Love Bites

Chapter 30

--Chapter 30--

[ Flashback II ]

Year 1911.

The music was playing lowly, quiet enough to allow numerous conversations in the building to be heard. I was wearing a suit for the event, the ball was always a time to look nice.

I looked around the ballroom, watching the familiar people from all around the Homes Chapel talking and laughing. Everyone looked different than any other day, most wearing suits or big dresses.

"Be careful, nan. You can fall." I caught hold of my grandma's arm, saving her from completely collapsing upon the table of desserts. She was laughing too hard about a joke that my gramps had just said, which I wasn't able to acknowledge from the lack of attention I was giving it. Rather than hanging out with a friend my own age, I was talking to my grandparents. Mainly because I only really talk to Dimitri and Gemma. Dimitri wasn't here yet, and Gemma was somewhere in around here with my mum.

"Oh thank you Harry." Nan smiled, patting my back lightly as she steadied herself. "Has Gemma arrived yet?"

"She's just around the corner speaking to mum." I looked around, trying to catch eye of my mum and sister.

"Well, don't just stand there. Go get that young lady, I haven't seen her in ages." She teased me in her high-pitched elderly voice. Even though she basically sees us occasionally, I guess the elderly have the thoughts that they haven't seen someone in forever when it was probably yesterday.

I smiled at her, obeying her command and turning around to search for Gemma. I quickly spotted the medium-sized light pink dress that my sister had on. I approached her, my mom standing next to her and speaking to one of her peers, surely presenting her daughter to her friends.

"Mum, can I borrow Gemma for a minute?" I butted-in her conversation, mentally pleading Gemma to come with me.

"Of course, I was just introducing her to Marian." She smiled, pointing at a tall brunette lady just across from her as she waved at me pleasantly.

I smiled back, disappearing with Gemma as we walked back towards our grandparents.

"What's wrong?" She was obviously confused.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Nan just wants to say hello to you."

She nodded as we approached both our grandparents, who grew a huge grin once I came back with Gemma. It's crazy how excited they would get, almost as if we were gone for a awful amount of time.

"Wow, well you look absolutely stunning Gemma. You and your brother pick up so well." She teased us both. I had already been listening to her long speech about how tall I'm growing. I'm eighteen and I've heard it plenty of times. Certainly, she will now begin it all over again since Gemma's here.

"Both of you are growing up so fast, I can almost remember little Harry playing jacks out on the concrete." She added excitedly.

"And walking around in your pa's old construction boots." Gramps chuckled as he patted me on the back, finally breaking his silence instead of letting nan do all the talking. I remember all this like it was yesterday- not literally.

Gemma blushed, almost like she hasn't heard the story of me playing jacks outside of our grandparents house. How could she? She was just an infant when I was a toddler.

I also remember having to play dolls with her and having tea parties because she would cry if I didn't. It was a bit of a hassle, especially because I wanted to do boy stuff instead of playing with my sister's dolls with her. But it was just such a disturbing sight to watch my little sister cry when she had no one to play with, mainly because it pierced mine and everyone in the house's ears. That was by the time I was seven and she was four.