The Boy Next Door ✑(h.s.)

twenty five

Chapter 25

The rain poured as we sat at the diner's table. I looked out the window as the streaks ran down the glass, racing one another to the bottom. The illuminated lights on the outside of the shop, and the artificial lighting inside made it harder to see the sky light up from each strike of lightning. This weather seemed to fit the series of events, and yet I felt more at ease than I had throughout this entire fiasco. I felt a hand touch the ones I held around my coffee mug. I pull my longing stare from the window and towards Harry who sat across on the other side of the booth.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked so careful, so calm. His eyebrows pulled together as he wanted nothing more than to keep my mind at ease.

"Yeah, better now," I answer chuckling slightly. A crack of thunder roared through the sky, shaking the contents of my mug causing it to ripple. "I love storms." I blurt speaking my mind.

"Yeah?" he questions, his head tilted to the side wanting me to further elaborate on it. I had no problem opening my thoughts to Harry anymore. He knew the biggest secret I held already, the rest of me an open book.

"When I was little," I start, looking outside to watch the drops fall onto the ground. "Every time it would storm I would open my window, and stick my hand out. I always ended up sticking my entire torso out the window and I would just stand, with half my body hanging out the window, letting the water soak me. My pajamas would always be drenched and soggy, and most times my parents would scold me for sticking my head out during the storm, telling me I was going to catch a cold and to not do it anymore. But I always did anyways, and granted it never really rained all that often." I chuckle, the puddles forming on the ground constantly being pelted with the instant downpour. "Just I don't know, something about storms. They've always kept me at peace, just something so totally predictable yet unique every time. So destructively beautiful at times, and simplistic others." Harry's hand still on mine, running this thumb across my knuckles as I spoke. "It's just," I say looking back over at him, his gaze so intimate and interested. "Beautiful." I finish my thought.

His mouth turns upward into a warm smile that I can't help but return. I remove my hand from cupping the mug to placing my digits in between his own, encasing our hands together as we lightened the previous events.

The soft spoken work of the employees in the 24-hour diner, and the patter of raindrops were the only things to develop in the atmosphere. That, and the soft hum of an old love song playing through the overhead speakers of the building. The weather depicting my own thoughts to a tee; free falling, and haphazard.

My mind started to wander back to the situation at hand as I stared at our entwined hands. "I'm really happy we found a place to stay for the night. I can't believe this all turned to shit so fast." I sighed.

"Hey, it's all okay. We're fine, everything's fine. And we're set off to see Angie first thing in the morning. Nothing's going to get in your way okay? I promise." Harry reassured softly, bringing out joined hands up to his lips and placing a soft kiss to the back of my hand.

I smiled and nodded. "I know, just almost seems like the universe is telling me not to go. Almost like it's a sign." I shook my head dismissing the thought. "Rodney did say that we should be able to pick up the car from the mechanic tomorrow. Said it wasn't anything to bad, or costly. A 'quick fix' as he put it. So I guess that's some good news, yeah?" I raised my eyebrows in question.

"And we get to stay at this lovely five star hotel for the night, it just keeps getting better babe." Harry joked as the hotel Rodney's friend owned wasn't the worst but was just as you'd expect a cheap hotel to be. We had checked into the room, put all our bags down and had decided to go to the diner across the street.

I laughed along and soon it went back to the soft noise it once had. I knew I should have been more worried, more emotional, but it all just faded. It still subsided in my mind, but seemed to diminish as I looked across from me. His gaze fell from my own to something behind me, and as I was going to question him, he stood from the booth. Leaving me to follow his movement with my eyes.

It wasn't until he stopped amidst an old jukebox in the corner of the small diner that I relaized what he was doing. The room soon filled with the soft melody that had brought an instant smile to my face.

I watched, so in love as he made his way over toward the booth again. He stopped in front of me instead of sitting, his hand outstretched in gesture. His eyes dancing to the mood of the now more lively environment. "May I have this dance?" He asked cordially.

I let out a small laugh before shyly nodding my head and taking his offered hand. He pulled me along the small floorspace of the diner, near the jukebox where we were allowed more room.

He brought his hand down along my waist, the other following suit to the other side as he engulfed me in his arms. My hands meeting around his neck as we began to sway to the music that deemed fit to my very thoughts.

Wise men say,
only fools rush in,
but I can't help falling in love with you

My face pressed against his chest as I felt his heart thud in pace. The smooth swaying of our bodies was calming. We even began to catch the attention of the workers there. Their eyes lightened with joy at what they assumed was the very in love couple.

That was assured for one of us at least.

Like a river flows shorely to the sea,
darling so it goes,
some things are meant to be.

Take my hand,
take my whole life too,
for I can't help falling in love with you.

Elvis' voice rang lethargically through the room, adding the soft melody to the atmosphere. Everything in that moment just felt so right, and god did I feel so in love. I feel almost foolish to be this in love so fast, but it never once felt wrong. And so be my foolish heart to love with reckless abandon, for I had no trouble knowing that I could carry on knowing what he meant to me.

I smiled up at Harry as the song came to an end, his eyes dancing with liveliness and emotions too powerful to decipher. Regardless only he could take my mind off the bad, and replace it with utter bliss.

One of his hands was brought to my cheek, as he lip-sync'd the final words along with Elvis. "For I can't help falling in love with, you."

My heart fluttered in an untimely flurry, my toes curling, and pulse quickening. The intensity in his stare only amplified the flood of emotion. The piano ballad slowly playing to an end as I stood on the tips of my toes to place all emotions through a simple kiss.

I could hear some workers swooning with awe's, causing a soft blush to my cheeks after pulling away still wrapped within Harry's arms.  The only place I'd ever want to be.

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next chapter will be one of my favorites, but this one was pretty damn close.

sorry for the delays, but next chapter will be much sooner, half of it is already written :)

xx J