FOUR

Later that evening, Sarah was sitting beside Harris on his bed, just the two of them.

After helping to prepare a delicious homemade chicken dish for themselves, the three sat together in the kitchen to eat their meal. Apparently Harris's parents were out on vacation.

Once they ate their meal, Sarah quickly helped Amanda with the dishes. Once that was done, Harris led her to his bedroom. When he opened the door, she found herself face to face with his large bed. It was big enough to fit two people comfortably, although she was guessing Harris only used it for himself rather than for any guest. The soft glow of the lamp next to the bed casted the room in warm yellow light. There were several bookshelves lining the wall filled with his favourite books, ranging from romance novels to science fiction series. The floor was carpeted with a plush rug, while the walls were adorned with posters of famous movie stars, artists, musicians and even some of his childhood memories. In addition to that, there were several pictures hanging from the wall. All featured Harris with either Sarah or his parents, always with a big smile plastered on their faces.

Sarah blushed when she realized that she was being stared at by Harris. "You must have a ton of fun times with your family, huh?" she asked nervously, looking away from his intense stare.

"Yeah, we ," Harris replied casually.

He walked over to his desk, where his guitar was resting. Picking it up, he began strumming some chords, letting out an enchanting tune, that instantly got Sarah entranced.

He played until he finished, ending his song. Setting the guitar aside, he took a seat on the bed, patting the space next to him invitingly. Sarah hesitated, but eventually obliged, lying down next to him. She scooted herself closer to him, and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. After a few moments of silence, he spoke softly, "Do you want to hear a secret?" he asked playfully.

She giggled lightly. "Sure."

"I used to sneak out of the house every night just to sit outside playing guitar at this park I used to frequent as a kid. Every time I played there, it made me happy because it was a place that gave me great comfort from all the everyday chaos of my life."

"Really? You never mentioned that before," she said, smiling.

She snuggled more comfortably against him, listening intently to what he was saying.

He continued. "Even now, when I'm having trouble sleeping, sometimes I'll go out here alone and just play for a little while, taking my mind off everything." 

"This is actually pretty funny. You sound exactly like me when I used to sneak out of my room at night, too." 

"You did?" He sounded surprised. "And what would you do?"

"I'd walk to the nearby park, and sing really softly to myself, and whenever I sang to myself, I couldn't stop smiling." She paused, thinking back to those nights. "I think maybe it's because I was singing a song I thought would make me feel better."

"What was the song about? Maybe I know it!" He grinned.

Sarah hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell him, since it was a song that spoke volumes about her love for Harris.

Her heart suddenly began beating faster.

Finally, she sighed deeply and said quietly, keeping her tone casual, "It was 'Home.' By Elvis Costello."

He squeezed her tighter against him, stroking her hair softly.

After a long pause, he spoke quietly, almost inaudibly. "Yeah, I know the song. It's amazing, I can see why you loved that song."

She relaxed against him and nodded. He hugged her impossibly tighter, pressing a kiss to her temple.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he spoke again, his voice sounding almost hesitant, "So...do you remember when I kissed you earlier today?"

She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement, "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I remember? That was my first kiss!" she exclaimed. "But I don't understand why you brought that up."

He laughed, "Because I kind of wanted to know how you felt about the kiss."

"Well, what would you say if I told you that I've never experienced anything like that with anyone else before and I wasn't sure I ever will again?" She smiled up at him shyly, looking at him through her eyelashes.

He smiled back, "I guess I would probably say that I'm glad that I kissed you."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep the smile from spreading across her face.