Mamma Mia: When Harry Met Donna
"Daddy…Daddy!"
Harry squinted a little, his eyes not completely open yet. The ocean breeze wafted in through the open window tousling his curly hair.
"Daddy wake up!"
His eyes opened slowly only to be greeted by the sight of his three-year-old daughter looking down at him with wide, inquisitive eyes.
"Good morning my pet." He managed a smile before a low yawn took over.
Sophie watched him curiously, her head tilting to one side.
Harry sat up and looked over at her. "And where is mummy this morning?"
"Making bweakfast, she sent me to wake you!" Sophie giggled.
Harry never got tired of her little laugh. "OK love, tell her I'll be right down."
Sophie nodded before hopping off the bed and scurrying out of the room.
Harry had been on the Greek Island with Donna 4 years now, to be honest it wasn't how he expected his life was going to turn out. His father was a wealthy man, a banker who had been grooming him from a young age to get into the banking world and one day take over for him. He hadn't planned on falling head over hills for an American girl who happened to be in Paris the same exact time he was four years ago.
4 Years Ago
Donna walked into the small Parisian hotel in order to get a room, she had heard it was very nice while at the same time not very expensive. She tapped the bell but nobody came, she looked around and tapped the bell again. Still no response.
"Hm…I'll just get a key myself then."
She walked behind the desk and started looking at all the different room keys when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She quickly turned around and noticed a handsome young man standing there wanting her attention.
"Excusez-moi..." He started, before awkwardly spewing out a combination of French and English words.
Donna could tell French wasn't his first language and she had no idea what he was saying, but she guessed it had something to do with him being locked out of his hotel room.
Deciding to mess with him a bit, she squinted and nodded along as he spoke but it was difficult not to laugh.
"S'il vous plait mademoiselle…" He gave her a half smile
"Sorry, I didn't understand. Could you say all that again?".
"Oui." He rushed up to her and started to speak in French again before cutting himself off realizing she had spoken in English. "Wait a second..."
"I don't work here." She said with a wry smile.
"I should…call the police?" He reached for the phone and she placed her hand over his.
"I'd rather you didn't." She laughed.
"They probably wouldn't understand my French anyway." He chuckled and they shared a smile.
"So, Harry, you work in a bank?"
"I'm afraid so, uh my father Morris owns it." He paused briefly. "I'm fulfilling my destiny…"
"I'm…searching for mine." Donna smiled slightly, a bit of a wistful look in her eyes. "I have this feeling it's in Greece."
He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her as they walked. "Why Greece?"
She shrugged. "I'll…find out when I get there, I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" He had just met this incredible girl and she was leaving so soon? He had to think quickly.
"Yeah!" She smiled.
"Alright..um…better be fast…hm…would you mind carrying your bag on your other shoulder?"
"Uh, sure why?" She laughed a bit as she rearranged her bag.
"Well you see…the hand nearest me would fall straight down um and mine could…sort of…brush against it and I could…take your hand in mine in a…. totally natural and spontaneous way."
"Mhm…or you could just ask to hold my hand." She had to admit to herself she found him adorable. He was so awkward but it was charming.
"Well…of course, that's plan B."
She laughed and grabbed his hand. "Hm, perfect fit."
They sat down in a Napoleon themed restaurant and Donna told him more about Greece. She noticed he was staring at her intently as if he was searching for something in her eyes. "Is there…something in my teeth?"
"Oh! Oh no." He chuckled. "Um, it's just that you seem so familiar to me it's been bothering me all day."
"You know I wasn't going to say anything but you seem very familiar to me as well." She admitted.
"Well, have you ever been to London?"
"I've lived in London for 4 years while attending Oxford. I just graduated last week actually."
"You traveled an hour every day for school?" Harry inquired.
"Yeah well, it was the closest place with an affordable flat for my 2 best friends and I. We moved in together after our first year of college." She explained.
Harry tried to think, he was sure he would remember someone as beautiful as her. Then it dawned on him. "Super Trouper!"
"Excuse me? How do you know that song?"
"You wrote it for a young man 3 years ago. He used to see you in the park on Saturday afternoons, singing to yourself while you studied." He smiled.
"How do you know that?"
"You haven't realized yet?"
She stared at him for a moment, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Harry Head Banger!? You look so different!"
"I was going through…a bit of a phase you could say…when we met." He blushed. "But I'm still very much the head banger you're accustomed to."
When she first met him 3 years ago he wore a lot of black, including eyeliner, his hair was long and shaggy, and he wore a studded choker.
"I thought It was just a coincidence that your name was Donna, but then I noticed the necklace." He motioned to the silver butterfly that hung from her neck.
"You gave it to me." She smiled. "The night after we slept together for the first time."
"I don't know how I didn't immediately recognize you." He grinned.
"Well it has been awhile Harry, we both look different. I mean what happened to the Rockstar I used to know?"
"My father happened, he told me I had to get serious if I was going to be a proper business owner. I had to cut my hair, change my clothes and so on." He sighed.
"Well I think that leather jacket is a bit small on you, I might still have your old one on me."
"Wait, really?" He remembered his old leather jacket with the chain and different pins on the chest pocket.
"I remember you draped it over my shoulders one particularly cold night to keep me warm but you got sick the next day."
He smiled at the memory. "You know… I've been in love with you for years now." He laughed. "I haven't been with anyone intimately since." He admitted.
Her eyes widened in surprise "Harry…We had a winter fling. Three whole years ago."
"You don't write songs about just anyone do you?"
"Well no, but…"
"I feel like you're the only woman I'm ever going to love."
"Harry…how could you possibly know that?"
"When you know you know." His eyes lit up. "When you fall you fall." He stood and held his hands out to her. "And when you're defeated by love you're utterly defeated."
The next thing she knew he was singing to her and dancing her around the restaurant, she had to admit she was still smitten.
Harry was adorably awkward, he was smart, tall and there was his rebellious side that she could still see. She had to admit his new look worked a lot more than his previous one, he seemed more like himself. It was a blend between the old and the new. Before she knew it, the night ended with her entangled in the sheets of his bed with him using her chest as a pillow.
"Harry get back here!" Donna laughed. They were taking a walk along the Seine and something had caught his attention.
"I had to get the best spot." He grinned and motioned for her to sit down beside him on the grass when she finally caught up.
"The best spot for what exactly?"
"Turn around."
She turned her head and gasped when she noticed how close they were to the Eiffel tower.
"Quite lovely isn't it?" He smiled.
"You're right Harry, this is the best spot." She smiled leaning against him while he snapped a photo.
It had been a few days since she arrived in Paris and she spent all her time there with him. It was funny, she had only planed on spending one day in there, but Harry changed all that.
"I know you're leaving in a few days, so I wanted to make the most of it."
She smiled, she remembered him telling her something similar 3 years ago before he left for Paris. "You know, I was wondering. You've been studying here for 3 years now, why are you staying in a hotel?"
"Well I graduate in a week, and usually I stay in the dorms but they kicked me out two weeks early. I haven't been having the best of luck recently. At least until you showed up." He smiled.
"How could they just kick you out?"
"Something about a mix up with my scheduling? I'm not entirely sure what they were on about, but my father said he'd handle it."
Donna got distracted when she heard the distinct hum of an acoustic guitar. "Oh look!" She gently pulled him up. "That man is selling guitars I think."
"Curious, I've never seen someone selling musical instruments in the park before. Fish and chips, the occasional rug maybe." He chuckled and let her pull him over.
"Ah, I see you are interested in my wares." The man said in a thick French accent as they approached.
"How much?" Donna smiled.
"30 euros."
Harry pulled out his wallet. "Um…all I've got is 12."
"Oh. Well that's alright Harry, we could just-"
The vendor cut her off. "That is quite a rare shirt you are wearing Monsieur."
"My Johnny Rotten T-shirt? Well yes I would suppose it's quite rare to get your hands on this particular one these days."
"I'll tell you what, I'll bring the price down to 12 if you throw in the shirt."
"Harry, you don't have to do that for me, you love that shirt."
"I want to." He smiled and took it off without a second thought handing it to the vendor along with the money.
"Pick any guitar you'd like mademoiselle." The vendor smiled watching the two of them.
They sat under a tree and she watched as he carved their initials into the neck of the guitar. "You know, you really should put a shirt on." She teased.
"This is France, nobody's going to mind." He laughed and handed the instrument back to her.
She started to tune it. "You know, ever since my mother had her heart broken I wasn't too keen on foreign romances."
"Is that so?"
"Mhm, but there's just something about you Harry bright." She smiled and gently plucked at the strings. "Take it easy, with me please…" She began to sing to him. "Touch me gently, like a summer evening breeze. Take your time… make it slow… andante andante just let the feeling grow." She leaned over and kissed him.
He stood up pulling her into his arms for a dance as she continued to sing. "Make your fingers
Soft and light. Let your body be the velvet of the night. Touch my soul…" She placed his hand on her chest and giggled lightly when he blushed. "You know how." She winked. "Andante, Andante Go slowly with me now."
She strapped the guitar to her back and he carried her on his as they walked down the hill. "Hold on tight." He smiled.
"I'm your music…" She continued to sing placing a gentle kiss on his cheek as he carried her. "I'm your song."
"I like that Analogy." He mused cheerfully causing her to laugh mid verse.
"Play me time and time again and make me strong." She hugged his neck. Make me sing, make me sound… Andante, Andante Tread lightly on my ground. Andante, Andante
Oh, please don't let me down."
"Never."
She smiled and ruffled his hair before hopping off of his back.
"Hey, you said not to let you down." He teased.
She laughed and grabbed his hand running down the hill towards the river. He grinned and pulled her back into his arms mid run spinning her around.
"There's a shimmer in your eyes." She continued, brushing his bangs out of his eyes while he held her up. "Like the feeling of a thousand butterflies…please don't talk…"
He looked into her eyes and she could see nothing but pure adoration in his.
"Go on, play…Andante, Andante and watch me float away." She pulled away from him and slowly started to walk towards the water. He followed a few steps behind her.
"I'm your music I'm your song." She placed the guitar against a rock and started to remove her cardigan. She let it drape behind her as she walked towards the bridge. "Play me time and time again and make me strong…make me sing, make me sound…" She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Andante, Andante Tread lightly on my ground."
It started to rain as he caught up with her but they made no move to run for cover. She hooked her cardigan behind his back and pulled him against her chest. "Andante, Andante Oh, please don't let me down…"
He leaned down and she pressed her forehead against his as he began to sway with her to the invisible music. "Andante, Andante… Oh, please… don't let me down…"
He You kissed her, and she felt him smile against her lips. He swept her hair aside and kissed her just over the collarbone. She giggled and nibbled at his ear. "We're getting soaked…" She mumbled not really caring.
He just smirked and continued to place kisses along her neck as the rain came down.
She hooked her fingers into his waistband and pulled him towards the bridge. He laughed and made sure to grab the guitar as she pulled him. He dropped it as soon as they were under the cover of the bridge and buried his face in the curve of her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her as close as possible.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair. Before she laid down pulling him with her as the rain came down harder outside the cover of the bridge.
