Chapter Six

How They First Kiss

Anna frantically unloaded the dishwasher while checking the time.  Harry was on his way, not giving her much notice.  They had spoken briefly on the phone the day after they had spent some time together for the first time, Harry being occupied at an old friend’s wedding.

The following morning as she was stopping at the local market, Harry had text her a good morning and asked her what she was doing before her shift began later that evening.  When she told him, he had suggested her cooking breakfast for him.  She had joked back with, “you know how to find me“ but never had expected him to take her seriously.

Eggs sunny side up and buttery pancakes, please.  See you in a couple hours 🙂

Anna didn’t notice the other local shoppers giving her a curious look as she stared at her phone in disbelief, her mouth wide open.  He had to be pulling her leg, right?

Don’t forget the syrup.

Fuck, he was serious.

She scrambled around the store, tossing various ingredients she needed before hurriedly checking out and making her way back home.  When she stepped foot through the door, she cursed at the sight of the disorganized flat, pizza boxes and beer bottles forgotten on the table.

The buzzer rang out and she made a dash around, picking up various clothing items and shoving them into a nearby closet.  She bit the corner of her lip when Harry’s beaming smile greeted her.  She felt the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

After she invited him in, Dave giving them the go ahead, he situated himself on the stool at the breakfast bar and watched her get breakfast together.  Anna had her back turned to him, unaware of his gaze on her, smiling to himself at how adorable she looked mixing the batter.  He was trying his hardest to take their relationship slow, to form a stronger friendship first but he felt something with her; something he had never felt before and the more he saw her, the more they spoke, the more he wanted to fast forward to when she became his.  “You’re stunning.”

She was pouring the batter onto the heated pan, almost spilling it onto the stove in surprise at his confession.  She looked over at him and noted his shining eyes as he adoringly stared back at her.  He wasn’t teasing, his features holding a complete serious expression.  “Why, thank you Captain.  You’re not so bad yourself.”

As they ate the expertly made pancakes, bacon and eggs, they fell into conversation about their plans for the week.  He was back on base and she was going to start brainstorming ideas for the upcoming event.  She let him in on some of the ideas she had floating in her head ever since her meeting with Paul and Harry had given her his input.
Anna thought how nice it felt, sitting in her flat on a Sunday morning having breakfast with him.  She had spent so long on her own, eating alone and keeping to herself.  She wanted to take care of him; she wanted him to take care of her.  Harry caught her smiling at him when he looked up from his plate while he chewed loudly on a strip of bacon.  He lifted his brows in question and she shook her head.  “What?”

“Just… thinking.”

She rolled his eyes when he gave her a toothy grin.  “Thinking of how handsome I am?”

“No.”

”No?”

“Nope.”

He squinted then threw the rest of his bacon at her.  She gasped as it landed on her mostly eaten pancakes.  “Don’t you start this again, Wales.  I’m still finding popcorn in between my cushions.”

“Me?! If I recall correctly, you declared a popcorn war.”

She shrugged her shoulders, smiling sweetly at him.  “You recall incorrectly.  Haven’t we talked about what old age does to a person’s memory?”  He threw another piece of bacon at her in response and randomly blurted out, “I’m taking you out.” She looked at him in confusion.  “Like on a date.”

“Excuse me? Just like that? You think I’m that easy, Wales?”

“Absolutely not, peaches.” He paused before adding, “How does dinner on Thursday sound?”

She laughed, rolling her eyes.  “I don’t know.  I may have to reschedule a few dates around to accomodate you.”

“Is that so?” He felt foolish for the pang of jealousy that arose in his chest at her teasing.  He knew she didn’t have other dates but the thought of her being out with another man, it made his blood boil.

Anna smiled, noting his reddened features.  “Mm, appears so.” She sighed dramatically before adding, “I sure hope Keith won’t mind too much if I move our date to Friday night.  Unless,” she paused and appeared to be thinking hard, “do you think our date would be over by 9?”

Harry pulled her to him, her small body rising from her seat and crushing to his.  She ceased any further teasing at the closeness of him, her hands placed on his broad shoulders.  His arms wrapped around her waist, desire pooling in her stomach.

She lifted her head up to look into his eyes, her hand moving to touch the slight bump on his forehead.  Harry’s eyes shut, relishing in the warmth of her touch on his skin.  Her fingertips caressed down to cradle his cheek and she stood on her tip toes to be at his eye level.  She kept her eyes open, trying her hardest not to blink.  She didn’t want to miss a moment so she watched him.  Watched how his chest puffed in and out with his shallow breaths.  Watched how his rosy cheeks heated furthur.  Watched as he covered her hand with his, folding his fingers around hers to hold in a gentle grip. Then she saw his lips lean closer and closer—

*beep beep beep*

The sound of her pager went off.

Harry’s eyes immediately popped open in surprise.  Her big eyes were still staring at him, confusion etched on her face.  It hadn’t registered yet of what had happened, of what had almost happened.  “Is that for you?” His whisper tickled her lips.

“What?” Anna was in a daze as he chuckled and stepped back from her.  “Oh!” The beep came again and what had caused the disturbance registered in her mind.  She reluctantly removed herself from him and grabbed the device from the granite top counter.  “It’s the hospital.  Do you mind if I call in?”

“No, go ahead.”

She had talked to the nurse that answered her call no more than thirty seconds.  There was a conflict on the schedule and they were short staffed for a few hours.  They needed her.

“I’m so sorry, Harry.”

He waved her off.  “Don’t worry about it, darling.  I understand.” She apologized again and he wasn’t sure if it was towards the almost kiss that got interrupted.  He hugged her close and lightly tapped her butt when she had made a joke about having to contact Keith.  She squealed in surprise and shoved him away.  He laughed as he made his way to the door.  “Call me later?”

“Maybe.”

Harry wrinkled his nose to emphasize a nasally sing-song voice, “So call me maybe!”

Later that evening, when Anna finally had time for a quick twenty minute break in between shifts, she send Harry a text.  I’m free Thursday night.

His reply was instantaneous.  Looking forward to it, love 😉

She made a mental note to poke fun at his over-usage of the wink, knowing it would only make him use it more.

————

What was it about women and their nature of never being ready when their date arrived? Was it some sort of conspiracy to drive the opposite sex mad? He would never understand it.

Harry had arrived ten minutes prior and after a brief kiss on each cheek, Anna had rushed back into her flat to finish getting ready while Dave swept through her place.  “I have some sketches for the fundraiser in August if you’re interested on taking a look.” She called out from her bedroom, applying the finishing touches of her makeup.

Harry picked up a couple papers that were dispersed on the coffee table.  What couldn’t this incredible woman do? “These are great.  Your details in the shading are magnificent.”

“My mom is known for her artistic abilities.  If she wasn’t so devoted to being a wife and mother, I’m sure she’d go into professional designing, but it’s more of a hobby for her.”

Harry was baffled.  She had mentioned it was a musical event, but if she hadn’t, he’d be able to instantly come to that conclusion upon looking at the plans.  The stage, the dance floor, even the tables and chairs were illustrated professionally.  She had even shaded in the surrounding drapes in color, creating a romantic aura.

“Would you mind? I’m having trouble getting this on.” Harry looked up from the sketches to see her delicate hands carrying a white topaz and pearl necklace.  He beckoned her to him and she turned her back to him, shifting her hair to give him better access to her neck.  As he worked the clasp, he couldn’t help but think of how domestic it felt, how natural it was helping her with her jewelry.

With one hand resting over the pearl and the other holding her hair to one side, she turned her head to look up at him over her shoulder, her amber eyes immediately seeking his.  The air became thick, filled with lust as he stared down at her.  His hands lingered on her neck, his soft touch like a whisper on her goosebumped skin.  All he had to do was lean slightly further down to touch her lips with his.

Please kiss me, please kiss me, please kiss me.  She could see the glint in Harry’s eyes as if he had heard her inner pleading.  His moved his lips closer to hers, causing Anna to flutter her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable of his kiss.  Just as the slightest brush of his lips could find hers, a shrill noise disturbed the heated atmosphere, causing both to jump back and adding distance between them.

Harry cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as he took two steps back from her.  The high-pitched noise continued on and Anna, cheeks blazing, reached for her annoying cellphone to silence it.  She mumbled a weak apology, clearly embarrassed, and answered the call.  “Yes?” Her answer was curt, irritation laced in her voice.

“Hey honeybee, what are you up to?”

If Anna could reach into the phone and strangle her brother, she would.  “I’m about to go to dinner.  What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.  Just checking in.” Yes, she definitely would have strangled him.  “Everything okay?”

“Yes.”

“Who are you dining with tonight?”

She glanced over at Harry, finding him running his hands through his fiery locks.  She groaned inwardly.  She had been so close to having her fingers in his hair.  “Just a friend.”

His ears perked up but kept his eyes cast down, not wanting to seem rude for listening in on her private conversation.

“A friend? Is this a-” he paused, “male friend?”

“That is none of your business, Jackass.  Listen, I was heading out when you called.  Can I call you later?”

“I have ever right to know if you are going out with a guy, Annalisa.  I am your big brother and this guy needs our approval before you decide to date him.  We have to weed out the psychos.  Is the fucker there right now?”

“What?! Our little Annalisa has a date?! Is he totally gorg? Send us a pic!”

Anna rolled her eyes at the sound of Gabriel in the background.  “I really can’t do this right now, Danny.  I’m going out with a friend.  I will call you later.”

Danny huffed, “I’m telling Dad.”

“You are such a baby! God, I can’t with you.  I’m hanging up.”

“Don’t you fucking da-”

She ended the call before he could finish.  She loved her brothers immensely, but their overbearing tendencies drove her mad.  She thought moving to the other side of the ocean would tame it, but it only made it worse.  They hated the idea of her being out on her own, she was their baby sister, the only girl in the family, and they had this need to make sure she was dating the right guy—if they even let her date at all.

“Brothers.”

Harry chuckled.  “Trust me, I know.  Wills life goal is to drive me nuts but he turns into a drama queen when I poke fun at him balding.” Anna laughed.  “Ready to go?”

“Absolutely.” She grabbed her bag and keys and they both headed out of her flat into the night.

They made it through the hour and a half drive to The Bear in comfortable conversation on what it had been like moving to the city from another country for Annalisa.  Her family had settled down in New York, the last place her father had been stationed before retiring.  Currently, just Daniel and Gabe lived in the city; Gabe running his new restaurant while Danny ran a successful law firm.  Her parents moved to Boston, where her dad was originally from shortly after Anna had left to take care of her grandmother.

“Luke and Kathie moved with them cause my mother helps them out with the kids.  Luke works for some nationwide construction company so it was easy for him to transfer.”

“They have two kids, right?”

“Yeah.  Sarah’s seven and Benny’s nine.  Benny’s constantly getting gum in Sarah’s hair for fun and Sarah has a tendency of being too rough with the boys in school; it drives Kathie crazy.  And Kathie runs a parenting blog too when she’s not trying to tame the little terrors.  I don’t know how she does it.”

Harry chuckled, always loving children but terrified of how his kids would be, remembering how his brother and himself were also little terrors growing up.  Harry told her of his excitement of becoming a first time uncle, just a month left to go.  She confirmed how great it is, especially when they start crying and you can hand them back over to their parents.

Their conversation somehow had transitioned to talking about animals.  “I always grew up with dogs but they require care and attention that I wouldn’t be able to give with my work schedule.”

“What about a cat?”

“Yeah, thought about that too but Finn called me a cat lady and basically pulled the plug on that idea.”

Harry snickered.  “I’m getting you a cat.”

She pinched his arm before admitting in a whisper, “I’ll reconsider.”

When they arrived at the pub, Anna immediately took note of how cozy the environment was.  It was a tiny place and she appreciated the wood interior.  Harry pointed out a collection of ties that were pinned up on the wall, customers intentionally bringing in ties to add to it.  Anna made note to definitely come back and bring her own.  They sat across each other at the farthest booth while Edward, Harry’s other PO that had switched off with Dave, sat nearby.  Harry ordered the Grizzly Burger and smothered his fries with ketchup, disgusting her.  Anna ordered the Cajun Chicken Burger and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was, savoring each bite and swatting Harry’s hands away from her onion rings.  He ended up stealing a couple with much protest from her.

“Listen, Captain.  I’m not afraid to stab you with this fork.”

“I would watch where you’re directing your threats.” He pointed at Edward.

“He’s got nothing on me.” He laughed at her, shaking his head.  She noticed the laugh lines around his eyes, loving that small detail about him.  “What’s so funny? You don’t think I’m tough enough to take him?”

He leaned forward, his elbows on the table and lowered his voice, “Sweetheart, you know I’d bet all my pounds on you.”

“That’s a lot of pounds, Prince Charming.” He shrugged, stealing another onion ring from her plate.  “You little sneak! You totally distracted me.” He stuck his tongue out at her.  “You are such a child.  Why did I cancel on Keith?” She busted out laughing when he narrowed his darkened eyes at her.

“Watch yourself, peaches.”

“Yeah? Or what?”

He averted his eyes, anxiously looking behind her.  Anna turned quickly in her seat but didn’t see anything out of the norm.  When she directed her attention back on Harry, he was chomping on more of her onion rings.  She plucked a piece of lettuce from her sandwich and whipped it at his head, giggling as it slid down his face from his forehead to the floor with a splat!.

“You are such a brat.  You’re going to get us kicked out.”

“Quit taking my food!”

“Sharing is caring, Annalisa.”

She reached over and stabbed a few french fries from his plate before shoving them into her mouth, cringing at the sogginess from the ketchup.  “Hey!”

“Sharing is caring, Henry.”

—

Later that night, after taking a stroll in the private garden the pub had to offer, Harry walked Anna to her flat, Edward ten steps behind them.  They stopped at her door, both clearly not ready to end the night.  Harry was having an inner war with himself, unsure of whether he should kiss her or not.  He could sense Anna’s uneasiness as she kept glancing back at his PO who was standing off to the side.  “Would you like to come in for some tea?”

He really wanted to but he had a busy day ahead of him, filled with meetings.  “I’d love to but it’s getting late and I do need to head back to prepare for tomorrow.”

She nodded in understanding.  When he went to place a small peck on her lips, she stopped him with a hand on his chest and turned her cheek to him instead.  Later that night when he was laying awake in his bed unable to sleep, he was glad that she had turned away from him.  He wanted their first kiss to be something special and behind closed doors.  She deserved something better than a chaste kiss.  No, she deserved the perfect kiss.

———

It had been a week later when he got to see her again, busy schedules limiting their time together.  But they had phoned and text daily, having long late night conversations.  When they could both find some time, Anna had invited him over for another homecooked meal.  He was intrigued by the sweet aroma that filled the apartment as Anna tried to recall the old family recipe that her Italian grandmother had taught her when she was old enough to be trusted near the stove.

She was reaching into the top cupboard where she kept various spices when she heard the familiar beat vibrating through the speakers.  Harry had been leaning on the breakfast bar, scrolling through her iPod playlist while munching on popcorn.  He had thrown a handful at her when she teased him for his short attention span when he kept skipping over songs.

He blamed it on her poor music collection.

But he hadn’t skipped over this song.  She turned slightly to peek at him, never expecting to find him watching her intently.  He wore a serious expression and for a moment Anna worried she had done something wrong.  Fuck, did he not like Italian food? Was he allergic to one of the ingredients?

Harry swiftly spun around in a circle and started dancing with such swag.  She lost it, bursting into giggles, hunched over and grabbing her sides.  And then he placed one hand over his heart and sang, dancing his way over to her.  “I’ve got my eyes on you, you’re everything that I see, I want your hot love and emotion endlessly.  I can’t get over you, you left your mark on me.” He shifted closer and shut his eyes, furrowing his brows.  “Cause you’re a good girl and you know it.  You act so different around me, cause you’re a good girl and you know it.  I know exactly who you could be.“ Her giggles died down as she watched him look so carefree and childlike.  His eyes slowly opened, revealing bright blue orbs that made her heart swell.  He was grinning at her, his shoulders and feet still rhythmically moving to the beat.

Anna couldn’t remember leaning towards him, her small frame stretching up on her tip toes to his level and her hands made their way to grab his face.  His eyes were boring into hers, their heavy breaths mingling before he closed the little space between them.  He held her so close to him she could feel his body heat through the material of her yellow sundress.

Their lips were a mere inch apart but neither one of them moved.  Harry’s heart was pounding and he could feel hers beat just as strong against his chest.  “I think there’s something, baby, I think there’s something, baby.”  With their noses touching, he whispered the words that only intensified the lust between them, right there in her tiny kitchen.

She moaned when his lips softly caressed hers over and over until his kisses became more urgent, more needy.  Her hand rested on the side of his head while the other found home in his hair, tugging gently when he slipped his tongue into her waiting mouth.  He groaned at the feel of her warm tongue meeting his and held onto her hips tighter.

She was the first to pull away to quickly rush some air back into her lungs.  They panted against each others mouths before she crashed her lips to his again.

Anna had just experienced the best first kiss of her life and in the back of her mind, the possibility of this being her last first kiss ignited a piece of hope in her.