Shy Side (h.s. au)

VI

A phone ringing wakes me up, my body wrapped securely in Harry's arms. I see my phone lighting up on the nightstand and Harry allows me to grab it, but his arms stay around me.

"Hello," I whisper, feeling Harry hold my waist.

"Hi, baby girl. Was that your building on the news?" my aunt asks, her sympathy clear in her voice.

"Yes. But I'm okay," I say, her lips releasing a deep sigh.

"Do you want to come home for a while? Would you want that?" she asks, Harry kisses the back of my neck.

"I-I don't know. I'll call you when I figure this out," I whisper, Harry's lips pressing to my neck more. I smile and curl closer to him, his lips curving against my skin.

"I will talk to you soon, Luc," she says, hanging up. I turn in Harry's arms and he buries his head in my neck, holding me close in his arms.

"Can I call you Luc?" he asks, my hand coming to the back of his head. I play with the curls to hide my nerves and he brushes his nose against my jaw.

"If you want," I say, but I build the courage to continue. "But only if I can call you something."

He moves his arm so he can rest his head on his hand, his elbow propping him up. "What would this something be?" he asks, holding my hand.

I think for a while and turn my head, smiling over to him. "What if I call you Haz?" I ask, his lips twitching to the right.

"Haz? That's a new one," he comments, my laugh ringing through the room. "Kind of like it."

"Curls seems too obvious," I then add, his eyes widening as he nods.

"You call me Haz. I call you Luc. I like where this is going," he whispers, my knees bending as he kisses my cheek.

"What time is your game?" I ask, leaning my legs against him.

"7. Are you coming to that? You don't have to," he says, my hand brushing his cheek.

"I want to go. I'll just...sit away from others."

He keeps my fingers interlocked with his and he kisses my forehead, Harry so gentle with me.

"Are you sure?" he asks, my head nodding.

I cuddle into him and he flips the TV on, the two of us taking the day off to relax. He's always stealing kisses on my cheek and I do the same. But when we both turn at the same time, we look into each others' eyes and freeze. I shyly look away and he pulls me in closer, his arms holding me close.

The two of us decide to go back to the apartments, his hand holding mine the entire way. We get there and he takes us into the building. My place is barely burned considering most of the fire was on the first and second floor. Harry helps me pack and takes in my house, his lips in a smile as he looks around.

"Will you stay with me?" he asks, my eyes meeting his. He brushes my hair behind my shoulders and he kisses my forehead, my lips releasing a sigh.

"I want to...but I-I just," I trail, not knowing how to put my self-consciousness and shyness into words.

"Luc, I want you to be with me. Look what we've been through together already. Don't you worry about anything. My mom will love you," he says, biting his lower lip.

I nod, his arms wrapping around me. We clean out my apartment and he helps me move it to a storage unit for the time being. We go to his apartment and clean it out, his bachelor pad messy and unorganized. He apologizes to me about it but I just shake my head.

"It's no worry. Everyone lives a certain way," I say, his head leaning towards mine. He rests his forehead on mine and brushes our noses together in an Eskimo kiss.

"You're too cute," he whispers, making me smile.

We pack up his things and by five at night we arrive at his mom's house, her body running out of the house.

"My boy. Oh I saw you save an old woman and I'm so proud. Such a good boy," she stresses, hugging him close. It's a beautiful sight to see how close Harry is to his mom.

"Mom, I want you to meet Lucy," Harry says, grabbing my hand. She smiles at me.

"Lucy, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Anne," she grins, pulling me in for a hug.

"Harry's never mentioned a Lucy to me before," she says, Harry tugging me away from his mother's embrace.

"That's because I never knew her name," Harry says, his hands on my shoulders as I stand in front of him.

"This is the beautiful girl?" she grins, Harry only nodding as he kisses my hair. I blush and she starts talking a mile a minute about what he's said to a point I don't even understand her. It makes me overwhelmed.

"Mom, stop. She's incredibly shy," he says, my hand reaching to grab his. She stops and reaches out, grabbing my other hand.

"Come inside and we'll talk. Harry has a game tonight," she says, my head tilting to look up at Harry.

"I'll come back and pick you up. Or do you really want to go to the game?" he asks, my hand squeezing his.

"I-I'm going to stay here," I say, his head nodding.

He kisses my temple and walks back to his car, going to his game while I go inside to talk to Anne.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am he's finally talked to you. He would mention the beautiful girl on the third floor for months," he says, my lips curving. She pours me a mug of coffee and sits across from me at the table.

"I'm still...nervous. I've always been shy," I say, her lips curving.

"That's no worry though. Harry's very outgoing and passionate. He'll try to prove himself to you. It's just how he is. He has that drive in him to always do what he wants and make sure he does well. He likes you," she says, my cheeks flushing.

"Besides, I'd much rather see him with you than that other girl he brought home," she says, my eyes watching as hers roll in irritation.

"Why? What happened?" I wonder, her hands setting the mug down.

"He dated this Melissa girl for almost three years on and off. She tainted his mind and manipulated him and as his mother, I hated seeing him that way. When he spoke about you, the beautiful girl, I thought he was going to move on. But hearing him say he's trying to get back with Melissa again made me disappointed. So seeing you is a pleasant surprise," she says, my heart pounding.

"Harry explained that situation to me. When he said they ended everything last week...I was skeptical. Almost immediately I assumed I was a rebound," I start, and Anne shakes her head.

"Harry's not one of those kinds of boys. I know he's...done things, but it comes with male intuition sometimes. If he likes you so much, he'll do anything to prove that he can be good for you. My little Curly needs to figure out what's good for him, and I'm certain you are. Now, me saying this not meant to scare you away but just hearing how subtle and modest you are; it makes me as his mother see that quality of a balanced girl in you," she tells me, making me smile.

We make small talk for the time being, Anne asking me basic questions. My parents are brought up and sympathy is passed, but I tell her I'm alright.

At about 9, Harry walks through the door and he smiles. "Hey ladies," he grins, walking behind me.

"I'm going to shower, then we'll go," he says, my head nodding.

He walks upstairs and I look at Anne, her smile bright. "Would you like me to show you the guest room?" she asks, my head nodding in response.

She shows me and I set my bag down, thanking her. I hug her and she happily says I can stay as long as I need. It means a lot to me how Harry and his mom are so caring and considerate. They make me feel comfortable.

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