"When are we leaving?" I trace Harry's bare chest with my nail.

"Whenever you want," he mumbles into my hair before kissing me there.

"Sunday, then. That way I can make amends with everyone here."

He pulls away slightly to look at my flushed face. I'm sure I look as wild as I feel. Let's just say Harry and I spent our Thanksgiving night christening the entire hotel room. He doesn't look any better than me, but he sure looks sexier.

"Everyone? Who else?"

"Oh, you know. Noah, of course. And Audrey told me Drew was down here so maybe..."

After my conversation with my mother last night, I took her words to heart. She said I had to fix things, and she was right. Nothing's going to happen if I sit around and not even try. Maybe they'll hate me but I have to try.

He stretches, completely letting go of my body. Immediately I miss the warmth of his body but I stop complaining when I look at the extent of his naked body. Yum.

"We'll have a quick shower and hop on over to Noah's cafe, then?"

I blink at him. "You'd come with?"

"Well, yeah... Unless you don't want me to?"

"No!" I quickly yelp. "I mean, no–I want you to come. God knows how he'll react, if at all. Maybe he won't remember me. If he does, he'll be pissed at me."

He kisses my forehead before sitting up. "Like I've said a million times, no one could ever hate you."

I'd beg to differ but I can't. Almost everyone who I've reconciled with has forgiven me without any reason to. I've barely had to defend myself. Something tells me Noah will be the exception. He's always been as stubborn as a mule. He used to get offended if we didn't talk for days, and he was so pissed after we had our whole argument before The Great Drift that we didn't speak for half a year.

After getting ready and eating a French toast breakfast–insisted by Harry–from room service, we head on out to the coffee shop. The weather is dark and gloomy even though hurricane season is over. The weather's cool, but not cold. Florida never gets cold.

We pull into the lot and excitement bubbles through me. After having such a positive experience with my mother, I'm determined to set everything right. 

In fact, I'm so excited that I don't pay attention to my surroundings. I don't pay attention to Harry calling out my name or the empty parking lot.

I freeze when I see the paper on the front door.

For Sale

Then only do I notice the other details. The inside of the cafe is dark and empty, even mildly demolished. The name of the shop has been pried off of the storefront. In one of the windows hangs another sign: Closed Forever. I take a confused step back and look at the storefront as a whole. It resembles something straight out of a ghost town.

I feel a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Ellie."

I don't look at Harry. I keep my eyes locked on the sign, reading and rereading as if doing so will vanish the words from reality. It doesn't, unfortunately, so I'm forced to deal with my emotions.

What am I feeling? Shock, mostly. The sadness of the situation hasn't hit yet. Maybe a little relief as well, simply because I don't have to deal with his annoyance. But just the thought of not seeing him washes the relief away in seconds and I'm back to my rut.

"I never thought it would close down," I whisper. My mind begins to spiral. Noah had once told me that this cafe was given to him by his rich parents to take care of, even though they wanted to sell. He loved this shop. What happened to it? Did it fail? That would absolutely crush him.

"Me too," Harry responds. His tone is cautious. "Are you okay?"

His question makes me snap my head toward him. "Why wouldn't I be?" I ask but I know the answer. This is so much more than a closed business. It's more than an empty store. It's my severed connection with Noah. I don't have his contact information. I have no idea where I'd be able to find him.

Basically, I'll never have any closure with him.

"I'm fine," I automatically respond. "A little shocked, but fine."

Harry almost looks disappointed in me. I frown.

"What?" I ask defensively.

His face switches from surprise to irritation. He rakes his hands through his curls and frustratedly sighs. "I can't believe you're still lying to me about how you feel." When I tilt my head in confusion, he groans. "You're not fine. Any person can see that. I'm sick of you just being fine with everything! Why don't you open up with me?"

I purse my lips. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"How could you?" He bitterly laughs.

My eyes dance over the empty lot. "Look, let's talk about this somewhere else." No one's here but it's an exposed area. One lucky glance from the main-road and our location would be exposed within seconds.

"No. I want to talk about this now."

His irrationality has a sudden anger pulsing through my body. "Fine," I shout, louder than I intend. "How's this? I'm terrified for Noah. He loved this place. If he had it taken away from him, I'd feel awful. I already feel guilty because I can't talk to him about this!"

The irritation quickly slips away from his facr. "You're worried about him," he asks but it sounds more like a statement, to which I nod. "Fuck, El."

Then in quick strides, he crosses the short distance between us and engulfs me in a hug. I'm taken by surprise but quickly hug him back.

"I hate when you say you're fine," he mumbles against my hair. "You don't have to be fine. Sometimes I feel like you're reverting back to your old self when you say that." He slightly pulls back, just enough to see my face. "I like when you're honest with me. I hate guessing how you're feeling about everything."

I nod because that's all I can do. I feel like a child getting scolded right now. "I'm sorry."

"Just tell me what you're thinking from here on out."

I cry–like actually cry. I'm so overwhelmed with the emotions I'm feeling for this boy. For these past four years, I didn't realize how much I missed having emotional intimacy. I kept to myself mostly; I never told anyone my problems. I thought I was okay with it, and I was to an extent, but I desperately needed someone to care. Harry does. I want to scream I love you from the top of my lungs but I can't. I'd sound totally hypocritical, especially because I'm the one who's after the stupid 'taking it slow' notion. Stupid, stupid Ellie.

He thinks I'm crying for Noah. He pulls me back into his arms and soothingly rubs my back. "Hey, I'm sure he's alright wherever he is. Maybe he's moved on to bigger things."

The words are slowly crawling up my throat but I choke. I can't say them yet.

After my crying fit calms down, we head back to the hotel. The entire time, I keep my face toward the window. My reflection shows that my eyes are still pooled with unshed tears. I let them fall.

~~~

When dinner time rolls around, Harry nervously fiddles with his shirt buttons. Exasperated, he turns to me. He looks so incredibly handsome in these hotel lights. So much that it's taking a surprising amount of self-control for me to not jump his bones right at this second.

"Should I button this or leave it open?" he asks, buttoning and unbuttoning the top of his shirt for a demonstration.

"Leave them all unbuttoned," I grin up at him.

Instead of laughing, he seems aggravated. "El, I'm serious. I really want your mom to like me."

I get off the queen-sized bed and walk over, throwing my arms around his neck. "You could wear a trash bag and she wouldn't care." My hands slide down his shoulders to his chest. "But leave it unbuttoned. She'll think you're a prude if you don't."

This elicits a laugh from him. "Thank you."

I untangle myself from him and take a step back. "It means a lot that you're trying hard to impress my mom."

He smiles warmly. "She birthed the most beautiful human being in the world. She should be worshipped."

I playfully roll my eyes as I pat his chest. "Alright, buddy. Totally overdoing the flattery."

"It's true," he mumbles with a smile before fiddling with his outfit. I step away and look down at my own jeans and sweater. It's nothing special. I think Harry's looked at himself in the mirror ten times in the past hour, which is nine times more than me. He's really worried about tonight. It's cute.

After reminding him that we'll be late, he quickly snaps out of it. I think the fear of being late freaks him out, especially considering he's hellbent on making a good impression. I giggle as he tugs me through the halls and straight into his car.

On the drive there, he turns into the lot of a local grocery store. I tilt my head in confusion, looking up at the quaint building.

"What are we...?"

Harry laughs as if I've asked the dumbest question in the world. "You don't think I'd show up to your house empty-handed, right?"

"Well–"

His smile drops, turning eeriely serious. "No, I wouldn't. I have manners, you know."

I throw up my hands in surrender. "I wouldn't know!"

"Funny," he narrows his eyes at me before jolting upright. "Come on, we're going to be late."

It turns out, Harry made a good choice. The grocery store is practically abandoned. I know we're technically okay to go public now but something about doing such a casual task without being bombarded is so warming.

He acts like a man on a mission. He wastes no time dilly-dallying. When I slowly trail behind him, eyeing all the desserts on display, he grabs my hand and pulls me to catch up. I roll my eyes behind his back.

"Stop rolling your eyes at me."

My jaw drops as I gape at the back of his head. How did he...?

He takes me to the wine section and immediately drops my hand. Like an expert, he inspects every bottle there is. He'll grab one, look at the label, look at the price, make a weird humming noise, then put it down. I'm not exactly sure what his qualifications for a good wine are, but it's amusing to see him putting in so much effort.

Eventually, I start getting annoyed. My stomach is rumbling and I want to eat. If Harry takes any more time, I think I'll die.

"She likes Prosecco," I blurt out. Harry looks at me for a moment, stunned as if he forgot I was here.

He really knows how to make a girl feel special.

He finds the drink and clutches it in his hands. "This is the game plan. We're getting wine and dessert, the latter being for Lily. I know your mom has diabetes and you worry she'll cave in so we'll get something that's delicious and has low sugar contents. I'm also thinking about flowers. Do they have a flower section here?"

I blink at him, slightly gaping. "How do you know my mom has diabetes?"

"You told me about it. Now, I think I see the floral section in the corner. I wonder if the flowers will be fresh."

He goes on without me while I stay in my spot. He remembered a fact that I most likely told him in passing? Why is that so shocking to me?

With a goofy grin on my face, I skip over to where he's hunched over the dessert displays. Before he can choose anything, I grab a frosted cookie cake.

"El–"

"It's Lily's favorite," I say with a pout. And mine, too, but he's a sucker for my little sister. Anything to make her happy.

I see his determination begin to waiver. After an exhausting sigh, he nods. "Fine, okay. But you're the one who has to take care of your mom."

"As if that wine doesn't have more sugar," I cheekily point out. Regret fills me when he looks down at the label with wide eyes. Guess he didn't realize that.

Before he can do anything about it, I grab his arm and begin to tug him in the direction of the cash registers.

"Wait, I still need to get flowers!"

"We can stop at a graveyard on the way there. It's free!"

He pulls at my arm, forcing me to stop. I'm met with an unimpressed smile, which makes my cheeky smile grow.

"You're impossible," he finally says with a flick to my forehead before walking over to the floral area. I follow behind, curious to see what he'll pick.

A small furrow appears between his brows as his tongue darts out in concentration. His eyes slowly, carefully skim over all his options. For once he's being practical instead of spontaneous.

And it warms my heart that it's because of me. Well, my family, but same thing.

His hands linger on the roses. My cheeks heat up, remembering our first ever night sleeping together.  The hotel room was scattered in rose petals. I'm pretty sure the scent is permanently ingrained in my brain.

At the last second, he chooses carnations instead. I watch with intrigue. Why? What's the reason?

Gosh, I sound like an English teacher analyzing an essay.

He smiles as he grips the bouquet tightly. We're halfway to the checkout line when he falters. I stop, peering back at him.

"Can you go warm up the car while I check out?"

Warm up the car?! It's like sixty degrees outside! Why does it need to be warmed?

I look at his face and deflate a little. He looks serious. Maybe he doesn't want us to be seen together in public. There's a high chance the cashier would recognize him.

Slowly, I nod. He takes the cake out of my hand and hands me his key. I smile at him before exiting the store, feeling oddly dispirited, which is dumb. He's obviously being rational about the whole thing. Plus, wasn't I the one who used to shy away from publicity? What's changed? Why would I want to be in the public eye 24/7?

Because then Harry will truly become yours, a voice in my head reminds me.

I sigh.

Harry comes out a few minutes later to a toasty car. He puts the groceries in the trunk and gets in, pretending to be overly enthusiastic about the sudden warmth. I roll my eyes but a smile threatens my lips. All negative thoughts are banished immediately.

When we finally pull up to the familiar house, I see Harry looking slightly tense.

"Nervous?" I tease.

"Yes."

My mouth clamps shut, taken aback by the revelation. I didn't expect him to be this blunt, let alone nervous. I thought he was being overdramatic earlier.

Reaching across the console, I put my hand on his arm and squeeze. "Literally, I promise you that my mom has never hated anyone."

"I might be the first," he mumbles under his breath.

I snap my fingers in his face, gaining his attention. "Hey! You're the one who insisted on telling her. If we don't do this tonight, I'm going to tell everyone you fake-dated Trina Star."

His eyes narrow infinitesimally. "You wouldn't."

Unable to remain serious, my face cracks into a grin. "You're right. I wouldn't... but I will stop kissing you until you man up."

Me having to tell Harry to man up? What has the world come to?

"Oh, you think your kisses are all that?"

Hah, someone's getting defensive. I boldly lean over the console, inching toward his face. Instinctively his hand goes to cup my cheek. His eyes flutter closed as my lips brush against his.

Then I pull away before his lips can capture mine.

His eyes pop open. "What was that?"

"Just testing to see if you meant what you said," I smile innocently.

"You little–"

Snickering, I slip out of the car before he can get his hands on me. He chases after me before realizing we're doing the whole meet-the-parents thing. Suddenly he straightens up as if my mom's watching him from a window.

She probably is.

I wait for him at the door while he gathers all the stuff we've brought. As soon as he joins me, the door swings open before we can even knock.

Okay, so she was watching us.

My mom smiles brightly at us. "Hi! Hello, hello! Harry, it's so nice to meet you!"

I notice she's wearing a similar dress to yesterday, except it looks more modest. A slight smirk appears on my face. She was impressing Dawson! Hah!

"Erm... hello Mrs..." Harry pauses, looking frantic. Actually, it's smart of him to assume my mom's last name isn't the same as mine. After all, I have my dad's last name.

"Oh, just call me Carol," she waves a dismissive hand.

"Carol," Harry repeats. "It's great to finally meet you."

Her eyes dart down to his arms as her smile widens. "You're too sweet. Come in! Sorry the place is a mess. I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding your way."

I roll my eyes as Harry trails behind her. Messy, my ass! The house is spotless. In fact, Harry's seen it at worse.

Except she doesn't know that. She doesn't know he used to sneak in. And she never will.

I can tell Harry's thinking the same thing. He looks over at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Suddenly my mom whirls around, making us stop dead in our tracks. "Here, I'll take all of that. You just make yourself comfortable on the couch." She grabs everything from Harry's arms, eyes lighting up in excitement. "Ooh! Prosecco, my favorite."

"I had a hunch," Harry says smugly. My jaw drops. He's really going to take credit for that? Rude.

If possible, my mom's eyes light up even more. "You are amazing. I like you already! And these flowers are beautiful! Aren't they beautiful, honey? Come with me to find a vase."

"Um, okay," I say. Someone's chatty.

"Harry, feel free to have a seat. Lily! Lily, come down now. Your makeup can wait," mom screams before smiling sheepishly. She's a mess today, that's for sure.

"Mom?"

"Hm?"

"Why don't you have a seat while Harry and I look for a vase, yeah?"

She smiles, nodding. "Good idea. I'll go ahead and call your sister. She's at that age where she's experimenting with everything. Oh god, I hope she dresses decent."

A small laugh escapes me as I pat her shoulder. "Why don't you go check?"

With a relieved smile and empty hands, she goes upstairs. Harry takes the things from my arms and starts walking toward the kitchen. He looks natural here. I like it.

As he sets the stuff on the counter, I stand on my tippy toes to find the vase. Of course, we always have to store them out of reach. Why? No idea. My fingertips skim the glass surface but can't grip it.

Before frustration gets the better of me, I feel a warm body push up against me. Harry's long arms easily grab ahold of the clear vase.

"Thanks," I mumble.

He sets the vase down on the counter but doesn't move. I turn around to face him. He has that intense look in his eyes that always manages to make me squirm in a good way.

Then slowly, his hand caresses my cheek. My eyes flutter closed as his lips meet mine in a sweet sweet kiss.

"What was that for?" I softly ask when he pulls away.

His hand doesn't stray from my face and neither do his loving eyes. "You owe me from the car. I was actually going to play the same game as you, but seeing you back here after years... Ellie Marsh, you're quite irresistible."

My cheeks heat as I swoon.

Before I can get another word in, footsteps can be heard on the stairs. Harry jumps away from me like he's a bad kid getting caught doing something naughty. I can't help but roll my eyes. Sure we were in an intimate position but it wasn't like we were having sex.

It's just romance, people!

I fill up the vase as Harry pretends to rearrange the dessert on the counter.

"Ah, the epitome of 'act natural'."

I whirl around to face a smirking Lily staring at us like she knows we did something bad.

"Where's mom?" I ask, ignoring her jab at us.

She playing the ignoring game as well. "Harry! Carnations? You're really upping your game."

Harry smirks, slowly pushing the cake in her direction. "I also got a little something for you."

Her eyes visibly light up as she walks over to the counter. "Cookie cake? That's my favorite!"

"I know. Ellie said no at first but I insisted."

I bite my tongue, sending him a deadly glare. First my mom, now Lily? Is he going to take credit for everything?

My mom comes back down, looking less chirpy and more mischievous.

Oh God...

"So, Harry, shall we crack out the baby pictures?"