ORION.
A few days after Harro regained his memories, we met with his father for dinner. Harro was still upset about being kept apart from me while he couldn't remember, but we were both grateful for Sabastian's love and devotion. He had made the difficult decision to keep us apart, hoping that Harro would regain his memories on his own without further harm.
I still remember how Sabastian's face lit up with a warm smile as he told us that he had given us his blessings. "You two can get married immediately, if you want to." he said, his eyes twinkling with excitement. Harro and I exchanged a glance, both of us feeling a sense of joy and relief.
I took a few days off work to savor every minute of having Harro back in my life. We spent every waking moment together, rekindling our love and connection. I even accompanied him to therapy once, but he decided not to go back, saying that he hadn't had that scary dream since regaining his memories and that he'd been sleeping well in my arms each night.
This morning, Athena called me, saying that she was in town and suggesting that we go skiing since it was the weekend. But Harro signaled to me to invite her over instead, so we could surprise her with the news of his regained memories. I was truly looking forward to it, eager to see the look of surprise and joy on Athena's face when she found out that Harro was back to his old self.
"Riri! Where are you?" Athena's voice called out from the sitting room, her tone cheerful and upbeat.
"In here, Tina!" I replied from the kitchen, Harro chuckling softly beside me. He was clearly looking forward to Athena's reaction.
"I swear, if you're throwing yourself one of those pity parties this beautiful Saturday morning, I'm going..." Athena's voice trailed off as she entered the kitchen, her eyes widening in surprise as she took in the scene before her. "Harro?" she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.
For a moment, she seemed frozen, her eyes darting back and forth between us. Then, she seemed to compose herself, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I mean, I've heard a lot about you from Orion. I'm his best friend, Athena," she said, trying to sound casual, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Harro chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and greeted her with his signature charming smile. "Hi, gorgeous! It's been a while." he said, and Athena's eyes widened in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up in confusion.
For a moment, she seemed to process what she was seeing, and then, it clicked. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, her face a picture of shock and excitement.
"Orion, he..." Athena's voice trailed off, her eyes locked on mine, filled with hope and anticipation. I nodded, a smile spreading across my face.
"He remembers everything," I said, and Athena's face lit up with joy. She threw herself into Harro's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh my God! Thank goodness! I'm so sorry, it was my fault," she sobbed into his chest, her body shaking with emotion.
Harro held her close, patting her back gently, trying to comfort her. "Shhhh, don't cry anymore," he whispered. "It's not your fault. I'm fine now, see?" He pulled her face away from his chest, and Athena looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"You're really fine now?" she asked, her voice trembling, and Harro nodded, a smile on his face. Athena's face crumpled again, but this time, it was a smile that broke through her tears. She hugged him again, and Harro wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
I watched them, a warm feeling spreading through my chest. I loved seeing Harro happy, and Athena's joy was infectious. It broke me when she kept blaming herself for his accident. I walked over to them, wrapping my arms around both of them, pulling them into a group hug. They laughed, and Athena pulled back, wiping her tears away.
"I'm so happy for you both. Welcome back, Harro." she said, her voice still shaky with emotion. "I've missed you so much!" Harro smiled, hugging her again.
"I've missed you too, gorgeous," Harro said, his voice low and husky, filled with emotion. "But I'm back now, and I'm not going anywhere," he assured, his smile radiant and warm, lighting up the space around us.
As the tension and anxiety of the past few weeks finally began to dissipate, Harro's expression turned mischievous, a glint in his eye sparkling with amusement. "On the bright side of things, something good came out of me getting hurt," he said, his voice dripping with enthusiasm, after we'd all calmed down.
Athena and I turned to him, intrigued, our faces mirroring each other's curiosity. Harro's sly grin spread across his face, and he said, "Your parents know you're not getting married to him, Athena." He paused, his eyes locked on mine, before adding, "And your father knows you're dating me, Orion. What a great coming-out story, right?" His voice was laced with humor, but I could sense the underlying emotions behind his words.
I glared at him, he laughed, and Athena chimed in, her voice stern. "Don't joke about things like that, Harro. You have no idea how scared we were, seeing you broken and battered on that hospital bed." Harro's grin faltered, and he looked at us, his eyes apologetic.
"Sorry," he said quickly, and I sighed, shaking my head.
"It wasn't how I'd planned on telling him, but you're right, everything is out in the open now." I said, agreeing with him. His accident had indeed fueled my determination to stand up to my father.
Athena's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What about your cousin? Does she know?" Harro shook his head.
"Only my dad knows. I wanted to spend more time with Orion before breaking the news." He looked at me, his eyes filled with love, and I smiled back at him, my heart warming up.
Athena's face lit up with excitement. "We should totally surprise her now!" Harro nodded in agreement.
"You call her, babe," he said, gesturing to me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Me? Why me?" Harro's grin returned.
"The element of surprise, babe" he said, as if that explained everything.
I chuckled, shaking my head, and picked up my phone to dial Azalea's number. Harro and Athena waited eagerly, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Orion, nice to see you're still alive," Azalea said, peering into the camera with a hint of amusement. "You look better than the last time I saw you."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "You did threaten me to live, so I didn't exactly have a choice," I replied, grinning at her. Azalea's eyes sparkled and I smiled at the sound of her laughter.
"Is that how you two say 'I miss you' to each other?" Athena teased as she popped up beside me, a wide smile on her face.
Azalea squealed happily, her eyes lighting up. "Hello, beautiful!" she exclaimed, and Athena blushed, looking all bashful. I raised an eyebrow, wondering why it sounded like these two were flirting, but Athena ignored me, focusing on exchanging greetings with Azalea.
As they chatted, I noticed a slight tint on Azalea's cheeks, visible even through the camera. Before I could comment on it, Azalea's expression froze, her eyes wide with surprise. Her eyes fixed behind me, and I followed her gaze to see Harro standing beside me, a quiet smile on his face. Azalea's eyes locked onto Harro's as different emotions rushed through her face.
"You guys have already forgotten this was supposed to be a surprise about me?" Harro asked, pouting playfully.
Azalea's eyes widened in shock. "Junior?" she asked, her voice trembling with disbelief. "What? How?" She struggled to form a complete sentence, and we burst out laughing.
"I've never seen you lost for words before, cousin," Harro teased, grinning mischievously. "I must say, this is definitely satisfying to see."
Azalea's face lit up with pure excitement and relief. "He's back! Oh my God, he's back!" she shrieked, jumping out of her seat and running out of the room.
Before I could even blink, Harro's grandmother's face appeared on the screen, her eyes brimming with tears of joy as she gazed at her grandson. The reunion was tearful and emotional, with Harro's family overwhelmed with happiness.
As Harro continued to chat with his family, Athena and I moved to the sitting room, where I made snacks for her while we talked about everything that had happened. Azalea announced that she was coming to Alderan as soon as she could, and Harro just shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I didn't mind, though. I had my boyfriend back, and everything was right with the world again.