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lemoncrushh · 5 months ago

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Too Far From Texas | Chapter Two

STORY PAGE

Word Count: 5837

I stared at the blank screen for a good ten minutes before I started typing. Finally, the words started coming to me, though I felt like it was just drivel, something to write just for the sake of writing. I let out a sigh of relief when I was interrupted a few minutes later by someone clearing his throat in the doorway.

“Stacey Barnett?” the young man asked.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Delivery for you,” he announced. “Where would you like these?”

My eyes widened when I saw the enormous arrangement of flowers in his hand.

“Um…” I blinked. “I guess right here is fine.”

I pushed away a stack of folders and papers to my left, giving him ample space to set the bouquet. I watched as he set it down and turned toward the door.

“Don’t I need to sign something?” I inquired.

“Once I get everything in,” he replied.

“What?” I sounded, raising a brow, but the man had already disappeared.

Two seconds later he returned pushing a cart holding two large boxes, a clipboard atop them. He rounded my desk before lifting the boxes, which looked to be heavy, and setting them on the floor. Then with a heavy breath, he handed me the clipboard and a pen.

“Sign here, please,” he requested.

“Who is this from?” I asked him.

“Don’t know, ma’am,” the young man shook his head. “I’m just the delivery service.”

I signed my name in a hasty scribble, handing him back the clipboard. He nodded good day and I stared at the flowers as he walked away. There was no card attached to give me any clue from whom it was. Just as I rose from my chair to inspect the boxes, another cart was being pushed through the door, this one two-tiered and covered in food.

“What in the world?” I exclaimed. “I didn’t order any catering.”

“No ma’am,” said the tall, thin man standing behind the cart. “This was a special request that just came in this morning.”

“From who?”

“From a...uh…” he pulled a slip of paper from the pocket of his apron, “Styles.”

My mouth fell open as I glared at the man, then at the food, realization setting in. I swallowed hard, pushing my hair behind my ears.

“Would you prefer I leave the food here, or is there a kitchen you’d rather store it in?”

I blinked. “Um...yeah, maybe the conference room?”

“Sure thing,” the young man nodded. “Lead the way.”

I walked past him to the hallway and around the corner to the large conference room that was supposed to be for meeting purposes, but we rarely used. The wheels of the cart squeaked behind me as I pushed open the door. I helped remove the food from the cart and placed it on the long table. Once everything was cleared, I stood with my hands on my hips, noticing just how much food there was. A variety of sandwiches, fruit, a veggie tray, pasta, two kinds of salads, bread, cookies and even a cake. And of course, no lunch would be complete without various cans of soda and bottles of water. Did we really need Ozarka, Fiji and Perrier?

“If you could just sign this, please,” I heard the man say, though he suddenly sounded far away. “Payment is all taken care of.”

Slowly taking the slip of paper from him, I signed my name once again.

“Enjoy your lunch,” he called as he pushed the squeaky cart out of the room.

“Holy shit!” I heard Lorelei’s voice exclaim behind me. I turned to see her standing in the doorway. “Who ordered catering?”

“Apparently Harry Styles did,” I shrugged.

“What?” Lorelei’s eyes popped as she stepped inside and walked to the table. She grabbed a strawberry from the fruit tray and took a generous bite. “Mmm! Oh my God, these are fresh!”

“Alright, lunch!” I heard another voice behind me declare. Terrance, one of our lead editors stepped around me to grab a fancy plastic plate, quickly filling it with sandwiches and fruit. “Did I miss the memo about a meeting or something?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Just a friendly gesture.”

“I’ll say,” Lorelei muttered under her breath. I shot her a look as I heard Terrance say thanks, apparently under the assumption it had been my own gesture.

As more employees got word of the free food and began to pile into the conference room, I took the opportunity to slip out, returning to my office and shutting the door. I sucked in my lips as I pulled open a drawer and grabbed a box cutter before I walked around the desk to the boxes that sat on the floor.

Easily tearing open the first box, I retrieved an envelope that sat just inside. It simply had my name printed on the front, but somehow, I knew it was his handwriting. I opened it hesitantly, pulling out a single piece of paper.

Dear Stacey -

I enjoyed meeting you Saturday. I read your book and it was excellent. I’m not exactly sure if we could “call it even” though, so I’m sending along some gifts for your daughters. I hope they enjoy them.

All the love. Harry.

P.S. The flowers are for you. x

I couldn’t have stopped the smile on my lips if I’d tried. Returning the letter to its envelope, I placed it next to the flowers on the desk. Inhaling deeply, I took in their aroma. Then I closed the box, not wanting to look inside just yet. I’d let the girls open it later and join in their glory.

When I made it back to the conference room, it was full of people and chatter. I smiled at Sonia from Accounting as I reached over and grabbed a plate.

“So, what is all this?” Lorelei whispered in my ear when I sat down and opened a water bottle.

I shrugged. “He was being nice.”

Lorelei glared at me. “Nice is buying our book and getting you another latte. This is something way more than nice.”

“He sent two boxes full of merch for Jaz and Em too,” I remarked before biting into a carrot. “And flowers for me.”

Although I wasn’t looking right at her, I could see Lorelei’s mouth form an ‘O’ out of the corner of my eye. I took a sip of my water and set it back on the table before she finally said my name.

“Stacey...” she began, “You’ve obviously made some sort of impression on him.”

Jabbing my plastic fork in my salad, I raised a brow. “And why wouldn’t I?”

Lorelei chuckled, dipping another strawberry in the fruit dip.

“Seriously though,” I said, “I think he just feels bad for knocking into me and making me spill my coffee. He’s very sweet.”

“Hmm,” Lorelei pursed her lips. “His mum raised him right.”

“Exactly.”

After filling my face with cake - Italian Creme, my favorite, how on earth did he know? - I took a quick bathroom break before heading back to my office. I tried my best to concentrate on the writing I’d planned to get done that day, but the mouthwatering scent of lilies and roses was making me light-headed. My fingers freezing over the keyboard, I debated whether or not to call the delivery company or the restaurant from which the food was catered to see if they could possibly give me a contact number for Harry Styles. But knowing who he was, the likelihood of that was slim to none.

By four o’clock I’d managed to get at least a handful of pages written, despite getting interrupted with other work that my job demanded, including a few random visits from Lorelei. I let out a huff as my phone rang on my desk once more, sure that I would have to answer a question with a simple yes or no.

“This is Stacey,” I voiced, though not in a pleasant way.

“Hi Stacey, this is Harry Styles, how are you?”

I literally felt my face soften as I sat back in my chair. “Hi, Harry. I’m wonderful, thank you.”

“Good, I trust you got everything I sent?”

I could hear the smile in his voice, which made me picture his dimples, which in turn made me smile.

“Yes,” I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I did this a lot. I took a mental note. “I want to thank you, Harry, this is just...too kind. And completely unnecessary, I-”

“Nonsense,” he insisted. “It’s my pleasure.”

“Hmm,” I sounded, biting my lip. “Well, I can’t thank you enough. The girls are gonna go nuts tonight when I take these boxes home.”

“I’m glad,” Harry chuckled. “Speaking of tonight...um...I’m still in Houston until tomorrow. I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner.”

“Oh...I-” I stumbled. “Um...tonight?”

I heard a small giggle before he said, “Yeah.”

“Oh, I’d...I’d love to Harry, but-”

“But what?”

I couldn’t help but feel a tingle on my skin at the sound of him saying “what”, not quite pronouncing the T at the end. He was so adorable and charming. And he was honest to goodness asking me out to dinner. Like a date. Suddenly, I couldn’t think of an excuse as to why I couldn’t go.

“But nothing,” I surrendered with a sigh. “I’d love to have dinner.”

“Great,” Harry replied. “There seems to be a lovely Italian restaurant across from my hotel. Do you like Italian?”

“Love it,” I commented.

“Wonderful. Shall I come pick you up or…”

“Oh no, Harry,” I interrupted. “I actually live outside of the city. It would be silly for you go out of your way and then come all the way back.”

“Honestly, it’s no trouble. I can send a car-”

“Please, no,” I argued. “I can meet you there, it’s fine.”

“Stacey…” Harry said, his voice gentle yet firm. “I’m gonna pick you up, okay?”

A tiny sound escaped my lips as I nodded with the phone to my ear. “Okay.”

I gave Harry my address and we made plans for him to meet me at my apartment at 7:30. Even though I still thought it was a bit much, I didn’t want to come off rude since he was being so gracious. I gave him my cell number and by the time I hung up, I was nearly giddy with excitement, though I was trying my best to contain it.

“Lorelei,” I practically whispered when I rang her office. “Get in here.”

“What is it?” she pranced into the room ten seconds later, her heels clicking.

“We’re having dinner,” I muttered.

“We who, you and me?”

I shook my head. “Harry just called me.”

Lorelei raised her brows as a grin slowly spread across her face. In her typical fashion, she perched herself on the edge of my desk.

“What did I tell you?”

“Okay, so maybe he’s not just trying to pay for my blazer,” I remarked, feeling myself blushing.

“Please,” she smirked. “These flowers alone cost more than that Macy’s reject.” She leaned forward to inspect the fragrance. “Do you need me to babysit?”

“Oh my God, Lor, would you?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “I love your girls, and they love me.”

“You’re amazing, thank you.”

She beamed at me as she climbed off the desk. She knew how much I hated to ask my mother. Not that she didn’t ever watch my kids for me. She was just very good at making me feel like I was putting her out when I asked. Especially if it was last minute.

“So what are you gonna wear tonight?” Lorelei inquired. “I suggest something dark brown.”

“Bite me,” I sneered.

Lorelei chuckled, tossing her blonde locks over her shoulder. “Joking my dear. But I do think that black number you wore to the New Years party would knock his socks off.”

“Lor, that’s too fancy,” I crinkled my nose.

“Are you going to McDonald’s?”

I laughed. “No, but it’s not exactly a disco ball affair either. Maybe something a little less revealing.”

“Okay but…” she sighed, “please promise me you won’t go looking like you just came from a PTA meeting.”

I held my hands up. “I promise.”

I must’ve heard at least ten “oh my god”s in the last five minutes, and we weren’t even through the first box yet. Emery was the happiest nine-year-old I’d ever seen going through the items that Harry had sent. Jasmine was smiling big too, sometimes saying his name when she recognized his face on the merchandise.

I had to admit, I was pretty darn excited about the stuff too. His album wasn’t being officially released until the next Friday, but he’d sent copies for each of the girls and signed them, along with promo photos, posters, hats, bracelets, tote bags, keychains, and lots of other goodies.

When we tore into the second box, Emery was in heaven. It was all One Direction merch, from various stages of their career. I chuckled as she held a small pillow to her face. I kissed her on the cheek and told her I needed to start getting ready.

I was applying my lipstick when the doorbell rang, alerting me of Lorelei’s arrival. Emery shouted her announcement that she’d get it and within seconds I heard a squeal of delight. I walked into the living room just as Emery was pulling on Lorelei’s arm, guiding her to the boxes.

“He sent this all to me!” she exclaimed. “Well, to me and Jasmine.”

“I see!” said Lorelei as she sat down on the couch, her eyes wide. “Wow!” When I giggled, she lifted her head to see me. “Speaking of wow…”

“Is this okay?” I shrugged. I’d chosen an aqua blue dress that I rarely wore because I felt like it was too nice for work. I’d actually forgotten I had it until I dug through my closet and found it in the back.

“Definitely,” Lorelei nodded. “You look gorgeous.”

“Mommy, you’re so pretty!” Emery danced to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Thank you, baby,” I kissed her forehead. “Be good for Lorelei, okay?”

She nodded before skipping back to her boxes. I hadn’t told her Harry was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise. I’d only told her I was going out.

“Are you nervous?” I heard Lorelei ask in a whisper.

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” I nodded.

Lorelei laughed. “C’mon, you got this. You’re awesome. Just don’t spill your wine and you’re good.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I rolled my eyes.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“Fuck, he’s here,” I jumped.

“And early,” Lorelei raised her brows as she inspected her watch. “Nice.”

“Emery, you wanna answer the door for me?”

“Sure,” she shrugged, getting up from the floor. I sucked in my lips from the anticipation of her reaction, as well as my own nerves. Emery swung the door open, stopping frozen in her tracks, her arms out to her sides. “What in the…”

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. Emery’s mouth, however was wide open as she stared at Harry on the other side of the door frame.

“Hi!” he greeted. “Are you Emery?”

I saw her little chest puff up as she took in a deep breath and held it for a second before letting it out. “Oh...my...God!”

Harry laughed, an adorable crinkle by his eyes. I stepped up behind Emery, placing my hands on her shoulders.

“Harry, this is my youngest, Emery, who happens to be your biggest fan. And a little tongue tied right now.”

“Hello, Emery,” said Harry, extending his hand. “Lovely to meet you.”

Still a statue, I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I think it would be okay if you gave him a hug.”

In one split second, Emery stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Harry’s torso. She squeezed tight, the same way she usually hugged me. Sometimes her affectionate nature overwhelmed me. Harry didn’t seem to mind in the least as he hugged her back. I smiled at the sight of them, and it made my heart swell.

“Alright, Em,” I commented, “Let’s let Harry get inside.”

“Oh yeah, sorry,” she giggled, stepping back.

I playfully mussed her hair as Harry crossed the threshold and I shut the door behind him.

“Hi,” he whispered as he stood next to me.

I grinned as I looked at him. He looked really handsome in a purple button-down and black jacket, black jeans and boots making his legs look even longer than necessary.

“Hi,” I whispered back.

“You look beauti-”

“Nooooooo!”

I jerked my head toward the loud and unfortunately familiar sound.

“Stacey!” called Lorelei as she emerged from Jasmine’s room. I hadn’t even noticed she’d left the living room. “I think she’s having another one.”

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath as I made my way to the other side of the apartment.

“Noooooo!” Jasmine screamed again.

“What’s going on?” I heard Harry ask, but I was already to the doorway.

“My sister’s having a seizure,” Emery informed him softly.

“It’s okay, sweet girl,” I tried to assure Jasmine as I walked around her bed to get to her. She was having spasms, her body jerking uncontrollably. I sat next to her, rubbing her back.

“Noooooo!”

I held her hand with my other one until she glared at me angrily. She tried to get up from the bed, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea.

“Jaz, you have to stay on the bed,” I instructed. “I don’t want you to fall.”

“Mommy!” she cried, bringing tears to my eyes. “Go!”

I knew she wasn’t really telling me to go. She was telling the seizure to go. She didn’t want it to happen.

“I’m sorry, should I call 9-1-1?”

I looked up to see Harry in the doorway, a worried look on his face. Only my child could have made me momentarily forget his presence.

“No,” I shook my head. “It’ll be okay.”

“She has seizures from time to time,” Lorelei explained quietly.

“She might not even have one,” I commented as I continued to rub my daughter’s back. “She fights them off a lot.”

Jasmine continued to jerk, though her screaming had subsided. Her eyes were wide as she stared ahead.

“It’s okay, baby,” I murmured.

With one more jerk, Jasmine’s eyes rolled back, and her body froze. I laid her back on the bed, onto her side as she blew out hard breaths from her lips. I held onto her as I secretly cursed God for making my daughter go through this. After a minute or two, I said her name, making sure she could hear me. Her eyes fluttered open but quickly shut.

“Here ya go,” I heard behind me. I turned to see Harry holding a wet washcloth from the bathroom.

“Thanks,” I muttered, taking it from him. I wiped the drool and drops of blood from around my daughter’s mouth. She was still breathing heavily, but at least I knew the seizure was over.

I laid beside her, pushing her damp hair from her face and kissing her cheek. Then I ran my hand up and down her arm to soothe her.

“Go to sleep,” I heard Jasmine declare.

“You’re ready to go to sleep?” I inquired.

“Yes.”

I kissed her forehead one last time before rising from the bed, recognizing that Harry had left the room. Then I whispered goodnight and turned out the light.

Emery met me halfway with a hug. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, baby,” I assured her.

My eyes met Harry’s then as he sat on the sofa next to Lorelei. He stood and walked over to me when Emery released me.

“I’m so sorry,” I told him.

He looked taken back as he placed his hands on my upper arms. “What for?”

“For...this,” I held out my arms. “I’m sure it’s not what you were expecting to walk into.”

“Stacey,” he said, his eyes focused on mine, “you never have to apologize. You’re her mother.”

I felt a single tear trickle down my cheek and my body began to tremble. I wasn’t sure if it was the emotional turmoil of what I’d just had to go through, or the extremely close vicinity which Harry stood before me, but when another tear began to fall, I didn’t stop it. He took me in his arms then and I fell against him, sobbing. He remained silent as he rubbed my back, just as I had rubbed Jasmine’s.

“Don’t cry, Mommy,” I heard Emery say.

I felt her hug me from behind just as Harry pulled back to look at me. His hand cupped my cheek while his thumb wiped away a tear.

“Um...I really am sorry about this,” I declared.

“I already said-”

“I mean tonight,” I interrupted. “Our date. I just...I don’t think I could leave her now.”

“I understand,” Harry nodded.

“Oh, you guys can still go out!” Lorelei called from the couch. “I doubt she’s gonna have another one, and even if she does, I can handle it.”

“Thanks, Lor, but I’d just feel more comfortable if I stayed.”

Lorelei held up her hands. “Say no more.” She rose from the sofa and grabbed her bag and keys. “Great to see you again, Harry.”

“You too, Lorelei,” he nodded with a wave.

“Get to bed, princess,” she instructed when Emery ran to give her a hug.

When the door shut behind her, I looked at Harry, embarrassment setting in. Then I quickly shifted my focus to Emery.

“C’mon, monkey,” I said. “Time for bed.”

Emery groaned, dropping her shoulders and turning for her bedroom.

“Goodnight, Emery,” called Harry.

My nine year old swiftly twirled around and ran back to Harry, giving him an even tighter squeeze than before. I raised my brows at him as I peeled her away from him, but he just chuckled and knelt down.

“Hey,” he said, pointing to his cheek. “Right here.”

Emery beamed at him before planting a kiss on his cheek, then wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Goodnight, Harry,” she whispered.

When she finally let go, I followed her to her room and tucked her into bed. Then turning out the light and shutting the door, I walked back to the living room.

“She’s a hugger, that one,” remarked Harry.

I giggled. “Just a little.”

“You have beautiful kids, Stacey. You should be proud.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I am very proud of them. But not so much myself.”

“What do you mean?”

I sucked in my lips as I sat on the couch next to him. “Sometimes I think I’m a terrible mother.”

“What?” Harry raised his brows in question. “Why would you think that?”

I looked down at my lap, pretending to straighten my dress. “Well…” I swallowed, “Like with Jasmine. She’s Autistic and she has seizures. She’s pretty much non-vocal. She talks a little, but it’s usually just to tell you what she wants. You can’t really have conversations with her. Sometimes I feel…”

My words trailed off as I felt my throat start to close up.

“You feel what?”

“I feel like I did something to deserve this,” I choked.

I wasn’t looking at him. I couldn’t look at him. Not when I confessed something like that. He had to be wondering what in the hell he’d gotten himself into. One date - not even a date - and I was already an emotional mess.

His hand came into view and covered mine in my lap. Then he threaded his fingers through mine and lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it. I finally looked up at him then, his eyes filled with kindness.

“You’re an amazing mum, Stacey” he declared. “I won’t allow you to think you’re not. And none of this is your fault, got that?”

I blinked and nodded slowly. He squeezed my hand then but didn’t let go. His eyes stayed on my face until I sighed, and I gazed around the room.

“So tell me more about your book,” I heard Harry request.

“Oh,” I blushed for some reason. “Like what?”

“Like how and when you started it. Writing with Lorelei. Have you known her a long time?”

“Well, Lorelei moved here from New York. She was a writer too, but neither of us had ever had anything published. After a long day at work, we went out for drinks and started talking about maybe writing something together. We spent the next few days brainstorming and decided we definitely wanted to give it a try. Two years later, and...here we are.”

“Two years?” Harry raised a brow.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I was going through a divorce then, so it took a while to even get started. I’d write some in my free time, but it seemed that free time was getting thinner and thinner. Lorelei would write a lot, but she’d slow down, feeling a little guilty that I couldn’t keep up. We put it on hiatus for a couple months until my divorce was final, then we picked it back up and wrote with a vengeance. When it was done, it still took a while to get through editing and publishing.”

“I see,” Harry nodded. “Well, it’s a really great book, Stacey.”

“You read it?”

“Of course, I told you I did. In the note.”

“I thought maybe you were just being nice. I mean, you actually read the whole thing?” I asked.

Harry chuckled. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, it’s not that, I-”

“Stacey,” Harry interrupted, leaning forward, his eyes demanding me to look at him. “I read your book. In one night, in fact. And I loved it.”

I was stunned. I couldn’t move. If it wasn’t for my chest rising and falling, I would have questioned whether or not I was breathing. My lips parted to say something, but all I could manage was “thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he nodded.

I stared at his face a little longer, more than necessary in fact, and I suddenly got chills all over. Lord have mercy, he was good looking. Shaking my head, I suddenly recalled our original mission.

“Shit, we were gonna go to dinner,” I groaned. “And I don’t think I have anything here other than leftovers.”

Harry shrugged. “No worries.”

“You’re probably hungry,” I said, crinkling my nose. “Nothing around here delivers except pizza.”

“I’m fine with that.”

I made a face. “Really?”

Harry nodded with a grin. “I just wanted to have dinner with you, love. I didn’t care where.”

I probably looked like a fool the way I stared at him. Who was this guy? Was he for real? His smile grew, his dimple dipping in his cheek and I felt my face get warm. Quickly, I cleared my throat, releasing my hand from his grip.

“Pizza it is.”

“I have a question, Stacey,” Harry spoke softly while we sat at my dining table.

I loved how he said my name. He said it with determination, yet it slipped from his tongue like honey. And the way he looked at me when he spoke to me made me feel important.

“Okay,” I raised my brows as I eyed him across the table.

“In The Loving Kind, had Gavin not told Melissa to leave and go back to Louisiana, do you think they would have stayed together?”

I smiled at him, reaching for my glass of water. “What do you think?”

“I asked you first,” Harry smirked.

I shook my head. “See, that’s the whole point, Harry. It’s open to interpretation. Although there was closure at the end, it’s still sort of a cliffhanger. The big what if.”

“I think it depends on the reader’s idea of Melissa, too,” Harry remarked.

“How do you figure?”

“Well,” Harry paused, taking a swig of water and setting down his glass, “if the reader thinks Melissa is the one the title refers to, they probably would assume yes, she would have stayed in New York and tried to make it work. But perhaps Melissa is not ‘the loving kind’.”

“Hmm,” I sounded, leaning forward, my hands folded underneath my chin.

“Maybe the title refers to Gavin. Not necessarily that he’s ‘the loving kind’ either, but that Melissa was hoping he would be. And in the end, she realized it was all her perception of him, and that him telling her to go was the answer she was seeking, the closure to finally turn and walk away.”

I stared at him for a while, a grin slowly spreading across my face.

“Harry Styles, you astound me.”

He copied my smile, sitting back in his chair. I changed the focus of conversation to him then, telling him I enjoyed his acting in the movie he’d been in recently. He told me how much of a thrill it was to work with Christopher Nolan, and how he got several movie offers since then, but for now he was focusing on his music before choosing his next movie role.

I opened a bottle of wine I’d forgotten I had and before I knew it, it was nearly midnight. The time had seemed to fly by, and I was having a great time just chatting with Harry. He was so charming and witty.

“Oh my god, Harry!” I exclaimed as I rose from my chair to walk to the curtains in the living room. “You took a car service here!”

I looked out the window as if I could even find the car below. Harry chuckled.

“Relax, love, I called them hours ago.”

“Oh,” I turned back to face him.

“Come, sit with me,” he said, gesturing to the sofa.

Harry sat on the end, his glass of wine in his hand. I sat on the other. He raised a brow and then giggled.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you far enough away?” he quipped, beckoning me with his finger.

This time I knew I was blushing. “Sorry.”

When I scooted closer to him, he laid his arm across the back of the couch and turned slightly to face me.

“How long were you married?” Harry inquired.

I glared at him. “Seriously? We’re gonna talk about that?”

Harry shrugged. “I wanna know you, Stacey.”

I let out a slow sigh. “Okay. Um...we were together for sixteen years, but officially married for six.”

“Oh,” said Harry, not seeming the least bit turned off by that knowledge. “What does your ex husband do?”

I frowned. “He’s a music teacher.”

“How did you meet?”

I sighed once more. I was really uncomfortable. “At a concert. Do we really have to talk about this?”

“Oh, so you’re a music lover too?”

I beamed at him. “Yes. Very much. Before I met my ex, my dream was to be a singer.”

“Really?” Harry inquired. “You sing?”

“Mmm, mostly just in the shower and the car nowadays, but yeah.”

“Ah, okay, I knew I’d find it,” Harry remarked, sitting back.

“Find what?”

“Something else that makes your face light up like that.”

I stared at him. “Like what?”

“Just like that,” he pointed to my smile. “I’ve seen it four times now.”

“What were the other three?” I asked curiously.

“Well, when you talk about your kids. Kind of obvious. And when you talk about your book. And now music.”

“That’s only three,” I remarked. “What’s the fourth?”

Harry smirked, pulling his arm from behind the couch. “I’ll tell you later,” he said as he stood and walked to the bathroom.

I took the empty wine glasses to the kitchen, setting them in the sink. I leaned against the counter, grinning stupidly to myself. This young man had some sort of effect on me. I felt giddy, little butterflies in my stomach. I lifted my head when Harry returned, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“So are you gonna tell me?” I begged, rounding the counter.

“Tell you what?”

“The fourth thing!”

Harry chuckled. “You really wanna know?”

“Yes, dammit!”

This made Harry laugh harder. His adorable smile made me give one in return even though I was trying not to.

“No,” he shook his head. “I think I’ll keep you guessing.”

“You’re mean,” I pouted, crossing my arms.

“C’mere, Stacey,” he insisted, pulling me to him, his voice low and his tone now serious. “I have to say goodbye now. My car’s here.”

I bit my bottom lip. Although I knew this time would come, I didn’t want the night to end. I hadn’t enjoyed a man’s company this much in a really long time. He was sweet and comforting. And heaven help me, I was attracted to him.

Harry seemed to study my face for a minute, his green eyes making me shiver. Sliding his hand under my ear, he tilted his head slightly and leaned in to kiss me. His lips were soft, brushing mine lightly at first before adding more pressure.

Something hit me in that moment. Truth. Realization that I probably would never see this man again. So, I got brave and kissed him back. I grabbed the front of his shirt before slipping my hands up his chest and around his neck. A tiny sound escaped his throat as I kissed him deeper, allowing our tongues to meet. I tasted the wine, and I felt my entire body melt down to my toes.

“Mmm,” he sounded when our lips parted and he rested his forehead against mine. “That was nice.”

I merely nodded, my vocal chords betraying me. Harry dragged his teeth across his bottom lip and released his hands from me.

“I gotta go, Stacey,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“Goodnight, love,” he added, giving me one last kiss.

He grabbed his jacket from the nearby chair, and I walked him to the door.

“Goodnight, Harry,” I smiled. “Thank you...for tonight. And everything.”

I watched him leave down the stairs to the parking lot below where a huge car was waiting for him. He turned and waved once more before getting in.

Shutting the door, I felt a sudden emptiness. It was like Harry was the sun and he had come in and brightened my home. And now he was gone.

After getting ready for bed, I was just about to crawl under the covers when I remembered I’d left my phone in my bag on the counter. Retrieving it, I noticed I had two new texts from a number I didn’t recognize. But I knew immediately from whom they were. Before reading them, I saved the number in my contacts, simply under Harry. Then I opened the texts, the biggest smile spreading across my face as I walked back to the bedroom.

So the fourth thing - when you look at me.

Sweet dreams, Stacey. Tonight was lovely. x H.

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