No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

88 - Coming Back To This Place

I spent the following week daydreaming and brainstorming ideas for a private celebration for the anniversary of our first meeting. Harry had done so many romantic things for me (some grand gestures and some low-key) and suddenly I was buzzing with excitement at the thought of making a fuss of him. He would be in LA until after Valentines Day, so I looked upon our anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate our relationship, and how far we had come this past year. I was full of glee as I researched menu options for a gourmet meal, compiled a playlist of our favourite songs that held special meaning for both of us, and browsed online for yet more new underwear and a new outfit for that evening. 

In between all of this I spent a couple of evenings at my flat in Belsize Park boxing up the last of my belongings. I brought them back to the house, and then spent all day Saturday scrubbing every inch of the flat so it would be ready for Sarah to move in whenever she wanted. Her date on Wednesday with Gary had gone extremely well, judging by the way the pair of them kept exchanging glances across the office the following day and flirting outrageously at every opportunity. I managed to get a brief lowdown from her at lunchtime, and was pleased to hear they would be seeing each other again, and that both of them were seemingly on the same page about each other. 

A bouquet of flowers arrived at ten o'clock on the morning of Valentines Day, accompanied by a card that read One day I will be the one to bring you flowers. H xxx and then Callie and I spent the day in the pub, eating delicious food and drinking wine. I told her of my plans for our anniversary, and was surprised when she didn't seem as enthusiastic as I had expected. I put it down to my being a little insensitive (discussing my romantic anniversary plans on Valentines Day when she was single and still miffed over James).

"Don't go spending a fortune on all this," she advised, staring down at her wine glass. "You've been telling me how broke you are - don't blow all your money on one evening."

"It's important to me," I pouted, staring at her. "I want to show him he's the love of my life.  And anyway, Sarah will be moving into my flat shortly and she'll be paying me rent. My days of being skint are nearly over."

"Have you asked Harry if he's free that day?" Callie asked suddenly.

I frowned at her. "No. But he hasn't said he's got plans, and there's nothing in our calendar. Why are you being negative?"

"I'm not," she said quickly. "I just don't want you to go to all this trouble for nothing."

"It isn't for nothing," I snapped. "It means the world to me."

"OK," she said holding her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

I changed the subject after this, as I didn't want to fall out with her, and I also didn't want to listen to any attempts to put me off the idea. We headed back home around six, and just as we'd settled on the sofa, Harry called.

"Happy Valentines Day, baby," he said, when I answered.

"Happy Valentines Day," I said, happily. "Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he said huskily.

"Or you," I replied, and he chuckled.

"What are you doing?"

"Just spent the day in the pub with Callie," I answered. "How about you? Haven't you got some awards thing tonight?"

"A pre-Grammys gala," he replied. "Zayn's on the guest list, apparently. So that should be interesting."

"Do you think he'll talk to you?" I asked, thinking back to Zayn's recent comments about One Direction's music being 'generic as fuck' and his admission that he realised after the first year he no longer wanted to be in the band. I hadn't had chance to discuss this with Harry yet, but it flashed through my mind now.