It was one in the morning when there was a knock on the front door.

Brandon wasn't even here so I had to be the one get up and answer it, even though I wasn't necessarily in bed yet. The party had ended a couple hours ago so I showered when I got home and got ready for bed.

I was in the middle of drying my hair when I heard the knock, so I turned off my blow dryer and walked out of my room, unlocked the front door, and swung it open.

I stood there, not at all expecting to see Harry on the other side with a cutely sheepish smile on his face, his hands behind his back.

"Hi?" I greeted, sounding a little confused.

He didn't say anything. Instead, I he revealed his hands and held up his car keys along with a small cheesecake from Walmart. He remembered.

Ever since Brandon got his license, he made it a tradition to drive me around at midnight on my birthday and we would sit in a parking garage eating cheesecake instead of birthday cake. We didn't get to do it this year since we were both visiting our Nonna in Italy, and didn't really have time to celebrate my birthday. I also didn't get to do it on my twenty-first since I had bronchitis and couldn't leave the apartment for a week.

"Wanna go for a drive?"

I stared at Harry in surprise before smiling with a nod. He waited patiently for me while I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, giving up on drying my hair and just letting it rest around my shoulders. I lock the door behind me and the both of us go down to his car. I don't know what is going to happen during the time we are going to be spending alone together, but I can't say I am not looking forward to it.

I am still a little shocked that he remembered I used to do this for my birthday. The year he lived here was the first and only time I drove around with him instead of Brandon, but I was excited to do it again.

"The birthday woman gets to pick our cruising music." Harry offers me, handing me his phone that was connected to the car.

"You know it's not actually my birthday, right?" I say as I take it from him and without hesitation I search up my alternative playlist on Apple Music, hitting shuffle.

"I know."

One for the Road by Arctic Monkeys starts playing from the speakers, and Harry nodded in approval.

"I always listen to this playlist when I drive at night. It's therapeutic." I tell him with no shame. Nick used to make fun of me for my music taste, so I never played it around him. I'm pretty sure Harry is the only person I share my taste in music with.

"I get why. It's like having an eargasm."

I couldn't help but laugh a little too loudly at his comment and I saw him smile at my reaction. "I agree, but never say that word again." I say through my laughs that were dying down, looking out the window and seeing we were already out of the parking garage and driving down the empty road.

I don't know how we were acting so normal, as if we didn't just risk our friendship last week with that kiss. Neither of us seemed to care at all at the moment, just enjoying the rest of the night.

It was nearly pouring, but it was warm enough for me to take off my hoodie and enjoy the air coming in from the windows.

"No promises." He side-glanced at me and winked, keeping his eyes on the road.

After One for the Road, R.I.P. 2 My Youth by The Neighbourhood came next, and I was so in the zone when Jesse started singing. I started shouting the lyrics with so much passion while Harry listened in amusement, taking a few peaks at my concert when he could.

The city wasn't all that busy as we drove through it considering it was raining, but the lights were still on, making it a breathtaking sight.

Devil's Advocate was the next song to play, and I don't know what came over the both of us when Jesse's voice blared from the speakers, the volume already all the way up. Harry and I were both singing the song with our entire souls.

"Trade the whip out for a bike

Designer for some Nikes

Switch the stripper for a wife

Black tie for a white-t.

I've been moving light speed

Light speed Light speed

Light speed Light speed

Light speed light speed

Light speed."

The both of us were literally screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs, but we didn't care because our voices were drowned out by the actual music.

By the time the song was finished, he had driven to the second to last floor of a public parking garage so that way we could get out of the car without getting wet.

We left the car on and the music was still blaring loudly, but there was nobody around so we didn't really feel the need to turn it down.

Harry grabbed the cheesecake and two plastic forks I guess he had brought with, and we climbed onto the hood of the car, watching as the rain poured and the city lights lit up the sky.

"You know, I haven't done this in a while." I decided to tell Harry as he sat across from me on the hood of the car, the both of us crossing our legs and placing the small cake in between us.

"Eat cheesecake?" He asked with a light chuckle, handing me a fork.

"Well, yeah. But I haven't driven around for my birthday since I turned nineteen. I kinda missed it." I shrugged, watching as Harry took the lid off and set it aside.

"Really? Why?" He questioned curiously.

"For my twentieth, I was in a bad place so I didn't really do anything. For my twenty-first, I was sick. And this year, I was in Italy with Brandon because my grandma was in the hospital." I explained briefly, poking at the cheesecake with the fork before breaking off a small piece, Harry doing the same.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's doing better. My aunt has been staying with her, keeping us updated and stuff." I frowned, trying not to feel too worried about her tonight.

"That's good." A look of a realization hit him and he forced back a smile. "So the last time you did this was with me?"

I nodded slowly. "Yup."

• • •

"Babe!" A hear a quiet shout from the hallway as I stepped out of my apartment.

I turn around and smile when I see Harry walking up to me.

It had turned midnight just a few minutes ago and Harry's family had a small party that was still going. I got a call from my dad that I went to my place to answer, and it was just wishing me a happy birthday.

"I have a surprise for you." Harry urges me excitedly, grabbing my hand and walking to the elevator.

"Oh?" I chuckle at his eagerness, allowing him to lead me into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button.

He was bouncing sigh excitement the entire time he dragged me to the parking garage. "Where are we going?"

Harry didn't say anything. He just opened the door for me once we reached his car and waited for me to get inside. Seeing as he wasn't going to speak, I sighed and got into the car. He closed the door after and walked around the front of the car before hopping into the driver's side.

"All you have to do is play your music and enjoy the ride." He winked, leaning in and pecking my lips lightly before putting the car in drive.

Not questioning anything else knowing I won't get an answer, I do as he says and search through the CD's for something alternative, finding the I Love You. album by The Neighbourhood. I put the CD into the player and pressed play.

Harry drove around for about thirty minutes before we came to a stop at a familiar parking garage within downtown Toronto that looked over most of the city. He put the car in park before reaching into the backseat and grabbing something out of a grocery bag.

"Unfortunately, Walmart was closed today so I got this from a small bakery." He says, confusing me slightly by adding that random fact in.

"What?"

He set the round object down on the glove box between us and that's when I realize it was a cheesecake. That's what he meant by what he said. I told him I usually eat Walmart cheesecake on my birthday while I drove around after midnight...he remembered me telling him that?

"Harry..." I trailed off, feeling slightly emotional. He really took what I told him to heart because a year later and he still remembered it.

"Happy birthday." He smiled timidly, watching me skeptically for a reaction.

I looked up from the cake with watery eyes, and he took that in a bad way, seeing as he grew nervous and panic crossed his face. "No, Baby, I didn't mean to make you cry. I j-"

"Harry," I cut him off, smiling through my happy tears. "I'm not sad."

He relaxed by a fraction, looking at me in relief. "You're not?"

I shake my head. "No. I just wasn't expecting you to do this for me. I didn't think you were actually listening when I told you about this."

His face softened and he cupped my cheek, brushing his thumb lightly over my skin. "Of course I was listening. I have every word you've ever said to me imprinted into my brain."

I grabbed him by the face and practically attacked his lips with mine, taking him by a pleasant surprise. He smiled against my lips before pulling back and setting a peck to my lips. "I love you too." He says with humour in his voice, his eyes lighting up as I connected our lips again.

• • •

"Didn't we have sex in the trunk that night?" He asked randomly, but the look on his face told me he already know the answer to that.

Clearing my throat at that awkward and unnecessary question, I answer with a less awkward answer. "Yeah. Nick somehow found out and high-fived me for it." I snorted, making Harry let out a laugh that echoed the empty garage.

"I have to admit, this cheesecake is so much better than that bakery. I should go to Walmart more often." He says, changed the subject after dramatically moaning when he took another bite of the cake. I was still working on my first bite, not really having much of an appetite. I trained myself to not be hungry any time after eleven at night, so now I guess my body is set that way.

The both of us went quiet after, just enjoying Jesse Rutherford's calming voice. In the time we didn't speak, I couldn't help but think if things would be this easy again with us tomorrow. I was nervous to ask, but I was also too curious to sit here and do nothing.

"Are we still going to be friends tomorrow?" I asked quietly, bringing myself to look away from the dark sky and at Harry.

Instead of answering that question, he asked his own.

"You know how I was nervous about making a good impression on your dad?" His voice was almost shaky, like he was scared.

I had completely forgotten about that. "Yeah?" I replied in a whisper. Seeing as he wasn't looking away from the sky, I decided to just keep my gaze there as well instead of staring at him.

"I never gave you a proper answer, but I was trying so hard because I always thought one day, maybe I'd have the chance of getting to be yours again."

I couldn't form any words to respond to that except one. "Oh."

"You asked if we will still be friends tomorrow..." He continued, my heart rate increasing rapidly as finally turned to look me in the eyes.

His were glossy and they held so much pain behind them that it made me tear up slightly. I didn't know why I became emotional after only a few sentences exchanged in the last minute, but I became petrified as he finished speaking.

"I'm not sure we were ever friends to begin with."

• • •