Cherry Bomb |H.S|

Chapter 15.

— Utica, New York. 1973 —

MARY JANE MILLER

"Sit still sunflower! I can't do this properly if you keep moving!"

Harry is like a toddler sat on the sand between my legs, his fingers drumming on his kneecaps as he huffs out of impatience watching everyone else laugh and joke about in a circle ahead of him.

"Do you still want beads?" I ask wrapping the strands of medium length hair over one another quickly, my fingers moving at a fast pace to try and get this over and done with before Harry looses it and storms off like a toddler.

"Yes please. Can I have yellow like yours? They look pretty in your hair" he mumbles twiddling his thumbs now, his voice hoarse from what happened last night, my mind immediately flashing back to it, my heart sinking and my stomach turning as the images of him crying and rocking back and forth in my arms creep back into my brain.

"Of course you can sunflower, the yellow will match your swim trunks!" I say holding back my own tears, putting on a brave face for him as I grab a yellow bead, threading it through a few strands of hair and braiding it in with his french braids.

"I can hear you sniffling above me sweets, what's on your pretty mind?" He says lowly as I stare down at his hair, my fingers slowing down at the sound of his voice.

"Allergies, I guess — don't worry about me sunflower" I say throwing in a fake laugh as I speed up my movements, grabbing beads as I go to disperse them in random spots down the braid before tying it off and heading onto the second one.

"Sweets?" He asks breaking the silence we both sit in, my mind and my eyes on his hair only, focusing on where I'm placing beads and the braid that's forming under my finger tips in his chocolate curls.

"Hmm?" I hum as I hear him take a breath, his fingers now picking at the nail polish that's chipping off his finger nails.

"Could you sing to me? The song you sang last night?" He asks in almost a whisper as I shut my eyes before looking up at the bright blue sky, my eyes fighting back tears at his request.

"... you can do whatever version you want, French or English. Up to you" he adds as I smile sniffling a little more, his head dipping down at the sound as I feel him sigh deeply between my legs as I tower over him on the small wall surrounding the beach.

I sang this to him last night when he was anxious — he must be feeling anxious again and this is what is breaking my heart most. I cant take his pain away and it's killing me, I just want him to be warm and happy.

I want him to be Harry.

"Hold me close and hold me fast, The magic spell you cast" I start off the song, my voice low and my voice shaky due to the tears in my eyes and the heart wrenching feeling in my chest.

Harry immediately rests a little back into me as I begin to sing, his body relaxing and his eyes shutting at the sound of my hushed singing.

"... This is 'La vie en rose'"

"Life in pink — life in happy hues" Harry whispers as I nod my head smiling down at him, a small smile on his lips as I feels me move above him, my fingers in his hair as he listens to me intently.

"When you kiss me, heaven sighs, And though I close my eyes, I see 'La vie en Rose'" he smiles as I sing, his fingers relaxing on his thighs as he calms down under my touch and my singing.

"When you press me to your heart, I'm in a world apart, A world where roses bloom" my hands fiddle with more beads, sliding strands of his hair through them and mixing the strands in with the french braid as my mind wanders to who originally sang this to me.