Sensation (h.s)

Chapter Twenty Six

((I accidentally typed the chapter heading as chapter twenty dicc and I'm laughing too hard))

✺ K A T E ' S ✺ P O V ✺

As the night progresses, our conversations get deeper while Harry and I slowly get more and more tipsy. We spent our dinner curled up side by side on the couch, slowly slurping our pasta into our mouths while completely engrossed in some action movie.

We ended the meal with two glasses of wine, that then turned into three glasses each of whiskey mixed with a little bit of soda in attempt to drown out the harsh flavor. The mix wasn't anywhere near equal though and the cup was nearly full of whiskey while there was maybe a few drops of soda in them.

When our evening of chatter and loud laughter began to slow down, Harry and I found ourselves sitting on the floor beside the crackling wood stove in the house. We're both curled up in blankets and sitting side by side on the soft carpet as we slowly sip from our cups and only occasionally think of something to talk about. I have so much I want to say to him, but I don't know where to begin. It seems like it's been ages since I've just had him all to myself to talk to and enjoy the company of.

"Will you tell me about your wife?" I blurt out stupidly at some point when the silence has almost become unbearable. Harry nearly spits his drink back into his cup from surprise while whipping his head to look at me.

"Why would you want to talk about my wife? That's not a normal topic for you to be curious about." He answers in a low voice that has a slightly off tone to it. I manage to look past his out of character response and shrug my shoulders instead.

"I feel like if you're going to ask me questions about James then we should be able to talk about your wife openly. You've already told me about how she passed and how you guys met and all of that stuff, but why don't you just tell me about her? What was she like? What kind of things was she interested in? Did she have any talents or hobbies?" I lean further into his side and sift my fingers through his unruly hair, which seems to calm him down slightly.

"Uh, she..." He pauses and pulls his lip between his teeth, then sights lowly.

"It's been a while since I've talked about her." He eventually says. I nod my head in understanding, but don't say anything.

My intention is to give him a moment to come to terms with the idea of being open about the subject with me. Ever since I met him I've had a small itch to somehow learn everything about the sometimes mysterious man. He has so many walls built up for a multitude of reasons, but I've only seen it as my task to uncover those reasons rather than it being an untouchable challenge.

"She was so beautiful, and kind, and selfless, and... She was the kind of woman that a man dreams about meeting. Everything about her made me feel like a love-struck little kid. Even towards the end of our marriage she would say or do something and I would still have butterflies in my stomach from just pure adoration towards her. As for talents and hobbies, she was a really wonderful singer. She never wanted to go anywhere with a career in it but she used to sing me to sleep every night like I was a toddler. It seemed silly at first, but now I can't help but miss it every time I try to fall asleep. She was so gracious in everything she did and I still can't believe that out of anyone on the entire planet, she was the one that had to get sick. The world is a pretty fucked up place for that exact reason." He leans back from our previous position and sighs as he tugs gently at the strands of his hair.