The Entertainer II - Track 04 - A Beautiful Thing to Say
Summary: What if it wasn’t the end? What if Sky did actually see Harry at the Forum in the early 80s, and he saw her too? What if fate took hold of them both, and they realized their journey was not over? Set in 1981, Harry and Sky’s story continues with more music, more romance, and a few more twists and turns.
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Track 04 Word Count: 3.8k+
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Monday morning came too soon, but for the first time in a very long time, I walked into work with a smile on my face and a pep in my step.
“Well, don’t you look chipper for a Monday,” remarked Donna when I slipped into my chair beside hers.
“What?” I asked, barely paying attention as I rearranged the pens in the cup on my desk.
“Someone had a good weekend,” Donna wiggled her brows. “Spill the beans, who is he?”
“He? What makes you think there’s a he?”
“You’re wearing a dress.” I heard the casters of Donna’s chair roll across the hard floor as she scooted closer to me and sniffed. “And perfume. You got laid.”
I side-eyed her with a smirk as I attempted to refill the tape in my adding machine. “I happen to wear perfume everyday.”
“It wasn’t Bill, was it?” inquired Donna, ignoring my comment. “I thought you hated him.”
“I don’t hate him, we just didn’t hit it off. But no, it wasn’t Bill.”
“So it was a man, though!”
Knowing Donna wasn’t going to let it go, I took a deep breath and sighed. “I just ran into an old friend over Thanksgiving break,” I stated. “That’s all.”
“Old friend my ass,” Donna jeered. “Oh god, please don’t tell me it was your ex. What was his name again? Adam?”
“Alan,” I groaned. “And no. Definitely not him.”
I could feel Donna’s eyes staring at me as she waited for me to divulge more information.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Are you gonna tell me, or not?”
“Hmm, I think...not.” I smiled sweetly. “Not just yet. It’s still very new.”
When Donna realized I wasn’t going to say any more, she sighed with a pout.
“You’re no fun,” she muttered as she rolled back to her desk.
I smiled to myself as I checked my daily calendar. I considered Donna a friend, but not in the same way I did Halo. She was fun and sassy, and sometimes she liked to rib me, but I didn’t feel comfortable telling her about someone as important as Harry.
The day, while steadily busy, still seemed to drag like Mondays do. I was constantly checking the clock, hoping it was nearing five. Not that I had any plans. And not that I was expecting a call from Harry that evening. But the way he’d left me the night before told me I just might get one. And if I was honest with myself, I was already longing to hear his voice.
After a quick dinner and a soak in the tub, the phone rang just around the time I thought it would. The voice on the other end made my heart flip in my chest when it greeted me and called me beautiful.
“How was your day?” he asked me.
“It was a Monday,” I groaned. “How was yours?”
“Not bad, actually. Got a bit of songwriting done. Cleaned out and restocked the fridge.”
“Don’t tell me you went shopping.”
“What? I can’t go shopping? I gotta eat, love.”
I giggled. “I just figured you had someone to do that for you.”
“Well...I have. But not this time.” Harry paused before he added, “I reckoned I might stay longer than I’d planned.”
“Oh?” I felt my face heat up at the possibility that he was staying in L.A. because of me.
“Yeah, you know.”
“I know what?” I chuckled again.
“Nothing. Um...so I have a few things I can prepare for dinner this week, and I thought you might like to join me.”
“You cook?” I asked incredulously.
Harry laughed. “Did you think I only dine out or have things delivered to me?”
“Well no...but...yeah, maybe,” I blushed, grateful he couldn’t see me.
“I’m actually pretty self-sufficient, Mary Lou,” he jabbed.
“Hey now,” I quipped. “What did I do to get the double name?”
“I’ll take it back if you come over.”
“Hmm,” I thought aloud. “I don’t know. I might have plans. This week has booked up pretty fast already…”
“Skyyy,” Harry whined, almost in sing-song. I chuckled.
“Of course, Harry,” I said. “You know I’d love to. I was teasing you.”
“So was I.”
I knew my face was red as a beet as I bit my lip and twisted the phone cord around my finger. “What day should I come?”
“The sooner the better.”
“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” I commented.
“Hmm, tonight sounds even better.”
“Oh, but I’ve already eaten,” I pouted. “I’m sorry.”
“Wasn’t talking about dinner.”
“Harry…”
“What? I miss you already. Is that weird?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.
“Kinda,” I mimicked in the same tone, although my insides were having a party.
Harry chuckled low, then let out a long, deep sigh. “Alright, we’ll do it your way. Is seven o’clock too early?”
“Not at all.”
After Harry gave me directions to his house, we talked for at least another hour. The television was on a low volume, but I barely even noticed what was on the screen. It seemed every time we’d start to say goodbye, one of us would have something else to say and we’d get into a whole other conversation. Finally, the nightly news started its introduction on the TV, and I knew it was time to call it a night.
“Goodnight, Harry,” I yawned.
“Sorry to keep you up, love,” he said.
“Don’t be silly. I enjoy talking to you.”
“Me too.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and I knew it was the truth. If I didn’t have to get up early, I probably could have stayed up all night talking to him.
Hanging up the phone, I turned out the lights and danced to my bedroom, humming a tune I had heard earlier that day.
“Suddenly, the wheels are in motion And I...I’m ready to sail any ocean Suddenly, I don’t need the answers ‘Cause I...I’m ready to take all my chances with you…”
Harry’s house wasn’t that difficult to get to. I arrived in just over twenty minutes. What did surprise me, however, was how normal it looked. While it wasn’t a tiny house by any means, I was expecting it to be some huge estate with a gated entrance and tall, obscure bushes enshrouding the boundaries so no one could see inside. I watched too many old movies. Instead, I pulled my car into a long, brick driveway that stopped in front of a two-car garage with black doors. Closing my car door, I looked up at the white home. I was never good at pinpointing house styles, but my guess was it was either Spanish or Mediterranean, possibly French. And while it appeared to have two stories, it looked to be much wider than it was tall.
I noticed a door ahead of me that probably led inside the garage, so I turned the corner and found two gorgeous black wooden doors, greeting me with cacti flanked on either side. I cleared my throat - as if that would do anything - and rang the doorbell. I felt my stomach do a flip as I heard footsteps getting louder just before one of the doors swung open.
“Hi,” he said, after a gorgeous, wide smile spread across his face.
“Good evening,” I grinned, tilting my head. I wasn’t sure why I said that, or the way I said it. It just felt fitting. Like I was in one of those old movies I watched too often.
Harry chuckled and stepped back, waving his hand. “Please, come in.”
An intoxicating aroma filled my nostrils as I stepped over the threshold. I eyed Harry as he shut the door behind me and took my hand.
“C’mon, you’re just in time for a taste test.”
Guiding me through the large foyer, he stopped when we reached the kitchen, the scent of garlic and herbs more pungent. Releasing my hand, Harry grabbed a wooden spoon from the counter and dipped it into the steaming pot that sat on the stove.
“Tell me what you think,” he urged, gesturing for me to come closer.
As soon as the spoon touched my lips, I nearly gasped and let out a moan.
“Absolutely delicious!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah? You don’t think it needs anything? Salt?”
I shook my head, grabbing the spoon from him. “No way. It’s perfect.”
“Hey!” Harry chuckled as I took another bite. “I said a taste!”
Licking my lips, I grinned cheekily at him, knowing he was teasing and actually loved that I approved of his cooking.
“Is it ready? Can we eat?”
“As soon as I take the bread out of the oven,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye, pulling on an oven mitt. “I take it you came hungry.”
“Just a little,” I giggled, rubbing my tummy. “That sandwich I had at lunch left me long ago. Can I help with anything?”
“Nope, I got it, love,” he said sweetly, laying the baking sheet of warm garlic bread on the counter. “But how about a quick tour first?”
“Oh yes,” I shook my head. “Silly me. I wanna see your house!”
“Think you can hold out?” Harry wiggled his brows.
“I’ll try my best,” I remarked, throwing the back of my hand against my forehead. “Even though I’m so famished!”
Harry chuckled again and grabbed my hand. “C’mon Miss Dramatic. We’ll start with the den.”
Just as suspected, Harry’s house was absolutely gorgeous. Though it was two stories, the first story extended longer than the second, and included a screened-in pool that I tried my best not to ogle over.
“It’s heated,” Harry commented. “So we can take a dip later if you’d like.”
“I didn’t bring my suit,” I blushed.
“So…?” Harry smirked, sliding his arms around my waist.
“Oh.” I laughed into his shoulder as I felt him chuckle against me. Lifting my head, I looked into his handsome face. “Is that how this evening is gonna go?”
Harry shrugged with a smirk. “I was rather hoping, but...doesn’t have to if you don’t want.”
“Hmm,” I nodded, my nerves struggling with my desire. “We’ll see.”
“Fair enough.” Tucking my hair behind my ear, Harry gazed into my eyes and I felt myself melt. “I’m just glad you’re here. You look beautiful, by the way. I meant to say when you arrived.”
“Thanks,” I blushed again just before he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips.
“Come,” he said low. “Let’s eat.”
After Harry opened a bottle of wine, we shared a delicious dinner of pasta, salad and bread. Then when I helped him with the dishes, he poured us another glass of wine and led me into the den where he lit a fire. I tried my hardest to look relaxed on his sofa as he returned, taking the seat next to me. I could feel my insides quiver as he smiled at me, stretching his arm across the back of the couch. Though we had just spent a glorious weekend together, his presence continued to have an effect on me.
Lifting his glass from the coffee table, he held it up. “To Mary Lou Jones.”
“To me?”
“Of course. And...to fate...for bringing us together again.”
I grinned shyly as our glasses touched and I took a sip. “You believe in that sort of thing?”
“I didn’t…” Harry paused, looking down at his glass and then back at me. “But I do now.”
“Oh,” I whispered as he leaned closer. I felt my stomach flutter as I saw his eyes shut just before his lips grazed mine.
His kiss deepened as his hand found the back of my neck. His wet, wine-tinged tongue sent sparks through my chest and I let out a delicate moan. I felt him sigh against me before he sat back, and taking my glass, he set both on the coffee table. With heavy eyelids, he gazed back at me, his hand slowly sliding up my thigh.
“Sky,” he murmured, his voice extra deep and sultry, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Can’t get you out o’ my head.”
My eyelids fluttered as his fingers reached dangerous territory, his other hand slipping around the back of my neck again. I swallowed hard, a nervous chuckle escaping my throat.
“You just saw me day before last. And talked to me last night.”
“I know,” Harry smirked. “I want you all the time.”
I let out a sigh, my hand pressed against this chest.
“I want you, too,” I confessed in a whisper.
I caught the glimpse of excitement and relief in Harry’s face just before he smiled. “Yeah?”
“Mmm hmm,” I nodded. “Always.”
I wondered for a split second why I’d added that last word to my confession just before Harry kissed me again. Did I mean it in the past tense, like I always had wanted him? Perhaps. Was I referring to the present tense, meaning I wanted him right then? Definitely. Or did I mean it in the future tense...I always will?
I supposed that last question would be left unanswered. For now.
Harry’s warm body slid with ease between my legs as he pressed me against the couch. His wet, intoxicating kisses filled me with more hunger for him. He caressed me tenderly, sending chills all over. We hastily undressed each other, panting with desire. If it had been anyone else, in any other moment, I’d have thought having sex on the sofa was so unromantic and juvenile. But not with him.
Not with Harry.
With Harry...everything was perfect.
I reveled in the afterglow, his body pressed against mine - our skin sticky with a sheen of sweat as I watched the reflection of the fire glisten on his back.
“You’re so amazing…” I thought I heard him say, though it was muffled, his head wedged between mine and the back of the sofa.
“What?” I whispered.
“Mmmm,” he groaned before lifting himself up with his elbow. His hair fell over his eyes and I smiled at the image, reminiscent of a photo of him on the back of Wildfire’s last album.
“Let’s go swim,” he said.
“Now?” I chuckled.
“To cool off.” I watched as he sat up, combing a hand through his hair.
“I thought you said the pool was heated.”
“It’s still cooler than in here,” he said with a smirk, rising from the couch and pulling me with him.
He was right. Though the pool water was warm, it still felt cool on my toes as soon as I took the first step in. Not cold, like a regular pool, but like the sweet sting you get from a hot shower after a long run.
Harry had already swum a lap to the other side of the pool and back before I even got waist deep. His cheeky grin told me I needed to get a move on as he swam up to me on the middle step.
“Why are you being so shy?” he asked, grabbing my hips. “It’s only water.”
“I know.”
“And I’ve already seen you naked.”
I tsked at him, playfully splashing him. “I know, silly. Just let me be.”
I swirled the water back and forth with my hands before slowly lowering my body into the pool, stopping where the water hit my shoulders. Harry looked at me, his eyebrows raised.
“Better?”
“Mmhm,” I nodded briskly. “Except now I’m not gonna want to get out.”
“Why not?”
“It’s like a bathtub,” I explained with a pout. “And once I get out I’ll be cold.”
Harry cackled, pulling me to him. “You’re cute, you know that?”
“Thanks,” I said tight-lipped. “But I wasn’t trying to be cute.”
Harry turned us away from the steps and floated us toward the deep end.
“Well, you are anyway. And I can’t get enough.”
A small smile crept up on my face as I watched him take my wrists and wrap my arms around his neck. My legs had already naturally found his waist in the buoyancy dance, and we floated for a second or two in silence.
“I’m enjoying getting to know you again,” Harry commented, surprising me.
“Getting to know me? You already know me.”
“Yeah, but there are some new things I didn’t know before,” he added. “Or maybe they’re things that have changed since I last saw you.”
“Like what?”
“I dunno…you tell me. I didn’t know it takes you twenty minutes to get in the pool.”
“It didn’t take twenty minutes!” I slapped at him as he chuckled.
“Alright. I’m just saying…I like finding out these little…quirks and things about you. I wanna know more.”
I stared at him for a moment until I breathed. “Careful what you wish for.”
“Why?”
“Well…what if there’s something you don’t like?”
Harry raised a brow and made a face. “Hasn’t happened yet.”
“Hmm. Just wait. It’s only been a few days.”
I bit my lip as I turned my head to gaze out the windows that held us in. The sun had long ago set, the sky a dark, starless blue. Suddenly I heard a ripple in the pool just before Harry lifted his hand and pushed a strand of hair from my face.
“Sky,” he said softly. “Babe, I’m trying to be honest and romantic here. Can you give me a chance?”
“I…” I stared at him again, feeling ashamed. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
My heart suddenly began to race as I realized how serious he was. My fingers played with the wet hair on the back of his neck as I silently wished I could take back what I’d said and return to the lighter mood we’d begun earlier.
“I meant what I said, Sky,” Harry conveyed. “About loving you back then. Even though I hadn’t realized it until it was too late.”
I merely blinked and nodded, hoping he would continue.
“I know…time changes things. And feelings change. But being with you again…even though it’s only been a few days…”
My right hand traced his jaw as we bounced to the other side of the pool and I waited for him to continue.
“It’s like…I feel myself falling…all over again.”
I stared at him, my mouth agape. “Harry.”
“I know…it’s crazy…” he chuckled, leaning his forehead against mine. “It’s…it’s too soon. So I’m not saying-”
“Okay,” I interrupted, nervous that neither of us were ready to say or hear those three words.
“I’m just saying…that I really, really like you, Sky.” Harry beamed a goofy grin that even made me laugh. “And I’m already feeling the things I felt five years ago but didn’t say. So…I want you to know this time. Because…I don’t want to lose this again.”
I slid my left hand under his jaw to echo my right, cupping his face in my hands as I leaned forward and kissed his forehead, then his nose.
“What a beautiful thing to say,” I whispered before kissing his mouth.
Our lips locked, we continued to float around the pool, tasting each other as if we never had before. My heart still thumped loudly in my chest, but I willed it to not give me away just yet.
I knew there was nothing I wanted on earth more than for Harry Styles to love me, the way I’d wanted him to love me five years ago. I had done a good job of pretending - to myself, to Halo, and even to Harry - that I was okay with him leaving on that plane and never coming back. I had told myself he was too good for me, that he wasn’t mine to have, and that the world deserved to have him instead. But in that moment, my arms and legs wrapped around him in that big, heated pool…I knew that I had lied, even if just a little bit.
I loved him.
And I wanted him to love me.
Harry helped me towel dry when we got out of the pool. I assumed we’d return to the living room where our clothes were discarded, but instead, he wrapped me up in a big towel and carried me to his bedroom.
“I really do have to work in the morning,” I teased as he laid above me in his incredibly soft bed.
“I know. Just a few more minutes,” he said, his voice deep and quiet as he placed his head on my chest.
I stared at his ceiling fan as I absent-mindedly combed my fingers through his long curls. I quickly recalled the morning in the hotel in Santa Barbara when Harry’d asked me my real name. I remembered the way the sun shone through the balcony windows and the ceiling fan lent some cool air as our bodies touched.
“What’s your favorite place?” I suddenly heard myself ask.
“Huh?”
“Your favorite place you’ve ever been.”
“Oh. Uh…sorry, love, I was almost asleep with your…hands there…”
“Oh…sorry,” I smiled as he sat up and looked at me.
“Uh…Japan’s pretty great. I like it there. South American crowds are insane,” Harry laughed. “Australia’s great…I dunno. I’m not sure I have a favorite.”
“Oh.”
“Why? You wanna go with me?”
“Where? Australia?”
“Anywhere. Next time I go.”
“Oh.” I smirked. “We’ll discuss that later I guess.”
Harry leaned next to me on his elbow. “I’d love it if you did.”
I rolled over to face him and he touched my cheek before leaning over to kiss me.
“So why do you ask?”
“Hmm?”
“What my favorite place is.”
“Oh, just curious. You’ve been a lot of places.”
“Yeah…” Harry sighed. “Some of them run together after a month or two.”
“I can understand that,” I commented, even though I didn’t really.
“Right now I just know I want to be with you,” Harry added. “Wherever it is.”
Harry’s confessions ran through my brain as I drove home that night. Although I was undoubtedly nervous about them and about being hurt again, I couldn’t deny the chemistry we had. I hadn’t felt this way since…well, since we said goodbye five years ago.
The radio almost seemed to mock us and our vulnerability as the most fitting song began to play.
“I was sure I’d lost my chance forever I never dreamed we’d ever meet again…”
I had to admit that things like this didn’t happen everyday. Call it fate, destiny, God or whatever…I never thought I’d ever even see Harry again, let alone have another chance at love with him. As I pulled off the highway onto my street, I found myself nearly in tears…and not of sadness, but of hope and happiness.
“A different bed, a different ceiling But still that same old feeling As I hold you close, I almost want to cry ‘Cause it feels just like we never said goodbye…”
Songs mentioned:
Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard - Suddenly
Crystal Gayle - It's Like We Never Said Goodbye
Taglist: @fkinavocado, @daphnesutton, @freedomfireflies
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