was on his bike. “Harry said he would make me a chocolate milkshake if I read my summer reading book and—”

“Caden, sweetheart, she just got in. Let her breathe,” his mom smiled sheepishly at her as she held Lily’s hand while sauntering up after the little bike rider. Lily waved shyly.

She grinned sweetly. Tiredly. “I’ll make sure Harry opens up and makes it for you right away,” she winked and headed inside.

“Peach?” His voice called from the back

“No, just a burglar,” she rolled her eyes and locked the door behind her and headed for his apartment.

Harry rushed to the front as she made her way back, so they bumped into one another right in the little hallway. “Hi Peach, what are you doing home early?” He asked.

That sweet, bright, half smile that he didn’t let anyone see except for her bloomed on his lips and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him in such a short amount of time. He was so lovely it made her chest hurt. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then a soft brush of his lips against hers. It was too sweet. Sweeter than the syrupy pancake concoction he made him. It was almost too good. It should have been illegal to feel that good.

Without waiting for her to respond, he took the duffle bag off her shoulder and if it wasn’t for the fact she could barely contain how much she loved him from the get-go, she would have loved to profess she loved him for the first time right there. “Hi, I missed you. Bailey had a work emergency…” she didn’t care how good his lips tasted (okay she did. But.) “Harry, why is the diner still closed?”

Harry pressed his lips into a line, and he looked away from her. Anywhere but her.

“Harry,” she cooed.

“Peach,” he sighed. “I’m trying really hard, I promise. S’jus’ certain things… they make me sad.”

“I know, baby.”

He deflated a little more at the word baby. “You leaving… for any stretch of time… it’s one of them.”

“But why? I’m always going to come back, Harry. I promise.”

Harry dropped her duffle bag, and he ran a hand over his face, he leaned against the wall and sighed. “I don’t know, Peach… m’jus… sad.”

“But I don’t want you to be sad about me, baby,” she whispered. “I adore you. I couldn’t dream of leaving.”

“That’s the problem, Peach.”

“Harry—”

“No, Peach… you don’t get it… I think you deserve so much more. I see it in everything you do. Think of the parties you could plan. A bigger place you could have weddings for God’s sake. People would love a happily ever after themed venue. You could do so much more than this stupid little town and every time you go, I think this is going to be it. You’re going to realize it, you’re going to see it—”

She couldn’t stop it, her eyes welled with tears. “You’re being mean, Harry,” she croaked.

“I’m not being mean, Peach. I just want you to—”

“I don’t see that. I don’t see any of that.”

“Peach—”

“No, you said your mean piece. I’m saying mine.”

“But—”

“Harry, what you went through is one of the worst, most awful things a person can go through, but not every person is going to leave you. I’m not going to leave you. I love you and I love it here. It’s where I want our kids to grow up. It’s where I want to live for the rest of my life. There’s nothing more out there for me. You can’t see the stars in the city. The moon looks nothing like it does out here. You, Harry, you aren’t there in the city. So it has nothing to offer me anymore.”

Harry knew the sweet bookstore owner would be good with words the moment he met her. But he was still amazed by her every time she talked him down from his sad and scary feelings. He swallowed, his chest tightening for a new reason. “You want to have kids with me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Harry, who else am I going to have them with?”

He ignored that. It wasn’t that kind of question. “What if they’re grumpy like I am?”

She huffed, but the corners of her mouth tilted up just a little. “That’s okay, they’re going to be stubborn like me.”

“You’re really too pretty and lovely to have grumpy little kids and a grumpy boyfriend, Peach.”

“Aw Harry, won’t you be my grumpy husband if we’re having kids?”

He smiled, looked at her pretty sweet face, that he loved so much. “You still want to marry me?”

She smirked again. “What is wrong with you?” She shook her head.

“Peach.”

“Yes, Harry. I want to have grumpy little kids with you in this adorable little town in a leaky house with painted shut windows and a bookstore and a diner. I want to get married in the backyard and not tell anyone because I love it here. Because I love you even if you’re grumpy.”

He took a deep breath. “You just… you deserve so much more.”

“Harry,” her voice was soft and she closed the distance between them. She pressed her hands to either side of his face and gazed at him with the softest expression he’d ever seen. It felt like all his organs were melting inside him. He gently reached for her wrists and turned his head toward her palm to place a kiss there. “I have everything I need. I only want you. Everything else is a bonus.”

“Can I still think y’deserve more?”

She smiled. “You wouldn’t be my Harry if you didn’t.”

“Peach?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I thought you might,” she shrugged. “I love you too,” she pressed her lips against his and both of them sighed with a breath they both seemed to be holding together. “Now, you promised Caden a chocolate shake and there’s a cider recipe I need to perfect, and I don’t know if you know this, but I haven’t had a pancake in three days.”

He smiled, grabbed her bag off the floor to store away while they opened the diner. “Yeah, Peach. I know.”

--

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She waited inside the car, knowing it was going to be a fight. She knew that Harry would be pissed.

“Do y’know how stupid I looked?” He snapped.

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t intend for you—”

“Do y’know how excited I was t’work with you? I told everyone ‘bout it. I said y’listen to cool music and we never run out of things t’talk ‘bout. That y’were going t’do an incredible job. And you just said no and didn’t tell me?”

She sighed, tired of thinking about the argument that was going to take up most of their commute. Tired of not being good enough. Tired of having to defend herself to people like Jason and even tired of having to explain that to Harry. “I don’t want people to get any ideas.”

“I’m sorry? Do you know something I don’t know? Given the stares y’get when we eat lunch together from everyone else in the department, I would say they haven’t a clue that we’re together.” She looked at her lap silently. Harry’s gaze was hot on the side of her face. “Y’seriously have nothing t’say?”

“I didn’t want to turn it down.”

“Well fuck, baby, y’didn’t have to?” He grumbled bitterly. “Will you fucking talk to me?” he snapped again. Frustration was clear on his face, his voice, and in his body language. She knew it was unfair to make him drag it out of her. But she was so tired. She wanted to go home. “We’re so far past this.”

“I can’t tell you,”she mumbled feeling ridiculous as she said it.

“You can’t tell me?” He spit. “What the fuck?”

“Harry, can we just go home?”

“No, not until you tell me.”

“Harry it’s been a long—”

“I can’t believe you—”

“—day. We’re both tired and—”

“—won’t tell me why you would say no after all—”

“—I’m hungry and—”

“—that. Would you just fucking tell—”

“Because you’ll kill him!” She slammed her fist on the arm rest of the door.

Harry stopped yelling. Immediately, he felt out of breath. “Kill who?” His voice was low, quiet.

“Forget it.”

Harry shook his head and turned her face toward him while holding her chin firmly but gently. Despite the fact he was so angry. “Not a chance, kitten. Kill who?” His voice was calm, gentle but firm like his touch. “What did he say?”

She shook her head. “Harry—”

“Baby,” his voice was terrifyingly level. There was a stoic look in his eyes. “Tell me.”

She swallowed. The awful conversation she had made her stomach twist. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She could see the future, and it wasn’t pretty; Harry was going to freak out.

“Kitten,” his tone returned to the normal gentle caress she usually felt when he spoke to her. “Don’t you dare cry over someone in that building… it was Jason, wasn’t it?”

She tried to lie but the sound of his name made her a little more nauseous. She inhaled a shaky breath, cast her eyes away from Harry’s and told him. “He said he always figured I gave you good road head and that’s why I was getting the position.”

Harry’s eyes searched her face sporadically looking from her teary eyes to the tremble in her jaw. His fingers released her chin. He took a deep breath as he faced forward in the seat his hands limp on the steering wheel, like he was waiting at a red light.

In the next second, less than the time it took her to blink, Harry was outside the car and stalked toward the building.

She scrambled. Tears brimming more in her eyes, her heart pounding hard against her ribs. She managed to get out of the car and lock it (perhaps with the keys in it, but that would be a later problem). “Harry!” She shouted chasing after him. But his legs were too long, and his strides already placed him in the elevator of the parking garage. She bolted for the stairs and was grateful she was traveling down and not up at her quick pace. She would be struggling much harder if she had to go up the steps to chase her boyfriend.

She passed some of her coworkers along her path. She ignored remarks of “where’s the fire?” “You’re going the wrong way,” and all the other ridiculous office humor that she didn’t have time for. She ran out of the garage and pushed through the door to the building. The security guard barely saw her wave her badge at him, but she was just in time to see Harry getting on one of the elevators. There wasn’t any way she could run up seven flights of stairs and beat him up there in her wildest dreams.

Instead, she got into the elevator (barely letting people disembark). She pressed the button too hard and the close-door button hoping that the rumors she saw about the elevator not making any stops were true. She bounced uncomfortably on her toes as the elevator seemed to move at a glacial pace. Silently she prayed someone stopped Harry’s elevator on the way up and it was anyone but Jason.

Tears filled her vision again and she felt the least put together she had ever been in this financial building, including the time she passed out right outside after her car accident. The elevator chimed with its arrival, and she shoved against the bodies waiting to board the elevator down so they could go home for the night. If anyone noticed her distraught expression, they didn’t say anything.

Typical men.

She glanced at the other three elevators to see if any were in the process of arriving but instead, they were all silent. “No, no, no!” She moaned. She turned down the hall where Julie, Jason, and nearly everyone else worked, and ran toward their offices. “Harry!” She called again.

There were clients in the office. She was certain. Julie mentioned something about a late night.

She felt the tears streaming down her face. Harry was being so protective and if she had waited to tell him once they were driving, maybe this would have been different. But all she felt was the anxiety clawing at her from the inside out. She caught sight of him right at the conference door knocking and preparing to enter. Probably disrupting whatever deal or business venture that was about to happen.

For her.

She choked on a sob. It was sweet. But not what she wanted. Harry fighting her battles would just make her situation worse. “Harry!” She hissed as quietly as she could. He looked down the hall toward her voice; he met her gaze and then pushed the door open.

She continued running to the door, nearly sliding on the hard tile (grateful for the shoe choice she made didn’t include a heel or wedge for the day). “Ma’am,” Harry nodded politely to the client. She looked a mess she was sure, out of breath, exhausted. “Julie, I hate to interrupt, but it’s important.”

“Harry,” she hissed looking away as much as possible to hide her tear-stained face from the client.

He ignored her. “It’s important?” Julie asked, her eyes a bit wild, her lips pressed into a straight line. She was not happy with the interruption. Her eyes darted to Julie.

“No,” she swallowed, looking away still. “It’s not.”

“It looks important,” the client smiled sweetly. Bless her heart.

“It can wait,” Julie said.

Harry nodded eagerly at the stranger on his side. “Yes… it really is.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

Harry chuckled without humor. “You’ve got some nerve,” his voice was low and he shook his head as he moved toward Jason.

No, no, no! Before she could register what was really happening, she grabbed Harry by the arm and shoved him away from the person that she actually, in the right circumstance (but that circumstance was definitely not at work), would love for Harry to at least punch in the face once. Just so he could feel as bad as he made her feel for a minute.

“Harry,” she croaked yanking hard on his arm. But Harry was angry and it felt like his strength was turned up about a hundred degrees hotter.

“Mr. Styles,” Julie snapped. It felt like they were all in high school and the principal was trying to stop a fight before it started. “This is extremely disrespectful to Mrs. McNally,” she hissed through her teeth and did her best to shoo herself and the men out of the room.

Simultaneously blocking Mrs. McNally from the situation rapidly escalating close to the doorway.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry,” Harry glanced over his shoulder and nodded politely. “If you could give us all a few minut—”

“Absolutely not,” Julie growled.

“What’s your deal, Styles?” Jason stared at him like was crazy.

“Harry!” Her voice felt raw as she continued to yank on his arm like her life depended on it. There were a handful of things that would be worse than Harry punching Jason. In the event he did punch him, she suspected that in no particular order, Harry would be fired, arrested, and possibly also injured.

(Although she also suspected that her subconscious wasn’t kidding when she said Harry would kill him so she wasn’t so sure about the injured part.)

“I’m sorry, Mrs. McNally,” Julie smiled politely, poised, fake at the woman in the room before she pulled the door shut behind her just in time for Harry to shove Jason back hard. He stumbled, because of course he did.

“Harry, please!” She pleaded.

“You’re a fucking prick, Styles.”

“Go ahead, say it in front of us now, Jason. Say it. Say what you said to her in front of our boss,” Harry growled. “I should kill you.”

“What you fucking told on me?” Jason narrowed his eyes at her. “What are we in grade school?”

Part of her wondered if Harry was letting her hang on to him because he didn’t want to get into a physical altercation in front of one of their supervisors. Maybe since she got there in time, he was glad because then he wouldn’t get fired or arrested.

Harry took a step in front of her, so Jason couldn’t see her. “Don’t even look at her unless you want to lose all your teeth,” he threatened.

“This is workplace harassment.”

“Oh, that is fucking rich, you worthless piece of—”

“That is enough.”

Now it really felt like they were in grade school. She looked at the floor and considered that maybe she also would be fired if Julie was pissed enough. She was the reason Jason and Harry were fighting anyway. “Julie I—” She started.

“Don’t,” she shook her head. “You,” she pointed at Jason. “Go in there and apologize and try to keep Mrs. McNally as a client.”

Jason brushed past Harry while physically bumping into him on purpose. Harry laughed lowly, again, without humor. “You’re a piece of work,” he sounded so threatening.

“Tell me what the fuck just happened,” Julie hissed trying to keep quiet while Jason conducted business on the other side of the door.

“Jason is a horrible person and it’s a shame he was ever hired. He says despicable things because he’s a waste of oxygen. He’s bad for this company and he’s the reason women will always distrust men.”

Julie’s shoulders untensed ever so slightly. She pushed Harry out of the way to look at her even though she continued to avoid eye contact. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Harry responded. “He said—”

“No,” she shook her head. It was pathetic. She shouldn’t have said anything to Harry. It would do nothing. Nothing but cause headaches. Who knew what headaches would already become just from the current interaction.

“Love, don’t. Don’t let him—”

“I want to hear it from her, Mr. Styles.” Harry pressed his lips together to keep from talking. Or yelling. “Did he say something?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It’ll just be worse.”

“Kitten.”

She winced, knowing it was likely Julie already suspected they had a relationship. But with the confrontation paired with the nicknames and show of fighting her battles, now it seemed very obvious that she was in fact with Harry.

Which meant that all of the things Jason could say about her would seem even more plausible. “Julie, I’m so sorry. We’re going home. I’m…”

Julie softened. Her eyes flicked to Harry and then back to her (even though she refused to meet her gaze.) “If a coworker said something inappropriate to you, it should be reported to HR,” she explained. “That’s what they’re there for.”

“I have nothing to report.”

“Kitten,” Harry sounded pissed and shocked at the same time.

“I’d like to go home.”

“You have to report—”

“No, I don’t have to do anything, Harry. I do not have to report my coworker who already dislikes me.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but a wave of understanding washed over Julie’s entire body and she deflated completely.

“Harry, go… get the car or do something useful,” Julie shook her head. “You’re lucky I don’t report you.”

Harry stared at her for a moment. Waiting for her to say something and then in a moment of sobering clarity, he realized what he did was ridiculous. Even if he would still love to knock every one of Jason’s teeth out. But the look of sympathy on Julie’s face for the girl he desperately adored, was clue enough that this was much more than him being a protector.

He rubbed the back of his head, sighed, then went to get the car and do something to be useful.

She released a breath she’d been holding for who knew how long. “I’m so sorry Julie,” she whispered.

“You have nothing to apologize for. Men love their pissing matches.”

She smirked weakly and put a hand on her forehead. “Did we ruin your meeting?”

“Did you ruin a business meeting with a female client who has been in the business longer than you and I combined because of something two men were arguing about? No. She’ll understand.”

She sighed. “I better catch up to him.”

“Be easy on him,” she said gently. “You and I are used to it, but it’s Harry’s first time facing misogyny in the workplace,” she reminded her.

She snorted. “Right. Of course.”

“For what it’s worth, I do hope you decide to report him for whatever he said,” she stepped into the office and left her to walk back to the car alone.

*

She sat next to Harry in the staff meeting. They didn’t touch each other, not even with a brush of their legs. They listened to all the department heads speak, silently they listened to the (inane) questions their coworkers asked. She tried to keep a straight face but fortunately they sat toward the back.

She tilted her head back and Harry “dropped” his pen so he could lean down to grab it. He brushed his hand along her ankle without anyone else noticing, hoping she would feel a little better about their annoying coworkers.

“Before we get back to work,” Julie stated. “We have one last memo.”

She had one leg crossed over the other, her foot bouncing slightly as she listened. A man from HR that Harry met with last week stood up, cleared his throat, and took a paper out from the inside coat pocket of his suit.

Harry leaned toward her ever so slightly. “Kitten, don’t be mad,” he whispered.

“What?” she turned and looked at him curiously.

“‘To whom it may concern,’” he began. “‘I’ve worked here for many years. I’ve sat in a lot of meetings, been a participant on many projects, and have been fortunate to lead projects due to the guidance of some great mentors I’ve had in the supervisors. There are many people who work here that I would say are important, talented, and impressive. But there is only one person who I believe is invaluable.’” She sat back in her seat staring intently at the man speaking. If she knew, she was pretending she didn’t, listening very carefully to the words he was saying. “‘If you were to lose her, I think this place would fall apart. She works tremendously hard. Getting here an hour before the day begins and often working at home and even on her commute.’”

Her emotions betrayed her stoic facial expressions. Everyone turned to look at her and, on the outside, her mouth didn’t move. Her eyes didn’t move. Nothing moved except there was a twitch in her brow as she strained to keep still.

How telling it was, that everyone knew it was her.

The HR person continued. “‘She has helped me on so many projects. She has listened to so many of my presentations ahead of time and offered constructive feedback. I can’t tell you how many mistakes of mine she has caught and remedied. I have simply lost count. But instead, she is overlooked. Overworked. Treated poorly by others in her department because she is a woman. How this company hasn’t noticed is atrocious. When she leaves, I will leave too. If you don’t want to lose her, you need to address the fantastic work she does for this company. The relationships she builds with clients and how she never speaks out about the injustice she faces every day. There is no one who works harder than she does. No one is better. Which is why I do not and will not be running the project. Personally, I don’t think you should look any further than the person who should have gotten the lead in the first place. And if anyone takes issue with the most intelligent woman in our company being in charge, then she will probably run and complete the whole project by herself and do it better than if she had ten people working with her anyway. I would gladly work with her. But I will not lead her. She doesn’t need to be led.’”

Harry was staring at her as intently as she was while still facing forward. It was silent in the meeting room for a few moments. “I want to remind everyone that we do not discriminate nor threaten others based on gender. If there is anyone who feels this is happening, you should report it to me immediately,” he tucked the paper back into his jacket.

Julie stepped back up. “I won’t take it personally that I’m not the most intelligent woman here, as I agree,” she stated looking straight at Harry. “You don’t want to run the project?” She asked.

Harry shook his head. “No ma’am.”

She nodded succinctly. “Very well. We can discuss the next move going forward. Does anyone have any other matters to discuss?”

“Why should Harry’s letter get her a job without any application or trying?”

Harry opened his mouth to tear Jason limb from limb verbally (or maybe even physically). She tensed beside him, but it was another person near the front that turn and spoke to Harry’s least favorite person. “She did apply. Harry had more experience, so we chose him. She was second with no experience leading because no one will let her. She’s always second. We don’t look at other applications after hers. Your sexism is so appalling, truly. I’ll follow her lead,” he volunteered. “If she’ll have me.”

“That’s for her to pick her team,” Julie smiled gently. “But I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

“We don’t even know if she wants to do it!” Jason said.

“For God’s sake, shut up, you sound like a child!”

From there, HR had to get involved. People were pushing others away from one another and the scene unraveled quite fast.

The entire time she stared at her lap, looking at her fingers. Harry watched her silently, like she was his favorite movie, and he was trying to keep track of all the hard parts. “You okay?” He asked finally.

She glanced up at him amidst all the chaos, shouting, the HR violations being volleyed back and forth between parties.

“You think I’m invaluable?”

“I would have been fired by now if it wasn’t for you.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me here.”

He desperately wanted to touch her. His hands itched to reach out and brush his thumbs across her cheeks and kiss her forehead. He wanted to wrap her in a hug like he did while they made dinner together and they were waiting for water to boil or chicken to finish baking. He wanted to hold her tight and tell her that he loved her so much it was all he thought about these days.

“That’s a real fucking shame, kitten,” he said instead.

She nodded. Looked at her lap again and continued to ignore the shouting match. Finally, she stood up, smoothed her skirt down, and left the meeting room to get back to work.

*

It was Harry’s turn to drive, and she stared out the window the whole way. Harry didn’t speak; he let the radio play her favorite station even though the music was ninety percent commercial. He didn’t complain that she kept turning the heat knob back and forth from its position. Nor did they argue about anything. It was merely silent.

When they pulled into the parking lot Harry left the car idling and waited. They hadn’t come up with a dinner plan. Honestly, Harry wasn’t sure if there was a they or we or our left after his stunt in front of their coworkers.

“Do you love me?” She asked simply. Like she was questioning if her presentation made sense. It had the same intonation of wonder as a colleague asking if her understanding of the project was clear.

There should have been flowers, candles, maybe some music playing, not a commercial for the mattress sale of the century playing through his speakers. “Of course, I love you,” he willed his eyes to stay still and not roll back into his head. He didn’t want her to take this as a joke. She seemed just as serious. He would match that. “I want to say I’ve loved you since the day I met you. But you know as well as I do, we argued so much. But since your car accident? Yes, I’ve loved you this entire time. I love you so much… I asked my doctor if I had a heart condition that I didn’t know about because it just aches, kitten. I love you so much it physically aches in the best way to love you so much. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so completely captured by someone.”

Her cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t really have any other outward response. “Your letter to HR sounded like a love letter.”

He smirked. “Good.”

“I love you too,” she said softly. “I know I said it when I was on pain medication already. But I don’t think I was wrong at the time. I love you. Have loved you so much.”

Apparently, Harry had been holding his breath since the meeting. He had been anxious that she would hate him for his HR stunt. He was so relieved the air left his body in a long breath. He cupped her face the way he wanted to in the middle of the meeting, brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and brought her close for a kiss. All the love he felt for her, he tried to push through his kiss. Maybe the mattress commercial wasn’t the most romantic place, but the car was where he fell in love with her. Carpooling with her had been the best thing to ever happen to him.

So, it was perfect anyway.

“You’re going to work beneath me?” She asked softly. “You’re really okay with that?”

“I love being beneath you, kitten,” he teased and kissed her again.

“Shut up,” she giggled against his kiss. “Thank you, baby. I went back to my office and cried.”

“I love you, kitten, I love you so much. You’re priceless, to me,” he reminded her. “But don’t get too big of a head being my boss. I don’t want anyone getting any ideas about what’s going on at home,” he winked.

“I’m always the boss,” she reminded him, pouting so cutely, Harry really thought she might take the breath from his lungs.

“I know, kitten,” he chuckled, kissed her forehead softly. “But we don’t need everyone to know how gone I am for you.”

“It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

“God, yes, baby. Should be obvious, no?”

She smiled. “I still like hearing it,” she shrugged.

“I’ll tell you all the time, my love. Anytime you want.”

--

general taglist: @daydreamingofmatilda @loving-hazz @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @angel-upon

@toosarcastic03 @love-letters-to-uranus @crossyourpeter @kissitnhekitchen @indierockgirrl

@stylesfever @michellekstyles @hermionelove @vikiii07 @prettygurl-2009

@mads3502 @triski73 @angeldavis777 @me-undiscovered @yo-sunshine

@rose-girls-world @avas-daniel @spinninc @fangirl509east @sideboobrry11

@allmyinterestsworld @harry2121 @hsandts4l @stylesftcher @ilovezaynmalik08

@osorto @sittinginthegardern @shimmerygloss @ghostlyscene @makytka

@unfuckwitablenarry @harrysgurll @hannah9921 @vrittivsanghavi @ameliaalvarez06

@elizapotter24 @allannahdaisy @jam1esl0v4 @sincerely-yours-marsbar @aileen1237

@madishouse @st-ev-ie @jovialtacofury @babegoals @castawaycreature

@jerseygirlinca @swag13r @boredhsblog @asta80fishbowl @maddiemikaelson28 @withoutluv @mariamuses @run-for-the-hills @mattieshattuck1 @marroonwitch @eversincehs1 @outofthisworl-d @wish-upon-a-star-1310 @bethiegurl19 @harrystylesconcepts @psicostyles @sstylezzz @jewlmin @starstruckcrusadeblaze

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

It was like she put herself in a timeout.

She was being too mean, and she needed to remove herself from being around Harry for a little while (just an evening). She was certain he was going to break up with her or fire her. Either one was bad, but she wouldn’t blame him if he did either of those things because she hadn’t been acting like herself.

It felt like a whole new kind of cranky. Like she was never going to be not cranky ever again. She couldn’t get out of it, kind of cranky. It was most definitely the stress from work and making sure that all her ducks were in a row. It was exhausting and she was worried she wasn’t even worth the promotion Niall and Harry gave her.

Unfortunately, she was taking all her anger and frustration out on Harry too. Fortunately, just at home. If she was cranky at work, she let it simmer and build inside her until she got home where she was simply not good company.

Harry took it in stride. When she confessed to Niall and Louis that she felt like she was being an absolute bitch, they reminded her (very excitedly) that Harry was often a dick under duress, and it was about time he got a taste of his own medicine.

But Harry was so sweet and good to her. He offered to help her with whatever she needed at home or at work whether she was a grump or not. Almost like he didn’t mind. But she could see the slight heartbreak on his face every time she yelled or got mad at him.

I’m going to see Louis She texted as she exited Styles Inc.

Alright, let me know when you’re on your way home. I’ll keep dinner warm. I love you xx

She didn’t even respond and she knew it was criminal not to. 

He was too sweet and it made her crankier that she was being so mean and he just didn’t deserve it. Maybe if she was gone for a few hours, he would pack all her stuff and kick her out. That’s what she deserved. Not the sweet man who was going to keep dinner warm for her and just let him be an emotional punching bag.

At least now she understood how he got his reputation for all those years. No wonder incompetency pissed him off. She wanted to set her office on fire some days over the last few weeks. It was a miracle that anything got done with the level of stupidity she dealt with daily. It wasn’t fair to anyone. Maybe if she wasn’t so stressed, she would have been in a teaching or guiding mood to help employees and interns.

Why couldn’t they just read her mind? It wasn’t that fucking hard.

“Are you alright?” Louis asked, staring at her beside him on the sofa. He had a movie that they’d both already seen a hundred times in hopes it would comfort her and make her less bite-someone’s-head-off-y. She flicked her eyes to him and huffed. He looked away briefly, his eyes opening a little wider. “Did Harry mess up?”

“Would you just stop with the Harry’s-the-enemy bit? He’s perfect. Leave him alone,” she grumbled.

Louis’ eyebrows pinched together and he took his phone out and tapped a few times. He cleared his throat and read a text he received from her yesterday. “Harry is chewing gum SO loudly. I want to rip it out of his mouth and shove it in my ear so I don’t have to hear it.”

Well, it was loud. She even told him it was and made him spit it out shortly after that text. So at least she didn’t reach into his mouth and take it. She wasn’t insane.

That insane. 

Hearing the text back though did register something in her and she was glad Louis was there because he was pretty good at knowing what was wrong with her so maybe he could figure it out. “Something’s wrong with me,” she groaned and rubbed her temples. “I’ve never been so angry and stressed in my whole life, Louis. What is wrong with me?”

“It’s a new job, love. It’s a lot more stress being a boss. Look at Harry.”

“Stop bringing him up.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. I mean… he gets like this too, right? You and Niall are practically prepared for it. You set your clock to it, for God’s sake,” he reminded her. It made her feel the slightest bit better that she wasn’t totally insane. “You haven’t fired anyone… yet,” Louis continued.

She rolled her eyes and slumped further into his couch cushions enjoying the softness like a cloud cradle. Maybe she just needed to be away from him for a little while longer so she could miss him. Maybe she would stay the night. But that would worry him. But that was stupid that he would be worried. How could he ever think she would leave him? She loved him so much. He was so gentle with her. Even when she was being a massive bitch.

He spit his gum out the moment she asked. Didn’t even question why she was so cranky. Just continued working and only looking at her for a moment longer (mainly so he wouldn’t set her off for staring. That had happened a few times recently). “I don’t want to be mean to him. He’s my favorite person.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, shut up, Louis. You know what I mean,” she grumbled.

Louis blinked at her and shook his head.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just really feisty with everyone. Even me. Even Eleanor… It’s like you’re… it’s like you’re hormonal or something. Maybe you should go to the doctor. Or see a therapist or something.”

She gasped the moment he said the word hormonal. Louis’s eyebrows jumped sharply up his forehead and his lips rolled into his mouth to keep from speaking further. He waited for her to berate him for suggesting she was hormonal in the first place. It was a rookie mistake. It was perhaps the number one thing not to say to a woman. If she punched him, he knew he deserved it.

Her jaw dropped.

“Oh, shit,” she jumped up and went to the kitchen where Eleanor had a pretty, colorful white board calendar attached to their fridge. She started counting backwards. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she shook her head and rushed to the bathroom. Immediately she knelt in front of their vanity and dug through the drawers and the cabinet beneath the sink. “You guys have never had a pregnancy scare?” She was tearing through every carefully organized box that Eleanor had situated. Maybe Eleanor would yell at her the way she deserved. “I need a test!”

“Do you and Harry keep them?” He rolled his eyes. “Why the fuck would we just have pregnancy tests?”

“For this reason!” She shrieked and covered her face. It made so much sense. There were too many days between now and her last period. She probably didn’t even need the test at all. It all made sense. The anger, the exhaustion, the irritability over silly little things.

“I’ll have El get one on her way home,” he said, texting her immediately.

“Louis,” she brought a hand to her mouth. “I can’t have a baby,” she whispered.

“Why not?” He asked. “You love babies. So does Harry.”

“But…” she sniffled. “I’m so angry.”

“Probably because of the baby growing in you,” he rolled his eyes.

“Louis,” a few tears rolled down her cheeks. How she didn’t know for this long was embarrassing. The fluctuation in her moods, the tiredness, the cravings she had for chocolate…

“Babe,” he smiled excitedly. “You’re gonna have a baby,” he cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “I’m so happy for you,” he pulled her close to rub her back while she sniveled into his shoulder. “You’re going to be the best mum,” he assured her. “It’s just the hormones. It’s just for a little while,” he promised.

“But—”

“No,” he shook his head, pushed her back so he could brush her tears away again. He looked at her with a gentle expression and smiled sweetly at her. “This isn’t you,” he promised. “It’s your little alien taking over your brain,” he grinned. “Glad I figured it out.”

She snorted and rubbed her hand across one eye. “You really think I’m going to be a good mom? I don’t have… a great example.”

“You will be,” he nodded. “I know it. And I will be the best uncle. Which is most important. I’ll fight Niall about it,” he winked.

“When will El be home?” She asked quietly.

“A half hour.”

She sucked her lip into her mouth. “I probably don’t even need the test,” she whispered.

“I know, but it’ll be good evidence for when you tell Harry.”

She nodded. “Okay,” she sighed deeply. “Let’s go look at baby things until she gets here.”

“Now you’re talking.”

*

Harry tapped his foot impatiently waiting for her text to say she was on her way home. Every minute that crept on made him more anxious. It felt like everything he did was wrong. He couldn’t ask her what was wrong. He felt very stuck that he couldn’t fix it.

Dinner wasn’t going to get cold, but he was really hoping she would have at least talked to him by now.

Harry sighed deeply and pressed her name in his recent call log. He closed his eyes as he put his phone to his ear knowing there was a very strong chance he was going to get yelled at. He knew it wasn’t her fault. She was stressed. Really stressed. It was a taste of his own medicine. Constantly making people nervous, miserable, scared for their jobs.

The only job he wanted was being her boyfriend and he was nearly ill about losing the position. “Hi, baby,” she said softly.

He blinked in surprise, pulled his phone away to check he called the right person. “Uh… hi kitten,” he mumbled. “M’jus… checking in. Should I put your dinner away?”

She was silent for a few seconds, and Harry seriously thought she was going to say she was never coming home. That the stress was too much and living with the person directly responsible for her stress was way too much.

“I’m outside, actually. On the swing.”

Harry’s heart pounded so hard he thought he was going to collapse. He glanced out the window and saw her lying on the bed swing. Her feet touching the porch gently pushing her. Her body was flat on the mattress, just her elbow bent to hold the phone to her ear.

Why didn’t she come in to say hi? How long had she been out there?

Harry genuinely didn’t want to go outside. It felt eerie. Like this was really it; he didn’t know if he could have her fall out of love on the porch swing where some of his most treasured moments with her happened. He put his phone on the counter and made sure all the knobs were turned off on the stove before he turned to the door.

He pushed the slider out of the way and stepped onto the porch. She didn’t move, just continued rocking her and the swing softly. The air was warm, crickets, bugs, and chirping birds were still around. It was a beautiful summer evening and he was terrified that his beautiful life he was so fortunate to have was just going to end in ten seconds.

“Kitten, I know you’ve been really stressed,” he started and knelt onto the mattress. It shifted under his weight. He cupped the side of her neck, and it felt almost painful to look at her like this. He almost couldn’t look into her pretty eyes. If this was it, he was going to torture himself by touching her the way he’d missed touching her so much. Her skin was so soft, and she was so unbelievably pretty in the golden sunset light. He started speaking because it was now or never and he had to plead his case. “I know I’ve been annoying you, and I know m’not your favorite person right now.”

“Harry—”

“No, I think this is karma for all the interns I terrified. This is awful though. I just…I’ll do anything. Can I please do something to make this better?” He asked. “I completely understand your stress and I know it’s hard and I want to help because you’ve always helped me—”

“Harry, you don’t understand,” her voice was very gentle, and Harry was grateful that at the very least she was going to be soft as she left him and not the hardened version of herself that he’d been worried about for the last several weeks.

“I do, kitten. I really, really understand and I can sleep in the guest room or I can hire you an intern—”

“Harry, baby—”

“—One that’s just like you so you can get all the help you deserve; anything to make this better.

“Harry—”

“—I feel awful that you’re so mad and sad and I do not regret giving you a promotion. I'm just worried you’re going to hate me and working with me even though it’s the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ll do anything, kitten. Literally anything to keep you—I could quit, if you want. I can start bringing you coffee in the afternoon—”

“I can’t drink coffee anymore,” she interrupted, finally.

That was actually almost worse than her breaking up with him. He blinked at her in surprise. She loved coffee. Why on earth…? “What?” She smiled briefly, her eyes watered and her lips pursed into a frown almost immediately after. “Kitten,” his heart was aching; like the muscle was begging his brain to make her pain stop. “What’s wrong? Do you need a doctor? Why can’t you—”

Harry couldn’t stop looking at her, so he didn’t see the way her fingers fiddled at her waist and pulled something from her pocket. He didn’t notice when she reached back up to put a positive pregnancy test in front of him.

He blinked a few times trying to make sense of what she was saying without saying it. He sat up and took her with him, so they swayed a little more on the swing with the shift. Harry grabbed the plastic from her hands and stared at the lines trying to understand faster, but his brain was mush. He thought she was going to leave him. Thought she was ill. Nothing made sense. “I owe you a massive apology for being so mean,” she whispered. “But if it’s any consolation, it wasn’t me. It was the baby. We’ll have to parent her for being so mean to you when she gets out here.”

“She?!” He croaked his hands shaking as he held the test in his hands begging his brain to understand faster.

“Oh,” she smiled and put a hand on the top of her stomach. “I don’t know, but I hope so.”

His eyes dropped to the way her hand gently rubbed her stomach, there was no bump or anything. But it didn’t matter. “Oh, thank God,” he sighed with relief and pulled her to him. He kissed the side of her head and squeezed her gently minding her body so he wouldn’t squish the baby.

She giggled. “I’m sorry, Harry. I really didn’t mean to be so mean—”

“No,” he shook his head. “Do not apologize,” he dropped the test behind her and then cupped her face. “I can’t believe I didn’t know,” he mumbled and then peppered kisses along her cheeks and then all over her face.

She smiled, blushed, and giggled again as he made a valiant effort to kiss every inch of her face. “I imagine I would have bit your head off if you asked if I was pregnant.”

He chuckled breathily over her skin and then worked down her neck to continue his kisses. He pushed her back down and dotted more kisses over her body until he got to her stomach. “You were very mean,” he whispered to her body. “I thought Mummy was going t’break up with me.”

“Harry Styles, don’t be ridiculous or I will be mad,” she rolled her eyes.

“Kitten,” he lifted his head to hover over her again. He smiled a real smile that he hadn’t felt spread across his face in weeks. “You are incredible.”

She smiled. “I love you.”

His heart felt healed almost instantly. He missed that phrase coming from her mouth the way it sounded then. Happy. He groaned, like he was in pain for so long and the relief was just too overwhelming. “Please, please, say it again.”

She laughed and pulled him by the neck to her mouth and kissed him hard. He moaned softly, realizing how much he was missing her soft lips on his. He melted into the kiss, traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. Eventually he pulled away and she turned his head so she could speak into his ear. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he kissed her again. “And you,” he placed his hand on her stomach and brushed his thumb over her shirt. “Even if you were very mean to us,” he mumbled.

“I’ll forgive her; it’s gotta be hard being conceived in a shower.”

He chuckled, his cheeks burning a little hotter. “Kitten,” he smirked and pushed her hair behind her ear. Maybe it was his imagination, but she looked like she was truly glowing, and he thought she was beautiful, unearthly gorgeous since he saw her pictures, since he met her in person… but somehow, she looked even more beautiful and he didn’t know how it was possible. “Not in front of the baby.”

“Well, the baby is going to have to get used to that very quickly,” she warned, wrinkling her nose with a knowing smile as a blush crept to her cheeks as well.

Stunning. He thought to himself.

“Because now that I know why I was very angry, I think I have to make it up to you. A lot. Like maybe even right now.”

He smirked. “Kitten, you are doing the most incredible thing in the world and you’re sacrificing so much with your body and mind... Y’don’t have to do anything for me.”

She almost pondered about that for a minute. “Well, I won’t lie, it’s going to be for me too.”

He laughed. “Then you can have whatever you want, kitten.”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “I guess you better feed us first,” she suggested.

“Excellent point,” he stood from the swing and then scooped her up in almost the same movement.

“You don’t have to carry me.”

“Oh, kitten. Y’went like a whole month and a half or so without me being crazy. Y’better get used to it.”

She smiled, pressed her head to his shoulder as he brought her back inside. She’d let him be insane for the night, he figured. “I think this is it, Harry. We’re stuck together for life now.”

“That’s exactly how I want it, kitten.”

--

general taglist: @daydreamingofmatilda @summertime-pills @loving-hazz @daphnesutton @angel-upon

@toosarcastic03 @love-letters-to-uranus @crossyourpeter @kissitnhekitchen @indierockgirrl

@stylesfever @michellekstyles @hermionelove @vikiii07 @prettygurl-2009

@mads3502 @triski73 @angeldavis777 @me-undiscovered @you-sunshine

@rose-girls-world @avas-daniel @spinninc @fangirl509east @sideboobrry11

@allmyinterestsworld @harry2121 @hsandts4l @stylesftcher @ilovezaynmalik08

@osorto @sittinginthegardern @shimmerygloss @ghostlyscene13 @makytka

@unfuckwitablenarry @harrysgurll @hannah9921 @vrittivsanghavi @ameliaalvarez06

@elizapotter24 @allannahdaisy @jam1esl0v4 @sincerely-yours-marsbar @aileen1237

@madishouse @st-ev-ie @jovialtacofury @babegoals @castawaycreature

@jerseygirlinca @swag13r @boredhsblog @asta80fishbowl @maddiemikaelson28 @withoutluv @mariamuses @run-for-the-hills @mattieshattuck1 @marroonwitch @eversincehs1 @outofthisworl-d @wish-upon-a-star-1310 @bethiegurl19 @harrystylesconcepts @psicostyles @sstylezzz @jewlmin @starstruckcrusadeblaze @swag313gurl

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you want to read my other work check out my Masterlist.

honestly she should have burned the office down, she would at least get out of work

no actually Harry right next door I wouldn't get anything done

once in a lifetime 😭

BAWAC correct just READ MY MIND it's so dumb

Apple will add BAWAC to the next update I hope

He IS BRAVE

This gif after Harry chewing gum has me lolllling

GIRL WHATEVER MY PLAN WAS BETTER (pp here)

LOL you're not dumb 🤣🤣 disco music made me giggle

Omg he SO would step down 🤣🤣

WHAT A CROSSOVER

He IS just a baby. baby garlic bread cutie pie energy

Couldve spit it in her mouth 🤣🤣 she doesn't even get it

WHERE ELSE SHOULD HE LOOK

A MAN™️ that knows he deserves to be punched 🤣🤣

HARRY WITH ELF EARS HAS ME 😭😭

You were there! just wait!!!

Baby math 😭😭 stopppp

literally just a girl smh

"mah sole" I'm 🤣🤣

I'm writing it down ✍🏻✍🏻✍🏻 this is important to me

I've been thinking about Louis figuring it out for like two years I'm so excited about this

Poor little care bear

Literally please pass my fucking open notes test 🙄🙄

He is sooooooo you know?

stick a fork in my chest 😭😭 he's so stupid

Where's Noah 🤣 I'll get him in the next one.

he's really doing the most. like god forbid he just ASKS

no it was acutally super hard to write this scene because i knew i was making him miserable, pitiful and it felt so wrong (but it turns out i love torturing him)

No that'll be the sign no coffee is NOT good

it's the plethora of 😭😭 for me. I can't even count. There are too many. There are too many SAMANTHAs too

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT" NO TURTLE I'M NOT

We love slut-to-slut with Harry 🙂‍↕️

he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

we ARE so funny 🤭 she's like "oops, my b"

Awww flying out the window is a new one!

lolll you were there!!!

That's a lot of SCRABOW

oh i was right there was cutie baby garlic bread in this one

I kNOOOOW but Idk if I can write that rn lolll

i think i was starving when i wrote this so he should feed us (that dick)

I'm so glad you liked this one i'm sorry for making you a mess 🤣🤣

It was like she put herself in a timeout.

She was being too mean, and she needed to remove herself from being around Harry for a little while (just an evening). She was certain he was going to break up with her or fire her. Either one was bad, but she wouldn’t blame him if he did either of those things because she hadn’t been acting like herself.

It felt like a whole new kind of cranky. Like she was never going to be not cranky ever again. She couldn’t get out of it, kind of cranky. It was most definitely the stress from work and making sure that all her ducks were in a row. It was exhausting and she was worried she wasn’t even worth the promotion Niall and Harry gave her.

Unfortunately, she was taking all her anger and frustration out on Harry too. Fortunately, just at home. If she was cranky at work, she let it simmer and build inside her until she got home where she was simply not good company.

Harry took it in stride. When she confessed to Niall and Louis that she felt like she was being an absolute bitch, they reminded her (very excitedly) that Harry was often a dick under duress, and it was about time he got a taste of his own medicine.

But Harry was so sweet and good to her. He offered to help her with whatever she needed at home or at work whether she was a grump or not. Almost like he didn’t mind. But she could see the slight heartbreak on his face every time she yelled or got mad at him.

I’m going to see Louis She texted as she exited Styles Inc.

Alright, let me know when you’re on your way home. I’ll keep dinner warm. I love you xx

She didn’t even respond and she knew it was criminal not to. 

He was too sweet and it made her crankier that she was being so mean and he just didn’t deserve it. Maybe if she was gone for a few hours, he would pack all her stuff and kick her out. That’s what she deserved. Not the sweet man who was going to keep dinner warm for her and just let him be an emotional punching bag.

At least now she understood how he got his reputation for all those years. No wonder incompetency pissed him off. She wanted to set her office on fire some days over the last few weeks. It was a miracle that anything got done with the level of stupidity she dealt with daily. It wasn’t fair to anyone. Maybe if she wasn’t so stressed, she would have been in a teaching or guiding mood to help employees and interns.

Why couldn’t they just read her mind? It wasn’t that fucking hard.

“Are you alright?” Louis asked, staring at her beside him on the sofa. He had a movie that they’d both already seen a hundred times in hopes it would comfort her and make her less bite-someone’s-head-off-y. She flicked her eyes to him and huffed. He looked away briefly, his eyes opening a little wider. “Did Harry mess up?”

“Would you just stop with the Harry’s-the-enemy bit? He’s perfect. Leave him alone,” she grumbled.

Louis’ eyebrows pinched together and he took his phone out and tapped a few times. He cleared his throat and read a text he received from her yesterday. “Harry is chewing gum SO loudly. I want to rip it out of his mouth and shove it in my ear so I don’t have to hear it.”

Well, it was loud. She even told him it was and made him spit it out shortly after that text. So at least she didn’t reach into his mouth and take it. She wasn’t insane.

That insane. 

Hearing the text back though did register something in her and she was glad Louis was there because he was pretty good at knowing what was wrong with her so maybe he could figure it out. “Something’s wrong with me,” she groaned and rubbed her temples. “I’ve never been so angry and stressed in my whole life, Louis. What is wrong with me?”

“It’s a new job, love. It’s a lot more stress being a boss. Look at Harry.”

“Stop bringing him up.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. I mean… he gets like this too, right? You and Niall are practically prepared for it. You set your clock to it, for God’s sake,” he reminded her. It made her feel the slightest bit better that she wasn’t totally insane. “You haven’t fired anyone… yet,” Louis continued.

She rolled her eyes and slumped further into his couch cushions enjoying the softness like a cloud cradle. Maybe she just needed to be away from him for a little while longer so she could miss him. Maybe she would stay the night. But that would worry him. But that was stupid that he would be worried. How could he ever think she would leave him? She loved him so much. He was so gentle with her. Even when she was being a massive bitch.

He spit his gum out the moment she asked. Didn’t even question why she was so cranky. Just continued working and only looking at her for a moment longer (mainly so he wouldn’t set her off for staring. That had happened a few times recently). “I don’t want to be mean to him. He’s my favorite person.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, shut up, Louis. You know what I mean,” she grumbled.

Louis blinked at her and shook his head.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just really feisty with everyone. Even me. Even Eleanor… It’s like you’re… it’s like you’re hormonal or something. Maybe you should go to the doctor. Or see a therapist or something.”

She gasped the moment he said the word hormonal. Louis’s eyebrows jumped sharply up his forehead and his lips rolled into his mouth to keep from speaking further. He waited for her to berate him for suggesting she was hormonal in the first place. It was a rookie mistake. It was perhaps the number one thing not to say to a woman. If she punched him, he knew he deserved it.

Her jaw dropped.

“Oh, shit,” she jumped up and went to the kitchen where Eleanor had a pretty, colorful white board calendar attached to their fridge. She started counting backwards. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she shook her head and rushed to the bathroom. Immediately she knelt in front of their vanity and dug through the drawers and the cabinet beneath the sink. “You guys have never had a pregnancy scare?” She was tearing through every carefully organized box that Eleanor had situated. Maybe Eleanor would yell at her the way she deserved. “I need a test!”

“Do you and Harry keep them?” He rolled his eyes. “Why the fuck would we just have pregnancy tests?”

“For this reason!” She shrieked and covered her face. It made so much sense. There were too many days between now and her last period. She probably didn’t even need the test at all. It all made sense. The anger, the exhaustion, the irritability over silly little things.

“I’ll have El get one on her way home,” he said, texting her immediately.

“Louis,” she brought a hand to her mouth. “I can’t have a baby,” she whispered.

“Why not?” He asked. “You love babies. So does Harry.”

“But…” she sniffled. “I’m so angry.”

“Probably because of the baby growing in you,” he rolled his eyes.

“Louis,” a few tears rolled down her cheeks. How she didn’t know for this long was embarrassing. The fluctuation in her moods, the tiredness, the cravings she had for chocolate…

“Babe,” he smiled excitedly. “You’re gonna have a baby,” he cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “I’m so happy for you,” he pulled her close to rub her back while she sniveled into his shoulder. “You’re going to be the best mum,” he assured her. “It’s just the hormones. It’s just for a little while,” he promised.

“But—”

“No,” he shook his head, pushed her back so he could brush her tears away again. He looked at her with a gentle expression and smiled sweetly at her. “This isn’t you,” he promised. “It’s your little alien taking over your brain,” he grinned. “Glad I figured it out.”

She snorted and rubbed her hand across one eye. “You really think I’m going to be a good mom? I don’t have… a great example.”

“You will be,” he nodded. “I know it. And I will be the best uncle. Which is most important. I’ll fight Niall about it,” he winked.

“When will El be home?” She asked quietly.

“A half hour.”

She sucked her lip into her mouth. “I probably don’t even need the test,” she whispered.

“I know, but it’ll be good evidence for when you tell Harry.”

She nodded. “Okay,” she sighed deeply. “Let’s go look at baby things until she gets here.”

“Now you’re talking.”

*

Harry tapped his foot impatiently waiting for her text to say she was on her way home. Every minute that crept on made him more anxious. It felt like everything he did was wrong. He couldn’t ask her what was wrong. He felt very stuck that he couldn’t fix it.

Dinner wasn’t going to get cold, but he was really hoping she would have at least talked to him by now.

Harry sighed deeply and pressed her name in his recent call log. He closed his eyes as he put his phone to his ear knowing there was a very strong chance he was going to get yelled at. He knew it wasn’t her fault. She was stressed. Really stressed. It was a taste of his own medicine. Constantly making people nervous, miserable, scared for their jobs.

The only job he wanted was being her boyfriend and he was nearly ill about losing the position. “Hi, baby,” she said softly.

He blinked in surprise, pulled his phone away to check he called the right person. “Uh… hi kitten,” he mumbled. “M’jus… checking in. Should I put your dinner away?”

She was silent for a few seconds, and Harry seriously thought she was going to say she was never coming home. That the stress was too much and living with the person directly responsible for her stress was way too much.

“I’m outside, actually. On the swing.”

Harry’s heart pounded so hard he thought he was going to collapse. He glanced out the window and saw her lying on the bed swing. Her feet touching the porch gently pushing her. Her body was flat on the mattress, just her elbow bent to hold the phone to her ear.

Why didn’t she come in to say hi? How long had she been out there?

Harry genuinely didn’t want to go outside. It felt eerie. Like this was really it; he didn’t know if he could have her fall out of love on the porch swing where some of his most treasured moments with her happened. He put his phone on the counter and made sure all the knobs were turned off on the stove before he turned to the door.

He pushed the slider out of the way and stepped onto the porch. She didn’t move, just continued rocking her and the swing softly. The air was warm, crickets, bugs, and chirping birds were still around. It was a beautiful summer evening and he was terrified that his beautiful life he was so fortunate to have was just going to end in ten seconds.

“Kitten, I know you’ve been really stressed,” he started and knelt onto the mattress. It shifted under his weight. He cupped the side of her neck, and it felt almost painful to look at her like this. He almost couldn’t look into her pretty eyes. If this was it, he was going to torture himself by touching her the way he’d missed touching her so much. Her skin was so soft, and she was so unbelievably pretty in the golden sunset light. He started speaking because it was now or never and he had to plead his case. “I know I’ve been annoying you, and I know m’not your favorite person right now.”

“Harry—”

“No, I think this is karma for all the interns I terrified. This is awful though. I just…I’ll do anything. Can I please do something to make this better?” He asked. “I completely understand your stress and I know it’s hard and I want to help because you’ve always helped me—”

“Harry, you don’t understand,” her voice was very gentle, and Harry was grateful that at the very least she was going to be soft as she left him and not the hardened version of herself that he’d been worried about for the last several weeks.

“I do, kitten. I really, really understand and I can sleep in the guest room or I can hire you an intern—”

“Harry, baby—”

“—One that’s just like you so you can get all the help you deserve; anything to make this better.

“Harry—”

“—I feel awful that you’re so mad and sad and I do not regret giving you a promotion. I'm just worried you’re going to hate me and working with me even though it’s the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ll do anything, kitten. Literally anything to keep you—I could quit, if you want. I can start bringing you coffee in the afternoon—”

“I can’t drink coffee anymore,” she interrupted, finally.

That was actually almost worse than her breaking up with him. He blinked at her in surprise. She loved coffee. Why on earth…? “What?” She smiled briefly, her eyes watered and her lips pursed into a frown almost immediately after. “Kitten,” his heart was aching; like the muscle was begging his brain to make her pain stop. “What’s wrong? Do you need a doctor? Why can’t you—”

Harry couldn’t stop looking at her, so he didn’t see the way her fingers fiddled at her waist and pulled something from her pocket. He didn’t notice when she reached back up to put a positive pregnancy test in front of him.

He blinked a few times trying to make sense of what she was saying without saying it. He sat up and took her with him, so they swayed a little more on the swing with the shift. Harry grabbed the plastic from her hands and stared at the lines trying to understand faster, but his brain was mush. He thought she was going to leave him. Thought she was ill. Nothing made sense. “I owe you a massive apology for being so mean,” she whispered. “But if it’s any consolation, it wasn’t me. It was the baby. We’ll have to parent her for being so mean to you when she gets out here.”

“She?!” He croaked his hands shaking as he held the test in his hands begging his brain to understand faster.

“Oh,” she smiled and put a hand on the top of her stomach. “I don’t know, but I hope so.”

His eyes dropped to the way her hand gently rubbed her stomach, there was no bump or anything. But it didn’t matter. “Oh, thank God,” he sighed with relief and pulled her to him. He kissed the side of her head and squeezed her gently minding her body so he wouldn’t squish the baby.

She giggled. “I’m sorry, Harry. I really didn’t mean to be so mean—”

“No,” he shook his head. “Do not apologize,” he dropped the test behind her and then cupped her face. “I can’t believe I didn’t know,” he mumbled and then peppered kisses along her cheeks and then all over her face.

She smiled, blushed, and giggled again as he made a valiant effort to kiss every inch of her face. “I imagine I would have bit your head off if you asked if I was pregnant.”

He chuckled breathily over her skin and then worked down her neck to continue his kisses. He pushed her back down and dotted more kisses over her body until he got to her stomach. “You were very mean,” he whispered to her body. “I thought Mummy was going t’break up with me.”

“Harry Styles, don’t be ridiculous or I will be mad,” she rolled her eyes.

“Kitten,” he lifted his head to hover over her again. He smiled a real smile that he hadn’t felt spread across his face in weeks. “You are incredible.”

She smiled. “I love you.”

His heart felt healed almost instantly. He missed that phrase coming from her mouth the way it sounded then. Happy. He groaned, like he was in pain for so long and the relief was just too overwhelming. “Please, please, say it again.”

She laughed and pulled him by the neck to her mouth and kissed him hard. He moaned softly, realizing how much he was missing her soft lips on his. He melted into the kiss, traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. Eventually he pulled away and she turned his head so she could speak into his ear. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he kissed her again. “And you,” he placed his hand on her stomach and brushed his thumb over her shirt. “Even if you were very mean to us,” he mumbled.

“I’ll forgive her; it’s gotta be hard being conceived in a shower.”

He chuckled, his cheeks burning a little hotter. “Kitten,” he smirked and pushed her hair behind her ear. Maybe it was his imagination, but she looked like she was truly glowing, and he thought she was beautiful, unearthly gorgeous since he saw her pictures, since he met her in person… but somehow, she looked even more beautiful and he didn’t know how it was possible. “Not in front of the baby.”

“Well, the baby is going to have to get used to that very quickly,” she warned, wrinkling her nose with a knowing smile as a blush crept to her cheeks as well.

Stunning. He thought to himself.

“Because now that I know why I was very angry, I think I have to make it up to you. A lot. Like maybe even right now.”

He smirked. “Kitten, you are doing the most incredible thing in the world and you’re sacrificing so much with your body and mind... Y’don’t have to do anything for me.”

She almost pondered about that for a minute. “Well, I won’t lie, it’s going to be for me too.”

He laughed. “Then you can have whatever you want, kitten.”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “I guess you better feed us first,” she suggested.

“Excellent point,” he stood from the swing and then scooped her up in almost the same movement.

“You don’t have to carry me.”

“Oh, kitten. Y’went like a whole month and a half or so without me being crazy. Y’better get used to it.”

She smiled, pressed her head to his shoulder as he brought her back inside. She’d let him be insane for the night, he figured. “I think this is it, Harry. We’re stuck together for life now.”

“That’s exactly how I want it, kitten.”

--

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