Monday, 27 November 2017
Her alarm failed to go off this morning and her day has gone downhill from there. She'd woken with a start thirty minutes later than usual, jumped out of bed, rushed through her shower, slapped on her make-up, and grabbed a slice of toast to eat on the way to the bus-stop. An accident on the road had delayed her bus so much that, when eventually it turned up, three of them had appeared at once, which was just as well really, as a crowd of prospective passengers had gathered by then and they'd only barely managed to squeeze everyone on. The ride had been suffocating and long, and when she'd finally arrived at Thames House, she was already late for the morning briefing.
Flashbacks of her first day in Section D had flitted through her mind as she'd rushed through security to the lifts and then through the pods onto the Grid, hurrying over to her desk to hastily dump her things and grab a notepad and pen before making her way to the briefing room via the kitchen, desperately needing a drink of water or a cup of tea to moisten her dry throat, hoping against hope that her luck will have changed and some wonderful soul will have just boiled the kettle with enough water for her too.
The wonderful souls turn out to be two young admin women, she greets with a smile and a heartfelt thank you as one of them hands her the first cup of tea she pours and she rushes out of the room again with an apology for not having time to stop and chat. Just as she's gratefully thanking the universe for the change in her luck, however, and while she's slipping out of the kitchen, she hears one of them tell the other, "Did you hear Harry's getting married?"
She almost trips and drops her tea at that in surprise and shock. It can't be, she tells herself as she squashes down the treacherous feelings that bubble up inside her and moves determinedly towards the meeting room, they must be talking about someone else.
At the door, she stops to catch her breath and take a quick sip of her tea before she slips her notepad under her arm to free her left hand and slide open the door, slipping into the room.
Erin stops speaking as they all turn to face her, and she feels her face heat up under their scrutiny. "Sorry," she says. "My alarm didn't go off and then the bus was late and..." she tails off, realising that she's babbling. "Sorry," she says again, putting her tea down and taking the empty chair near the door, diagonally across from Harry, who looks like he's trying hard to hide his amusement. "What did I miss?" she asks quickly, turning her eyes on Erin, but it's Calum who answers her question.
"Harry's getting married."
"What?!" Her heart-rate shoots up and her eyes dart back to Harry's face, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she can stop them. "You told them?!"
The silence that follows this accusation tells her that something is terribly wrong. Harry's face freezes for a moment before his eyes soften and a look of undisguised, fond affection settles on his features. "Actually, I think you just did, Ruth."
"Wait," Tariq interjects at this point. "You're getting married too?"
Ruth buries her face in her hands as Harry chuckles at her discomfort. "We are. Ruth has finally agreed to marry me."
"Finally?!" she demands, lifting her head up to glare at him. "What do you mean finally?"
Harry just laughs that funny, wheezy laugh of his, and she realises suddenly how unfair she's been in requesting that he keep their engagement a secret – he wants to shout it from the rooftops, tell the world that she loves him, and show them how much he's in love with her. Well, maybe not the entire world, but their colleagues here certainly – their own little family.
The heartfelt congratulations and hugs from everyone in the room that follow show her that she had nothing to worry about in letting people know – they seem so genuinely happy for them.
"So which other Harry is getting married?" she asks, when everyone is eventually back in their seats.
"A slightly more famous one," Dimitri replies.
"Though not nearly as infamous," Calum adds, cheekily.
"Harry Styles?" she suggests, wondering why that would interest MI-5.
Harry frowns and Erin laughs. "Guess again."
"Harry Potter?"
That makes everyone laugh, even Harry.
"Prince Harry," Calum eventually says. "It was announced this morning on Twitter."
"Yes," Erin takes over, "they'll be another royal wedding this spring and we all know what that means, so-"
"When are you two getting married?" Calum interrupts, earning him a glare from Erin, which doesn't seem to faze him at all.
The truth is they haven't set a date yet, but as she looks at Harry and their gazes meet, she knows there's only one answer to that question.
"Before they do," Harry replies at exactly the same moment as she says, "January."
"January?" Dimitri objects. "Won't it be a bit cold and wet?"
Harry's eyes twinkle at her across the table and she can almost hear him whispering in her ear, "Cold? With us? Never! As to wet... I guarantee certain parts will be wet, and hot, and loud, and sweaty."
Out loud, he says, "That would depend on where we get married, Mr Levendis."
"I like the way you think, Harry," Calum says approvingly. "Are we all invited? I wouldn't mind a holiday to the Bahamas after Christmas."
"You're certainly not invited to holiday with us, Mr Reed, in the Bahamas or otherwise," Harry replies, making them all laugh at Calum's expense.
"I rather prefer to stay in Britain," she says a little dreamily. "I'd much rather have a winter wedding. It'll be quiet and cosy, maybe they'll even be snow, and all our family and friends will be there." She stops, blushing as she realises how much she's revealed to everyone.
"Friends and family," Calum says, grinning. "See? I knew we were invited. That leaves the Bahamas for the honeymoon though and I know we're not invited to that!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Dimitri give him a look that says, "Do you have a death wish, mate? For the love of God, shut up! Harry's going to kill you," but Harry doesn't seem to be paying them any attention, watching her instead, his gaze soft and warm and tender.
Around them everyone has grown quiet, but they hardly notice, lost as they are in each other and the dreams they have for their future together.
"Paris," he says softly, making her smile.
"And New York," she adds, an answering smile appearing on his lips as their hearts swell, bursting with love and joy and hope and happiness.