Sage

61

Ellie.

Today was September 7th, and that meant three things.

One,  it'd been about a week since Harry was featured on the Patteleci show and officially announced he would be pursuing a career in music. It was a complete shitshow, to say the least. A moment that was supposed to end in champagne toast ended in red-rimmed eyes and silent tears after he'd gotten yet another call from his father. This time, his words were harsher, and his tone was angrier. I couldn't explain the pain that sank in my stomach as I watched Harry hang up the call. The look of defeat on his face was something I'd never forget, and I fucking hated Walter for it.

Two, I woke up 36 weeks and three days pregnant. It was yet another accomplishment to be celebrated, but in all honesty, I was beginning to grow frustrated with the constant weight on my spine and the stretching of my uterus. While it may have been adorable in the first couple of weeks, all I wanted now was to get this six-pound baby out of me. And if the days weren't bad enough, the nights were.

I usually woke up around three am, when the contractions normally got to be too much to bear. Harry, who'd be half asleep would tiredly shuffle behind me, so my back was against his chest, and I sat in between his parted legs. He'd rest his chin on my shoulder and slowly begin to rock me back and forth with his hands under my belly until the pain eased. Some nights, he'd hum a raspy song to keep himself awake. Other nights, he simply fell back asleep with the gentle rocks as I always did.

In those moments, I couldn't help but feel an immense amount of gratefulness that I had him here. I couldn't imagine doing any of it alone, and his constant patience was enough to soothe me more than anything. He never complained, despite going through everything he was going through. In fact, I think he's secretly happy with me needing him.

This all leads me to the third thing happening today- we were officially moving out of the condo and into my apartment.

It was only until Harry was able to find another place to rent, which should be soon, he promised. I didn't necessarily mind moving back into the carpet floors and creaky ceiling fans. What I was worried about was how he'd feel. It was a drastic change from the city view and smart home, and I'd imagine it took a toll on him. All of his things would have to be moved into storage, for the time being, so he'd have nothing of his in the apartment except the clothes on his back and a few toiletries. He swore he'd be fine, but a small part of me was insecure that once he got a taste of my usual way of living, he'd realize exactly how different we were.

Now, though, Niall and Gale were helping Harry load his things from the condo. So it felt a bit late to reconsider; we were doing this.

Harry had gotten rid of his shirt about four heavy boxes ago and was now bare-chested in the heat of the late summer. Jenny and I, on the other hand, sat on the metal floor of the moving truck. A bottle of water was in my hand as I rubbed my belly over the yellow overalls I'd stolen from Harry's closet. I take a swig of the drink and took in the rather pleasant image in front of me while Jenny talks about her apprenticeship on the northside. I feel like a bad friend for not being in tune with the conversation, but it was a genuine challenge.

Harry's back muscles tightened under his tanned skin as he bent down at the knees to grab a box. He huffed out a heavy breath as he quickly moved to his feet and balanced the box on his shoulder. His brows were furrowed in concentration, and his features were sharp as they dripped in sweat. His basketball shorts were shamelessly loose in all the right areas, and the tee shirt he wore earlier was now tied around his head in the sloppiest but hottest way possible. I swear he was walking in slow motion when he made his way toward the truck.

"I'm gonna get some water from the car," Jenny says.

"Okay," I responded, my eyes trained on Harry. She nudges my shoulder with hers, making me turn my head to see her lifting her brows at me, then at Harry. I immediately know what she's insinuating.