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From Harry: Are you free?

I smiled as I stared at my phone, that was on my thigh, hidden under the table. I glanced up fast, making sure nobody was looking at me, before typing in a reply.

To Harry: Is anybody free on Christmas Day?

I sent the text and glanced up again, looking at my relatives as they talked to each other. I bit my lower lip, looking down again, starting to fear that I'd been a little too harsh, especially considering that he was forced to spend the holiday with Niall's family, that seemed to dislike him greatly at the moment.

To Harry: I'll be free after lunch

I sent the second message as well before picking up the fork and quietly finishing the food I had on my dish, barely listening to the conversations that were being made around the table.

"Sierra?"

I looked to the side as soon as my grandmother spoke. "Yeah?"

She cleaned her mouth with the red napkin before speaking. "So do you have a boyfriend?" She asked, a smug look on her face as she saw my facial expression change, knowing that I hadn't expected that question.

I stared down at the white embellished table cloth, not believing that she'd asked such a thing again. I didn't know if she always asked it because she didn't know what to ask me, or because she genuinely wanted to know, but it still wouldn't have made it any less embarrassing. I hated that question. It was awkward, and surely not something I was willing to discuss with my grandma, given that I wasn't even willing to discuss it with my mother. I looked up, seeing that she was waiting expectantly for my reply, and sighed. "I don't" I simply replied in the end, which wasn't a total lie. Harry had never asked me to be his girlfriend, after all.

"What about Harry?" My mum suddenly said, sneaking into the conversation before I could even notice it. I didn't even know she was listening to us.

I pursed my lips, staring at the plate in front of me, starting to hate where that conversation was going a little more. I didn't even know my mother knew Harry's name, I wondered when I'd accidentally let it slip.

"Oh, Harry?" My grandmother asked. "Seems a nice name. Is he a nice boy?" She continued, glancing at me, determined to get her answers no matter what.

"We're just friends" I replied, hoping that it would've ended there. But it would've been to good to be true.

She poured some more wine in her glass, giving me a side glance while she slowly took a sip. "I'm seventy-two, not stupid" she replied after putting the glass down. "Your grandfather and I were just friends too you know. Until we weren't."

My mother nodded at her words. "Besides, I've seen you kiss once, Sierra."

I widened my eyes, not believing that she'd throw me under the bus like that. "Uh..." I said, not really knowing how to save myself from that conversation, starting to hope that the lunch would've ended quickly. I didn't feel that bad about the idea of leaving my family to go see Harry in the afternoon anymore. I glanced up at my dad, hoping that he would intervene and say something that could've saved me, but he continued his conversation with my uncle, apparently not having heard the whole exchange.

"I'd just like to have a great-grandchild before dying, that's all" my grandmother said when she realised I wouldn't have replied, and I turned my head to look at her so quickly that I almost felt it snap.

A sudden blush rushed to my cheeks as soon as I took in what she'd said, and I shook my head quickly, not even wanting to think about having children with Harry. I was eighteen and I hadn't even known him for half a year, for fuck's sake. That definitely seemed a bit too much in that moment.

"I hope you're kidding, mum" my mother said, giving her a shocked glance, not having expected the conversation to take such a turn so quickly.

My grandmother leant back on the chair, giving a little glance ahead, going ahead to sipping her glass of wine. "Maybe."

I gave them a little nod, dismissing the conversation and going back to listening to the things that were being said around the table, hoping that nobody would've asked me anything again.

The rest of the lunch went by quite smoothly, to my surprise, and before I knew it we'd moved from the dining table. I gave a quick look at the time on my phone, discovering that it was already almost three. I followed my family as they moved to the living room and sat down on the couches chatting with each other, the sound of the television in the background, and I sat at the end of the couch, wondering if it would've been okay for me to leave. They weren't even paying me attention, anyway.

I unlocked my phone and typed in a quick text to Harry, not wanting to get out of the house before even knowing if he was free.

To Harry: I'm free now

I sent it and quickly locked the screen, glancing up to make sure nobody has seen me. I was quite sure that if my grandma had found out I was texting a boy, I wouldn't have heard the end of it. I looked down at my lap quickly when I felt my phone buzz against my thigh, reading the text from the notification.

From Harry: I'm coming.

I was about to give him an affirmative response when I suddenly realised that, if my whole family had seen Harry coming to get me, my dad would've probably had a stroke, and my grandma would've started planning the wedding. I sighed, unlocking the phone and writing down a reply, sending it quickly and hoping that he wasn't already out of the house.

To Harry: Don't. I'll come at yours

"Distracted?"

I glanced up quickly as I heard the question coming from my left, discovering that my aunt was looking at me. "Uh, no, not really" I said awkwardly, wondering if she'd read the texts.

She gave me a little knowing nod. "Texting a boy, aren't you?" She asked, seeming to have no intention to drop the subject. Why was it that the first time I somehow had a boy in my close to nonexistent circle of friends, everybody had to notice?

"A friend" I specified, not wanting the conversation to take the same turn it had with my grandmother.

"Oh it's alright, it'll be our secret" she gave a little glance around to make sure our hushed conversation had been left unheard. "I know how it is to want to hide boys from your family, your dad was kind of an ass when we were teenagers" she shared, a little smile on her face. "He always told our parents whenever he found out. He was so annoying."

I gave her a little smile, not knowing what to reply. My phone buzzed in my hand again, and I checked the text I'd just received.

From Harry: There are no buses and it's cold, Sierra.

I sighed, knowing that he was right, but I still didn't give up.

To Harry: My family will freak if you come

"When I was your age and wanted my boyfriend to pick me up in secret I made him park at the start of the street and waited for him there" my aunt said all of sudden, making me understand that she'd read the text. "It'll be our secret" she added when I glanced up at her, and I gave her a faint nod.

To Harry: Park at the start of the street and text me when you're here, I'll come out

I typed it and sent it quickly, not giving Harry any time to complain about my first reply. I locked my phone, putting it on the armrest and quietly waiting for him to reply.

"You should come up with a good excuse" my aunt said quietly again. "It isn't easy to get out of the house on Christmas Day without raising any suspicions. Personally, I'm a fan of feeling a bit suffocated and wanting to have a walk outside."

I nodded quietly, knowing that it was probably the best chance I had to get out. "Thank you" I replied, feeling grateful for her help, glad that she wasn't telling anybody or making a big deal out of it.

"You're welcome" she replied softly, sending a quick glance in the direction of my dad. "Can't wait to make this one go unnoticed right under his nose. Payback is sweet."

I suffocated a little laugh at her words, resulting to looking at the almost muted television, not really paying attention to the images passing on it, while I waited for Harry's text.

About fifteen minutes later it finally came, and I stood up quickly, catching almost everyone's attention.

"I'm going to have a walk outside" I said, immediately regretting having stood up like that, hoping that they would've believed it.

They stared at me for a couple more seconds, before nodding and going back to chatting, as if I hadn't interrupted them at all.

I smiled to myself, exiting the room fast and putting on my usual pair of brown boots and coat, sliding my phone into the pocket and checking if my notepad was in its place, my fingers grazing a little box inside, before opening the front door and walking outside. I took a deep breath as soon as I was out of the house, not believing that I'd managed to get out of it so easily, glancing up at the white sky and finding myself hoping that it would've started to snow. I loved snow, the way it painted landscapes of white. It was clean, pure, it made the air smell of frozen water and winter. There was something of so incredibly beautiful, a peace that fell into the heart, in seeing landscapes covered in ice, that I'd always loved.

I finally walked to the street, quickly closing my coat, regretting having accidentally left it open as I had got out. I looked to my right, seeing Harry's black car parked on the corner a few houses away, Harry's figure leaning against it, and started walking towards it, starting to wish I'd put on a scarf as well.

"Hi" I said quietly when I reached him, hiding my hands in my pocket.

Harry looked up from his phone, a sudden wind blowing through the street and painting his milky cheeks of a deep pink. "Hey" he replied, his voice deep, putting his phone into his pocket.

"They let me out" I said, trying to find something to say to keep an awkward silence from falling over us, and he gave me a little smile.

"I see" he simply replied, not doing any effort to keep the topic going. Normally I would've found it annoying, but I knew that it was just how Harry was, and that it didn't mean he didn't want to have a conversation.

I glanced to the side, biting my lower lip, thinking of something else to say. "How was Christmas?" I asked in the end. "You know... with Niall's family."

He shrugged, looking away for a quick second. "I would've preferred not to be there, and they would've preferred I wasn't there as well" he said, easily summing up how his day had been so far.

I sighed, looking down. It was kind of messed up to see the way they were treating him. Christmas was to be spent with family, and they were the closest thing to a family Harry had and they knew it, so I really didn't understand how they could be so heartless. Was the discovery of Niall's dad enough to destroy any kind of bond that had been created between them in the five years they'd spent together? That seemed excessively cold, even for an adoptive family.

"I don't like Christmas" he added quietly. "There's too much time to think, and I have too much to think about" he said as we started to walk down the corner side by side.

"Christmas is the time when we miss the people that aren't with us the most" I commented gently, looking ahead, and he nodded, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"That's true" he replied quietly, and I wrapped my arm around his waist, leaning a bit against him. We walked in silence for a couple of minutes, before he spoke again. "Christmas at my house was nice" he shared. "Both my parents didn't have siblings, so it was just us and my grandparents on my mother's side when I was little. We were a small family, but it was still nice."

I nodded against him, showing him that I was listening. "Where are your grandparents now?" I asked him gently, but curiously, glancing up at him. Were they too old to take care of Harry? Or weren't they just not in the picture anymore?

He looked down at his feet, staring right ahead as he replied. "My grandfather died when I was eight, my grandmother four months after my mother passed away."

I sighed, wrapping my arm around him a bit tighter for a couple of seconds. "I'm sorry for asking" I said quietly.

He cleared his throat, not replying. "Did you manage to throw it away?" He asked, quickly changing topic.

Even though he hadn't specified what he was talking about, it was easy enough for me to understand. "Yeah, I threw it away in a bin while I walked home" I said, and he gave me a little nod.

"I'm sorry for giving it to you" he replied, "but you know Niall wouldn't have let me hear the end of it if he'd found that on me."

"Yeah" I said. "I'm glad he didn't find out about it." I knew that Niall cared a lot about him, and that everything he said to Harry was in his best interest, but I didn't really think Harry needed anybody coming at him in that moment, especially with all his friends gone. It was kind of scary to think about it. When I'd first met him, he'd had so many friends that it had been almost impossible to talk to him alone - especially because he wouldn't talk to me, but now everybody had left, as if they had never cared about him at all. It was scary to see how such long lasting friendships could easily be broken, and it made me wonder how quickly whatever there was between Harry and I could have been shattered as well.

"I have a present for you" I said quietly, hoping to brighten his day the tiniest bit and to at least make it feel like Christmas a little.

He stopped in his tracks, furrowing his eyebrows. "A present?" He asked, sending me a confused glance.

I nodded. "A Christmas present" I specified, not liking the surprised look he gave me. Why was he surprised that someone had a Christmas present for him? I took the little box out of the pocket of my coat and gave it to him, looking at him expectantly.

He removed his arm from my shoulders, hesitantly taking it and weighing it in his hand, giving it a little look. "You aren't about to ask me to marry you, are you?" He asked when he realised that, because of its small size, the box probably contained some kind of jewellery.

I smiled at his words, but shook my head. "Merry Christmas, Harry."

He glanced up at me, giving me a little smile at my words, before carefully undoing the bow and opening the little box to uncover the little silver pendant inside. "A pendant?" He asked me, slowly taking it to look at it, taking in the simple design.

"It made me think of you" I said with a little shrug to lessen the meaning of my words.

He nodded, a little smile on his lips as he closed the box again not to lose it, putting it into the pocket of his coat. "Thank you" he said. "I have something for you too" he added, taking a slightly elongated box from his pocket and giving it to me. "Merry Christmas."

I took it, carefully opening it and seeing it contained a silver bracelet with three identical small stones. I slowly took it out of it's box, passing my thumb over one of the stones, that had stripes of brown and a golden-reddish tone.

"It's a tiger's eye" Harry said quietly as he watched me stare at it. "It made me think of you."

"Thank you" I said, giving him a smile and closing the box, the bracelet still in my hand, and put it into the pocket of my coat. "Will you help me?" I asked, opening my hand to reveal the bracelet on my palm.

He nodded, taking the thin silver chair. "Which wrist?" He asked, and I put my left wrist in front of him.

"So that it won't scratch on the paper when I'm drawing" I explained, and he nodded, easily closing the clasp and securing his gift around my wrist.

I stood on my tiptoes when he was done, leaving a quick kiss at the corner of his lips, knowing that I wasn't bold enough to initiate something more, but still not missing the way the corners of his lips turned up at my action.

We went back to walking next to each other in silence. I bit my lower lip, wanting to close the couple of inches of distance that were between us, but not being brave enough to do it. I almost moved my hand away by default when Harry's fingers grazed against it. A few seconds passed by before Harry's touch came back, and my heart skipped a beat when he intertwined our fingers. They were cold, and mine weren't, but I didn't really mind. It meant I would've been the one to warm him up.

"Have you talked to Zayn?" I asked all of sudden, remembering the argument they'd had some days before.

He shook his head, looking down and nervously brushing his hair back, a frown on his face.

I gave him a confused look. "Why?" I didn't understand why he hadn't talked to him. They had seemed close before the argument, and it had seemed like Harry wanted to fix what had happened when he'd asked me about it.

"I've been thinking" he said quietly. "Zayn is the only person I know that has easy access to... you know what" he said, the tone of his voice becoming fainter as the sentence reached its end.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Do you think he's the one that put it in the pocket of your coat?" I asked him to clarify, nervousness in my voice. Zayn wouldn't have done something like that, would he? But it kind of made sense, after all.

Harry shrugged. "Who else could it be?" He said. "I don't think I want to talk to him until I know."

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from, not saying anything.

He looked up at the sky as something wet started to fall over us, hitting the ground in soft white wads that melted almost instantly. "It's starting to get dark, I'll walk you home" he said, and we turned around, making our way back to my house under the snow.

I tried to publish a bit earlier than usual! I hope you liked this chapter x

Miki

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