This is taking longer to write for me because of the topic but I am thrilled with all the reviews so far! Thank you all. Here's the next part...
Ruth woke up on Saturday feeling very disorientated. She had had a strange shadowy dream in which Harry kept disappearing and then reappearing and she blinked a couple of times to try and wake herself up. "Hi Fidget," she murmured as the cat jumped on the bed, purring loudly. She stroked the felines head as she heard a quiet knock on the door. It hadn't even gone past eight and she enjoyed her lie ins on non working day. Who on earth wanted to bother her this early? Then she felt a sneaking suspicion it might be Harry. Getting up, she walked over to the window and looked down on the street. She had been right. He had knocked quietly too so she guessed he didn't want to wake her. He looked at her front door once more before shaking his head and crossing the street to his car. By the time he'd opened the door, Ruth had found her phone and gave him a call.
"Yes?" he said. The tone he used made it clear that he hadn't looked to see who it was before answering. She smiled when she thought of the softer tone he always seemed to use around her.
"Some people might call this stalking," she said with a teasing lilt to her voice so he would know she wasn't being serious.
"So I take it you know where I am," he said and she knew he was smiling.
"Give me a second and I'll come down and unlock the door."
"Okay," Harry said. She put the phone down and grabbed her dressing gown. Pausing to look in the mirror she saw her hair was a complete mess. The only thing she could think to do was tie it up and out of the way before rushing downstairs and opening her front door.
"Hi," she said with a smile, moving aside so he could follow her into the kitchen. He wore a shirt with no tie and she wondered if she had ever seen a casually dressed Harry before as she switched the kettle on. "So why are you here?" she asked in a curious tone.
"I don't honestly know," he admitted. "I was halfway here before I even stopped to consider that you might be sleeping or you might not want to see me."
"Tea or coffee?" she interrupted.
"Coffee," he said without really thinking about it. "Thanks." Ruth quietly made their drinks and then sat opposite him once she'd handed him his drink. "So last night…" he said because he couldn't think of anything else to say.
She smiled into her drink. "Yes I remember last night," she said with a smile. "I have an excellent memory thank you."
"I just wanted to make sure you were…"
"I am not made of crystal," she said interrupting him. "I'm not going to shatter into a million pieces, please don't treat me like I might."
"Okay," he said, taking the hint well. "I wondered if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight."
She looked at him for a moment, wondering if she had in fact heard what she thought she had. Then she smiled. "I'd love to," she replied, her eyes sparkling.
"Good," he said. "I'll book a table then."
"That sounds great," she said sincerely. "You could have called to ask me, you didn't have to come around here just to ask me to dinner."
"I could have," he agreed. "I wouldn't have seen your eyes sparkling at me though would I?" She blushed slightly but her eyes stayed on his. "I'll pick you up at seven then?" Just the hint of a question which made her see that he was in fact nervous. Not the usual confident Harry of the grid.
"Yes," she said with a smile.
"Thanks for the coffee," he said leaving the half empty mug on the table. "I'll leave you to your Saturday."
"See you later Harry," she said with a smile as he left her house. Ruth felt a broad smile on her face, very much looking forward to tonight already.
It was five to seven and Ruth was checking her reflection one last time. She had no idea where Harry was taking her this evening which had made it very hard to chose an outfit. She had settled for a knee length little black dress with a dark jacket. She wore her hair down and had applied just enough makeup to look suitable but not so much that she would look like she was overdoing it. She sat down so she could put her small black heels on. Just enough to make her a little taller but comfortable so she could walk in them without difficulty. She rarely wore heels but for tonight she would make an exception. Then she heard a knock and her heart raced. Grabbing her bag she went downstairs and opened the door.
Harry looked even more attractive then he had that morning in a crisp open necked white shirt and black jacket. Then she saw that he was appraising how she looked too, his eyes skimming over her figure. "You look incredible," he said honestly as his eyes returned to her face.
"Thank you. Shall we go?" He nodded as she pulled the door closed behind her.
Dinner had been wonderful. Much more comfortable than she had expected previously. There had been no awkward silences and the conversation had flowed well between them. There was a little tension between them, when eye contact was held too long and the like, but it was the kind of tension that made her breath catch and her heart skip a beat or two. It had been thoroughly enjoyable.
Harry drew the car to a stop outside her house. "Do you want to come in?" she asked, her eyes blazing blue at him. He considered for a moment and then nodded. She smiled as they left the car and walked to her front door. Once inside her house, Harry could sense that she was uncomfortable and nervous.
"Forget it," he said trying to put her at ease. "I'll go."
"No," she said straight away. He closed the gap between them and put his hands gently on her waist.
"The last thing I ever want to do is make you uncomfortable," he said.
"I was just thinking about something," she said, her eyes getting a slight far away look in them.
"With your brain I'd expect nothing less," he said with a smile which she reciprocated.
"I just… I don't think there's an easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it," Ruth said looking very nervous even as his thumbs stroked comforting circles on her waist. He waited for her to continue, wondering where this was going. "I'd like you to stay here tonight with me."
"No," he said with difficulty. "I'm never going to rush you."
"No that's not what I meant," she said. "I mean, stay here with me. Sleep in the same bed with nothing further happening. I mean spend the night with me." Then she stopped when she realised that he might not want to spend more time with her.
"Which makes me sound horribly forward. Forget it, it's a bad idea."
"No," he said in a soft voice. He now understood exactly what she wanted. Reassurance and comfort. She needed to spend the night with a man without anything more happening. "I'll stay if you want me to."
"I do," she said a smile breaking out on her face, relieved that he seemed to have taken it so well. "Thank you."
