After college, I went to Harry’s house. Though there was no dance practice as his hand was not completely set, I went to see him. More likely to talk to him about Ben. I reached his house and saw Granny sipping her coffee mug.
“Hey granny!” I walked to her smiling.
As soon as she saw me her face glowed. She stood from the chair and embraced me.
“Stella! It’s been long time.”
I puller her out from the hug with my mouth wide opened.
“Long time? It’s not more than a week ago. I always come for practice. It’s because Harry’s hand was not totally recovered, I didn’t come.” I raised my eyebrow.
She raised her eyebrow hearing me. “So you come here for only Harry? Not for me?” she pouted like a kid.
“Oh granny, come on! Not like that.” I took her face between my palms saying “You are my sweetheart. You know, one of the reasons I accepted to do my dance practice here because to see and spend my time with you.”
“One of the reasons. Not the only reason.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh! Why are you smart? Why couldn’t you be just dumb, granny?” I laughed.
She hit my arm laughing. We then sat on the sofa talking. I kept talking to her and almost forgot why I went there. Harry’s voice from behind made me remember the purpose of my visit there.
“Stella?”
We both turned our heads to him and I smiled looking at him. He sat on the couch beside us.
“Hey! Is everything okay?” I asked looking at him.
Harry and granny both looked at me with confused faces.
“Um… I mean… your hand?”
“Yeah! It’s perfect now.” He smirked.
“I didn’t think you were wounded this bad that take nearly a week to recover.” I said looking at him.
“Yeah I too never expected a heavy speaker would fall on my hand that results in this.”
I looked at him with ‘What?’ Expression. He turned his head to granny and turned back to me again giving me the hint that he lied about his wound. I nodded as a response.
I was waiting for the chance to talk to him privately but granny was not leaving us. She kept talking a lot of things for which I simply nodded my head. She became silent for a moment and I spoke “Harry…” I noticed granny was looking at me “Um… we have a lot of assignments to do.”
“Come on Stella! I won’t do. I’ll make someone do them for me.” He smirked for which he got a deadly glare from granny.
“Yeah! We have exams too.” I said
He narrowed his eyebrows hearing me. I tried to convey the information with my expressions but I failed miserably yet he understood I wanted to tell something.
He then spoke “My hand is perfect now. We can start our practice. We don’t have much time.”
I smiled hearing him then we both stood from there. Granny nodded looking at us. We then went to the room.
He crossed his arms saying “What’s it? You are acting strange.”
“I… I want to thank you.” I rubbed my palms and let out a sigh. “Thank you, Harry. Ben left the town. I’m so relieved now. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“I should’ve done it many days before but I kept giving him chances.”
I looked at him without saying anything. He too was staring at me smiling. I held his hand saying “He had been the problem that I always worry about. You solved it. I don’t know what I have to return to you.”
He cupped my face saying “Nothing would scare you. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll be there for you.”
We both kept looking at eachother without even blinking. It felt like he was casting a spell on me with his emerald eyes. I brought my palm to his chest and rested it there. He slightly parted his lips looking at mine. He then kept his gaze on my lips for which I did the same by looking at his. For a moment everything stopped around me. Though my conscious was warning me to go away from him, I ignored it. He brought his face closer to mine that’s when I came back to my senses.
I shifted my gaze away from him saying “I… I should go.”
Listening to me he stood straight. He removed his hands from my face then said “Yeah… fine. What about the practice?”
“We’ll resume from tomorrow.”
He smiled and we both strolled out of the room. I didn’t see granny around so I escaped from telling anything to her for not staying for practice. I reached my home and lay on my bed.
I felt so embarrassed thinking about the moment that happened at his house. What was I doing? What happened to me? I put my palms on my face feeling frustrated. My cheeks were heated up. I sat on the bed and tried to forget it by doing other things yet I couldn’t. His face, his lips, damn his bloody eyes were flashing in my head. It’s the first time ever I was thinking much about a guy.
I put my palms on my forehead yelling in a low voice. “Argh!”
I strolled to living room and saw mom, dad talking. To forget it, I kept involved myself talking with them and yeah! It helped. “Thank God!”
The next day when I went to practice, neither Harry nor I spoke anything about the moment. We just practiced. Days were passing same. After that embarrassed moment, I started feeling many things that I don’t even know what to call them. But they were good. I started smiling hearing his name. My face always glow up talking to him and when I was in his presence I feel safe and protected. I had been trying to figure out what I was exactly feeling for him but I was lacking answers. I told about those things to Anna once and she said I started developing feelings for Harry but… was it true? Whatever they were, I never let any strange feelings arouse in me while dancing as I didn’t want to do anything wrong when it comes to dance. Harry and I became more close than ever. I liked being with him. I started spending more time with him.
At present, Anna and I were in the cafe and she was blushing, I didn’t know why. She called me few minutes before and told she wanted to tell something to me in person. I asked her to come to cafe as I wanted to roam the town.
From the minute she entered in, she did nothing except blushing and smiling. I let out a sigh and shouted “Anna! Are you gonna talk something? Or should I leave?”
She touched her pocket and took out something. She handed me a locket that had ‘A’ letter on the platinum pendant. It looked so rich and beautiful. I smiled taking it to my hand.
“Beautiful.” I said looking at it.
“Roman gave it to me. It’s his first gift for me. I… I never expected this. You know, he said I’m so… so special to him so he bought it for me.”
While saying, Anna’s eyes got wet and I held her hand.
She continue saying “I didn’t expect I would become much special to him. I’m so, so happy, Stella.”
“I’m also happy for you, Anna. I wish your relationship would reach next level.”
She wore it around her neck admiring it. She looked happy. In fact, happy is not the term to describe her. She was beyond happy. Who wouldn’t if they get the thing; mainly love, for which they had been struggling for many years?
We then talked for few minutes roaming the town and I went for dance practice.
Harry and I started rehearsing. I couldn’t concentrate on dance as Anna’s smiling face kept flashing in my head.
Unknowingly I started smiling. Harry turned off the music saying “Stella! You are not concentrating.”
“I’m sorry. Let’s start again.” I replied.
“What happened? You look so happy.” He said looking at me.
I smiled while remembering Anna. I sat on the floor and Harry sat beside me. I said looking at him “Roman gave a locket to Anna.”
“Yeah! I know. That asshole didn’t bring anything for me but he bought a locket to her.” He rolled his eyes.
“Anna is so happy. Roman is treating her as someone special to him.” I paused for a moment and continued again “It’s because of you, Harry. You made Anna and Roman close. Became reason for her happiness. She once said because of you Roman has becoming close to her but I ignored it. I understood it today. I have known her since she is a kid. The happiness she felt today… I never saw it in her eyes ever.” Saying that, tears of happiness welled up in my eyes. After all, she is my best friend. Her happiness, sadness and whatever she feel will always reflect on me.
Harry wrapped his hand around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. “Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much for everything.”
He simply nodded his head hearing me. “Stop getting emotional, princess.”
I smiled hearing him. He then said “Stella! You are happy now. Am I getting any reward?” he gave his playful smirk.
I hit his stomach with my elbow chuckling “Harry!”
We both then laughed and continued our practice. After few minutes, I reached my home.