Finer Things // h.s.

Through The Backfields

A/N: Okay so, as you can all see, the music attached is Fine Line but it's a special one with rain sounds AND I assure you, it's gonna change your experience reading this chapter so please use it! 

December 26th, 2019

"So that's the last of the boxes?" Harry asks and I nod at him as he places a brown cardboard box labelled 'Charity' on top of another box labelled 'Auction'. He opens his arm out to me and I hug his side, wrapping my arm around his waist and we stand in the middle of my living room looking around at my childhood packed into boxes.

"Wow." I say under my breath.

"Wow indeed, Til." Harry says and kisses the top of my head which makes me close my eyes and nestle my head into his shoulder.

"How're you feeling?" He asks me with his lips still pressed to my head.

"Actually, I think I'm okay. Seeing it like this, so bare and skeleton like scares the shit out of me because I'm gonna have to say goodbye to this house when we auction it off next week but honesty, I'm doing really good. Thanks for helping, baby." I say and he nods.

"Don't thank me... It's what boyfriends do." He says and I nudge him in the ribs.

"Don't call yourself a boyfriend." I laugh and he opens his mouth wide and raised his eyebrows.

"Well is that not what I am?" He says as he places a hand over his chest and the other on his hip.

"Don't get sassy with me, sis." I laugh and he walks out to the back patio where the pool cleaners prepare their things to give the pool a clean. He stands over the railing and looks out at Anne who tends to the garden and Gemma whose mowing the lawn on a ride on mower she drove from Anne's house down here, it was thoroughly amusing watching her drive down the street. Today was a team effort to turn this house into something it once was and although it will never again have the familiar feeling of family warmth, seeing everyone come together today to help me brings tears to my eyes: This really is my family. I stand next to harry and rest my hands on the railing and sigh a breath of relief.

"Hey, what do you say Sunday night before the auction we take a walk around the back field? Just you and me... maybe have a picnic?" Harry says and I smile.

"I'd love that, H."

"Are you two going to stand and watch us slave away or are you gonna help?" Gemma shouts over the mower, lifting her goggles up.

"Why are you wearing swimming goggles?" Harry yells back.

"Because I couldn't find the clear work goggles." She yells.

"They're right here." Anne shouts as she lifts them up to her.

"So they are!" Gemma shouts back to Anne and Anne shakes her head and keeps gardening and Harry and I laugh. Gemma moves on, pulling her swimming goggles down and mows another strip of overgrown grass.

"Let's do pizza for dinner, I have to go into town for groceries for Mum anyways so you should come." Harry says and I smile at him.

"Sure. Haven't been in town for a while." I say.

"I was gonna stop by the bakery too, say hello to Margaret and the old gals." He says and I smirk at him.

"I'm sure she'd love that, Harry."

******

The streets appear a lot smaller than what they used to be. The church used to stand as tall as ten sycamore trees stacked one upon the other and now the setting sun barely reaches the tip of its spikes as its golden rays set for the evening, falling behind the rolling hills, as green as the grass in my backyard Gemma mowed ever so precisely. Harry and I walk down the street, hand in hand and laugh at how different things are every single time we come back home for the holidays. We reach the bakery and Harry twirls me around and I stumble into the shop laughing as the door swings open and the bell makes a soft ringing upon our entrance.