Harry arrived at Tom's house exactly fifteen minutes before 6 p.m.
Standing by his car outside Tom's house, Harry wasn't sure if he felt more excited or nervous.
He couldn't really place why he was feeling so nervous now when he had been excitedly looking forward to this moment all day.
Perhaps it was because he wanted everything to be perfect for their first date, and even though Jade was already eager to be his girlfriend, he still planned to ask her officially.
He had spent hours the previous night trying to pick out the outfit for their date. He had finally settled on a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a black tie. He completed the look with polished black dress shoes and a matching belt.
Harry took a deep breath as he straightened his blazers and then went around the car to take out the bouquet he had got her before going to knock on the door.
Ordinarily, he would open the door and walk in, knowing the door was never really locked, but he was not here on a casual visit, so he had to act accordingly.
He had been to Tom's house over a hundred times in the past years, and now he was here, not to see Tom, but to take the only love of his life out on their first date.
Almost as soon as he rang the doorbell, Evelyn opened the door as if she had been waiting all day for this moment, and she beamed a wide smile as she embraced him before he could say hello.
"Oh, Harry! Come on in. You're so welcome," she said as she pulled away and patted his cheeks in a fond gesture.
Harry cleared his throat, "Thank you."
"I suppose that is for Jade?" Evelyn asked as she took the bouquet from him, "I will give it to her."
"Make yourself comfortable while I will go see if Jade is ready," Evelyn said as she hurried away to join Sonia and Jade upstairs.
Harry turned when he heard Desmond clear his throat, and he thanked his good sense for coming a few minutes earlier.
He expected that Desmond was going to want to give him the girl's father talk. Hence he had come earlier so it wouldn't interfere with the time for their date.
"Hello, Mr Hank," Harry greeted politely.
"You are not in haste, are you?" Desmond asked, hiding his amusement at how tense Harry seemed.
"I'm not," Harry assured him, and Desmond nodded.
"Come chat with me for a moment," Desmond said and led Harry into the Den.
"I would offer you a drink, but since you're driving and you're going on a date, I don't think I should," Desmond said, and Harry nodded.
"Fathers never think any man is good enough for their princess, do you know that?" Desmond asked out of the blue.
"I've heard that in movies," Harry said, and Desmond chuckled.
"Well, you're hearing it from me now. I love my daughter. I've loved her even before she was born. She is priceless to me," Desmond said, and Harry nodded.
"You are a great young man, Harry. And as much as I think no one is good enough for her, I think you're more than good enough," Desmond said, and Harry looked at Desmond in surprise.
"I'm flattered..."
"There is no reason to be," Desmond cut in.
"Jade can be a handful. She is stubborn, and she is still dealing with a lot of stuff that she might not mention to you. All I ask is that you be patient with her. I want you to love her even more than I do. And please do not break her heart," Desmond said as tears gathered in his eyes.
Even though it was just their first date, for some reason, he felt like he was giving her away in marriage to Harry already.
"I love Jade, and her heart is safe with me. You never have to worry about her," Harry promised, and Desmond nodded.
"That is good enough. Let's go back before she begins to search for you," Desmond said as he rose.
"Thank you, Mr Hank," Harry said softly.
"Desmond. I think that's the only problem I have with you. You never listen. The next time you call me Mr Hank, I'm going to ask Jade to break up with you," Desmond threatened as he walked past Harry.
They both got to the living room in time to see Jade descending the stairs.
Harry forgot to breathe for a second as he watched Jade descend the stairs.
She was dressed in a knee-length black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. The dress had a V-neckline that showed off just enough skin to make Harry's heart race. She paired it with a pair of black pumps, which made her legs look long and toned.
As for her hair, it was styled in loose curls, and she completed her beautiful look by wearing minimal makeup, letting her natural beauty shine through.
As they met at the foot of the stairs, Harry couldn't help but admire how stunning Jade looked.
Jade smiled, holding Harry's gaze as she descended the stairs slowly, while Evelyn and Sonia, who were following behind Jade, giggled, knowing that he wasn't even seeing them.
Desmond, who was standing beside Harry, smiled proudly as he watched Jade, and he winked at Evelyn when their gaze met.
Watching Jade descend the stairs with Harry standing there, they were reminded of the first time the pair had met.
Harry's gaze held the same look of awe he had when she ran down the stairs fully covered in her sweater and jeans, with her face flushed with cold.
It seemed to them that no matter what Jade was dressed in, Harry was constantly in awe of her existence.
"Why do you look so stunned? You've always known I'm beautiful," Jade said with a teasing smile when she stopped in front of Harry, and he smiled into her eyes.
"The stunned look comes with the role. I have to act stunned to feed your ego," Harry said, and Jade threw back her head and laughed gaily, easing both their nervousness since she had been just as nervous as he.
"I received the flowers. They are lovely," she said as she met his gaze again.
"Someone abandoned them by the roadside," Harry said with a shrug as he held out his arm to her, and Jade smiled as she slipped hers through it.
"Mighty considerate of you," she said and as if they suddenly remembered they were not alone, they looked at Evelyn and Sonia, who walked past them to join Desmond.
"Thankfully, Harry is not a stranger to any of you, so there won't be any need for introductions. We are leaving now," Jade said, and Harry looked at both her parents.
"Please, you don't have to worry about her. I will make sure she is fine, and I will be sure to bring her back in time," Harry promised, and Jade rolled her eyes while Sonia giggled.
"Jonas, I'm a full-grown-ass lady! I don't need to be back home on time," Jade hissed at him while Desmond and Evelyn smiled at Harry.
"You both should have fun," Evelyn said simply.
"And she doesn't have to come back tonight if she doesn't want to," Desmond added, making Jade grin at her father while Harry looked away in mild embarrassment, amusing Evelyn and Sonia the more.
"We will have fun. You should too," Jade said as she leaned forward to kiss her dad and mom before pulling Harry away.
"Harry is such a gent," Evelyn said with a pleased smile as they closed the door behind them.
"Jade couldn't have done better," Desmond said in agreement, and Evelyn nodded.
Once they got outside, Harry turned to Jade, "Your family is weird."
"I think you are the weird one."
"Why would your dad suggest I keep you with me overnight? I mean, he is your dad! He should be protecting you possessively," Harry said as he led her to the car and opened the door for her.
"Because he understands that I'm an adult, which you obviously do not seem to understand! Maybe I have to undress and show you my body for you to know I'm a full-grown woman," Jade hissed at him.
"Perhaps you should. Your dress is making me really curious," Harry murmured as he shut the door and went around the car to get into his seat.
Knowing that Jade was probably getting ready for an argument, the moment he got into his seat, he took her by surprise and kissed her before she could say a word.
"You are beautiful, esquire. But you look even more so today, and I love your dress," Harry said as he pulled away, and Jade, who had been getting ready for an argument, smiled.
"Thanks. You look dashing yourself," Jade said, and he took her hand.
"I know that lately, you must have felt that being my girlfriend or going on this date is more important to you than it is to me. But I just want to let you know that I feel like the luckiest man on earth to be going out on a date with you. I met you four years ago, but I've loved you far longer than that. You could never love or want me more than I love and want you even if you tried, esquire. Whatever you think you feel for me right now is nothing compared to what I feel for you. And I want you to always know that your safety, comfort, and joy will always come first with me," Harry said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.
Jade couldn't speak because her throat felt like something had lodged in there, and she was trying hard to blink back her tears so they wouldn't ruin her makeup.
Before she could say anything, Harry started the car and headed out, "Where are we going?" Jade asked curiously.
"Somewhere we can eat and talk," Harry said easily.
Knowing that he obviously didn't want to tell her where he was taking her, Jade decided not to push and let herself be surprised.
"Let's set out the rule for this date," Jade said, and Harry turned to her with a raised brow.
"Okay. Go on."
"The only thing we are talking about tonight is us. I mean the both of us as Jade and Harry without the Hank or Jonas part attached. Let's get to know each other better and stuff. No talk about anything else," Jade said, and Harry nodded.
"Sure. What else?" Harry asked, and Jade shook her head.
"That's all I can think of. Do you want to add something else?" Jade asked, and Harry considered it for a moment.
"I think that covers it," Harry said, and Jade smiled.
"So, how was your day? Or am I not allowed to ask about it?" Harry asked, and Jade narrowed her eyes.
"It was nice. I'm not giving you details. Maybe tomorrow I can do that," Jade said, knowing that if she did, they would have to start talking about the Miller family and also have to talk about Matt and Candace and other stuff unrelated to the both of them.
Harry smiled, "Alright. So, what do you want to talk about?"
Jade cleared her throat, "Earlier, you said you met me four years ago but have loved me longer than that. How?" Jade asked, and Harry narrowed his eyes.
"Why do I feel like you came up with this rule so that you can ask me as many questions as you want about my feelings for you?"
"Nothing is stopping you from doing the same," Jade pointed out.
"I was with him each time you called to complain about something, and he often talked about you. I saw pictures of you. I felt like I knew you even before I met you. I even used to dream about you sometimes," Harry said, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit that.
"Dream? What sort of dream?" Jade asked with a suggestive smile.
"Get your mind out of the gutters. It was nothing erotic. I had harmless dreams…."
"Well, erotic dreams are not harmful, are they?" Jade cut in, and Harry shook his head.
"You were a teenager. You were still in high school. You were a minor! I'm not a paedophile," Harry said firmly.
"So what were the dreams about then?" Jade asked with a frown.
"They were random dreams. Sometimes I play games with you. I was sometimes teaching you math and some times were just talking with you. Once, I dreamt I was married to you," Harry said, and Jade laughed.
"Really? Did you tell Tom about it?" Jade asked, and he shook his head.
"Never. Why would I? I felt guilty enough about dreaming of you in the first place," Harry said, and Jade smiled softly.
"Was that why you never had a girlfriend?"
"I was just never interested in anyone enough to want to date them. Am I allowed to check on Tom before we get to the restaurant?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Sure."
"Thanks," Harry said, and instead of calling Tom directly, he dialled the number of the person in charge of the hotel.
Once he confirmed that Tom had arrived but was exhausted and trying to get some rest before his meeting, he instructed the man to ask Tom to call him after he was well-rested and hung up.
"Now you can have me all to yourself for the rest of the evening," Harry said as he drove into the premises of a very exclusive restaurant.
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