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Chapter 9.

I sat on the edge of the boat and let my feet dangle off as I watched the sun finding its way to the peak of the sky. We left way early this morning, and the sky was still streaked with pinks and oranges as we drove to the coast. I threw on my swimsuit half asleep and was still half asleep when Harry picked me up.

Harry came and joined me after only a couple of minutes. He sat right down underneath the rail and confidently held out a hand that I didn't hesitate to take. I didn't even think about Mitch or Sarah. Much less whatever paparazzi would find us, which was quite a valid worry. It was comforting, it was him telling me that everything was okay when he saw any shadow of a doubt in me.

He kissed my hand and I felt golden right then and there. The sun was now at the point in the tip top of the sky, and the splashing waves created little rainbows in the mist. My eyes were brown, I never had much hope in them. But Harry's were green, and I knew the moment I saw the sun this morning that it would bless his eyes.

Sarah and Mitch were everything. I'd never once met funnier people, they're the best mix of quiet and loud, crazy and tame. She brings it out in him and I find that divine.

"You're swimsuit is to die for, Darby." Sarah complimented. I blushed, "Thank you!!" And returned the compliment.

It was black with light yellow floral patterns, but I remember the pattern never being my favorite part. It was the structure, the ties on the straps and such. It made me feel like some princess. Which was weird. Because it was a swimsuit.

I kept my hair down, tucking it behind my ears. Jeffery, Harry's manager, drove the boat. From what I had gathered so far, he was cool.

"Can someone re-tie this tighter for me?" I asked about one of my straps. Sarah volunteered before Harry had the chance, and I read the expression on his face too easily.

"You're getting on better with Sarah than with me." He laughed when I sat next to him on the seat once Sarah was finished. "Good." I answered, jokingly. I grabbed his arm, the one with the massive load of tattoos, and examined it in awe.

"Oh my gosh," I muttered quietly, looking up at him, complete amazement dazzling my expression. He smiled and his eyes scrunched up with the simplest childlike happiness, like he was more than proud to show me something he'd been working on for ages. "Tell me everything I'm begging you." I asked him, I moved my hair out of my face quickly, deciding to later put it up, and grabbed his arm again to resume examining it.

The one I noticed most was the anchor. Then the mermaid, which made me giggle. A heart, a real heart, on his "sleeve". A rose, and a ship, a clutter of delicate names and sketches. Then the cross on his hand, I delicately grabbed his hand and lifted it closer into my view, mindfully holding his hand.

"There's more, too." He laughed. "There's more?" I repeated, intrigued. I was completely fascinated by tattoos, the fact that it says so much about the person, and I wondered and wondered about his. Before I hadn't necessarily noticed them, but now they were quite noticeable.

Harry pulled his shirt above his head to reveal a butterfly, two birds flying below his collarbone, and two olive branches on his lower stomach. "My god, Harry, those are so pretty." I said, not caring about how awkward I probably looked staring at his chest.

The butterfly was placed directly on his rib cage, something about that felt so him. I didn't have it in me to think about it fitting any other person than him. It was breathtaking, the tattoo itself.

"I love them." I said, sweetly. "Thank you very much." He grinned. "It's me." He said simply, pointing to the butterfly. "It's so you." I replied, turning towards him sitting criss-cross on the bench seat.

He told me about how it symbolized transformation, different stages of life and growth. I found it to be the most lovely thing. To see him explaining what he decided to have represent him, choosing a butterfly, his eyes. I know I talk about them too much. But they still don't get enough recognition. They lit up.

He went through nearly every tattoo, his favorites and least favorites. A couple of them he vaguely explained with a noticeably dimmed expression. It's his past, I was his present. Now wasn't the time, but sometime in the future would be.

He said they were all connected. I only could begin to think about what that meant, but I knew it meant something beautiful. It only made me appreciate him more than I had already managed to do.

I finally got to putting my hair up, slightly higher than a low ponytail. As I did, I was startled by a finger tracing my shoulder blade.

"You have one?!" He read it aloud to himself, and I nodded, smiling as I moved my ponytail over my shoulder. "spent my whole life trying to put it into words"

😌

It was a little ironic, it being a line from a Taylor Swift song. But I chose to look past that. It made me proud of myself every time I thought about it.

I looked over my shoulder at him examining the small line forever on me. He didn't say anything. Not anything before Jeffery asked everyone if they wanted to swim. I answered but couldn't pull myself away from his glance. I was okay with that.

I gave a cheesy smile as I snapped out of it and popped up. Harry said nothing. He looked a little lost, with a smile that was so subtle that you could only see it in his eyes. But all I could think about was our permanent doodles and how sweet they were. He was thinking the same.

Adore You by Harry Styles

We stopped the boat in the middle of nowhere, far enough that the coast couldn't make out who we were. It was odd having to hide, but it did feel somewhat familiar. I always felt sick at the thought of attention, I avoided it at all costs growing up. I admitted to myself that it was something I was scared of. Harry attracted attention, he couldn't help it. But he was also reserved, and I guess I just got lucky with that one.

I watched Harry sneak up on Mitch, Sarah and I both watched in fear. I covered my mouth, trying to not laugh as much as I was hiding my surprise. He picked him up and easily threw him over the edge, causing Sarah to lose it in laughter and me to follow close behind her.

Mitch shook his hair and water out of his face, "I'll kill you, I swear. Darby, please do us the honor?"

I picked up on it quickly, instantly running towards Harry and attempting to push him off the side. I was almost successful, until I got pulled in with him when he grabbed my arm and I lost my balance. Sarah followed close behind, and Jeffery after that.

I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes and my mouth gaped open, "Harry I-" He laughed loudly and splashed me directly after getting Mitch too. I blindly tried to get him back but I ended up being enveloped in his arms and tackled under the water.

"Watch your back, D-" He paused, "What's your last name? And your middle name? You've never told me that." "My last name is Eden." He made an 'ahh yes' expression, "Middle?"

"I'm not telling you!" I screamed as he dunked me again, I strategically dragged him under to pull myself up, and it worked pretty well until I was completely overridden and he grabbed me straight out of the water.

"If you tell me yours I'll tell you mine in 50 years." I teased, messing up his hair. It was a mess, I definitely did him a favor.

"Guess we'll just have to wait it out, yeah?"

Jeffery started playing Adore You on a speaker, and Harry was quick to say, "That's my song!" I laughed at his blunt remark and he looked to me for approval.

"Straw-berry lip-stick state of mi-i-ind!" He yelled up into the air. I reached up towards his hair and pushed it out of his face, laughing as I shushed him for being so loud. My eyes crinkled up into a smile when I realized that I'd never heard him sing in person before, not more than a couple words. He didn't listen to me, and continued to sing loud. He pulled my hand towards him and tried to spin me. It was pretty unsuccessful considering the circumstances, being in the middle of the sea and me laughing way too hard to function. "I'D WALK THROUGH FIRE FOR YOU, JUST LET ME ADORE YOU" Harry screamed, disregarding anyone and anything but me. He was singing directly to me and I laughed more than I can even remember, but I do remember letting my head fall onto his shoulder.

I didn't even notice everyone else chuckling at us from a bit away, until I did notice. And I remembered that we weren't really... well we were definitely not a thing. I decided to stop caring because it was too confusing for me to understand that right then.

"Sandwich?" Harry asked me, holding out a little turkey sandwich wrapped in paper. I was sitting right back where I was before, right on the edge of the boat. It wasn't moving this time though, we were all about to eat dinner. The sun was finally setting. And I know for a fact that my excitement was apparent as it lowered further and further.

I thanked him as I took the sandwich, "Hey, I have a new song for you. I found it the other day, I think you'd like it." I said, feeling fuzzy inside. He raised his eyebrows as he always did, "If it's coming from you it literally cannot be bad. Go right ahead." He sat down next to me again.

I pulled my phone out and went to my May's monthly favorites playlist, I made a mental note to start making June's because it was only a couple days away.

It was Is It Love That We're Missin' by Quincy Jones and The Brother Johnson.

I set it down after pressing play, and Harry was already into it. His head waved to the beat of the song and I watched as the song completely occupied his senses. I stood up and he hardly noticed, but I tapped him on the shoulder and gestured to him to come dance with me.

He jumped up instantly and joined me, and I laughed way too hard. His dancing consisted solely of three moves and extra sporadic movements that the typical person would never call dancing, but I thought that it was the best part. He really didn't have any cares. Which helped me to let go of my own. I thanked him for that, and I forever would, even if it wasn't verbally.

"It takes one to be alone, And it takes two to carry on," I sang out, spinning H in a circle whilst holding onto his one hand. When he came back around he grabbed my other and swung me back and forth, whipping me around as I attempted to keep my hair somewhat out of my face.

"I seriously love this." He shouted, I grinned. "I have plenty more song recommendations if you want them."

"Give me all of them." He pleaded, doing a little twirl before sitting down. I grabbed my phone again, this time going to my playlist that I titled "😳is she okay". They were the most emotional songs I had, upbeat and not, though not sure why I decided on that title. It felt fitting.

I stood in front of him as he sat impatiently with his hands between his knees. He bounced his leg up and down but was smiling brighter than ever when I looked at him.

I contemplated choosing between a lot of different songs, I wasn't sure what type of vibe he was looking for.

I clicked on Favorite Liar by The Wrecks. An extravagant song.

"Your music taste is everywhere, Darby. And everything." He chuckled, I smiled at his little comments on the song.

"And I remember thinking, maybe we could just pretend tonight, for just tonight." I sung softly.

But that was before the beat drop, the chorus. When it came he gave me the biggest grin, and it killed me.

"I wanna wake up with you... I wanna wake up feeling TIRED."

Harry and I danced like we were a little on the insane side, and he made it look like his specialty.

Obviously he hadn't heard the song before but he acted like it was his favorite of all time, I turned it up as loud as possible and joined him. He added his signature little 'Hey's' and such and it sent me into fits of laughter.

"I think you should know that I've got pretty girls, Yeah, I've got pretty girls, takin' me home!" I sang, and he widened his eyes guestering back at me. He joined in the singing, singing back to me when the part repeated.

"I've got pretty girls, yeah, I've got pretty girls, takin' me home!" He took both of my hands and swung me around like we were straight out of Swing Kids. One of my favorite movies, actually.

He caught onto the song so fast, by the time it was nearing the end he had it down. That's why it surprised him when it slowed back down. "This is my favorite part." I whispered in his ear.

He stood still as I spun around singing, "You made me love the rain." I found him with a little smile, breathing hard like the dancing took his breath away.