Home Meeting

At this specific moment in time, it was a humid summer day in the middle of July. Hanna stood clad in a slightly crusted from old age, dove grey towel at her parents’ house after just finishing with her expected twenty minute shower. The brunette quickly turned around to pick up the wet used towels her mother always lectured her about. Instead of taking the time to fold them neatly, she bunched them together in a soaked mess and threw them over the ledge of the bathtub, a shortcut she had taught herself after growing up in the house.

The casual two-story house located in the nowheresville of Minnesota was nothing to be awestruck over, or even proud of for that matter, but it was home afterall. At first when Hanna’s dad called and suggested she bring Harry home to meet his side of the family, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t a tad bit nervous or insecure, but now that they had spent a couple nights in her old room she didn’t understand what there was to worry about in the first place.

The mirror in the small bathroom was fogged with steam and Hanna couldn’t stop her pointer finger from repeatedly tracing her signature over and writing a small love message to her boyfriend who would be occupying the bathroom after her. She exited the bathroom, letting her dripping body enter the kitchen, wetting the floor beneath her, she was always naturally messy at this house.

The kitchen wasn’t much bigger than the bathroom, so it didn’t take very long before she noticed that Harry was finally awake and eating scrambled eggs and toast with her parents. Harry felt rather comfortable with Hanna’s parents, despite the fact he had only met them a few times they had a way with making him feel right at home, like their door was always open. Literally.

The curly haired boy was in the middle of making a comment to his girlfriend’s dad about the motorcycle he spotted out the window, when his head flicked to the right to witness the clean rinsed brunette steal the toast off his plate, stopping in the middle of his sentence to either complain and whine, or be a pervert. Obviously, going with the latter. “Did you always walk through the house half naked? Your poor parents.”

Hanna and her mom laughed in unison, two completely different laughs, one same instinct. Lisa adjusted the headband in her short blonde hair, choosing to answer for her daughter who was too busy stuffing pieces of toast down her throat. “Oh please, If Doug wasn’t home, she’d bare-ass it all the way to her room.”

Hanna gasped at her mother, knowing she was right but wanting to deny her anyways. Harry clapped his hands together partly laughing at the bicker between her and her mom and partly because of the look of disgust Doug sent over his shoulder while he fried more eggs.

By the time Harry showered and got dressed, Hanna was still putting the finishing touches on her highlighted brown hair and he noticed how plain jane her face looked. Not that he minded her without makeup, he just knew that she didn’t feel the same about her blotchy skin and invisible eyelashes. If there weren’t butterflies in his stomach earlier, there definitely were some now. He would be spending three days with a whole side of Hanna’s family, her dad’s side nonetheless. He felt bad he couldn’t stray away from work longer, but she not only understood but she accepted it, plus she didn’t know how anyone non-related would be able to spend a whole two weeks with her family like she would be doing.

He casually snaked his arms around his short girlfriend from behind, admiring her open mouth in the mirror while she put on mascara the only way women knew how. “I’m getting nervous.” Harry’s thick accent echoed into her ear before resting his chin on her bare shoulder, covering her pasty tan line from her countless bikinis.

She scoffed and sent him a smile using her reflection in the old vanity mirror that was once her mother’s and possibly her grandmother’s as well. “You get on stage in front of billions of people all the time, to sing and make a complete fool of yourself. I think you call it dancing or something.”

He rolled his eyes, releasing his hold on her to fall backwards onto the full mattress. “But this is your family. Do they, you know-- know everything?” The last thing Harry wanted was for him to show up and introduce himself only to face the uncomfortable autograph or fan picture. That’s fine with fans or even her little cousins, but not grandparents. His face scrunched at the thought.

“Know what?” Smacking her glossed lips together, the question floated out like a one syllable sounding word.

The male shifted his weight to his elbows, thinking of another way to state it. “I mean, I don’t like saying famous or celebrity.” She spun around to lay next to him, hearing the humor in his voice. “--But did you tell them I’m a famous celebrity?”

With a bright smile on her face she smacked her boyfriend playfully on the chest. “They know the jist.” Her eyes focusing on the ceiling above them. “It’s funny to me how fascinated they are about you.”

“About me?” His bouncy curls sent a small gust of wind to her face from how fast he turned to stare at her. He could make all the cocky jokes he wanted, but at the end of the day he was still the humble boy from London who worked part time in a bakery and let the old ladies pinch his bum.

Her brown eyes never left the ceiling, but she could slightly see the surprised look of astonishment in his green ones. “Don’t act so surprised. You’re in Minnesota right now. America.” He gave her a questioning look and she continued. “Come on Harry, you went to Family Dollar with me yesterday, you see how this place works.”

In his head he knew what she was trying to say, but he wondered if she would have the guts to put it out in the open. He rolled effortlessly on his side to face her, perfume filling his nostrils immediately. “I don’t think I’m picking up what you’re throwing down.”

She silently turned her head to look into his sparkling emerald eyes. “People like me don’t meet people like you.”

And just like he knew she would, she said it in a way and in a tone that would tear at his heartstrings. He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his curly lock. Why did she always have to think like that? Harry could sit in thought forever and rack his brain on what more he could possibly do or show to prove himself. To prove that she was worth the distance, and the people saying it would never work. He opened his mouth to say something he would later regret, but her delicate finger shushed his lips.

“I know what you’re gonna say, but please don’t. We have to leave soon and I don’t wanna be late because of a fight that always ends the same anyways.” Her Minnesota twang taking over her grammar skills whenever she felt too much of an emotion. She pushed herself off the bed and carefully pulled Harry with her.

It took every hidden strength inside of him to obey her wishes. She was right, and he didn’t want to fight either. He wanted to meet the people who helped make Hanna the way she was, the person he wouldn’t have any other way.

The couple hopped into Doug’s truck, he insisted he would go up to the lake the following day so it would be all theirs for the day, which was a relief because neither rented a car, they got picked up from the airport. Hanna let her boyfriend drive, hating the feeling of driving him around.

“Try your best not to get pulled over, okay Harry? God knows you only drive on the left side of the road.” She humorously stated, planting a kiss on his cheek while he buckled up.

She gave him directions along the way and soon enough they were parked safely in the parking lot next to the gross green lake in her small town. Her relatives’ campers were stationary on the lot and the loud chatter from her obnoxious family could be heard from their truck.

“They sound drunk.” Harry laughed, giving his girlfriend a hand to help her jump from the tall vehicle.

“Yup. They usually are.” She smiled brightly, getting very excited to catch up with everyone again. When she lived in Minnesota, everyone would meet up on christmas, grandma’s birthday, and in the summer annually, even her relatives from California would pay the visit to make time for family. It seemed strange to her that she wasn’t living in the small town anymore, the line between strange and sad being a very, very thin one.

“For some reason, I feel a whole lot better.” He chuckled, then pulled Hanna to him to kiss her temple. He was twenty-one, he could get shitfaced if he wanted, he wouldn’t though, knowing it wouldn’t look good to her family and would leave his nineteen year old girlfriend out of the loop.

At first, it was a little awkward for Harry to be standing with her family because of the way he wanted to impress them. But with Hanna’s comfort and kind hearted smiles, by the end of the night her family considered him as one of their own. After her long conversation with her grandpa and his exhausting doggy pile with all of the little cousins, the couple each grabbed a beer and plopped down on the rugged looking couch, broken in by all it has seated in the past.

The brunette crossed her tanned legs and leaned into her boyfriends side, “Cheers.”

Harry draped his arm over her shoulders and cracked open his bottle using the picnic table next to them. “Cheers to your family, a memorable evening, and an even better night.”

“Well spoken Harry, I’ll drink to that!” Hanna’s older cousin Spencer yelled from across the burning flames in front of them. Everywhere Harry looked there was something fun happening, something family oriented happening. Frisbee, fishing, grilling, beer pong, and this bonfire felt more special than any of the ones he had ever had. The environment was better. The melodic sound of the girl laying next to him reciting his name broke his silent trance.

“Hmm?” He questioned quietly.

“You never let me finish earlier. You know, when I said that people like me don’t meet people like you.” She took another swig of her beer. Even though she was quickly finding out that she hated the taste of straight up beer. “That’s all true, yeah, but I was also going to say that we sure as hell don’t fall in love with them either.”

Harry swallowed harshly, she could her the thick sound of it falling down his throat making her sick to her stomach. She grabbed his thigh, praying she hadn’t said the wrong thing. But it has been two whole years. "I'm in love with you, Harry. After today how could I not be?"

He looked at her, the fire light making his green eyes ablaze with what she saw as lust and maybe hunger. He swigged the last of his beer then smirked towards her, crushing the can in his hand and chucking it to the fire. With that, she smiled as he took her head in both his hands and pressed her lips to his with a passionate force, kissing her there a few times. He pulled his lips away from hers, not wanting to disrespect her family and trying his best to keep the intimate moment between him and the girl he loved.

Harry rested his forehead to hers, the pair staring into one another’s eyes. “I love you too."