< : > : Chapter Twenty - Five : < : >

Harlow | Phoenix | Other people

"I love you Phoenix."

"Fucking shit Harlow. I'm so glad you said it first. I wanted to say it to you the moment you were in my arms but I wasn't sure if it was too early or not but it feels right. I love you -"

A light snore cut my rapid speech short.

Staring in the direction of my phone I refused to move a single muscle listening . . .

Waiting . . .

Hoping that she wasn't -

There is was again. It was soft almost quiet enough that I couldn't hear but as I continued to listen to her sleep her snoring raised a few notches.

Harlow was asleep.

She had told me that she loved me in her sleep.

I couldn't find a way to be upset that she wasn't awake when she said it or that I almost said the same thing because I was touched that she thought about me before she slept. Her conscious loved me. There was a piece of her that loved me before we met. Before we kissed. Before we shared a hug. Her feelings for me ran deep making me wish for that split moment that I could have recorded her saying how she felt.

Picking up my phone the screen lit up showing her contact picture of us making silly faces. Chuckling to myself I thought of the girl that was no longer over a days travel away. For now she was about a twenty minute drive. She wasn't just a girl I talked on the phone because I couldn't sleep and my little cousin and aunt were sleep. She was my girlfriend that fell asleep on me. She was my girlfriend that I would see tomorrow because we were finally in the same city.

"Harlow . . ." Stretching behind my head I placed on phone on my chest. "People would think we're crazy for getting in a relationship. Hell, someone would think I'm crazy for talking to a sleeping girl but I don't care because you . . . you make me feel something different. You make me want to impress you. I want to kiss you every minute but I'll settle for you smiling because we both need to breathe but just know that if I had to choose between kissing and smiling, it would be to always feel your lips on mine. So sleep well Harlow. I care about you more than you know."

Closing my eyes deciding not to hang up I wanted to take the opportunity to wake up and still have Harlow on the phone.

Real cheesy couple stuff.

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Rolling over partially feeling the morning sun warming my skin instead of watching it rise as I ran the mountains back on base, I tilted my cell checking how long we had been on the phone still hearing her lightly snore.

Almost four hours.

"Harlow? . . . . Harlow, are you up? . . . Baby?"

"Mm."

Hearing shuffling from her end of the line I smiled at the phone before hanging up hurrying to shower and dress hoping to catching Dylan before he went to school.

Walking from my old bedroom rubbing the small stubble of a beard that had grown overnight, the small walk down the hall was filled with Aunt Justine's famous brioche french toast and syrup. Sweet memories of my Uncle Zach kissing his wife on the cheek before roughing Dylan and I's head before putting on his cover heading out the door for work played in my mind pausing my steps.

"Dylan go wake up Nicky for breakfast."

"I'm up." I said coming in the kitchen ready for the day. Slapping Dylan on the back I roughed his hair a little taking the seat next to him. "Good morning everyone."

"Good morning Nicky."

"Sup Nick." Dylan nodding at me cutting a piece of his french toast.

Rolling my eyes I turned to my aunt thanking her for breakfast as she place my plate in front of me. "So I'm Nick now?"

"I feel like a baby when I call you Nicky."

"I see."

"You're still my Nicky." Aunt Justine smiled making her own plate.

Winking at my aunt I ate another fork making small talk with Dylan about school and sports. I even threw in a few questions about girls wondering what his answers would be. Luckily he said his focus was on school and sports which made his mom happy.

In the back of my mind I wondered if he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps or take his own path. Either choice would make me happy and I knew that Uncle Zach would be happy too.

Finishing breakfast Aunt Justine took Dylan to school handing over the keys to Uncle Zach's old pick up truck that she kept in the garage. I didn't want to use his truck at first because I haven't sat in it in years. The truck still held his scent and memories that made me want to shed a few tears . . .

Kind of like I was now.

"Fuck, Uncle Zach." Quickly wiping the fallen tears I started his truck pausing at the end of the driveway deciding if I should get Harlow some breakfast before showing up.

Remembering in one of our many phone conversations she told me about a this woman from the Farmer's Market that made delicious breakfast bagels with homemade cinnamon butter and hot chocolate. It was only Thursday unfortunately the Farmer's Market wouldn't be open until Saturday.

"Crap." Tapping the steering wheel I tried to think of somewhere else to go when the woman's bakery came to mind. Not being able to ever remember driving by her shop I was thankful for the internet. Typing in the bakery's name I smiled at the short fifteen minute drive it would take me to get there.

Walking into Sharrons's Bakery, the smell of cinnamon filled my nose. To my left were three tables all surrounded by two chairs. To my right was a wooden black cut out of the United States with white pins stabbed in certain places. Straight ahead a woman in her early sixties stood behind a counter connected to a display of bagels and donuts.

"Good morning." The older woman with mostly grey hair pulled into a high fro smiled at me as the man ahead of me walked away with his bag of goods. Smiling politely to both him and her I walked up to the counter ordering Harlow's favorites.

The woman was very sweet giving me an extra container of cinnamon butter once we started talking. Somehow after giving my order and telling her that my morning was going good my entire life became part of the discussion. Before I knew it I had told her my reason for coming in was for Harlow and how we met. She then said she knew Harlow and in came the extra cinnamon butter.

"You have a good day Phoenix. Tell Harlow I said hello!"

"Will do Sharron. Thanks again." I replied walking backwards with a smile.

Exiting the bakery I pulled up Harlow's contact calling her before I drove to her house making sure she was up. It was a little after eight and I wasn't sure if what time she had to go to work not that I cared since I planned on dropping her off like a good boyfriend would.

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