"And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe just the touch of a hand. Oh, me I fall in love with you every single day"

~ Thinking Out Loud (X)

heart stopped for a second, freezing my body in a state of shock as his words dawned on me.

He loves me.

Harold loves me.

He was in love with me.

I stared at him, my frozen eyes thawing as his beautiful smile became my center focus. I reached out to run my fingers through his hair. "You mean that?"

His eyes were overrun with a dynamic passion that drew out the ardent part of me that had been struggling to stay dormant every since Harold came into my life. "I mean it wholly. I love you."

My breaths were coming in shallow, my lungs finding it hard to function properly with my heart trembling with Harold's tender words. Loving someone is never easy; especially figuring out for the first time whether those feelings are truly implanted in your being or not. I should now, I've only loved one man and it took me a long time to discern my true feelings for him. But Harold, Harold was different. There was no part of me that struggled to define how I felt about him. There was no part of me that questioned my intentions with him. No part of me dared, or even wanted to caution me from diving in too deep too fast with him.

Everything was clear. Every emotion that I felt in his presence, the emptiness that existed in the back of my mind when he and I don't see each other for days due to our schedule, was perspicuous.

So when the words slipped past my lips with ease, I didn't have any reason to hold my tongue. "I love you, too, Harry," I leaned in, bringing our lips close, but far enough so that I could look into his exuberant eyes as he realized the words I'd said to him, "I love you more than I can say."

A vibrant smile struck his lips, igniting another spark of happiness in my thoughts. "You mean that?"

I couldn't help but smile at his use of my words against me. "I mean it wholly. I love you."

"Do you think we're moving too fast here?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing a little.

I chuckled because the confidence in us that flowed through me stunned me. "There's no set time on how long it should take someone before they fall in love with their partner, Harry. It just happens. It happens when you're not paying attention. When you're so involved in the other person, so drawn into their world, it sneaks up on you and takes a hold of your heart without you knowing. And before you realize it, you start doing things you'd never thought you'd do. You begin to want to do anything to make them happy, anything just to see them smile. Once you understand why you're acting the way you are, it really surprises you; it sure as hell surprised me. I don't know when I fell in love with you. But I did; I fell hard and I fell fast. There was a pull that drew me to you in that elevator that day and I couldn't describe it. Hell, I still can't, but I knew then that there was something about you I wouldn't be able to let go and I was right. You have this familiarity that I can't put my finger to, but it feels like home. It's such a unique yet perplexing feeling because I love it, I love the feeling of safety, of a home I haven't felt in a long time. Yet the feeling is troubling because I've known you for such a little amount of time. How could I feel this way about someone I barely know?

"I knew I loved you for the first time as you were helping me with the first aid when I nearly cut my finger off. I knew right then and there that I had absolutely and completely fallen in love with you. Sitting there in the restroom, waiting for you to clean my wound, I wasn't afraid. I knew that nothing bad would happen to me because you were there. And even if I had completely chopped my finger off, I still wasn't afraid. I felt safe knowing that no matter what, I had you and that was more than enough. You, Harry, are more than enough."

The room thickened in intensity as his eyes gazed at me, drenched in ardor that was unlike anything I've ever seen in my entire lifetime. His lips parted but closed as soon as they'd opened. He was studying my features, searching for something I couldn't place.

I swallowed, not knowing what else to do. "Say something," I whispered, not trusting my voice to use it fully.

He smiled. "I don't know, Elle. I don't know when I fell in love with you either. The first time I knew was when we went grocery shopping together for the first time and you no idea where anything was. It blindsided me. I stood there watching you trying to decide between Folgers or Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and you were so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I fall in love with you every single day and it shocks me every time. Your beauty, your indestructible joy, your bravery, your heart of gold, your flaws, every part of you, I fall in love with it all ever day. Over and over and over and over again. It's the most mysterious thing, the way you and I fell in love, but it's also the most beautiful. I'm glad I got stuck in that elevator with you; it's the best near death experience I've ever had."

The tears had welled up in my eyes and my control over then had weakened, allowing them to spill over. I wanted to stop crying, but I knew I was wrong to want to do so. I had kept my feeling locked behind a door for so long, not allowing myself to cry under any circumstances and it's become a bad habit. But now, my tears were that of joy. Bad habit or not, I needed to let them fall. I found love again.

And damn me if I wasn't going to shed one tear of joy due to my pride.

As Harold leaned in for the kiss I'd wanted since that moment he told me he loved me, a sound of thunder rumbled outside.

A bright light flashed outside the windows and within a milisecond, the lights went out.

The last thing I saw before darkness consumed my sight was Harold lying on my couch unconcious.