Fighting For You

THIRTY

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Harlow | Phoenix | Other people

Standing at the door I watched Harlow move around her room grabbing a blanket from her closet climbing on top of her comforter. Looking back over to me she patted the spot next to her.

“In case we fall asleep.”

Removing my socks and shoes I climbed in next to her falling back on the fluffy light blue pillows. Harlow rested her head on my chest pulling her blanket up and under her arms.

Never would I have thought that this is where my life would be.

Right here, right now, everything was perfect. Just me and my girl.

“Today was really great Harlow, thank you.”

I could feel her shrug beside me. “It was my parents really but you’re welcome anyways. I think my Dad has found a new buddy to talk historics with.”

Chuckling with her, Harlow raised our connected hands together measuring my right with her left. Rotating our wrist in a circle our minds lost in their own thoughts as cinnamon and vanilla floated around the room.

“I don’t -”

“Harlow -”

We both began at the same time.

“You go first.”

Letting her hand fall down my arm and to my stomach Harlow tucked her hand underneath her cheek. “Our hearts our beating at the same time.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to say it back to me Phoenix. I said it because I meant it and you may think it’s too early but I believe in love. I believe in love at first sight and no, it was wasn’t first sight with us but I fell for you before we even met each other. I don’t regret telling you. I just . . . I just hope that it doesn’t make things different between us now that I’ve said it.”

“How about I show you instead?”

Removing her hand from under her cheek I kissed the tips of her fingers placing her hand on my cheek before flipping so that I was on top. The position was intimate with no intention of sex honoring what we both agreed on earlier.

Pushing back her curls I traced her eyebrows, down her cheeks bones, to her jawline watching has her long black eyelashes flutter close covering one of my favorite features of her.

Moving out to her shoulders I ran my index finger over her left clavicle slowly running the tip of my nose underneath her chin. “I won’t say anything that I don’t mean.”

Running my thumb from the edge of her hairline, down her nose, and over her lips I kissed the outer portion of her left eye then the right. “The reason I stayed away after three days was because I had already fell for a girl that I never laid eyes on and to me it sounded crazy.”

Feeling her hands move up my back I grabbed them holding them with one hand above her head. Sliding my right hand down her arm, her side, and to the exposed skin at her waist I slipped my fingers underneath stopping at her floating ribs. “And now that I have a chance to say it.” I lowered my mouth to hers sucking gently on her bottom lip. “You’re not going to run away from me.” Letting her wrist go I raised myself to rest on my forearms. “Look at me.”

Slowly her eyes opened looking back into my soul with tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. “I love you Harlow Booker.”