The Best Man {h.s.}

7

As we're walking, I watch women practically stop in their tracks at the sight of Harry. After they take him in and get a really good look at him, they look over at me and nod almost to say, "Well freaking done, girl!" then continue walking. I chuckle to myself every time it happens, and I think it's even more funny that he has no clue.

We cross the street and walk into Spruce Street Harbor Park. The park is filled with walkways, hammocks, beer gardens and restaurants. Every tree has hundreds of hanging lights that change colors at night. Every spot in the park has an incredible view of the water and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge sits in the background, creating the most picturesque place in the city. I look over at Harry who is smiling and chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" I ask him.

His smile widens and he shakes his head, not letting me into his thoughts. We walk through the park a bit and find a table next to a pop-up beer tent. As he goes to sit down, I quick run up to the beer tent and get two beers before he has a chance to pay.

"Day drinking I see," Harry smiles as I sit down across from him. "Is this what you always do when you come here?"

"No. I usually find an empty hammock and read all day, but I didn't want to bore you." I smile and start drinking. I'm not usually a fan of drinking on a Sunday, but if it means I get to sit across from him all day, I'm willing to make an exception.

"So, Miss Emma," Harry says as his eyes narrow, "Tell me about yourself."

I smile and rest my arms on the table.

"Well, I'm 25 and do PR for a pharmaceutical company. It's not the most exciting, but it pays the bills." I shrug and take another sip of my beer.

Harry places his elbows on the table and rests his chin on his hands, eager for me to say more.

I go on to tell him about growing up an hour north of Philly in a small farm town and how I moved here after college. I tell him about what life was like growing up with my sister and how impossible she can be, but also how happy I am that she seems to have found a balance in Ben. The more I talk, the more interested he becomes. It's cute watching him sit there, mesmerized by every word like he's hearing me read his favorite book. Eventually I run out of things to say, so I let out a big exhale and take another sip. His eyes stay focused on me and I blush a bit, but I can't tell if it's because of the beer or because of the fact that I instantly get nervous whenever his eyes meet mine.

"Your turn." I smirk at him as I mimic his position and rest my chin on my hands.

He tells me about growing up in England and how much different it is here in America. He talks about studying abroad here and deciding to stay, making his parents miss him terribly. He tells funny stories about life at home and life in college. We spend the afternoon talking and laughing until our stomach's hurt and, as he sits down with two more beers, I realize that I'm borderline drunk. Getting a sudden burst of drunken energy, I stand up and hold out my hand.

"Let's play shuffleboard." I say to him as I watch his dimples reappear. He stands up and grabs my hand.

We walk over to the shuffleboard court and as soon as we start playing, my giggles start appearing. I don't know what it is about drinking and playing games, but apparently some part of me finds it funny. Every time the yellow disk lands where it's supposed to and I start laughing, Harry looks over at me and his face lights up like he's just seen the most incredible thing. I keep getting quick reminders from my inner thoughts that this isn't a good idea, but when he looks at me that way I can't imagine anywhere else I'd rather be.

Shuffleboard is followed by food which thankfully soaks up a lot of the alcohol in my system. I couldn't even imagine nursing a hangover on a Monday. As the sun begins to set and we finish eating, Harry and I start walking around the park. The crowds start to pick up as everyone shows up for dinner and I feel like I'm being sandwiched between strangers. We try our best to weave through the seemingly endless amounts of people, but eventually Harry gets sick of pushing through everyone and he quickly grabs my hand and pulls me over to the grass before he lays down on the ground and looks up at the trees. He pats the ground next to him, inviting me to join and I follow his instructions.

"Sorry. That was driving me crazy." Harry says, referring to the crowds.

"It's okay." I smile and look back up at the trees. They just turned the hanging lights on, which is making everything round us blue.

"I'm also sorry I took you away from your date with Netflix." He says and I laugh.

"Eh, I was just using that as a backup incase I got bored with you." Harry's mouth drops open and I elbow him in the ribs making him laugh instantly. He sits there for a few seconds, refusing to take his eyes off of me. I want to stay there and enjoy his beautiful face forever, but my nerves get the best of me and I quickly look back up at the lights.

"Can I ask you something?" Harry asks and I nod, refusing to look back at him.

"Why is this your favorite place?"

I sit and think about it for a second, unsure of what I want to say. To be honest, nobody knows that I come here so I've never been asked.

"Well," I sigh, "It's the only place in the city where I feel like I can clear my head." I can see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but I still don't look over. The thought of those green eyes make my heart start racing again. "Everything about this city is so busy and hectic and, even though it's crowded in the park too, I know I can still come here and relax on a hammock and disappear for a while."

A part of me feels vulnerable telling him that. This place is the one place I go where I don't want to be found and so far it's been my best kept secret.

"When my parents split up," he begins to say and I'm taken aback by his words. Earlier in the afternoon when he talked about his parents, he never once mentioned that they weren't together. "I had the same sort of place at home. There was a place on the edge of town that seemed to be untouched, so I would go there to escape reality." I look over at him as he stares at the lights which have now turned purple. He seems deep in thought, so I stay quiet, trying not to break him from his memories.

"I had a great time today," he says and averts his eyes towards me once again.

"Me too," I smile at him and look back up to watch the trees turn red. My heart jumps out of my chest as I feel his fingers lace around mine. I want so much to look at him, but I'm afraid of what will happen if I do. We sit in silence for a while, watching the colors change until they eventually turn back to blue.

As I lay here trying to calm the fireworks exploding in my head, Harry's hand tightens as he sits up, pulling me with him.

"We should get you home." He says and I want so much to stop him. I had planned on staying on that grass next to him forever.

I sigh and follow his lead as we slowly walk towards the entrance of the park. He hasn't let go of my hand yet, and I'm sort of hoping that the entire world is watching us. This day was supposed to be going entirely differently. We were supposed to have a meeting to discuss the bachelor/bachelorette party, not have an all-day date in my favorite hiding spot. I guess it was harmless, though. It wasn't like anything happened apart from us holding hands which, in my book, doesn't qualify as "something".

I look around and take in my surroundings. The multi-colored hammocks line the path and the lights above us make the park look almost fairy-like. I usually leave before it gets dark, but now as I look around I wonder why I never stayed later.

"I don't think I've ever seen something so beautiful." I say in complete awe of my little oasis.

"Me neither." Harry says with his voice really deep.

Harry slows down and I feel his hand tug on mine. I turn around and watch his blue silhouette as he grabs my other arm and pulls me into his chest. He looks down at me and pauses for a second before colliding his lips with mine, sending a rush through my entire body. Time freezes and the world disappears as his hands let go of mine and run through my hair. I place my hands on his cheeks and pull him closer to me, fully embracing his tongue invading my mouth. My subconscious tries interrupting me, but I silence her before she has a chance to speak as Harry's hands travel down my back and stop at my waist. I step closer to him, wondering how it was even possible that there was space between us.

"Emma?" I hear a distant voice say. I want so much to ignore whoever it is and continue living in ecstasy, but the voice sounds familiar. Too familiar. As I break away from Harry's gentle touch, I look over to see two very recognizable shadows walking towards me.

You have got to be kidding me.