AN: Happy Friday! I hope you enjoy this. Sorry it's short-some of these don't lend themselves to a lengthy piece. Thank you for the ideas. Keep 'em coming!
Uncle Henry is still in progress. Hoping to have a chapter to post tomorrow evening.
4th of July
They all sat on a giant blanket sipping iced tea as the sun dipped low on the horizon. "Elizabeth dear, would you like some watermelon?"
"No thank you Mrs. McCord. I'm just fine."
"Please, call me Margie," the older woman said.
Elizabeth smiled. Looking out over the Ohio River, the fireworks would be beautiful reflected off the water. She felt Henry's hand slide under hers on the blanket. Looking down at where their hands joined, she thought of how far they had come in just six months. They were a "real" thing now. She was spending the holiday weekend with his family and Henry had met her brother, Will, over Memorial Day.
Six months ago, if she'd been told that a picnic in the library would lead to a serious relationship, with the potential for love, she'd have thought it was crazy. Now, the thought equally thrilled and terrified her. She felt his lips on her bare shoulder and she softly elbowed him in the ribs. He couldn't be doing that. It wasn't proper. Later though, under cover of darkness, now that was a different story.
Margie opened the cooler and passed out sandwiches to her family. They ate and chatted away. Henry watched Elizabeth interact with them. His youngest sister and brother were both easy to get along with, a trait they'd picked up from Margie. His older sister, Maureen, and his father on the other hand, were standoffish and judgemental. As difficult as Henry thought they were, Elizabeth seemed impervious to their slights, smiling and continuing to be friendly. He saw how she fit in, how his mother welcomed her, even more so than his previous girlfriends. He hoped this was a sign of good things to come.
An hour later they were walking along the waterfront holding hands. They walked without talking, the silence comfortable. They passed in front of several food vendors, and with no warning, Henry tugged her between two tents. "Henry, what are you-" She never finished that sentence because she was pressed against him and his mouth was on hers, his hand cupping her ass. She pulled away, but once she realized that they were indeed alone, she gave herself back to him, asking him to continue. Henry stopped before it got too heated, before they couldn't stop themselves. He'd said he wanted to wait-wait until they were sure of each other. She knew he was sure. Henry had told her that much. He was waiting on her. Was she sure? Was he the one? She couldn't commit to that. Not yet anyway.
As darkness fell, a cooler breeze blew in off of the river. She scooted closer to him on the blanket and he draped his arm over her. A deafening crack penetrated the air followed by colorful streaks shooting through the sky. Elizabeth was mesmerized by the fireworks and Henry was mesmerized by Elizabeth. He watched the joy flood her face and it made him inexplicably happy. He wanted to always bring her this much happiness.