We finish our meal and by the time we were having dessert everyone at the table started to stand up going their own ways. I'm finishing my apple pie when I see Harry placing his napkin that was previously resting on his lap on his plate. Then he stands up, running his hand through his hair.

"Off you go, love?" Anne says from her seat, giving him a smile.

"Uh, yeah. I heard that there's a driving range here. I'll spend the afternoon there." He stands right behind my chair. "Frances? A word, please?"

"Sure." I stand up as well, Anne nods at us with a smile returning to her tea.

We walk a few steps away standing by a tall window with a view to the gardens. The landscape outside is beautiful, I'm fascinated with this place.

"Tonight I'm taking my mum to dinner, you know, to catch up with her." He says playing with the rings in his fingers, his voice is low and hides his nervousness perfectly. "You have the key to your room, right?"

"Yeah." I take it out of my pocket to show him. "And don't worry, I'll find something to do in the meantime, if that's what worries you."

"No, its not that." He chuckles slightly, finally showing an emotion. I can't help but smile in my insides. "I just... It seems wrong leave you alone."

You didn't have a problem with that last night. I say to myself in my head.

"Don't worry." I say again giving him half a smile. "Have fun with your mom. I'm sure I will while shopping."

"Okay." He leaves a breath out, a tight smile on his lips. "I see you later then."

I give him one last smile and walk away to where Anne is standing waiting for me. We both glance up to him and wave goodbye before walking away from the restaurant.

She guides me to her rental car and I follow right behind her. I know she is cool and so lovely, but she is still his mom. I'm really nervous to be alone with her, its been a while since the last time I felt this nervous. At least she is nothing like the mom's of my previous boyfriends - not that Harry is my boyfriend, ha - but you get what I'm saying.

Once inside of the car she starts the engine, the radio instantly comes on and the car fills with the sound of a violin playing, more classical music, I see.

"Harry loves to hear classical music while driving too." I say while buckling my belt. "It runs in the family, I guess."

"Oh yeah. He got it from me, mostly." She smiles proudly, taking the wheel and driving away from the hotel. "Back in the day I was quite the pianist. Played in front of a sold out theater."

"Wow. Really?" I open my mouth in agape. "That's amazing! I would love to hear you play."

"Oh, no. I'm too shy now." He giggles shyly. I turn to look at her, she really is beautiful. Black straight hair, and not even one single wrinkle in her face and not exactly for beauty treatments. "I stopped playing when I got pregnant with...Um, my first child."

She coughs nervously, its now that I realize she is talking about Harry's sister. He told me about her back when we met. One of the reasons I thought we clicked back then, we were so open with each other. Very different from this trip.

"Gemma, right?" I ask in a condescending voice.

She moves her eyebrows up, turning to look at me for a moment.

"Yeah." She says returning on driving. "Did... Did he tell you about her?" She asks surprised, in a sweet way. Like she can't believe he finally talked to someone about that.

"Yes, he did." I say with a shy reassuring smile. "It was just once long ago, but he did."

"Oh my, dear." She smiles kindly, placing her hand in my shoulder. "You don't know how happy I am of hearing that."

She squeezes my shoulder and returns on driving in silence, the same smile plastered on her face the entire time. I smile to myself, for an unknown reason. Her reaction was so cute, making me wonder how closed Harry is to the rest of the world. That somehow makes me feel special, I am - or was - one of those few people that he managed to open up to. 

In just a few minutes we arrive to a mall in the middle of the city. I've been looking around the whole time, impressed of how beautiful everything is. The city is so clean and somehow quiet, the sunny sky makes it look even more pretty making all the flowers around shine. 

She parks in the parking lot near the mall and we walk to the entry together to the entry. 

"What exactly are you looking for?" She asks me while we both walk inside. "A two piece set? Shoes, too?" 

"Well, I don't know. It's a day wedding, right?" I ask and she nods her head. "Maybe a knee length sunny dress with heeled sandals?" 

"That sounds lovely." She says excitedly, smiling widely. "I have to find a hat as well so lets hit the stores." 

We spend about forty minutes walking around different stores but any of them had dresses for weddings, all of them were too casual for the event or too formal. I'm looking something right in the middle, nothing that brings too much attention. Anne already put her eye in a hat we see some stores ago but she wants to keep looking just in case she finds another she likes more. 

Finally we enter to a gown shop that someone recommend us while we were just looking around in another store. When we enter it looks just like a wedding dress shop, there's even a woman in one of the stalls trying on a long white dress that looks like taken out of a magazine. As usual, I walk to the sales rack, old habits die hard. 

"What about this one?" Anne says taking out a floral green dress from the rack next to mine. 

"Its cute, I can try it on." I say with a polite smile, even though I don't like the dress for even a bit. 

In a matter of minutes an attendant walks to us offering her help and Anne gently accepts, telling her we are looking for a not-so-formal sunny dress for a wedding and a cream hat for her. The attendant tells us to follow her and shows us a little lounge area just like the one the woman with the wedding dress was minutes ago. She offer us something to drink and we both order a tea, waiting for the dress options to come. 

The hats arrive first, they didn't have a lot of options but Anne doesn't seem to mind. 

"Wow, I really like this one." I say holding a dark cream hat, it doesn't really look like a hat, more like a head accessory but its really beautiful. It only cover a small part of the head and it has a soft fabric net that covers only the forehead. 

She puts it in and a smile instantly forms on her face, she checks herself in the mirror accommodating the net to one side. She looks so pretty, I don't know how old she is but she doesn't look like the mother of two grown ups. 

"I'll take it. This is the one." She says totally convinced on the hat, never taking her eyes away from it. "I love it." 

"It looks beautiful on you." I compliment her, just when another attendant arrives with a rack full of short dresses for me. 

"Thank you, darling." She gives me a tender smile. "Go on, go try the dresses on. I want to see you." 

"Okay, I'll be right back." I say excitedly walking with the attendant to the fitting rooms. 

She lets me pick up a few dresses before stepping inside. I can't help but look at the tags, all of then pass the three hundred pounds I have in my account. There's even a few that passes the eight hundreds, these are designer dresses. I can't afford this. 

"Um, do you have, any cheaper dresses? I can't really afford this." I say being completely honest. 

"Of course." She says with a smile and a thick Scottish accent. "We also give the option of renting the dress, if you're interested." 

"Oh, yeah that sounds perfect. How much is that?" I ask biting on my bottom lip. 

"The one's with red tags on are around a hundred fifty, the day. And the one's with green tags two hundred fifty." She explains to me. 

"Red tags it is." I say, going back on searching for the dresses I like in the rack. 

I take four dresses with me, the rest of them didn't gain my attention. The first I try on its too tight, I can't even finish zipping it. That's strange, I'm usually a size four. The next one is a coral tube dress covered in lace. It makes me look like wrapped sushi so I take it off instantly. The next dress is a cream yellow dress, it fits pretty well but I'm not very convinced. I decide to step outside to hear some opinions. 

"Oh, I brought you a pair of heels. You're size eight, right?" She says holding a pair of nude sandal heels. I nod my head taking them and putting them on. 

I step outside the fitting room, Anne is sitting on a sofa drinking her tea. When she looks at me she places the cup down and smiles at me. 

"That looks great, honey." She says standing up and walking to me. I look myself in the mirror, it doesn't look bad but I don't think yellow is my color. 

"I don't know. I feel like a bumblebee." I say, turning on my side running my hand through the back of the dress where is a little pompous.  

"Yeah, I also think its too bright." She says looking at me in the mirror. "Maybe a cold color?" 

"Yeah, I have a blue one in there. Let me try it on." I say stepping out of the stall and walking back to the dressing room. 

I take the yellow dress out leaving it on a chair, taking the blue one out of the hanger. This is all so crazy for me, going shopping with Harry's mom and being here in Edinburgh with him, to attend a wedding. 

Finally, I manage to get inside of the dress, the zipper is on a side so it was difficult for me to know how to get inside of it. When I look at myself in the mirror I smile, it fits so well. It has blue lace covering the entire top, with a nude base since you can't wear a bra with it. A little above the waist line falls the skirt, a blue flowy chiffon material that almost reaches the knee. 

This is definitely the dress, and it goes perfectly with the shoes the attendant gave me. 

I step outside with a smile on my face, the attendant looking at me complimenting me. Then I step outside, Anne is still on her feet waiting for me. 

She looks at me and her mouth falls to the floor, nodding her head and helping me get to the big mirror. 

"I don't think we have to keep looking. Do we?" She says holding me by my shoulders, standing right behind me. "You look gorgeous, incredibly beautiful." 

"Thank you, I think this is the one." I say looking at myself in the mirror, I feel like a princess in this dress. "I'll take it. Along with the shoes." 

After I go back to my usual clothes, I'll fold the dress and place the shoes on top of it and hand it to the attendant. She walks us to the register where Anne's hat is waiting. I take my wallet out ready to pay for the dress. 

"Will you be renting the dress and the shoes, then?" The attendant asks me while pressing some numbers on the register. 

"Yes, I-" I start looking for my card but Anne stops me. 

"Nonsense, she's buying it." She looks at me and at my wallet, like making me put it away with just one look. "I'm paying for everything." 

"Oh no, Anne, I can't let you pay for my dress." I laugh nervously, shaking my head. I already feel like I'm taking advantage of Harry for letting him pay for our stay to let his mom pay for my clothes. "I can take it." 

"No, dear. I'm not letting you, end of discussion." She says with a winning smile, just like Harry's. "Besides, I'm just following my son's orders, he gave me the money. And if a boy wants to buy you a dress, you can't refuse." 

"But, I..." I take a deep breath. This feels terrible. I'm totally going to kill him. 

"No 'buts', darling. Its our pleasure to do it." She says with a warm smile now, handing her card to the attendant. 

We leave the stores with out bags, I thank her so many times while walking out of the store that she technically shut me off, in a comical way. 

"Why don't we go for a milkshake now? I want something sweet before we go." She says to me with a smile. 

"With one condition." I look at her holding my giggle. "You let me pay for them." 

"That sounds fair." She laughs slightly, guiding us to the nearest ice cream shop. 

Once inside she orders a mint chocolate milkshake and I order an Oreo fudge shake, my favorite. Apart from that, we ordered four small cupcakes to share. I pay, as we agreed and we go sit in one of the tables inside of the small shop, leaving our bags on a chair next to us. I bite one of the cupcakes, they are so soft and the cream inside is delicious. 

"So, Frances. Tell me a bit about you." She asks me while grabbing a cupcake, leaving her drink down. "What do you do for a living, honey?"

"Oh, well. Right now, nothing." I giggle, placing the remaining of my cupcake on the plate. "I was studying to be an art major but, it wasn't my thing so I decided to have a little time to myself." 

"Harry told me you have been traveling around. Is that right?" She says taking a sip from her milkshake. I didn't know he talked about me with her, it makes me flush slightly. 

"Yeah, that's what I've been up to in the past few months." I say, moving the rest of the cupcake to my mouth. "That's how we met, actually." 

"Mhm, he told me." She smiles kindly at me, like the look a mother gives you. It makes me miss my mom. "Don't mind me asking, dear but... What's going on between you two?" 

I almost choke on my bite, swallowing the cake hardly. I look at her surprised, I'm sure she knows we are not dating. Is she? 

"Um, what do you mean? We are friends." I say nervously, trying to hide it by taking a sip from my shake. 

"No, not that dear." She chuckles shaking her head, moving her hand up in a gesture. "I mean, what's going on between you two." She makes a stop taking a drink. "I may not spend that much time with Harry anymore but I know my son. He looks... Bothered about something." 

"Oh." I say, I move my eyebrows up. She's very canny. 

"And you, darling, you had a sad glimpse in your eyes the entire time during lunch." She says coming closer to me, she really is very observant. "Did something happened between you two?" 

I sigh, there's no way I can't lie to her about this. Even though it feels like its not my place to tell her, but I can't get away with it. I'm a terrible liar. 

"Well..." I tell her about what happened, about my concern of being just another girl on his list. I leave the details away, I didn't want to lie to her but I don't want to be completely honest either. I tell her about the fight we had last night, making him leave the room. I try to be the most neutral as possible but I'm sure she can hear the hurt in my voice. 

She nods through the story, eating another cupcake and looking somehow perceptive of what I'm telling her. 

"Since this morning he has been distant from me." I finish, leaving a breath out. "And I don't blame him, really. I acted like a fool last night." 

"I see." She says finishing her drink, pursing her lips like in thought. 

It feels so good to finally tell someone about this, I was feeling like it was closing inside of my chest and it also makes me feel a lot better. I just wish she takes it in a good way, she's pensive so I just decide to eat the last cupcake, giving her time. 

"I think you both have a point." She says after a moment, turning her blue powerful eyes to me. "I guess he took it in the wrong way, but you do deserve to know. I'm sure he's just confused, my dear. He's going through a lot at the moment." 

"Is he? We haven't really talked about us. Its been only a day and so." I say finishing my drink as well, taking a napkin to clean my mouth. 

That reminds me, I still have to tell him about my plans on moving to Barcelona, and I'm not sure on how he's going to take it. 

"I'm sure he will tell you, give him time." She takes my hand over the table, squeezing it. "I know he cares about you tremendously, darling, otherwise you wouldn't be here alone with me." 

"I guess so." I give her a smile, realizing she is totally right. 

He wouldn't have let any girl go out shopping with his mom. He is too protective, the short time I have known him tells me that. He loves his mom to dead, he would do anything for about her. I guess I don't have anything to worry about, I just have to hear it from him. That's all I ask. 

-

A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to update in a month, but I got so inspired that I had to write it down. 

You're welcome. 

Btw, this is the dress I picture for Frances. 

Now its time. See you at the end of June! Byeeee!