Slow Burn | HS

like fire and ice

May 2017

Three two-dimensional monkeys dangle from the words Please Celebrate Joshua's First Birthday With Us!

Joelle had been sifting through the typed envelopes in the mailbox containing bills and boring paperwork when she recognized across her sister's familiar handwriting. It was an invitation to her nephew's birthday the upcoming weekend.

She'd had the invitation stuck to the fridge for a few days now. It was mocking her, reminding her every second of what she wanted but was too afraid to do. She was forcing herself to face her fears tonight, though, when Harry came over after his final appointment with the doctor to check on his arm. Harry said he had no pain from the small fracture anymore, but a professional opinion was recommended. She had pasta boiling in a large pot and sauce heating on the stove while she awaited his arrival.

It had only been a week since Harry had shown up at her apartment drunk out of his mind, but even in such a short amount of time Joelle could already sense a difference in their relationship. Harry was more open, he wasn't so quick to pull his hand away from her back when one of their friends popped up out of the blue, and their communication had never been better.

As she was stirring the sauce to make sure it didn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan, a set of knocks sounded on the door. Glancing at the clock, she notices that he's fifteen minutes early. She quickly places the spoon on the spoon rest and speeds over to let him in.

He stands in front of the door, a huge smile on his face, his strong torso covered by an olive green tee that makes the hue of his eyes pop and dark jeans. Aviators rest on top of his head, pushing his hair away from his face and showcasing his widow's peak. He's beautiful.

And he's holding a bouquet of flowers.

Joelle beams, eyes darting from his bright-eyed face to the sunflowers in his hand. She doesn't know how to react at first; if she should focus on the flowers or him.

It doesn't take her long to decide, however, and she has her arms wrapped around him and she's risen onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek in no time. His arms wind around her back in reciprocation, careful not to squish the bouquet.

"I can't believe you brought me flowers," she asks before leaning back to kiss him. He hums against her mouth before pecking her lips several times and pulling away to smile down at her.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" he asks, stepping back and kicking off his shoes. "I feel bad for having to leave early tonight. But Jim's wife is pregnant and she has a scheduled c-section tomorrow."

"Don't even worry about it, Harry," she tells him. He was covering half a shift for a fireman on his team whose wife was extremely pregnant. She would never fault him for that.

She doesn't answer, just takes the bundle from his hands and moves to the kitchen to fetch a vase. Harry follows closely behind, his arms reaching out to hold onto her waist and keep her close to him. He's always been affectionate with her, but after their last conversation he's been unable to keep his hands off her, and she can't say that she hates it.

"It smells great in here," he tells her, popping over to the stove and lifting the lids of the pans. "Pasta?" he pauses, giving her a long look. "You're learning my weaknesses."

"I'd like to think so," she says, side-eyeing him as she places the vase of flowers on the counter.

Dinner is relaxing between the two of them, eaten on the couch with Joelle's back leaning against the armrest, her feet in Harry's lap. Harry tells her about work while she recounts the group paper she had to write with Otto and another classmate.