No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

78 - There's More To Discover

I woke up on the morning of my birthday to Harry carrying a breakfast tray into the bedroom laden with tea, toast, almond croissants and fresh orange juice.

"Hey, birthday girl," he smiled as I sat up rubbed my eyes sleepily.

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"Just before seven," he replied. "I wanted you to wake up in plenty of time to enjoy breakfast and open your presents."

He set the tray down on the bed and then got back under the covers next to me, reached down the side of the bed and pulled out a couple of beautifully wrapped parcels and a white envelope.

I opened the envelope first. It was a birthday card that read To my Girlfriend, and had a picture of a cuddly teddy bear holding a balloon and a birthday cake. Inside it read, Jess, Have a perfect birthday, Lots of love, Harry xxx

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "That bear looks almost as squidgy as you," I observed, and he pressed his lips together to conceal a smirk.

"I'll let you get away with that comment, seeing as it's your birthday."

"Yes it is," I nodded happily. "All day."

He chose to ignore this, and looked down at the presents.

"Open this one first," he said, thrusting a long, thin rectangular box at me. I sat up properly in bed and carefully pulled off the wrapping to reveal a sleek, black jeweller's box. I held my breath as I gingerly opened the lid. Inside, nestling on a soft, black velvet cushion, was a stunning white gold, diamond bracelet.

I stared at it, open-mouthed.

"Harry," I breathed.

"Do you like it?" he asked, nervously.

I shook my head, unable to find the right words to explain how beautiful it was.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"No!" I said hastily. "I mean, yes. I mean, I love it! Oh my God, Harry. I'm... I'm just lost for words."

I finally tore my gaze away from the bracelet to look up at him, to find him beaming happily at me. "You had me worried there for a moment," he grinned.

"Sorry," I apologised. "I just... I can't believe it. It's incredible. You've spent so much on me already for Christmas..."

"I happen to think you're worth spoiling," he stated, with a nod of finality. "No arguments."

He lifted the bracelet out of the box and I held my arm out so he could fasten it delicately around my wrist. The stones sparkled effortlessly under the artificial light (it was still dark outside), and I turned my arm left and right, watching how they twinkled with brilliance in the warm glow from Harry's bedside lamp. It was breathtaking.

He handed me a second parcel, much larger than the first, and heavier. It appeared upon first glance to be a large picture frame. I carefully ripped open the paper and pulled it out a rectangular glass frame containing a head-and-shoulders shot of me and Harry. I didn't immediately recognise the image. Harry was on the left of the picture but facing to the right, wearing a black tshirt, and looking down towards me with a soft smile on his face. I was on the right of the picture, slightly lower down, gazing up at him adoringly, and it took me a moment to realise I was wearing the top I had worn to their last show in Sheffield a couple of months ago. The images of us had obviously been taken separately and fitted together to make it look as though we were looking at each other.

Harry cleared his throat. "OK, so there's a story behind this. The photos were taken of us at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, at the band's final show of the tour. They were taken at exactly the same time, as we were looking at each other. I was singing the last line of Perfect... to you. Obviously we weren't photographed in the same shot, but you were smiling at me and I was smiling at you, and I just thought it captured us perfectly... so to speak."