A usb.
That was what I first found in the pink gift bag Liza had given me when I arrived home, along with a matching pink dessert box inside, shielding whatever treat was in there from my prying eyes.
It was the first gift I've ever gotten from anyone and even though I was tired to the bones by the time I got home that didn't stop me from jumping up and down and squealing with joy while hugging my new present.
I studied the small chip in my hand with a curious gaze, my brows furrowed and lips pursed in interest before I got up from my dining room chair to retrieve my laptop, plugging the usb in the small slot on the side as I peered at the computer.
My mind drifted as I patiently waited for whatever was on the usb to show on my laptop, drumming my fingers against the side of the device regretting not telling Harry off about how I had overheard what he said in the kitchen.
I was just so caught up in the moment, it was like when you get in a fight with someone and then only later on you finally think of a good comeback but it's much too late.
A security tape suddenly appeared across my computer screen, catching my attention when I realized it wasn't just any type of tape.
It was a video of Harry and Liza in the hotel kitchen, icing and decorating a gingerbread house together as I heard the muffled, low quality of their voices coming from my speakers.
"I have to lie to myself everyday." Harry muttered as I watched the tape of him angrily icing his little house of gumdrops and sprinkles while Liza helped him.
"Yeah?" She acknowledged in a distracted tone, grabbing a cookie cutter across from her.
"I have to lie and keep telling myself that the only reason I'm doing this is because I made a deal and I can't wait till Christmas is over so I don't have to deal with her ever again." He huffed in his serious voice, the beginning of his sentence making me gasp as I placed my hand over my parted lips.
Oh my goodness.
I watched as Liza batted her eyelashes and made her hands form a heart over her chest, playfully nudging an irritated Harry who narrowed his eyes at her with an unamused expression.
"You see the ridiculous things she makes me do." He reasoned, his hands gripping tightly onto the bag of icing in frustration when he couldn't manage to ice the roof properly.
"Alright chill out, stop squeezing too hard or the icing's gonna burst." Liza cautioned with a light laugh, taking ahold of the strangled plastic from Harry's grasp.
"You know I'd only do this with you amore." Harry commented with a sly smirk as they exchanged smiles, getting closer when she helped him hold the icing bag, both of them focusing all their attention on the house in front of them
"Well I'm glad I could help and all but did you really have to lie to Malu like that?" She questioned in a soft voice, letting Harry ice by himself when he got the hand of things.
"She's a nosey child who will always try to include herself in everyone's business. Of course I had to lie to her about what we were up to." Harry replied, eyes trained on the gumdrops he was putting over the house with such a serious expression it was almost laughable.
"You must really like her if you're going through all this trouble to make her a gingerbread house." Liza teased as my eyes widened, my face almost pressed right against the screen of my computer with how close I was leaning forward.
I had left before I could hear the rest of what they had to say.
Harry didn't answer for a moment, his body just went rigid, his hand that was holding a green gumdrop hovering over the gingerbread exterior as if frozen in the air.
"Shut up. It's none of your business." He finally snapped after a few moments, making Liza laugh.
"It so is too my business. You're the one who asked me to help you so you wouldn't mess it up too bad because you want to impress her."
"I meant it when I said I'd only do this with you. If anyone else ever fucking knew I've been spending all my free time trying to perfect this shitty cookie house for Malu I'll- cazzo! Fuck." Harry cursed in frustration when one of the icing decorations on the house began to drip.
He continued to straighten each aligned gumdrop on his work perfectly, making my heart melt as I touched the screen.
The video went to another clip of white static noise before another tape appeared over the monitor.
The kitchen was empty this time, aside for the finished gingerbread house Harry had finished sitting idly on the counter.
Then there was the sudden sound of the door violently opening, the wood slamming against the wall before Harry came into view as he stormed in, his shoulders tense as he looked around in rage, large tattooed hands opening and closing in frustration before he aggressively swept whatever was on one of the opposite counters in anger, the plates, bowls, and utensils all clattering and smashing to the ground while his chest heaved up and down.
He finally turned around, his dark green eyes zeroing in on the beautiful gingerbread house he had made as
my eyes widened, I coughed into my hand before letting out a small "no" as he neared the cookie exterior until the screen just went to black.
"Wait, that can't just be it." I said out loud in an urgent tone, checking my laptop as if it was defected before I turned my attention to the dessert box left in the pink gift bag, my mind piecing everything together before I quickly grabbed it, taking out the box and opening it.
There upon the broken pieces of what seemed to be a wrecked gingerbread house -the exact on Harry had made- was a small letter from Liza.
I picked up the paper, my eyes skimming over the words as I frowned.
"Might of thought there was a misunderstanding between you two. Here are the pieces, all you guys gotta do is put them back together, p.s, didn't keep the dancing snowmen gift but if you want it back just ask Harry for it. Your girl, Liza." I read out loud under my breath to myself, my heart seeming to quicken with every word before I glanced down at the shattered pieces of gingerbread in the box, gently picking one up and inspecting it.
It had my name iced across it in wobbly cursive.
Harry's wobbly cursive.
My firmly pressed lips quivered like a scolded child's as I peered down at the broken gift Harry had took his time to make me with watering eyes.
This was why Harry seemed so confused and hurt when I had told him I didn't want to spend Christmas with him and then left with Bryan and Ryan.
He wasn't ditching me to spend time with Liza.
He was trying to make me a gingerbread house.
This was all my fault.
I dropped the pink box onto my table, still holding onto the gingerbread piece that Harry had iced my name on as I quickly grabbed my phone and jacket.
Okay he still has my car so when's the next bus schedule- or maybe it would be faster to get a taxi to his place.
Whatever or however I get there, I needed to see Harry, to tell him I was sorry and that I was the one being a bad friend with brushing him off like that.
I was running around my flat, my brain just as scattered and sporadic as my movements before I rushed to the door, opening it only to stop all together at the sight of Harry in front of me right at the entrance, wearing my three sleeved sweater I had knitted him with flushed cheeks.
His mouth was slightly parted parted, his breathing heavy as if he had been running just to get to me while I stood there across from him panting from the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
His wary green eyes looked down at the gingerbread house piece I was holding while my gaze flickered over his familiar attire, the sound of our heavy breathing the only noise in the air between us as we stared at one another in surprise.
"I like your sweater, even if it has three sleeves." Harry told me, his deep voice laced with sincerity as we stiffly gazed at each other.
"I like your gingerbread house, even if it is in pieces." I then said, my heart pounding rapidly against my ribcage before my lips slowly turned down into a trembling frown to keep from crying depsite the tears that were already forming as Harry's eyes widened at the sight.
"Wait, don't cry neonata-"
"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" I cried, attacking his tall frame in a hug causing him to stumble back in surprise before we both fell to the floor with me on top of him, my arms wrapped securely around his neck as I placed my sobbing, flushed face over his head as his whole body stiffened underneath me.
"Gesù Cristo va bene, va bene. (okay, okay). You don't have to cry neonata," Harry grunted in reason, his voice gentle as I kept his face squished against my racing heart while I cried and hugged him to me.
"You're so precious and sweet and I lied when I said I didn't want to spend Christmas with you you're the only person I want to spend Christmas with you know that right?" I rapidly said in one breath, tenderly cupping his face and tilting his chin up so he was looking at me as he blinked up at me in surprise.
"You do know that, right? That you're my best friend and that I love you?" I asked, my vision blurry from my tears making it somewhat difficult for me to see his expression before I heard him let out a small chuckle.
Harry brought his arm up, gently wiping my tears away with the sleeve of the sweater I had made him as I closed my eyes, letting him as I obediantly stayed put, sniffing to myself.
"Look at you neonata, such a child." I heard him say yet his voice held a tone of endearment rather than a patronizing one as I felt his the pad of his thumb tenderly brush against my flushed cheek.
I opened my eyes when Harry was finished, blinking down at him as he propped himself up by his elbows, casually reaching out and holding the pendant of the necklace around my neck between his fingers.
He played with it in his hand while his eyes never left my face before he tugged on it, pulling it forward and lowering me down until my forehead was pressed against his.
"Ti amo Malu." Harry said in a low rasp, his gaze locked with mine as I blinked at him with wide eyes before a joyful smile grew on my face.
"Te amo Harry." I giggled, saying it in spanish since it was part of my heritage before I grabbed his face and attacked him with kisses, catching him off guard as he made sounds of protests while I pressed my lips over his cheeks, forehead, and noseas he screwed his eyes shut, making a face.
Strange, even though he was complaining his hands were kept on my waist, keeping me to him.
I don't know how long we stayed there on the ground at the door with me laying down on him but it was really nice.
"You can cry if you want." I told Harry as I pressed my face against his chest while he played with the ends of my brown hair.
"Hm, and why would I cry." He said in his monotone voice, playfully tugging at my locks that were between his fingertips as I brought my head up, now resting my chin on his broad chest to meet his gaze.
"I hurt you and if you want to let out your feelings you can. There's more ways to express how you feel when you're hurt rather than getting mad- even though I know that's how you personally deal with it. But a good cry here and there is okay too." I reassured him, not wanting him to surpress any emotions.
"What feelings." Was Harry's clipped response as he stared back at me with a straight face making me beam at him with a small smile of admiration.
"You know what you remind me of?"
"No." He said in an uninterested tone yet he patiently waited, knowing I'd tell him what was on my mind anyways as he gently twirled a strand of my hair around his tattooed finger.
"You remind me of a big colorful rainbow." I informed with a genuine grin, rising off him slightly so I was sitting on top of him as I brought my arms up for emphasis while he blinked up at me.
"Shoot me-"
"You have a scary and kind of intimidating demeanor to you, like a thunderstorm with all the cold rain and loud thunder. But once that clears up and you overlook it you see a rainbow of different colors, you my friend show me your different colors everyday. Colors are your emotions by the way." I explained with a light hearted expression, watching a muscle twitch in Harry's jaw as he stared at me with furrowed brows.
He didn't say anything for a moment, just continued to play with my hair in thought before he spoke.
"You remind of a ray of sunshine." He said, looking up at me with a small smirk as my eyes widened with joy at his words before I clasped my hands together, leaning towards him in excitement.
"That one ray of sunshine that's always too annoyingly bright and reflects off any flat surface and into someone's eyes while they're driving making them swerve off the road and crash and die." He finished, continuing to smirk even as my smile immediatly dropped.
It was my turn to be speechless as I made a face, not really enjoying the metaphorical image of what Harry compared me to.
"Can I be the ray of sunshine in the morning instead please-" I began in a small voice.
"No." Harry interrupted, making my shoulders slump as I looked down at my hands in slight disappointment.
It was silent between us for a moment before Harry started to chuckle underneath me, moving my body slightly since I was still seated on top of him as I looked up to find him laughing at me with a full on heart stopping, dimpled smile on his attractive face.
"You're stupidly adorable you know that?" He laughed, a genuine, loud laugh that made showed the crinkles by his eyes ever so slightly before he released a small sigh of content, grinning up at me while I smiled.
"Yeah well you're mean nice." I countered, patting his chest only for him to gently grab my wrist, green eyes filled with amusement as he sent me a look.
"Mean nice." He repeated with a smirk as he rubbed the back of my hand absentmindedly, my face warming all of a sudden at how kind he was being.
This was very rare but I'm going to enjoy this as much as I could.
"Come on, I have another present waiting in the car to give to you." Harry suddenly said, making us both rise to our feet with his hand still holding mine as my eyes widened with excitement.
"A part two!?" I couldn't help but exclaim in an almost childish voice as he simply nodded in response, dragging me out the door while I hopped around him in excitement.
"Part two, part two, part two." I chanted under my breath with joy, jumping up and down while Harry closed the door before he turned his head in my direction.
"Bambina." He snapped with a look of impatience at my constant jumping and yapping, his glare silencing me and keeping me on my feet as I held my hands in front of me, flickering my gaze up to him.
"Part two." I whispered under my breath, watching Harry with wide eyes before he leaned forward, my body immediatly tensing as I braced myself for him to scold me only to blink in surprise when I felt his lips brush ever so slightly against my cheek, pulling back and grabbing my hand in his.
"Merry Christmas Eve little red."
AN: Question, how do you pronounce Malu when you read the name? There's no right way, it's a name that anyone can pronounce in anyway you want.
Left the Philippines and now I'm in Korea and I'm so tireddddddd.