Falling to Pieces

Not having a long afternoon nap on a day off from work was a grievous sin in Letty's book. Being the reason for her not having it was a death sentence. The only person who ever called her was well aware of the policy, so when the phone next to her pillow began to blast its instrumental version of the cheesiest pop song in the entire universe less than fifteen minutes after she'd fallen asleep, she begrudgingly rolled over onto her side and rubbed her bleary eyes, feeling an even mix of bewildered and homicidal as she glared at the light green numbers on her alarm clock. The smiling face on her phone screen only made her scowl as she slid her finger across it and put it to her ear, collapsing back onto her pillow.

"I'm going to hurt you."

"Well, that's no way to speak to your best mate," Harry chided playfully, his voice sounding rough and scratchy like he'd just woken up himself. "I only wanted to let you know I'll be picking you up in an hour."

"For what?" she whined. "That will require actually putting on clothes on a day off."

"Don't worry about why. Just be ready."

"You obviously underestimate my fondness for inactivity."

"Oh no, I'm fully aware of it," he retorted. "But I'm still picking you up in an hour so you can either get up now and make yourself presentable or you can end up spending the day looking like a homeless person." Letty groaned, throwing her arm up over her eyes to block out the stream of mid afternoon sunlight streaming in through the crack in the curtains, and he paused to listen for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "You know I'm not hanging up until I hear you get out of bed. I know you too well to trust you to do it on your own."

"You are the literal worst," she grumbled, tossing her pale pink duvet back off her legs and slowly pulling herself into an upright position. "Alright, I'm up."

"I don't hear the shower running."

Letty scoffed as she stood up and stretched her muscles. "Give me a second to get down the hall would you? Besides, I don't hear yours running either."

"I already showered this morning thank you very much. I have some time to kill."

"I have a best mate to kill."

"So rude," he scolded, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Go shower and I'll see you in fifty-eight minutes!"

The call ended before she had a chance to respond and she let out a heavy sigh as she tossed her phone onto the unmade bed and shuffled out of the bedroom, grabbing a towel fresh from the dryer in the hall closet as she headed to the bathroom to shower. By the time she'd finished drying her hair, applying her makeup, and pulling on a warm jumper with her pastel jeans, the green numbers on her alarm clock told her that it was almost three so she slipped her feet into her flats and grabbed her phone, walking into the living room just in time for the front door to open.

Harry strode casually into her flat, chewing a piece of bubblegum and twirling his keys around his finger. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed; his sand colored jumper was a bit baggy, the sleeves stretched down over his hands, and his wild hair was tousled carelessly but his eyes were bright, the excitement of his surprise evident all over his face. He grinned when she rounded the corner and leaned against the door jamb as she picked up her keys from the small table next to him and shoved them into the tan bag hanging off her shoulder. "You're going to like this surprise," he told her, glancing down at his watch. "So I'm not sorry for disturbing nap time."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she carefully scrutinized his face, but he maintained an innocent expression, batting his eyes at her in an exaggerated way while biting the corner of his bottom lip to hide his smile. "Why do I have a feeling you're going to do something mental?" she questioned hesitantly.

"I have no idea," Harry sighed, shaking his head, and he pushed the door open further to let her walk out first. "But you should trust me a bit more."

"Trust you? With all the spontaneous ideas you come up with?"

He chuckled as she locked the door behind them and started down the hallway toward the main entrance of the building with him trailing right on her heels. "What makes you think this is spontaneous? I could've been planning this for days."

"Have you?" she asked, pausing at the heavy black door to look back at him over her shoulder.

"Nope."

Letty smiled and shook her head at him as she pulled the door open and stepped outside into the cool March air.

-

"Erm, what exactly are we doing here?"

She'd been wondering since they made the first turn into the airport, but she'd stayed quiet as they were waved on past security and drove through gates that definitely looked off limits. They were somewhere at the back now where the general public weren't allowed and she wondered how in the hell he had those types of strings to pull in order to get them there. Now that they were parked in an empty lot in a seemingly abandoned area, Harry removed his seat belt and opened the driver's side door to climb out before ducking his head back in to look at her with a grin.

"We're going to Paris."

"Sorry, what?"

"It's still your favorite place in the world, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts. Come on, they're waiting for us!"

He simply shut the door and turned to head in the direction of the three men in the process of walking out to meet them. Letty groaned, quickly undoing her seat belt and grabbing her purse as she threw her door open and jumped out to go after him. "Harry, wait!"

"No time to argue!" he shouted back without even pausing to let her catch up. "Come on now, we're holding things up!"

He'd already hugged two of the men and was shaking the hand of the third when she finally caught up to him. She knew the two on the end, Dominic and Leo, because they'd been a part of Harry's security team practically since the beginning, but the last man was an airport employee who would be escorting them through to the specific area they would be leaving from. He informed them that the plane was all geared up and ready to go so they followed him back into the building and down a series of long, winding hallways until they at last emerged on the other side where a small, extraordinarily expensive plane was sitting. There were three men and one woman waiting by the steps and the young man on the end in the grey suit greeted Harry as soon as he walked up. "Hello, Harry. Rhys Perkins. We spoke on the phone."

"Oh, right." Harry nodded, and Letty didn't miss the grimace that he was trying so hard to keep from showing as he shook the hand that the man offered him. "I didn't know you'd be coming along with us."

Rhys chuckled and clapped both Harry and Letty on the back, guiding them forward to the steps that led up into the plane. "I'm here to make sure everything runs smoothly, just like you've planned. Why don't you two go on up and get settled, hmm? We're just about ready to take off, right, George?"

The middle aged pilot off to the side jerked his head up when he realized he was finally being acknowledged and he first shot Rhys a glare before he smiled politely at Harry and Letty with a nod of confirmation. Rhys seemed unfazed by the look as he nudged the two of them closer to the first step and Letty just shrugged when Harry glanced over at her with raised brows before heading up the stairs and walking onto the plane. He led the way to the seats in the middle and they sat down side by side while Dominic and Leo followed them on and continued past to sit in the seats behind them. "You said you hadn't been planning this," she accused playfully once she had fastened the seat belt over her lap.

"Mm no, I believe I said I hadn't been planning it for days. That's true, I haven't been planning it for days." A grin slowly stretched across his face as he pulled his seat belt over his lap and he fastened it before he looked back up at her. "Weeks is more like it."

She smiled in return and reached across the narrow aisle to rest her hand on his forearm. "You really didn't have to do all this."

"Maybe not," he shrugged, sliding his free hand over hers and giving it a quick squeeze. "But I wanted to."

The phone in his pocket chimed four times in a row and he sighed heavily as he let go of her to get it out. He read the new messages while she settled back in her seat and glanced out the window at the overcast grey skies and the eerie stillness of that part of the airport. "So why isn't Kendra coming?"

Harry's face scrunched up into a look of confusion as he glanced up from his phone screen to look over at her her. "Why would she?"

"Uh, maybe because she's your girlfriend and we're going to the most romantic city in the world?"

"So? This trip's for you; it's got nothin' to do with her." He typed out a short response to the text messages he'd been receiving then shut his phone off completely before sliding it back into his pocket with some difficulty, thanks to the restraint of the seat belt. "No girlfriends. Just you and me. And Rhys apparently," he added with a scowl.

Letty chuckled at his sour face and she followed his eyes to the front of the plane where the man in question was walking down the aisle toward them with his phone pressed to his ear and a young woman in a navy blue uniform trailing a few steps behind. Rhys situated himself comfortably in the seat right across from Letty, his eyes glued to the flight attendant's backside as she passed by them and continued on to the back of the plane. He agreed with whomever he was speaking to then said goodbye and hung up, sliding his phone back into the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Well Harry, everything's all set up and ready so we're good to go. Oh, Julia, be a doll and get me a scotch neat."

"Yes, Mr. Perkins," the girl chirped politely from the back, but Letty just felt like rolling her eyes. She'd been in his presence for all of five minutes and already she wasn't too keen on him, but Harry had evidently been in contact with him more and he didn't like him either, even though he was trying not to show it. Once Julia brought Rhys his glass, she took a seat up front, strapping herself in for takeoff, and she sat quietly until she could get up again, but Rhys didn't stop talking for the entire flight and, unfortunately for Letty, she was the one sitting right in front of him. He asked question after question, about where she worked and how she long she'd lived in London and if she liked the neighborhood she lived in. She tried her best to answer him, but each reply only spurred more questions.

"So how long have you two known each other?" he asked both of them but his eyes never even shifted away from Letty.

"It's been about twelve years I think."

Harry made a noise of disapproval and when she glanced over at him, he was trying his best to look offended. "Thirteen," he corrected her as he shook his head in fake seriousness. "Honestly, sometimes I have my doubts about you."

She reached over to smack his arm with the back of her hand but he barely even felt it because it was so light and he just laughed while she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest as she scowled at him, unamused. "That's a long time. So you've met his girlfriend then?" Rhys asked, right in the middle of the laughing and the scowling, and both Harry's and Letty's heads turned back to him in confusion.

"Of course I have," she replied, even though she thought that kind of went without saying. When someone is best mates with someone for thirteen years, they're highly likely to meet the girlfriends of that someone at one point or another.

"And you two get on well?"

"We get on fine." It wasn't the most honest answer in the world; truthfully, she didn't really like Kendra all that much and that feeling was reciprocated. They both knew how the other felt and it was well established between the two of them, but they were amiable enough to one another in Harry's presence and he was none the wiser.

"Well what about you then? Are you single?"

"Happily."

"That's too bad."

The way his eyes lingered in certain places of her body made her cringe and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing over at Harry, but he was preoccupied with staring at Rhys with a look that fell somewhere between incredulous and murderous. "Could you give us a minute?" he asked through gritted teeth and Rhys didn't even seem to notice.

"Of course," he replied nonchalantly as he rose from his seat. "I'll just go see how much longer til we land."

He headed toward the cockpit to annoy the pilots and as soon as he was gone, Harry apologized. "Don't be," she shrugged, glancing up ahead of them at Rhys's retreating back. "It's not your fault. Why is he here anyway?"

Harry sighed heavily, slumping down in his seat as he too glared toward the front of the plane. "I have no idea. He's the one I had to talk to about planning this but there's absolutely no reason he should've had to come with us. I think he just w-"

"Shh," she whispered, cutting him off in the middle of his sentence. "He's coming back."

They both looked up ahead of them as Rhys walked back in their direction, his gaze focused solely on Letty and he smiled when he saw her looking back at him. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he slid back into his seat, informing them that pilots said it was only a short fifteen minutes or so until they'd be landing. With that, Letty pushed up the shade covering her window and leaned up in her seat to watch the clouds, hoping that the man across from her would take a hint and leave her alone for the rest of the flight.

-

She was practically bouncing in her seat when they finally landed and was the first one out once they were given the okay to get off the plane. The sky was already a swirl of oranges and pinks and purples, the sun preparing to sink down and disappear behind the small plane they'd just stepped off of. Harry was right on her heels, but she only vaguely heard him when he told her which direction they were going. The warmth of his large hand splayed across the small of her back brought her out of her daze just as he began to lead her down the same path that the others had taken. They were already almost inside the building but she hadn't even noticed them pass by her.

It was as they walked through the airport with Dominic on their left and Leo to their right that her excitement really picked up. The fact that she was back in Paris again meant that a whole year had passed. She'd been making an annual trip to Paris since she was eighteen and Harry had always been able to come with her, but it was definitely the first time she'd been given a trip as a surprise. She didn't even have anything with her except for the small tan bag hanging over her shoulder and even it was practically empty, with nothing but her keys, wallet, and a tube of lip balm stuffed inside. Harry looked just as ill-prepared as she was, even though he was well aware of the trip considering he had planned the whole thing. Dominic, Leo, Rhys, Julia, and the pilots all had their various duffel bags or suitcases on wheels so it was only the two of them who were empty-handed as they walked out to the two black SUVs waiting by the curb.

Rhys followed the three plane crew members over to one while Harry led Letty over to the other. His two security guards trailed behind them and it occurred to her as she was about to climb into the vehicle that she didn't like that arrangement. "Harry?" She turned around to face him, but ended up colliding with his chest since he was so close behind her.

"What is it?"

"Where are they going?" she asked, nodding her head toward the other SUV.

"The hotel, I think. Why?"

"We can't make that poor girl go with Rhys. You have to do something else."

His brows furrowed for a moment before he looked over his shoulder and shouted Julia's name, motioning for her to come over when she snapped her head up to see who had called her. As she made her way over, he nudged Letty toward their car until she finally surrendered and climbed inside. "Close your eyes and ears," he told her seriously. "You can't know what I'm about to tell her. Top secret information." He grinned before he shut the door and Letty scoffed but did as he said, turning to look out the window on her other side as she hummed to herself until the door opened again. "All taken care of," he informed her as he climbed in beside her and Dominic and Leo slid into the front seats. "What do you want to do first? Dinner?"

"No way. It's almost 7 already! Orsay is only open until 9:45 and you know I have to go visit the paintings."

"Alright then," he chuckled. "Orsay it is."

-

Most of the museum was empty since it wasn't too long before closing, but there were a couple of stragglers here and there. Because the Impressionist Gallery was on the top floor and most people were making their ways toward the exit, it was totally deserted by the time they got all the way up to it, which suited Letty just fine. She spent some time meandering through every one of the dark blue rooms with Harry on her heels, pausing every once in awhile to admire some of her favorites. It wasn't until she reached The Artist's Garden at Giverny that she stopped completely and just sat down on the wood floor right in front of it, staring up at it in absolute awe. She'd seen the painting a few times in person, in photos hundreds of times, even had a print of it hanging over the mantle in the living room of her flat, but it still took her breath every time she stood in front of it, in that usually busy room of that popular exhibition in that massive museum in her favorite city in the world.

Harry sat down next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him as he leaned back on his hands, and he tilted his head this way and that as he stared up at it as well. It was silent except for the soft hum of the air conditioning unit and the stillness of room only enhanced the whole viewing experience. She had never been to the museum at night before, but she liked it much better. It was quiet and relaxing and she didn't have to worry about children fussing or being crowded and having people bump into her while she tried to look at her paintings. She decided she'd never come during the day again.

"Did you know that when Monet first moved to Giverny, he completely re-"

"-redesigned the gardens just so he could paint them the way he wanted? Growing unrestrained, but grouped according to colour family. That's double artistry there." He chuckled when she looked over at him in amazement. "Why are you so surprised that I know that? You tell me every time we come here."

"Well I guess I never thought you were actually listening."

"And I prefer to keep it that way because expectations are low."

Letty scoffed and rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling when he bumped his shoulder against hers. She shook her head as he stood up and he reached out a hand to pull her up with him. She dusted the invisible dirt off her pastel jeans as they made their way back out of the exhibition. "We have to see the van Goghs before we leave."

"I know." The routine for their trips to Orsay had always been to visit the Monets first and the van Goghs last; anything else they saw in between was up to the mood of the day but this trip, there wasn't enough time to see anything in between except for what they passed on their way from one artist to the other. There were a few more people hanging around on the lower level, but still no one bothered them as they walked around to each of the paintings. There was a short metal bench in the center of the small room that housed her favorite of van Gogh so she sat down, facing it and Harry humoured her by doing the same. He had never been particularly interested in museums or art or art history but he knew that she liked it so he had developed a working knowledge for her sake.

"Those streaks of gold in the river aren't reflections of the stars, you know. They're of artificial light from the city, which was kind of a new thing in the 1880s."

"So you really do pay attention during my art history lectures," she smirked. "What's your favorite part?"

"The sky, I think. You can see the Big Dipper in the middle there. And your favorite part is the couple in the foreground because even though they're not the focus of the painting, they're the first thing you see when you look at it. And you like to imagine different scenarios about them and their lives."

She smiled, keeping her eyes on the two figures at the bottom near the frame. "So many possibilities."

Someone cleared their throat over to the left of where Harry and Letty were sitting and they both turned their heads to see an older woman in a black blazer waiting in the doorway. "The museum will be closing in five minutes."

Letty nodded and turned back to her painting but Harry got up from the bench, telling her he'd be right back, and followed in the direction that the curator had gone. He was back almost immediately, informing her that he had asked for fifteen more and that the woman had agreed to give them to him so they sat a few minutes longer before she begrudgingly pulled herself away from the painting and followed Harry through the now completely deserted museum to the exit where Leo and Dominic were waiting. The temperature outside had dropped considerably in the time since they'd gone inside before the sun had set completely. Her weather app informed her that it was now after ten and the temperature was a quite chilly two degrees.

"So what would you like to do next?" he asked, glancing down at his watch to check the time.

"Let's just walk around for a bit."

"Any particular direction?"

She paused at the bottom of the steps to take a look at their surroundings before finally pointing to the right. "Let's go that way so we can go across the bridge to the gardens."

"Alright," he nodded, motioning for her to go first. "Lead the way."

The fact that it was a Thursday night like any other meant that by ten or eleven at night, most people were at home because they had to get up for school or work the next morning so for the most part, Harry and Letty weren't even noticed by the few people who were out on the streets. Harry told the two men following them that they could go back to the hotel because he didn't think he really needed them since it was getting later. It was only about a five minute walk across the river to reach the Tuileries Garden and they meandered around aimlessly for awhile before continuing on down the Champs-Élysées, turning onto side streets every once in awhile to take the long way around and then coming back out to the main road again.

Eventually, they reached the end where the Arc de Triomphe was located and since there wasn't nearly as much traffic as there usually was during the day, they quickly crossed the circle instead of taking the tunnel over to it. They had missed the closing at 10:30 so they couldn't go up to the top, but Letty was content to just walk around under it, taking in the detail of the sculptures, the names inscribed into the stone, and the eternal flame at tomb of the unknown soldier.

By the time they left the Arc and walked down the street toward the Trocadéro, it was almost 11:30 and the loud chime that came from Harry's pocket must have been important because he rushed to dig his phone out and read the message he had received before looking back over at her with a grin. "Race you to the theatre." He took off before she'd even had time to process what he had said, but once she did, it only took a second for her to go after him.

"I know you can go faster than that!" he called over his shoulder and she picked up her pace to try and catch up with him, but his legs were longer and he was much faster so he arrived at the front steps of the Théatre National De Chaillot a good ten seconds before she did. She heaved out a heavy sigh as she leaned back against the exterior wall in front of the now closed ticket booth and he laughed breathlessly as he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Well, I won that by a landslide."

Letty scoffed, shrugging his arm off of her. "Always a competition with you."

"Don't kid yourself, babe. There's zero competition."

"Twat," she grumbled, elbowing him hard in the ribs and he let out a grunt of pain before he laughed again.

"And on that note, I'll be right back. Wait here," he instructed, gently pushing down on her shoulders to make her sit down before he took off back down the steps with a huge grin stretched across his face. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, looking around at the empty streets before her, but he was back within minutes, carrying an ivory box wrapped up with a pale pink and yellow striped bow in his hands.

"Julia's secret errand," he grinned. "Had her go and order it when we landed and Dom picked it up. Come on."

He reached out a hand to her and she took it excitedly, letting him pull her up from the steps and around the corner of the theatre up to the wide open space between the two buildings where the view of the Eiffel Tower was one of the best in the city. They walked through to the other side and down the steps to the platform which overlooked the gardens and they stood silently taking in the view for a few moments before Harry tugged on her hand, leading her over to the long concrete bench.

She sat down, grinning excitedly as he placed the box in her lap and sat next to her on the bench, pulling something small out of the back pocket of his jeans before reaching over to lift the lid. The small cake inside was just big enough for the two of them and it was covered in a pale yellow rosette design, looking absolutely delicious. Harry stuck the silver candle right in the middle and lit it with the cigarette lighter he'd borrowed off of Dominic, who had a bit of a smoking problem. She looked over at him with a small smile, watching the tiny orange flame cause only the slightest bit of light to flicker across his face, and he smiled back at her, urging her to make a wish. She closed her eyes and silently wished for the one thing she wanted most before she blew out the candle and he grinned even wider as he produced two plastic forks from his pocket, handing her one and letting her dig in for the first bite of the cake. Of course it was her favorite-- the pale pink inside was strawberry flavored and it was topped with creamy lemon icing. Harry had always complained about her flavor choices because he didn't believe the two went together, but every year, he got her the cake anyway and he usually ended up eating more of it than she did.

It didn't take long for them to finish it off and deposit the empty box in a rubbish bin close by, and once that was done, they decided to walk some more. They made their way through the gardens and across the bridge and when Harry saw the carousel, he decided that they had to ride it even though the two men who operated it were obviously working on shutting it down for the night. He dragged her over and somehow managed to get them to agree to run it for ten more minutes; then he immediately made a beeline for the massive ostrich. Letty opted for the dark brown horse to his left and as soon as they were both perched atop their animals of choice, it started to move, playing a loud, very Paris-esque accordion song. The lights lining the panels on the ceiling were much whiter and fluorescent looking than the typical yellowish lights and there were some odd animal choices mixed in with the horses, but it was still very ornate and beautiful and Harry looked like he was having the time of his life riding that ostrich.

When the ride was over, he quickly hopped off of the carousel then helped Letty down from it and they went over to thank the two men again before continuing on across the street to the Eiffel Tower, lit up all bright and gold. No matter how many times she'd been to Paris, she was always excited to see it and was awestruck every time. They walked under it to get to the Champ de Mars on the other side. Even though it was now well after midnight, the area was still lit well enough thanks to the street lamps and there were a few couples spread out over the vast lawn. Harry plopped himself down in the grass and tugged her down next to him before he stretched his legs out and laid down sideways so that he could fold his hands behind his head and still see the view. Letty laid back, the potential grass stains on her light-colored clothing the furthest thing from her mind, and she stretched out too, crossing her ankles and lacing her hands across her ribs while using his stomach as her pillow.

Neither of them said anything as they both stared at the view before them and the only noise to be heard was the late night traffic. Letty was (for once) thankful that Harry's body radiated so much heat because she was at least somewhat warm, even as the temperature gradually slipped lower and lower. She felt one of his hands wind itself into her long hair and it didn't take much longer before the massive glowing tower in front of her began to blur and her eyes slowly began to slip closed.

The loud, sudden clap of thunder jarred her from the light sleep she'd fallen into and when she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she found Harry doing the same. "Were you asleep?" he asked, his tone full of accusation.

"I might've dozed off. But you were definitely asleep."

He scoffed. "Was not."

"Liar. I can imagine it now: Harry Styles and friend sleep on the ground in a park like a couple of homeless people."

"Come on," he chuckled. "It's almost three. We should get back to the hotel."

"Mm, but I'm knackered," she groaned. "I can't move. Literally."

Harry shook his head at her as he pushed himself up to stand and he helped her off the ground before turning his back to her. "Hop on," he said, as he crouched down to make himself shorter.

"There's no way you can carry me all the way back to the hotel."

"It's not that far."

"You'll never make it."

"I've been working out, thank you very much."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"Heeeeeeey."

She rolled her eyes playfully as she braced her hands against his shoulders and hopped onto his back. "You have such a delicate ego."

"Do not," he retorted, making sure he had a tight enough grip on the backs of her thighs so that she didn't slip any before he started walking toward the direction of their hotel. "See? I'm doing great so far. This is easy as cake."

"You've gone ten meters, Styles. Don't let that head of yours get too big now."

He laughed and shook his head and the wild curls on the back of his head tickled her face as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "Shut up."

It was only about a kilometer to the hotel and he was doing well with carrying her the whole distance, but they were just passing the aquarium when the rain suddenly started. There was no light warning drizzle; it was immediately full force, pelting them with thick, heavy drops that felt impossibly cold. Harry paused to let go of her legs and let her drop to her feet and then he grabbed her hand as they both took off running down the street.

She would have run right past it if Harry hadn't had a tight grip on her hand. The tall ivory walls and numerous expensive black cars parked in front didn't even register in her mind but Harry ducked into the open wrought iron gate and pulled her in with him. They finally stopped running when they reached the covered front steps of the hotel and now that she was able to actually look at the ornate columns and the carved medallion over the entrance, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Holy shit."

"Like it?" he asked softly, finally letting go of her hand.

"Holy shit!"

He chuckled as he nudged her through the door and into the lobby, ignoring the strange look that the doorman was giving them. "I'll take that as a yes."

"We're actually staying here?" Letty shook her head fiercely, her eyes flitting from the expansive marble floors to the ornate furniture to the crystal chandeliers hanging down from the tall ceilings. "No. No way. We're not actually staying here."

"We're staying here," he confirmed, wrapping his hand around her forearm and giving her a gentle tug toward the reception desk off to the side. "Just have to grab our key."

"I'm dripping water all over the lobby of the fucking Shangri-La. This is unbelievable."

He laughed and shook his head at her as he approached the concierge and the man behind the counter looked absolutely appalled at their dripping wet hair and clothes so he quickly handed Harry the key for their room and shooed them over to the lift so that they wouldn't make any more mess on the expensive marble floors. The lobby had been plenty impressive, but the room was even better, all warm golds and pale blues and rich textures and fabrics.The view from the window was the best part: the Eiffel Tower was so close that it looked as if she could just reach out and touch it from where she was standing. She kicked off her shoes and removed her bag, setting it into the light blue chair by the window while Harry shook out his soaking wet hair.

"Here, let me get some towels." She walked past him through very small hallway and into the bathroom, flipping the light on and she gasped when she saw it. "Oh my God, Harry, have you seen this?"

"What?" he asked, only half paying attention because he was preoccupied with trying to peel off the wet jumper that was now sticking to him like a second skin.

"This is the most perfect tub I've ever seen!"

"The tub," he repeated as he dropped the piece of clothing onto the floor and looked at her, unamused. "Really?"

"I have to take a bath like right now."

"Letty, it's three in the morning."

"I don't care! I'm freezing and look at this tub!!"

Harry came up behind her, peeking over her shoulder into the bathroom and he chuckled when he saw the bathtub she was so excited about. "Alright, if you insist. Have your bath. I'm going to use this shower."

Letty turned her head and her eye caught a separate glass door that she hadn't even noticed before. "Christ, this place is too fancy for me."

"Only the very best for you, love."

She snorted. "If you say so. Now go get in the shower, so I can run my bath in peace."

He rolled his eyes at her but headed toward the glass door anyway while she turned the water on in the tub and poured in some bubble bath in and she waited until Harry had tossed his remaining clothes over the door and started the shower before she took off her wet clothes and sank down into the warm water. Of course he was done way before she was ready to get out of the tub but there was the little thing he had forgotten before he got in. She could hear him curse under his breath and then shower door opened, but she was still too relaxed to open her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I forgot a towel."

"They're right there under the sink."

"Yeah, but that's way over there next to you."

"I hope you're not hinting at me getting out of this tub to bring you a towel," she chuckled. "Since when are you shy anyway? Nothing I haven't seen before."

He huffed but stepped out of the shower anyway and carefully made his way across the dark marble floors to the large ivory sink where there were several towels neatly folded. He wrapped one around his waist and secured it tightly before setting one into the small chair for her and perching himself on the edge of the tub. "How's that bath working out?"

"The water's getting cold," she grumbled. "And I'm about to fall asleep again."

"Then get out. Let's go to bed. I hear they're quite comfy here."

She finally opened her eyes to peer up at him. "Alright, go on then. Be there in a minute."

"Since when are you shy anyway? Nothing I haven't seen before," he said, mirroring her own words.

"Oh shut up and get out."

Harry laughed and shook his head as he got up and left the bathroom and once he was gone, she quickly hopped out of the tub and grabbed the towel he'd set out for her, drying her body before she pulled on the plush white robe hanging on the hook by the door. Once she drained the water from the tube, she grabbed the second robe and went back into the main room, tossing it at Harry where he sat on the end of the bed. She picked up his wet clothes and went to hang them up to dry in the massive empty closet next to the bathroom then did the same with her clothes. After she pushed open the curtain so that she would be able to see the Tower from the bed, she went over and pulled the fluffy duvet back so that she could climb in.

The sheets were cool and silky and she pulled them up to her neck, burrowing herself down into them and getting comfortable as Harry turned off the lamp on his side and crawled into the empty space next to her. She rolled over onto her side to face him and she could only just make out his face from the limited light coming in through the window but she felt his fingers brush a strand of hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. Her eyes felt heavy as she blinked at him but he just smiled as he pushed himself up and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Letty."