Heartbeats || H.S. [ONGOING]

{three}

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Niko was really standing in front of him. He felt like he was dreaming. But he knew even his memories and dreams of her could never live up to seeing her face-to-face, to being in her stunning presence.

"Dad, do you see who I found? She said we would see each other again. She was right, Dad. She was right," Jackson said happily, tugging at Harry's shirt.

Niko and Harry both looked down at the nine-year-old and chuckled. He was so excited to be the one who found her.

"Yeah, mate. She was right," Harry agreed and his eyes found Niko's again.

"Do you think we could have her over to our house when we come back from Mom's?" Jackson asked hopefully.

"We'll see, buddy. We'll see," Harry said, kneeling in front of his son. Jackson's eyes were wide with excitement.

"You've got to go with your mum and your sister now though. Okay? They're waiting for you over there," Harry told his son.

"Okay. But I really want to play with Niko again. I miss her," Jackson told his dad.

"We'll work something out. Okay, mate?" Harry said, smiling at his son.

"Okay," Jackson said and wrapped his arms around his dad. Harry hugged him back tightly and Niko couldn't help but smile. As anxious as she was to be in the situation she was in, it made her so happy to see them again.

"You have fun with your mum, okay? I'll be back on Sunday to get you," Harry told him.

"Okay," Jackson said, focusing on his dad.

"I love you, Jacky," Harry said and kissed his son's cheek.

"I love you too, Dad," Jackson said as they broke their embrace.

"Bye, Niko. I'll see you soon," Jackson said, quickly wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Bye, buddy. See you soon," Niko giggled as she wrapped her arms around him.

With that, Jackson ran off toward his mother and sister. And Niko and Harry were left standing there staring at one another.

Harry looked the same. Though his hair was slightly less wild now, a bit shorter around the edges. But he had the same mesmerizing green eyes. There were also things added to his appearance, like a week's worth of fine stubble growing on his face and bags under his perfect eyes, which led Niko to believe he had many sleepless nights over the past two years.

As she was looking him over, she noticed he was doing the same with her. She was wondering if he could see the bags under her eyes too and know she was losing sleep over him. And she wondered if his heart was aching in his chest as hers was.

"Niko..." Harry whispered, causing an electrical jolt to run through her being. His voice ignited the deepest fire inside her.

Harry was sure his eyes traveled the length of Niko's body a hundred times as they stood there looking at each other in those first few minutes. He couldn't believe she was really standing there, that she was real. He had hoped he would see her again one day, but he never imagined it would be in the middle of Washington Square Park on a Friday afternoon. It felt so fucking random, but he was certainly grateful for little miracles.

It had been two years since he gazed into those beautiful blue eyes, since he'd seen that gorgeous face, and heard the perfect cadence of her voice. God. He was just in awe as he stared at her. She had only grown more beautiful over the years.

Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, but it was still golden like the sun. She was in running clothes, but her body was still absolutely incredible. And those lips... those perfect pink lips. Oh, how he had missed those lips over the years. He longed to see her smile. He longed to kiss her again.