SETTLE - TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

added the lil family portrait harry mentions in the chapter, also art by me??

CHAPTER EIGHT

After that night, things went a little smoother. Finn was less 'protective' over Rose, when I publicly told my entire life story to the Darlings. I didn't like feeling so exposed, but it was needed, Rose needed me to be honest, so I was. And it paid off; Finn stepped off and started spending his energy on his partner, Louis. I thought about how hypocritical Finn Darlings was, he was married to an English man, lived in England, but still refused to accept me. I thought it was some kind of mental block with me though, but I was reminded that him and I were friends. We could have a civil conversation and laugh about things, without him glaring at me like I just murdered his husband or something. Then I thought it was some kind of 'homosexual' thing, but I could just hear Insley's voice obnoxiously stating to 'stop being so homophobic.' I came to the conclusion he was scared, we were all scared really. Love was such an unpredictable field; you had no idea what was going to happen. Finn was afraid of Rose getting hurt, even though ironically through all this he was the one hurting her. I just wish I could've explained it to him; he wouldn't listen to anyone though. His decision was absolutely final, he would not approve of me, ever. I found it melodramatic and unnecessary, but oh no! Finn Darlings was melodramatic, and unpredictable. One day he can stand the fact that I exist, the next he's profaning my name.

It was exhausting loving Rose Darlings.

We both endured it though, Finn's constant disapproval of me. We had to keep our relationship secret, could only see each other when Finn was extremely occupied or out with Louis. It romanticized the whole affair even more, and satisfied both of our cliché needs. We went for picnics in the park, to snowball fights, and coffee at that stupid coffee shop with that boy dazing at us all the time. Rose found my hatred quite amusing, giggling with her gloved hand in front of her mouth. The day finally came when I had to introduce her to the eccentricities of my mother. We decided we'd go down to Manchester during the break she and I both had. Our relationship was made a bit hard when she had to go back to London to study, Cambridge being a little far from where she was. We called each other and stayed up for hours on end, she refused video calling because she had a fear of hearing her voice on a recording. Eventually she gave in because she missed seeing my face, and then the video calling commenced, for hours and hours we would just sit in front of the computers, just looking at each other, planning when and how we could see each other again. I would surprize her with flowers at her university sometimes, it made all her friends gush with 'aww's' and 'how cute's'. She would be a blushing mess and ask one of her classmates to record the lesson so that she could spend time together. It would usually be us just latching onto each other, holding hands, kissing, cuddling and all that cheesy stuff. She came to my university one day and all the guys in my room howled, yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, howled at Rose Darlings. We both found it obscene and immediately left the place; we ended up at my house, watching a movie with a mystery-plotline. It was odd how she didn't like those disgustingly predictable romantic comedies, and preferred these types of movies. I was yet again stunned by how differently perfect she was.

When I had a break again, I suggested Rose meet my mother. Drew demanded we take him along on the trip, but also demanded I help him stock up on 'vlogging apparatus'.

Vlogging was a weird term to me, but he explained it to be video blogging. He also demanded me buying something called a 'selfie-stick', it was practically a stick that you could hold in your hand and put your smartphone on the edge to make taking pictures of yourself easier. Drew praised me for buying it, and constantly wanted my phone, I swear he took over two hundred pictures of himself on there, including one with Rose and I featuring. I am basically leaning into the picture with this sceptical expression, while Drew is grinning wildly, Rose is on the other side of Drew looking pretty distraught about the whole affair. We both demanded he delete it, but he refused, said something in the lines of it being our first family picture. He was blabbering into my phone's camera throughout the whole trip and it was pretty funny to see him talking to these non-existent people. I knew he enjoyed it so I just shut up and tried to supress my laugh. Rose found it extremely amusing to see him and constantly featured in his videos and pictures. It was a trip I would certainly never forget.

We arrived at my mother's house late afternoon, Drew still somehow bouncing off the walls. He blabbered on about the stick and all the videos he'd taken, and he showed my mother the family picture, she frowned but then laughed at me.

"Harry looks as if the thing wants to attack him," she said, looking closely at the picture. I playfully rolled my eyes, and when Drew pointed the phone in my direction, I stuck my tongue out and tried to look as normal as possible. My mum and Rose got a very brief introduction, considering we were all pretty tired. By seven we had all piled into my old bed, which happened to be a double, I was a bit surprized since we all fit on it with ease. Drew lay in the middle, unconsciously snuggling up to me in the night. He lay with his back toward Rose, who was draping her arm across him. I was just looking at the two people I loved most, laying in the same bed when I couldn't fall asleep. It was a magnificent sight.

Morning came and my mum and I prepared the Holt-extravaganza breakfast. She enjoyed having me around the house again, I liked my mother, but I also had other responsibilities. Rose and her had a sit-down and got to know each other over some tea, while I helped Drew figure out how to use the house computer. Evidently by the end of the weekend, my mother and Rose were like best friends. And I knew it was my time then, Rose and I had only been officially dating for about two years or so, though we had a history of nine years behind us. Nine years I had been in love with her, and I knew she felt the same way. So with the approval of my mother, I did it. I set out to find it, the perfect ring. I was so excited, that I forgot to compose a speech - or whatever it's even known as - to propose. We went out to the same restaurant we did on our first official date, and there I did it. I started, "Rose, you know I love you, right? Right, I tell you everyday," she giggled, "point, you're my future, if you want to be, and I'm yours if you'll allow me to be," stepping down in the proposing position, I earned a few 'aww's' from the restaurant's guests and employees, "what I'm getting at, is," opening the small box I had fished from my pocket, she gushed red with blush, "will you do the honour of being my future?" At this point, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Harry," she breathed, stepping down from the chair, "I will." And with that, I slipped the ring onto her finger it was perfect. Silver ring with a medium sized diamond in the middle, complimenting her skin.

"It's beautiful," she said, with the biggest of smiles.

"You're beautiful," I replied, not being able to formulate a proper answer. She had said yes, it was going to happen. All those boyish fantasies of mine were going to happen, and I knew all her fantasies were coming true. This memory is one of the ones I remember the fondest, and also one that hurts the most. Whenever I think of this day, it's like all my old wounds are being scratched open and I'm bleeding out once more, screaming! But nobody can hear me.