Forever | h.s.

Chapter 31

~Annabel's POV~

'I love you, Annabel.'

'I love you, Annabel.'

His words rang in my ears, like a melody. They were beautiful. All I could do, was stare back into his electrifying eyes, at this point. I was speechless. In a good way. But apparently, Harry didn't think my gaze was a good thing.

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed together, as he began lifting himself off the ground. He looked panicked, and worried about his choice of words.

"Harry," I spoke, almost breathlessly. I pushed myself off the ground, and stood infront of his tall frame.

"You don't love me, do you? I fucking knew I shouldn't have said that!" His hands flew to his curly head of hair, and his fingers were entangled in them,

as he clenched his fists. "Fuck! I always say the wrong-"

"Harry!" I interrupted, deciding that I've seen enough of his "suffering." His hands dropped to his sides, as he looked at me, disappointingly. "If you will let me finish," I cleared my throat. "I was going to say," I paused for a second. "I love you too." His harsh glare softened, and a small smile took over his face.

"Really?" He asked. And soon enough, his expression hardened once again. "Don't fucking lie to me, Annabel. I haven't ever said this before, so-"

"Harry, trust me. I love you." I took one step forward, and almost instantly, he swiftly moved, closing the space between us, cupping my face, then planting a kiss on my lips.

"I'm sorry for blowing up like that," He whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have waited that long after you said it. I was just in shock."

"You love me though, right?"

"Of course I do. I have since the beginning."

"Even when I was an ass?" He chuckled.

"You still are an ass, but that doesn't mean I love you any less." I smiled.

"I've never said that to anyone before," He whispered. Honestly, from how I've gotten to know Harry, I wasn't surprised.

"Then it's quite an honor." I chuckled. He planted another kiss on my forehead, and took my hand in his.

"Looks like the sprinklers stopped." He grinned.

"Yeah, but our food is probably all soggy and ruined!" I let out a laugh, as he did the same. We both made our way back to the picnic, that was now ruined. And sure enough, the sandwiches were damp, and the lemonade was watery. We gathered everything up, tossing the ruined foods into the garbage, and throwing the wet picnic blanket in the trunk.

"What now?" Harry asked, seeming out of breath as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Up to you, I'm fine with anything." And this was the truth. Anything was fine, as long as I was with Harry.

"Okay, uh.. how about we go back to my place?" He suggested.

"Yeah, that's fine." I agreed. He began to drive, and we headed to his house. Harry had his hand resting on my thigh for the majority of the ride, and I felt it as comfort. We pulled into his driveway, and made our way to the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge, and looked into it.

"Do you want anything? Sorry our date got ruined." He mumbled the last part.

"It's okay, Harry. It isn't your fault." I assured him, when I saw a bit of guilt in his eyes. He nodded, and pulled out two bottles of water. He tossed one to me, and I caught it in both hands, then unscrewed the cap, taking in a big gulp. We decided to put on a movie, and Harry transferred a bag of freshly popped popcorn into a glass bowl, while I sat on the couch, watching the previews. He came back, with the bowl in one hand, and 2 beers in the other. He plopped down on the couch next to me, and placed the bowl on the coffee table infront of the couch. I watched as he popped off the bottle cap, and took a sip of his beer, handing one to me. I grasped the cold bottle in my hand, and stared at it.