Heartbeats || H.S. [ONGOING]

{four}

Harry insisted on going up to Niko's apartment with her, giving the excuse that he had to make sure she was doing okay. She wasn't, but her apartment wasn't going to reflect that. She was a perfectionist by nature, so her apartment wasn't in the same shambles as her heart was.

Niko left Harry in the living room as she quickly went to her bedroom to strip out of her clothing.

"I'm going to hop in the shower really quick — rinse my body," she called out to him as she wrapped herself in a towel and made her way into the bathroom.

"Okay," he called back just before she closed the bathroom door, leaving it open just a crack.

Niko pulled her hair up into a bun and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. She cleaned herself quickly, making sure not to get her hair wet — she didn't want to look like a drown rat when she went out to dinner with her long lost love.

She felt goosebumps rise on her skin just thinking about being around Harry again. She had fantasized about it for two years. She had been dreaming about this moment for two whole years. She couldn't believe it was finally her reality.

Oh, god. What was she going to wear? She wanted to look nice, but she didn't want to look like she was trying too hard. She had no idea what Harry was thinking this dinner was. It could just be two old friends sharing a meal. It should just be two old friends sharing a meal. But Niko knew there was always something more between them than that. Were they ever just friends? She never looked at Harry as just a friend. She didn't know if she could now.

After the shower, Niko stood in her closet for longer than she should have trying to decide on an outfit. She knew Harry was waiting for her in the other room and that she really needed to move it along. But it was such a tough decision.

In the end, she chose a red floral sundress and a pair of gold gladiator sandals. She brushed through her long blonde hair and pinned it up into a French twist. She went with minimal make-up — just a little eye shadow and mascara, and enough cover-up to hide the faint dark circles under her eyes.

She looked herself over one last time in the mirror on her vanity as her heart raced in her chest. She was nervous. So fucking nervous. She didn't remember ever being this anxious around Harry. But then again, two years of heartbreak had changed her as a person. She wasn't the same confident, fearless girl that she was at twenty-two. She had her whole bright future ahead of her back then. She hadn't felt true heartbreak. She hadn't felt crippling pain. Two years without the man she loved changed her immensely.

Niko sucked in a breath and let it out, before she walked out of her bedroom. She found Harry seated on her couch, looking stoic as he gazed out the window.

"I'm ready," she said quietly and his attention immediately turned to her. His smile was instant as soon as he saw her.

"Sorry that took forever," she apologized as he stood up from the couch.

"No need to apologize. I'm just happy to be here," Harry told her with a serene smile.

"I'm happy you're here too, Harry. Sincerely," she told him with her own smile that was all for him.

Harry knew he was staring. He knew it. But he was genuinely left speechless for a few long moments with Niko in his presence. She was absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a red dress with little white flowers on it that hugged her delicate frame perfectly. Her long blonde hair was pinned back, leaving her neck, shoulders and collarbones exposed — every place where his lips wanted to explore. He wanted her the way he had her during their summer together. He longed for her. He spent years longing for her. And now there she was, in his presence again. Oh, he needed her.

"You look stunning," he cooed, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

His touch, his kiss after two years without it awoke something inside of Niko. Her skin felt flush as her heart beat rapidly in her chest. It was like she had been hibernating and she was finally able to arise.

"Thank you," she acknowledged with another smile before Harry held his hand out to urge her toward the door.

She bit her lip as she turned, feeling his hand on the small of her back as he guided her out of the apartment.

Harry suggested a small Italian restaurant that had been around for generations for them to dine at. Niko immediately agreed, knowing that Harry spent a lot of time in New York during his teens and early twenties, and knew a lot about the city. He was a world traveler after all — a superstar.

"I have a confession to make," Niko told him as they sat in their dimly lit booth at the restaurant.

"What's that?" He asked, smirking at her.

"I-I kind of regressed back into a teenager," she giggled, biting at her lip bashfully. She had already had a full glass of wine at that point and her inhibitions were lowered.

Harry looked at her in anticipation with a crooked grin on his face.

"What does that mean?" He laughed, cocking his eyebrow in question.

"I've spent a lot of time watching your old concert videos and listening to your old albums," she told him as a blush crept up her face. Harry let out a boisterous laugh and it made her laugh too.

"Why would you do a thing like that?" He chuckled, his expression filled with amusement.

"Because I missed you," she breathed lowly. His laughter subsided and his smile faded as he watched her.

"I missed you too," he told her sincerely.

Silence engulfed them. Neither of them knew how to move on from that. Niko was caught up in her thoughts of missing him and it seemed like Harry was deep in thought too. They sat there silently for a few long moments, until their waitress brought their food, breaking them both out of their heads.

The two of them made neutral chit-chat throughout dinner. The conversation never got too heavy. Niko told him about how she graduated from NYU and now was interning at an ad agency in Manhattan.

Harry told her that nothing much changed for him, except for the divorce. His life revolved around his children. But he also told her he spent his free time writing and playing his music, which she was happy to hear. He was such a brilliant musician.

After dinner, Harry drove Niko back to her apartment and walked her to the door.

"I had a lot of fun, Neeks," he said, smiling at her.

Dopamine immediately burst in her brain at the sound of his nickname for her falling off his tongue. Her heart felt like it was nearly beating out of her chest as she stood there in front of him. A smile erupted on her face and she couldn't hold it back. Eeeh.

"You could... you could come up, if you wanted to. We could have some coffee and just talk. I miss having coffee with you," she told him and he smiled fondly at her.

"Okay," he said with a small nod as anticipation of things to come coursed through him.