Across the Pond (Prince Harry #2)

Chapter Forty-Four

After her last class on Friday afternoon, Meredith drove down to the Twin Cities. Her parents were already gone when she got home. Her dog had been shipped off to Meredith's older brother. She had the house to herself. Friday night was too long as she waited for her flight Saturday morning. Pacing the halls of her house, Meredith tried to climb into bed and fall asleep. It wasn't like she didn't need the sleep; mid-terms had been hell. Meredith couldn't image what finals was going to be like.

As well as, she would need the premature sleep for the few days she would have with Harry. If Meredith had any choice, there might not be any sleep. Her body just waited for his touch, and she was so sick of seeing him over the phone. The blue of his eyes was never correct.

When the morning sun hit, Meredith was awake. In Jamaica, Harry was waking up too. So soon she would be with him again.

Up in the air before noon, Meredith settled back in her seat. She felt eyes on her, but she couldn't give any actual fucks to find out who it was. Perhaps it was paparazzi or perhaps it was curious passengers. Either way, Meredith was too happy to be brought down. The days had gone of her being a regular person, but at least for now, she pretended.

In mid-afternoon, even before the airplane landed in Jamaica, Meredith felt the heat. As the plane floated down, Meredith had glanced outside, seeing the never ending blue of the sea. Not wanting to cause an incident, she didn't jump out of the airplane. The heat was sticky, perhaps a little too much when Meredith had spent all of winter in negatives.

Like before, when Meredith exited the plane, Bodyguard Bill waited for her with a sign. It was a bit quieter, as her name was written in block letters. It just said Mere in Harry's handwriting.

"Bill," Meredith greeted with a smile.

"Miss Rogue, are you well?"

"Very. And you?" she asked as they began to walk. Bill tried to take the bag out of her hands, but she refused, placing it on the other side of her.

He nodded. "The flight was good, I hope."

"Very." Meredith couldn't help but glance around. Partially, she was afraid that paparazzi might already be following her whole. The other part, she looked for Harry, but he wasn't here. He didn't hide among the many people.

Following Bill, he led her away from the crowds. People didn't even look at her, but to everyone else, Meredith was just another tourist. As soon as Meredith stepped into the Jamaican sun, she almost fell over. The heat beat down on her, and Bill said it was better at night; Meredith wasn't sure it could get worse.

Meredith followed Bill, and soon enough they were alone in the heat. That was when Harry popped out. She didn't know how, but suddenly she hugged him, collapsing into him, never wanting to let go. With Harry's curled arms around her, she couldn't. 

"I hate to end this," Bill apologized, "but we should go before anyone sees us."

They still stood in public, so it was a good chance to go. Climbing into the back of a car with Bodyguard Bill driving, they were off. Meredith didn't know which way was which, but she didn't care. Her eyes focused on Harry, trying to take in every feature. Sadly, a mental clock already began to tick down in her head when they would have to part again, so her eyes went to work, trying to remember everything about him.

Harry held her hand. His thumb ran over the back of her soft hand. Like Meredith, he didn't stop watching. There wasn't a way to pull his eyes off of her. It was like in the last three months she had changed. Her hair was a bit longer. Her features were a bit older. She flipped her hair back differently. Even her laughter was different. Saying a few words, Harry heard the difference again as she spoke about university.

Getting to the private villa, and it was private because it had its own beach and it was away from most other things, her things were brought inside. It appeared that Harry was already comfortable. Meredith, however, was back to looking around in awe. Most of the villa was glass, allowing her to see the sea. If the house was any other color, it was the color of the sand outside, almost blending in. Large house plants filled some of the empty space. Palm trees swayed outside. The smell of the sea drifted into the house.

Wrapping his arms around center, Harry wouldn't let Meredith just go yet. "How about later?" he suggested, kissing her cheek. Immediately her cheek started to burn. Meredith blushed.

"Your highness," Bill said.

Kissing her again, Harry took leave and walked across the entryway, where Bill waited.

Stepping into the heat, Meredith watched as the sun began to slowly go down. Her eyes were kept on the water, though. Beautiful hues sprang off the sea of the sun, threatening to blind her, but the blue water called to her. Waves lapped against the almost white sand. There was barely any foam.

Meredith pulled off her shoes and tiptoed into the water. It wasn't even cold, or at least to her standards. Waves rolled up to her ankles. Sand squished in between her toes. Taking a deep breath, Meredith believed herself to be in heaven. Around her, it was the never ending sea. Harry was close to her. It was peaceful.

Coming down to the shore, Harry stopped beside his girlfriend, not wanting to disturb her. "The view is nice."

"Isn't it?" she asked.

"I met you." Harry smiled. "I guess you want to go swimming."

"Hmm... I had something else in mind." Grabbing a hold of Harry, Meredith planted her lips on his. It had been too long. Sex wasn't an object she liked to use and their relationship worked without sex, but Meredith left the sea just to have some time with Harry-- and only Harry.

From inside the bedroom, Meredith saw the sea just as well, in Harry's blue eyes. His kisses trailed down her neck, across her collarbone, dipping. After a few seconds, she pulled his head back up. She wanted to look in his eyes. Every feature, she wanted to remember: his eyes, his lips, his nose, his breathing. Pictures never did him justice. She wanted to remember this moment. She wanted to know that he was always there.

The limited time they had together wasn't enough, and Meredith knew they would see each other again. Yet she wanted to make it enough.