《When We Were Young [H.S.]》59. Make You Mine

Advertisement

"What do you have planned for today then?" Wednesday asked, squinting under the warm sun.

Amsterdam was entering summer, the sun casting shadows over the tall houses and buildings, making everything hazy and warm. They walked down a little side street, the canal running beside them. Cyclists would pass by them every now and then as the sound of the trees swayed in the air. It all felt light, joyful.

After checking in and refreshing at the hotel, Harry had insisted they go explore the city and not waste the nice weather. Wednesday had instantly agreed—though she'd been here countless times, she'd never really explored the city in the way she'd wanted to. It had always been a stop on the long list of shows, a box to tick.

Today however, she was going to right that wrong.

Harry, playing with his lip between his fingers, narrowed his eyes down the road. Until he spotted what he wanted to find, and a smile grew on his lips.

"That," he replied, gesturing ahead.

Wednesday looked to where he was pointing, squinting to see what he was referring to. And then she saw it. The yellow bicycles lined up outside the shop.

She turned her head to him, grinning excitedly.

"Are we renting bikes?"

"Mhm," he replied with a nod. "If we're going to explore Amsterdam, we should do it properly."

They reached the shop, and after 30 minutes of signing paperwork and paying deposits, the bikes were theirs for a few hours. Harry rode in front, telling Wednesday to follow his lead.

It was refreshing and fun, to cycle through the city as the wind whipped through her hair. Her thighs didn't appreciate all the extra work forced upon them, but they'd certainly strengthened up in the past month through all the extracurricular activities she'd been engaging in, that was for sure.

The streets were winding and confusing, with Harry stopping every five minutes or so to check google maps and refuse any of Wednesday's offers of help. Too stubborn for his own good. Eventually, they came to a gated opening to a wide, green area and Wednesday eyed the sign as she got off of the bike. Vondelpark.

They walked through the entrance to the park, full of lush greenery and trees, a gigantic pond in the middle of it all. It was full of people similarly cycling and walking around the path, but they were all spaced away from one another and it seemed safe enough for them to walk through and explore.

"You know, we could have got here ten minutes earlier if you'd let me help you with the map situation," Wednesday said, unable to bite her tongue as she looked to him with a smug expression.

"I don't think that's true, but I'll let you believe it," Harry replied, forcing a dry smile at her.

They wheeled their bikes around the path, taking in all the beauty of the scenery. For a moment, it was easy to forget that Harry was someone in the public eye. A celebrity. In amongst the trees and the passers-by, it felt almost normal. Like the fear of being spotted was melting away.

Once they'd walked around most of the park, they stopped at a spot on the grass, far enough away from the general dots of people but still close enough to see the water fountain in the middle of the pond. They sat under the shade of a tree with the ice lollies they'd bought from a stand nearby, admiring the view.

Harry sat with his legs out in front of him, one hand behind to keep himself sat up as Wednesday sat with her legs crossed next to him, people watching.

Advertisement

"You know, you can lay your head onto my lap if you want," Harry said a moment later, licking his ice lolly as he looked to her.

She tried not to let her face show just how scary that suggestion was to her, keeping her interest solely focused on the lolly. The threat of anyone seeing them, even here in the mostly quiet and distanced park, was too terrifying to let herself give in to the suggestion. Even if she wanted to more than anything.

"I'm comfy here," she replied as nonchalantly as she could, licking the stripe of melted liquid from her finger.

She could feel him staring at her and she fidgeted uncomfortably, finding something to change the conversation to before he could ask why she didn't want to. That was something she wasn't yet emotionally prepared to delve into. Because it would lead to the reasons behind her fear over people seeing them together, and that was a can of worms she wasn't sure she wanted him to open just yet.

"I've been thinking," she began, clearing her throat. "We should, um...we should probably tell our mums about us. Gemma too."

Wednesday might have avoided the other topic with a swift and quick change of subject, but at least she'd changed it to a matter equally as pressing to them both. Since her conversation with Sarah the day before, she'd realised their mums would need to be clued in on them sooner rather than later, before they heard it from someone else.

Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise, slowly smiling at her suggestion.

"I think that's a good idea. When do you want to do it?" he asked.

"I was thinking maybe when the European leg ends? You have a few days off after that and it's only a couple of weeks away. Then, we can rip the band aid off together," she mused, licking her lolly.

"You know, anyone would think you're scared of telling our families about us," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"That's because I am," she replied, matching his dry tone. "I know from experience how my mum reacts when I tell her I'm even talking to a boy. For all I know, she could go into cardiac arrest when I tell her that I'm seeing you. She adores you like you're her own."

"You sound jealous," Harry quipped, smirking. "Can't help it all the mums love me."

"They love you because you flirt with them," she corrected, pointing her lolly at him accusingly.

"I don't flirt with your mum and she still loves me," he shrugged.

Wednesday winced at the sentence as her face curled up in disgust, suddenly not interested in finishing the lolly.

"Please don't ever mention flirting with my mum again. I'm begging you."

Harry smiled, scooting closer to her. "Don't worry. There's only one Green woman who I want to flirt with."

She rolled her eyes again, pushing his nearing face away with an exaggerated gagging noise.

"Keep saying things as cringe as that and those flirting privileges will be revoked."

Harry laughed, his eyes crinkling at her expression as he leant back. A moment of calm silence passed between them as she watched the ducks swimming on the water's surface, enjoying the serenity of the atmosphere. She finished her lolly, placing the stick into her bag ready to take to the bin.

"You look pretty today," Harry said softly, making her turn her head towards him. "Not that you don't look pretty every day. But you look extra pretty today."

Advertisement

Her lips turned up as she pushed her hair behind her ear, looking down to her jumpsuit and sandals.

"I'm dressed like a mum on a school run," she observed amusedly, not entirely a false statement.

Her jumpsuit, loose and thrown over a white tee, screamed 'I'm a mum of three'. And it was hardly helped by the addition of her Birkenstocks.

Harry scooted even closer to her so that their arms were touching as he leant forward, a smile playing on his lips. Tilting his head to the side, his eyebrows raised almost pleadingly.

"For once, can you just accept the compliment?"

Wednesday didn't know what to respond to that with, but it didn't matter. She had no time to think up a witty comeback or sarcastic comment when Harry closed the gap between them to kiss her, planting one firmly against her lips. Her body froze up, hyper aware that they were out in the open, around people. People who most likely had eyes. And camera phones.

His lips left hers and she blinked her eyes open, shock painting her face at the boldness of his action. Now she truly was speechless.

Harry though, simply acted like nothing had happened as he pulled himself up and wiped the loose blades of grass from his trousers. Looking down to where she was still sat speechless, he grabbed the handles of his bike.

"Come on, we've still got a lot more exploring to do."

Wednesday looked around them cautiously, seeing no-one looking at them or noticing Harry's presence. No sign of any raised cameras either. She let the breath she'd been holding since the kiss go, pushing the anxiety to the back of her mind as she stood up, grabbing her bike.

The rest of the day passed by quickly as they stopped at all the major sights TripAdvisor told them to visit; museum square, Jordaan, the tulip fields. It was amazing how much they crammed into one day, and by the end of it, Wednesday was ready to sleep for hours as she got back to their hotel room, collapsing on the bed face first and groaning.

"Oh no, you're not staying in tonight," Harry said, ruffling her hair as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I think you'll find I am," she replied, her words muffled from being face down on the mattress.

"Well, I think you'll find that we've got big plans for tonight. So, you're not allowed to skip."

Wednesday turned onto her side, looking up at him curiously.

"What kind of plans?"

Harry grinned devilishly. "Dressing up and getting drunk kind of plans."

She sat up a bit straighter, suddenly much more interested.

"I'm listening."

"I've booked for me, you, Sarah and Mitch to go for dinner tonight. Some fancy restaurant in the centre that Jeff said was nice."

Wednesday's eyebrows creased as she smiled unsurely. "So, it's like...a double date?"

Harry looked to the wall, pondering the question before shrugging his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Didn't realise that when I was booking it though." He looked down to her, checking for her reaction. "Why, do you not want to do the double date thing yet? I know we've only been on one date ourselves and—"

"Harry," Wednesday interrupted with a reassuring expression. "It's fine. Us four have always done stuff together. The only difference now is, well...this."

"Are you sure?" he asked, double checking.

"Yes," she repeated, smiling at his cautiousness. "Now anyway, tell me more about the drinking aspect of tonight."

At that, a wide grin broke out on his face.

"Well, I thought cocktails at dinner. Tequila shots at the bar after. And then, maybe a trip down memory lane for us after that."

His words settled in the air as she slowly began to grasp what he was hinting at, a smile creeping up onto her lips.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" she asked.

Harry bit his lip, knowing she knew exactly what he was talking about. He slowly nodded, matching her level of enthusiasm.

"I am indeed. We're going to go back to the nightclub where we had our first kiss."

Goosebumps erupted under her skin at the thought of going back. She wondered how it would feel, being back there. Whether it would feel nostalgic or special. In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she would remember much about it at all—she'd been so drunk, she could barely see. The only vivid memories she had from that night were the feeling of bodies around her dancing and Harry's lips on hers.

"Well then," Wednesday said, leaning towards Harry. "I guess I'm not staying in tonight after all."

He moved his face closer to hers, the corners of his lips tugged up as he dragged his eyes over her face.

"Guess not."

He pressed his lips to hers, savouring the moment between them. She melted into it, as she always did and not for the first time, wondered how her life had managed to do such an extreme 180 in a matter of months.

As the day rolled into the night and they'd gotten ready and headed to the restaurant with Sarah and Mitch, it didn't take long for the booze they'd been drinking since they sat down to start having an effect. By the time they'd finished their meals, illuminated by the candle on the table and ordering another round of margheritas, they were all comfortably drunk.

"I'm really not looking forward to rehearsals tomorrow," Sarah said, bringing the glass up to her lips and grimacing at the thought. "Loud instruments and even louder singing."

Harry smiled as he sat back, his arm around the back of the sofa where Wednesday sat next to him. Thankfully, the restaurant was one of those super exclusive spaces where everyone there wanted the same thing. Privacy. No threat of any extra attention they didn't want or hidden flashing cameras.

"We've done it before and we can hack it again," he said confidently. "I'll even grab us all some coffees, how about that?"

"Can you make that a McDonalds breakfast instead?" she asked, smiling widely in the hopes he'd say yes.

"That answer depends on the way I feel when I wake up tomorrow morning," he replied, his eyes more droopy than normal under the sheer amount of tequila running through his bloodstream.

Wednesday smiled smugly, picking up her cocktail. "Well, I for one am ecstatic about the fact that I get to endure my hangover in peace tomorrow. No work, no instruments. Just me and the bed that I won't be leaving until at least midday."

Harry looked down to her, looping his arm around her shoulders. Instinctively, she raised her hand to hold onto his dangling fingers as their eyes locked and he smiled at her smugly.

"I'm sure we can find a way to make ourselves feel better in the morning," he said suggestively, not even bothering to lower his voice.

Like she'd observed before, alcohol always made him flirtier. Hornier too, something she'd only recently come to learn.

"Get a room you two," Mitch said, scrunching his face up in disgust at them.

Wednesday and Harry peeled their eyes away from each other to look at him with similarly amused grins. Even Sarah looked like she wished she'd never heard the words that had just come out of his mouth, taking what looked like a much-needed sip of her drink.

"We've got one Mitch. And it will be getting used tonight and tomorrow morning. Possibly tomorrow afternoon too," Harry observed with a sly shrug, enjoying the grossed out faces of the couple opposite.

Even Wednesday, who would usually want the ground to swallow her up in situations like this, was enjoying the teasing too much. Mitch looked one comment away from ordering an entire bottle of tequila to himself, just so he could black out and forget every single thing that Harry had said in the minutes just passed.

"God, you two are at it like rabbits. I've got to salute you both if you have the energy for all that," Sarah said, with an expression that resided somewhere between impressed and horrified. "Wednesday you must have some god-awful friction burn going on."

She choked out a laugh, feeling her cheeks pinken. "Well, on those days we just find something else to do."

Harry bit back his grin, stifling a laugh as Sarah's brows drew together at the underlying implication of what Wednesday just said.

"You two are rabid. Thank god me and Mitch have become that boring couple who go home and watch TV with the cat."

"Amen to that," Mitch replied, clinking his glass against Sarah's as they watched on in amusement.

"Well, we'll have that to look forward to eventually," Harry said with a grin.

Wednesday looked to him quickly as he took a drink, seemingly unaware of what he'd just said in his drunken state. He'd made an offhanded comment that to him was simple. But to her, it meant everything. It meant that whatever they were, wherever they were going, he truly believed would last. He didn't even need to think about the meaning behind it because to him, that was something he was sure of. And it made the black hole of uncertainty within her shrink even more. That part that told her he'd come to his senses any day now.

They finished their drinks off and paid the bill, stepping back out onto the street. At that point, Mitch was yawning, and Sarah was stumbling, and they mutually decided that for them, it was time to call it a night. Wednesday and Harry didn't mind though. They knew exactly where their next destination was. And as they walked alongside the canals, passing through side streets that were lit up in red with the women stood in the windows, she had a sense of déjà vu. Like a long since used muscle memory had been kicked back into action.

Sure enough, after ten minutes of walking, they came to the outside of a club that was very recognisable. The music from inside blasted out to where they were on the street and the neon sign outside was obnoxiously bright. Harry showed the bouncer something on his phone and he moved aside a second later, allowing them access.

"Ready?" Harry asked, looking back to her.

She smiled nervously, nodding at him.

"Ready."

Harry grabbed her hand covertly and guided her down the stairs that led to the basement nightclub they'd visited all those years before. The smell of smoke machines and alcohol filled their nostrils, the booming of the music vibrating off of the walls. The closer they got, the more heightened Wednesday's nerves were to step back inside of it once more.

It was kind of crazy, how that one off decision she got pressured into all those years ago had led back to this moment. In a weird way, it felt full circle.

They were met at the bottom of the stairs with two large, blacked out doors that she instantly recognised. Harry's hand reached out to grab the handle, the metal of his rings clanging against the metal handle.

As soon as he pulled it open, the life from inside spilled out to where they were. Red and blue lights flicked over the crowd, coating everything in a frenzy of colour. Smoke clouded the air from the smoke machines and the bar was crowded, full of bodies queuing to get served. It didn't look any different. Maybe a new coat of paint, different furniture. But the layout had remained the same and it felt like she'd stepped back in time to being 19 again.

Her eyes flicked to the centre of the dance floor, under where the disco ball was hung, and she felt overwhelmed with something she couldn't explain. Harry most have noticed her staring at that spot; he squeezed her hand, pulling her attention back to him and when her eyes found his, he smiled in a way that told her he too was feeling everything she was in that moment.

After getting seated at one of the private booths in the upstairs part that overlooked the floor and ordering a round of drinks, Wednesday let her eyes wander over the whole room, feeling like she was seeing it all properly for the first time. Somehow in her memory, it had felt bigger, more remarkable.

She was starting to believe that maybe it hadn't been the venue itself, but the memories attached to it that had painted it in such a rose-tinted glow all these years.

    people are reading<When We Were Young [H.S.]>
      Close message
      Advertisement
      You may like
      You can access <East Tale> through any of the following apps you have installed
      5800Coins for Signup,580 Coins daily.
      Update the hottest novels in time! Subscribe to push to read! Accurate recommendation from massive library!
      2 Then Click【Add To Home Screen】
      1Click