My Dearest Friend

“ Look Mom, I’m going no matter what you say. And it’s not just because I’m already at the airport.”
“ Sweetheart, just think about this for a moment.” she pleaded.
“ I have. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my life.” they both fell silent for a moment. “ Mom, I have to meet him.”
“ But you have no clue what he looks like! He could be a-”
“ Don’t plant any ideas in my mind. I’ve already went over those possibilities. And there’s something special that we have that just can’t be made up.”
“ Jessica....”
“ Oh mom he’s on the other line! I’ll call you when I land, love you!” and without another moment, she switched lines and took in a deep breath. “ Hello?”
“ Jessica, hi!” a cheery british accent replied. Just the sound of his voice made all her worries go away.
“ Hi Harry.”
“ How are you doing?”
“ Fine. I’m boarding the plane in 20 minutes.”
“ That’s exciting! I just wanted to call to wish you a safe flight, and well, at least get the chance to hear each others voices.” she smiled at his words.
“ You’re right. And it has definitely calmed me down a bit.”
“ I understand, not knowing what to expect can be scary.”
“ Yeah my mother has pretty much engraved that into my brain.” his laugh echoed through the line.
“ Well, I’ll let you go now. Have a safe trip and call me as soon as you land.”
“ Thanks, I will. See you Harry.”
“ Bye Jessica.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as the passengers were able to make their way off the plane, Jessica dialed her mother to give her the ‘okay’ that she had made it safe. Of course, the next demand from her mother was a call once she got to his home, where they would be able to skype. Nothing short of being too cautious. When she was finally given a break, she dialed Harry on her way to collect her suitcase. For it being her first time alone in an airport, she was doing quite well navigating around it. As the phone was ringing, she approached the drop off/pick up zone and saw a group of men that looked like cab drivers huddled in one area. One man had a sign with her name on it. The phone went to a machine so she hung up and approached the driver.
“ Good evening ma’am, I take it you’re Miss Moore.”
“ Is it that obvious?”
“ Judging by your lost expression, quite so.” he joked. Jessica was able to laugh along. “ Your friend wanted me to pass on the message that he would have come to get you himself, but at this hour it would be difficult.”
“ Wait, what time is it?”
“ About midnight.”
“ Oh, well then no hard feelings.” the driver took her suitcase and they went on.
“ So, are you here on vacation?” he asked as they got into the cab.
“ You can say that. I’m visiting a dear friend of mine.” Jessica explained. The car roared as it turned on and they were officially on route.
“ A boyfriend perhaps?”
“ Oh no! As alarming it might sound, we’ve never actually met face to face.” he gave her a skeptical look through the mirror. “ We’ve written letters to each other for almost a year, so we thought it’s about time that we formally met.”
“ Well, judging by how excited the boy was when he called and explained whom I’d be picking up, I’d say he’s quite fond of you.” Jess smiled shyly to herself. She looked out the window, taking in the foreign land and let a yawn escape.
“ You must be tired, Miss. We’ve got about an hour drive, so why don’t you let your boy know you’re on the way and get some shut eye.”
“ Sounds like a plan to me.” she answered. Judging by how he answered the phone 10 minutes ago, she sent a text telling him that she was on her way and to expect her within the hour. Once she received the excited reply, ‘Can’t wait!’, she put her phone away and quickly gave in to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The taxi rolled down a small street and gently stopped at its destination, and Jessica hadn’t stirred a muscle. The driver glanced at her and decided to wake her last. Harry came as soon as he heard the engine cut off. He greeted the driver who was taking her luggage out of the trunk and came up to her door.
“ Gently now lad, she’s asleep.” Harry couldn’t help but smile. He opened the door, but she remained still. He took an extra moment to gaze at the girl who’s been a mystery to him for the better part of the past year. She seemed petite, with brown wavy hair that stopped just above her shoulder. She was clad in a t-shirt and sweater paired with black sweatpants, something comfortable for such a long day of traveling. Leaning down, he lightly shook her shoulder.
“ Jessica, time to wake up.” her eyes fluttered open, brown eyes that immediately lit up the darkness around them. She looked up at him but couldn’t make out a single feature because of the porch light that glowed, leaving him to be a simple silhouette. Unbuckling herself from the seat, she grabbed his outstretched hand and got out of the car. Harry grabbed her luggage and they both bid goodbye to the driver. As the cab drove away, Harry took Jessica’s hand and led her into the house.
“ Oh what a lovely home!” Jess quietly said.
“ Harry, is she here yet?”
“ Yes mum.” he answered as he closed the door behind them. From the kitchen emerged his mother.
“ Jessica, it’s so nice to finally meet you, I’m Anne.”
“ Likewise. Thank you for inviting me to your lovely home.” she responded as the boy’s mom pulled her into a hug.
“ You’re just as sweet as Harry said you’d be.” Jessica revealed the smallest hint of a blush. “ How long will you be staying?”
“ Well, Harry so kindly only got me a one-way ticket.” she answered shyly. His mother’s eyes immediately connected with his own.
“ I was thinking that I didn’t want to put a limit on our time together.”
“ I imagined I’d stay no more than a few days, I don’t want to impose....”
“ Nonsense! You’re more than welcome to stay here. Then you’ll be able to meet the rest of the boys.” Harry quickly looked to his mom, signaling her to stop, but Jessica had already noticed.
“ You have brothers?”
“ Not brothers, just really close friends. Practically brothers.” he explained.
“ It’s a shame you haven’t mentioned them before, he talks about you all the time to them.” Harry’s cheeks shared a matching glow to Jessica’s.
“ Alright thanks mum, I’m going to show her the rest of the house.” he said as he took Jess’s hand and took her upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess sat on her bed, already in pajamas, going on her computer one last time for the night when all of a sudden her stomach spoke. Then she realized she didn’t have a proper dinner that night. Quietly, she got up and went across the hall to Harry’s room. His door was slightly open and she heard him on the phone, but she knocked anyway. She listened as he hung up and opened the door. She was surprised to see he hadn’t changed from his day clothes.
“ I don’t mean to be a bother, but I was wondering if I could get something to eat.”
“ Absolutely, I’ll make you something.”
“ No need, just give me permission to raid your fridge and I’ll be okay.” he laughed in response.
“ Honestly, I’d love to.”
“ Right, because you love to cook.”
“ I’d like to think I’m quite savvy in the kitchen.” he answered more proudly.
“ Okay, time to prove yourself.” and they made their way downstairs. As they reached the bottom, Anne caught their attention.
“ Everything alright kids?”
“ Yeah mum, she’s just hungry so I’m going to make her something.”
“ Oh the poor thing, you probably haven’t eaten since the flight.”
“ I had the dinner they offered. A small snack will suffice for now, thank you.” Jess told her.
“ Okay, well, I’m heading upstairs so goodnight you two.” the two teens responded with a bid goodnight and continued into the kitchen. Jessica sat down at the island as Harry went and put on an apron.
“ Is that really necessary?”
“ Don’t question it. Just know that I’m making you something good.”
“ I must be a really lucky girl. It’s only our first meeting and I already get a home-cooked meal.” she teased. Harry splashed some water on her as he finished washing his hands.
“ Hush you, or I’m giving you toast with butter and you’ll be off.” she pretended to zipper her mouth closed. “ I hope you don’t mind breakfast for dinner.”
“ That sounds perfect right now.” Harry smiled at her and began to retrieve ingredients.

They sat opposite each other at the island, in silence. Jess was finishing up the last of her late night meal when Harry decided to bring up conversation.
“So, I believe I should give you a fair warning,” he began. Jess quietly looked up at him. “ In a couple days, it’ll get quite hectic here.”
“ Am I supposed to be scared?”

“ No no! In fact, it’d be great if you remain calm the whole time.” he added quickly. Unsure of how to respond, Jess gave a weak smile and put her dishes in the sink.
“ Are these the ‘boys’ your mom was talking about?”
“ Yes. I guarantee there won’t be any peace once they come.”
“ Well I think I can handle it.” Harry looked at her, wishing to believe her words, but something gave him a sense of doubt. It was a doubt he felt quite often when meeting new people. “ Are you okay?” he was slightly surprised at her concern; it was as if she could see right through him, but then again, this is the girl he’s been writing to the past year. On a certain level, they knew each other inside and out.
“ I’m just nervous for you to meet them is all.”
“ Well, exactly how many of them are there?”
“ Four of them.” Jess pondered over this for a moment, and smiled.
“ I can promise I won’t feel too intimidated. I’m a tough girl.” she answered, saying the last part more quietly. Harry leaned in and reciprocated the hushed tone.
“ You sure about that?”
“ You of all people should know, I’ve practically told you my life story.” her phrasing stirred something within him. How was he going to explain to her everything that’s happened to him this past year without scaring her off, or claiming to be a liar? In the moment, though, it didn’t concern Jessica whatsoever. “ I’m getting pretty tired.” she finally said.
“ It’s been a long day. We should head to sleep so the real fun can start tomorrow.” her eyebrow raised at his words.
“ Real fun?” Harry nodded his head with a smirk on his lips. “ Well I kinda like just talking to you and actually seeing your face while we talk.” a grin like he never felt before crossed his face, and at this moment, Jess realized something. “ I guess I can make you smile.”
“ There was no reason for you to ever doubt yourself.” she replied with a shrug.
“ You know, you don’t make as many funny faces as you claimed you did.”
“ If you feel like continuing our game of 20 questions, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
“ Okay, another time then.” they both got up and went for the stairs. The only light in the house that remained was the one in the hall as they stood at their respective bedrooms. “ Actually, I do have a question.”
“ Really? Even this late?” Jessica tried to hush her giggles.
“ Was your first impression everything you thought I was going to be?” For a serious question, a smile remained on her face. He stared at her for a bit, and an answer easily came to him.
“ I’ll tell you in the morning.”
“ Why?”
“ I’ve got to process everything first.”
“ Just don’t sugar-coat anything!” she warned.
“ Oh don’t worry, cold hard truth is what you’re going to get.” he said with more intimidation.
“ So you’re going to leave me with all this suspense?”
“ I want you to experience first-hand what it was like playing 20 questions with you.”
“ I guess it’s fair.” she met his gaze and realized that he wasn’t going to waver the least bit.
“ Goodnight Harry.”
“ Sweet dreams Jessica.” he waited for her to close the door and then he turned off the light. Once in the privacy of his room, he laid onto his bed, alone with his thoughts. Was she all he expected her to be?