Đọc truyện Blind Date - Chapter 23 • Best For Last

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Chapter 23 • Best For Last

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"What the actual hell was I thinking?" I mutter to myself while staring at my pathetic reflection in Harry's loo mirror.

While he gets an A for effort for letting me borrow his clothes for the night, they don't fit, and I knew they wouldn't, but not this poorly. The joggers won't go past my hippopotamus hips and the jumper that can't get past my watermelon-sized breasts is cutting off the circulation in my arms.

The thought of changing back into my jeans and blouse crosses my mind, but I know I won't be able to get a good night's sleep in them. I start to panic and as the tears begin to well in my eyes, a knock at the closed door startles me.

"Is everything alright, love? Did you find the toothbrush?"

"Uhm, yeah, I found it, but uhm . . ." I trail off, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

"Just a sec," I exhale a breath and open the door a smidge. "I'm having a little trouble with the clothes you lent me. They uhm, they don't quite fit."

"Oh . . . hey, I've got an idea. You can wear my bathrobe, that way you can make it as loose or as tight as you want. It's hanging on the hook right here on this door. It's very soft, too."

His kind words make me smile and for a split second, I don't feel like a beached whale.

"Thank you, Harry," I simply say and he nods with a smile, pushing his sunnies further up his nose. "Just give me a couple more minutes to change?"

"No hurry, love and hey, are you okay?"

"Mhm, yeah, I am now," I honestly say and he grins.

"Good. I'm gonna take Maggie right out front one last time for the night."

"Okay. I'll hurry," I give him a smile and softly close the door.

Getting the jumper and joggers off proves to be just as difficult, if not more, than trying to squeeze into them. Once I'm freed from the extremely tight confines and can breathe again, I notice the plush white bathrobe hanging on the hook exactly where he said it was.

I put it on and tie the belt, smiling at my reflection in the mirror. After I comb my fingers through my disheveled hair, I brush my fingers on the soft collar, bringing it up to my nose and I inhale the fresh scent of his body wash lingering in the fibers of the fabric.

After gathering my clothes and making sure I didn't move anything from its place, I open the door and turn out the light.

A flash of lightening shines through the guesthouse and as I walk over to the couch, a loud crash of thunder cracks in the sky and makes me jump. I quickly cover my mouth and the front door opens, earning my attention.

As I set my things on the coffee table, I watch Harry and Maggie step inside and he shakes off the rainwater from the umbrella at the doorstep.

"It's pretty bad out there, huh?" I ask out of curiosity and so he knows I'm in the room with him.

"Yeah, and you were smart to stay," he says, shutting the door and he reaches down for the harness. "Good girl, Maggie. Would you like a treat now? Yeah, c'mon."

I watch with a smile as they walk over to the kitchenette. Maggie sits next to Harry's leg, patiently waiting like the good dog she is while he feels around for the package of treats on the counter.

"Here you go, Maggie. Good girl," he pets her head while she starts chomping on the treat and he turns his head in my direction. "Did the bathrobe work out for you?"

"Yes, it did, thank you, and you were right; it's very soft."

"Of course, it is. I wouldn't lie, especially about the comfort level of loungewear."

I laugh at his joke and walk over to him, quietly saying his name. He acknowledges me with a smile and it's then I notice the water spots on the lenses of his sunnies, no doubt from the rain splashing off the umbrella.

I place my hands on his arms, sliding them up toward his shoulders and around the back of his neck to embrace him in a hug. Closing my eyes, I rest my head on his chest and I feel him wrap his arms around my lower back.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asks and I lean back to look at him.

"For being you. I've never met anyone so kind before. You haven't judged me or made a joke about my weight. It's really refreshing and somewhat shocking."

He exhales deeply, situating his arms around my waist and I can tell he's holding something back. The sound of the rain still pummeling on the roof makes for a romantic atmosphere and as I card my hand through his damp hair, he cups my cheek and kisses me.

"I'm gonna get ready for bed now. Will the sofa bed be okay? Did the sheets fit?"

"Oh yes, they fit just fine," I simply answer and he lets go of me to reach down for the harness.

"Alright, Maggie, take me to the loo, please."

While they're busy with that, I turn out the living room light and carefully walk in the dark over to the couch. Thankfully, the intermittent bright flashes of lightning help me to see and I crawl into the freshly made sofa bed.

Situating my head on the throw pillow, I blow out a tired breath and I hear the door to the loo open. With Harry's command, Maggie guides him over to his bed and I smile as he says goodnight to her.

I bite my bottom lip at the sight of him in only a pair of plaid pyjama bottoms and he moves to sit on the bed. He takes his sunnies off to set on his nightstand and he rubs his eyes, letting out a yawn. He lays down and with him out of my view now, I relax my neck and the rustling of his covers stops.

He inhales a heavy breath, letting it out in another yawn, "JJ?"

I grin, "Yes, Harry?"

"Have you always wanted to be an architect?"

His random question makes me laugh and I hum in thought, "No, not always."

"Oh. What did you want to be then, y'know, when you were little?"

"Well, I've always had a love for horses, so I wanted to be a professional jockey."

"Really?" he asks somewhat shocked and I hum in answer. "That's fascinating. Why?"

"Uhm, well, my mum had me start with riding lessons at a young age and I fell in love with my horse. My very first horse was Strawberry Shortcake. Yes, I actually named her that."

Harry laughs, "It's a good name and good dessert."

"Hmm, it is," I muse, resting my hands on my stomach. "Anyways, I was into the sport from ages nine to fifteen. When I first sat on my horse, I knew I wanted to be a jockey."

"You were nine and had your life planned out, hey?"

"I sure thought so. When you're a kid, don't you think you know everything?" I ask in jest and he agrees with a laugh. "Well, the years went on with competitions and not to toot my own horn, but I walked away with first place ribbons and trophies nearly every time. I put in the hard work though. I practiced every weekend cos I was focused on making it my career."

"That's amazing, JJ. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, but be prepared to be disappointed, just like my mum. When I started high school, the stress of my studies and trying to live up to my mum's standard made me eat everything in sight. Food became a comfort for me, but she warned me that jockeys can't get be fat because the more weight on the horse meant they can't go as fast and you won't win. The pressure of that alone made me crack and that's when my weight gain spun out of control. So with that career option out of the picture, I took an interest in my uncle Larry's profession; architecture."

"That's the uncle who just passed, innit?"

"Mhm. You remembered me saying that?"

"Yeah, of course, JJ."

I smile softly at his words, thinking back on the phone calls we had that week. It was a terrible week and Harry's encouraging words and thoughtful flowers made it bearable. In the short time I've known him, I've come to the conclusion that he's a genuinely good person who cares about people.

"I don't know why I told you all that," I nervously laugh it off, hoping he won't comment on it and I let out a yawn I can't hold back. "Enough about me. What did you want to be when you were little?"

He clears his throat, "Uhm, I was about ten and my mum took me and Gem to our cousin's birthday party. He was five years older than me but we got along splendidly, still do, by the way. His party was at a fun and games type place."

"Like an arcade?"

"Yeah, that's what my mum told me at least. There were lots of dings going off and people cheering as if they won; I was on sensory overload."

"Oh, because of your heightened sense of hearing? I've read about that."

"Yeah, exactly. Anyways, when we went outside, the smell of the exhaust made me nauseous and the noise of a lot of engines revving scared me, but Gemma told me that they were real race cars and she convinced me, more like convinced Mum, to ride in one with her."

"Were they go-karts?"

"Yes, but I didn't know that at the time," he laughs as if he's reliving the memory. "As soon as Gem strapped us in, she took off and it felt like I was flying, really flying. It was a great feeling."

"I bet."

"Yeah, and because Gemma told me it was a race car, I decided right then and there I wanted to be a race car driver when I grew up so I could feel like I was flying every day. My ten-year-old brain didn't know that eyesight was a prerequisite to drive."

"Cos your mum taught you that you can do anything you set your mind to, right?"

"Yeah, she did," he agrees, inhaling a breath and he lets it out through a yawn. "We still keep in touch, my cousin and I. He's a nice fellow."

"Harry, I believe everyone in your family is nice."

He laughs at my statement and another crack of thunder rumbles through the sky. Turning onto my back, I pull the covers up over my shoulders and I open my eyes. As the flashes of lightning dance across the ceiling, I let out a yawn and Harry says my name.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad I met you."

His words make my heart beat faster and I grin, "I'm glad Gemma suggested I meet this, quote, single, young, handsome lad with a heart of gold I know, who just so happens to be my little brother, end quote."

"Ha, that's Gem for you," he chuckles. "She has tried a few times to set me up with her friends and Michal's tried once before. That was a fiasco, well, all of those times were. I guess the universe was saving the best for last, hey?"

I'm at a loss for words right now. Even though I know Harry is sweet and kind, I'm not used to being treated with respect by a man. This new friendship with great potential has got my head and heart all in one-hundred percent and I'm anticipating what the future holds.

"Goodnight, JJ."

"Goodnight, Harry, and goodnight to you, too, Maggie."***

A/N: Oh my single heart 😭

Press the star ⭐️ if you want to ride in a go-kart with Harry!

So I researched Harry riding a go-kart and my research snowballed into "Harry riding different things," so please enjoy these pictures/gifs of Harry riding things:

1. 1D riding go-karts (the pic that started this lil proj)