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“So, what do you think, babe? Where to next?”
“Hmm.” Harry furrowed her brows and lifted her map an inch higher. She tilted her head, her long, loose braid of waves sliding over her shoulder. She pointed forward. “I heard a rumor that Belle was going to be signing autographs in that direction.”
Louis’ lips quirked. “Rumor? You heard a rumor?” She could see herself, in all her fondly smiling glory, in Harry’s mirrored, round sunglasses. “Where are you hearing these magical Disney rumors?”
Harry smiled shyly, her dimple deepening. “I heard it on a staff member’s walkie talkie when I was in line to get us turkey legs in Frontierland. You were still in the toilet.”
“Mmm, turkey legs,” Louis groaned, rubbing her stomach. She turned and Harry unzipped her Peter Pan backpack, then placed the park map inside and zipped it. “Well, then.” Louis tugged the end of Harry’s braid. “Let’s go find your princess.”
Harry laced their hands together and dipped low enough to rest her head on Louis’ shoulder. She murmured, “I already have my princess, silly.” Her braid flopped down on Louis’ arm, Louis’ smile growing as she tightened her grip.
Louis had picked Harry a bouquet of tiny white daisies while they waited for the shuttle from their hotel. Harry promptly wound her hair into a thick braid and stuck a daisy into each twist of hair. Louis’ shoulder-length, light brown hair swayed in two loosely braided pigtails—Harry’s doing on the shuttle ride to Magic Kingdom—with her bangs swept to the side and fastened by a Minnie Mouse clip. Both wore classic mouse ears.
Harry’s yellow peasant dress fluttered on her thighs as she walked, revealing the bottom of her pink and purple floral printed bicycle-shorts. Her brown gladiator sandals were made of delicate leather straps that looped around her ankles and up her long legs until they were above her calves. Louis didn’t know how they could be comfortable for a trip with so much walking, but they were Harry’s favourite and made her look like some sort of flower child-slash-warrior, which Louis was more than okay with.
Louis also wore shorts, but they were made of a dark jean material and reached just above her knee. She had on a tight white tank with a looser green tank draped over it. Her outfit was completed by a pair of Stitch-patterned socks Harry surprised her with the day before, the socks stretched up as high as they could go and paired with her black Vans.
They made a commitment to shorts and sun block for the length of their vacation. Disney was lots of walking in high temperatures. No one liked chub-rub or sunburn.
“What time is our dinner reservation at Cinderella’s?” Harry asked as she swayed their arms.
“You’re so cute. You say Cinderella’s like we’re going to her house. Like we’re her friends.”
“Of course we are.” Harry giggled. “Our pal Cindy.”
“Our reservation is at seven.”
“Okay, so…” Harry pushed her sunglasses up onto the top of her head, determination scrunching her forehead. “Once we have a look to see if any characters are around in Fantasyland, we can do our third round of teacups, then run to Adventureland?” She mapped out a route with her finger in the air, her steps going a little wonky. Louis simply followed alongside her, predicting her path and never missing a step. “Then loop to Frontierland so we can ride Splash Mountain again? Then maybe Liberty Square? Then back to the hotel to shower and change really quick? Then dinner? Then fireworks?”
“Of course. This is your first Disney vacation. I can’t let you leave the premises without experiencing the creepiness of the mannequins from Pirates of the Caribbean or The Hall of Presidents.”
Hushed, Harry asked, “Do you think the Haunted Mansion will be too scary for me?”
“No, love,” Louis said, voice shaking with laughter. “I think you’ll like it. I also think we’ll see the fireworks from wherever, but I’m sure we will find a nice spot to stand.”
“Will we be back in time to…”
Harry trailed off as two characters approached them. Cinderella’s grand, blue castle provided an epic backdrop as Belle curtseyed in front of Harry in her full yellow ball gown. Peter Pan stood in front of Louis with his hands on his hips, smiling boyishly. It was as if the Disney characters were staring at modern, human versions of themselves, their outfits and body types all similar.
“I’ve never wanted to have a four-way more in my life,” Louis whispered out the corner of her mouth.
Harry exploded with a burst of sudden cackles but stifled herself. Louis’ entire body went warm and mushy as Harry gripped the hem of her yellow dress and did a curtsey to Peter Pan, who winked, and then Belle, who smiled with the gentle glow only a Disney princess could possess. Well. A Disney princess and Harry, apparently.
Louis swung her backpack around to the front of her body. “Here, babe.” She took out a yellow notebook and handed it to Harry, then rifled around in the bag. She pulled out a shimmery gold Sharpie. “See if they’ll give you their autograph.”
“Okay. Do you wanna—”
Louis produced Harry’s trusty camera. “I’ve got you. I’ll take photos.” Harry’s eyes filled with hearts and Louis smiled, jutting her chin out. “Go ahead. We can get selfies when you have your autographs.”
“I believe I can be of some help, young maidens,” came a suave voice from behind them.
Louis turned and her nose crinkled, playful distain causing her voice to drop. “Oh. You.” She handed her bag and camera over to Gaston, his large hands enveloping the small black rectangle. “Normally, I’m firmly Team Beast, but I suppose I can make an exception this time.”
Louis stood next to Harry while Belle scrawled her name in the small autograph book. Gaston snapped photos of the quartet and continued photographing them as other characters came up to talk.
“I can’t believe they’re paying so much attention to us,” Harry whispered, Louis getting Aurora’s autograph in her blue notebook. She glanced around the crowded area. “I hope we aren’t keeping them from the kids.”
“Babe, you almost lost a leg yesterday when Aladdin appeared and that socks and sandals lady pushed a pram into your shins. You’ve earned this attention.”
Harry laughed softly and accepted her book from Goofy. “Thank you so much.” Goofy nodded and patted her shoulder, then stepped aside. Harry’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Lou, c’mere.” She gently touched Louis’ arm and pulled her away from Gaston. She laced their fingers together. “Rapunzel’s coming.”
Louis looked from Harry to Rapunzel. “Is she?”
“Yeah, look!”
Rapunzel came up to them, flocked by Belle and Aurora. “We’re so happy to meet you, Princess Harry,” she said warmly. Harry’s brows shot up. “And you, Princess Louis.”
“Thank you so much,” Louis said. “We’re honoured.”
Rapunzel’s pretty eyes darted from Belle to Aurora as they all smiled.
“Whoops,” Rapunzel chuckled, letting her ponytail fall forward. Her long blond hair flowed until it reached the ground. There was a purple velvet bow wrapped around the end like a scrunchie. A matching velvet box was attached to the scrunchie. She bowed at Harry. “I believe this is yours, Princess.”
Harry opened her mouth and looked to Louis, her confusion at an all time high, but Louis stepped forward. Louis bent over and took the box off of Rapunzel’s hair.
“Thank you, Rapunzel.”
“Anytime,” Rapunzel said, she and Louis sharing a curtsey.
Harry glanced at Gaston, who took a photo of her likely baffled face. “What are you…”
She watched Louis hand the small box to Donald Duck. Belle walked towards her, Harry unsure who to look at. Stitch held out a larger velvet box and Belle opened it. A sparkling crown with bursts of colourful flowers wound through it glinted in the sun, the perfect mix of Disney princess and flower child. Harry’s eyes widened as Winnie the Pooh removed her sunglasses and mouse ears off the top of her head.
“Louis, what is going on?”
Louis stood in front of her, grinning from ear to ear and holding the flower crown. She had pushed her aviators up, her entire face glowing.
“May I?” she asked as she lifted the crown. Harry’s mouth flopped open but she nodded, bending forward. Louis crowned her, then smoothed her hands down the sides of her neck. She pressed a warm, lingering kiss to her forehead, Harry gripping her hips and pulling her closer. Louis touched the tips of their noses together. “I have another surprise, my love.”
“What?” Harry held onto the belt loops of Louis’ shorts, wetness sparkling in her her round, green eyes. “What is it?”
Louis accepted the purple velvet box from Donald Duck, who quacked happily and waddled to join the rest of the characters arched around them. She watched Harry’s gaze dart around the character ensemble before landing on her. She could only smile wider as she dropped to her knees. Nearby guests gasped happily, some holding their phones up and whispering amongst themselves.
Harry’s eyes somehow flooded with more shock, her hands flying up to cradle her own cheeks. A flower fell from her braid and bopped Louis on the nose, Louis chuckling and reaching for Harry’s hands. Harry held out her left hand, Louis lacing their fingers for a beat.
“Harry, I…” Louis gripped her hand and kissed the top of her knuckles, then bumped her nose to the spot she kissed. “Harry.” She sat back on her heels and held up the purple velvet box. She cracked it open and Harry let out the tiniest, highest squeak, bouncing from foot to foot and vibrating in place like Tinkerbell’s wings. Louis lifted the ring out of the box. Sunlight exploded off the heart cut diamond, the crowd of Disney characters and excited park guests all oohing and ahhing while taking photos. Louis laughed and tightened her grip on Harry’s hand, Harry swaying back on her feet with bright pink tinting her cheekbones. “Harry, I love you, and I promise to always love you. I am also a medical professional and I think you might be on the brink of fainting, so I’ll make this short and sweet: Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Harry gasped, dropping to her knees. She threw herself at Louis and wrapped her arms around her, Louis burying her face in Harry’s neck. “Of course! Oh my God, yes!”
The crowd laughed and applauded while the duo showered each other with kisses. Harry held her hand out and Louis slid the ring onto her shaking finger. Harry shivered and hugged her again, wetly sputtering, “Lou,” against her neck. Louis laughed. Harry kissed one sunscreen-scented cheek, then the other, then smacked a kiss to her lips. “How did you do this, baby!?” She lowered her voice and gripped Louis’ face. “How much money did this cost? This must have been a fortune! You didn’t have to do all this for me!”
“Yeah, well, I did,” Louis said with a grin. She adjusted Harry’s crooked flower crown, then smoothed her hand down her cheekbone. “Only going to propose once, so I’d better make it count, right?” Harry leaned into her touch, their eyes practically melting off her faces they were so mushy. “You’re my princess, you know? You deserve a royal proposal.”
Harry laughed breathily and went in for a kiss, then paused and leaned back. “But the cost.” Her face fell. “You were saving for a new bike. Please don’t tell me you spent that on this?”
Louis waved her hand side to side. “Bike shmike.”
“Lou!”
“Harry,” she laughed, cupping her cheeks. “I know we both get off on spreadsheets, balanced budgets, and watching our retirement fund grow, but let’s just say my overtime shifts at the hospital weren’t due to short-staffing. I did them for us,” Harry gasped and Louis snapped her fingers. “Oh, and Zayn used her contacts from her Princess Jasmine days to help us out with this setup. We’ll have to give her and Niall primo seats at the wedding.”
Later that night, they were wrapping up their decadent meal at Cinderella’s Castle. Harry returned from the restroom. Louis smiled warmly and stood as she sat, Harry grinning with candlelight illuminating their faces.
Both donned white dresses for dinner instead of their more casual daywear. Harry’s dress was still boho-chic, with small, puffed princess sleeves and a tasseled drawstring tightening the material just below her bust. Her long hair was held off her face by two braids fastened in the back and her flower crown perched on top. Louis wore a more modern white dress, long sleeved but with a deep vee on both sides, accentuating her deep tan from only a few days in Orlando. They had on matching gold gladiator sandals, though Harry’s nails were painted red while Louis’ were a more neutral khaki.
Louis held her hand on top of the table, both admiring her ring with soft, mushy smiles. The entire day became more and more magical. Everyone at the park seemed to recognize them and congratulated them on their engagement, Harry blushing prettily each time someone asked to see her heart-shaped ring.
“I dunno where our waitress is, but we haven’t gotten the check yet,” Louis said, rubbing Harry’s thumbnail as she looked around the restaurant. “I keep trying to find her. Don’t want to miss the fireworks.”
Harry squeezed her hand. “I paid already.”
Louis frowned. “Babe, why didn’t you let me pay for it? This is your night.”
“It’s our night and don’t you worry. I used the card to get us points, just like we planned, and already paid it off with my bank app thingie. I caught our waitress on the way back to the table and gave her cash for her tip.”
“Ah, okay. Wanna go see the fireworks show? I think it’s in, like, less than half an hour.”
“Sure.”
Harry stood and quickly hopped around the table to pull Louis’ chair out. Louis chuckled, “You’re so silly,” and scrunched her face as Harry pecked her nose. They looped their small pocketbooks over their shoulders, linked hands, and walked outside into the humid night.
Louis hummed as she looked side to side. “I’m trying to remember where we stood the last time I was here with the girls.”
“How about we try over by the river?”
“That’s a good idea.”
They walked hand in hand for a few minutes until Harry led them off to the dock.
Louis looked behind them. “Babe, I think this is for people who rent boats.”
Harry merely smiled and led the way. “Maybe we can sneak on,” she whispered excitedly, falling into step with a chatty group of guests. “They won’t even notice us and, if they do, we can pretend to be confused tourists.”
Louis tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Harriet Evelyn Styles, you’ve never so much as stolen sugar packets from a cafe. Not you want to hijack a pontoon boat? Who are you?”
“Shhh,” Harry giggled, lifting one finger to her mouth. She stood behind Louis and held her hips, dropping kisses to her neck. “Let’s just try. It’ll be an adventure.”
Louis looked at Harry as if she had turned into Stitch, but allowed her to lead them onto the pontoon boat. They got on board with eight other guests.
“Why didn’t the captain ask for tickets?” Louis muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
Harry whispered back, “Disney magic.”
Louis snorted. “Yeah. Tell that to Police Officer Flounder when we’re in Disney jail.”
“At least jail breakfasts will include mouse-shaped waffles.”
Both laughed then quieted, offering the boat captain polite nods as they walked past. They sat down and accepted glasses of champagne. The boat puttered through the water, vibrating beneath them. The excited chitchat of other guests made both scoot closer on their seat. Harry looped her arm around the small of Louis’ back. Louis idly stroked her inner thigh from knee to hemline, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder
Fireworks started to burst in the sky. Music piped through the sound system to accompany each colorful smack of lights, their gasps mixing with the distant sound of people cheering on the shore.
“This is so beautiful,” Louis whispered.
“It is.”
“Your new life of crime paid off.”
“Well, I had to pull out the big guns.”
Louis continued watching the fireworks, but her brows pinched together. Without looking away from the sky, she asked, “What big guns?” When Harry said nothing, Louis turned. Harry was already moving away with her face hidden. Louis gripped the hem of her dress. “What’s up? Where are you going?”
Fireworks exploded and shot beams of color through the sky as Harry sank to her knees. Louis’ jaw dropped, Harry’s smile growing more ecstatic the lower she got. Louis looked wide-eyed from Harry to the other guests. Everyone, including the captain, was smiling at her with the same sort of bursting-with-joy expression, as if they knew the juiciest of secrets. A photographer was poised beside them, her smile visible from behind the lens of her camera.
“Holy shit, Harry, what did you do!?” Louis laughed, Harry giggling and dropping her face to rest on Louis’ lap. Louis’ laughter calmed enough to speak, but nervous energy still made her voice breathy and jumpy. She guided Harry’s face up with a hand on either cheek. “H-Harry? Love? Are you kidding me? Did you really pretend to sneak on this boat to—to—”
“To propose to you?” Harry lifted a small, carved wooden box. Louis’ small hand lifted to cover her mouth. “Yeah,” Harry said, grinning and sounding like the cat who got the canary. She held Louis’ other hand. “I suppose I did.”
Louis could only laugh and hide her entire face with her hand. “Oh my fucking God, Haz.”
“Now, I know you have a strict rule about publicly singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in a restaurant...”
Harry opened the box to reveal a round cut diamond on a gold band. Louis babbled, “Oh holy fuck,” through her breathy, wet giggles, her legs bouncing uncontrollably.
Harry laughed and kissed her kneecap. “But I hope you’ll make an exception for engagement rings on Disney cruises.”
“Yeah, of course! I mean—” Louis sat up straighter, willing herself to hold still. “If you...like…” She shrugged a casual shoulder. “Were to ask me a question.”
The boat guests laughed, Harry beaming up at her with fireworks reflecting in her eyes. The music of Beauty and the Beast started to play along with the fireworks show. Harry poised the ring at Louis’ finger.
“Louis, my love, my beautiful flower petal, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Louis said a mere second after Harry finished. Harry laughed loudly and pushed the ring on. “Yes, of course, oh God. Yeah! Fuck—” Her voice broke on a sob. “I love you so much, fuck, c’mere.”
Louis bundled Harry into her arms. Harry buried her face in the nook between her chest and stomach, her arms wound around Louis’ back. Louis rocked them in place. Harry kissed her way up until Louis cradled her face and their lips firmly pressed together. The other guests cheered, Harry and Louis too lost in their kissy celebration to worry about scandalizing a boat of Disney fans with a bit of tongue.
Harry’s eyes cracked open and widened. “Mphrm!” She pecked Louis quickly, then pulled back, Louis’ eyes closed and her mouth still moving as if they were kissing. “One more thing.”
Louis blinked slowly, licking her glossy lips. “What else could we possibly do in one day that is Disney and surprise related?”
“Most people request roses and chocolate truffles after a cruise proposal.” Harry rose while holding Louis’ hand. Louis stood, confused but smiling. “But I felt like you’d like this a little bit more.”
A nearby employee opened a flat box and Louis cackled, her short legs lifting off the floor to hop in place.
“Pizza!” Louis ran at the box, which featured three round pizzas. “Mickey pizza!”
When all the guests had been given slices of pizza, Harry and Louis curled up next to each other and watched the last of the show, trading bites of pizza and kisses with ease.
“How did you do this?” Louis asked, half a piece of pizza flopping from her hand.
“I planned it a while ago.” Harry took a bite. “Months.”
Louis chewed a moment. “But...How?” She snorted and bumped their shoulders. “And you gave me shit for possibly using my bike savings.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harry chuckled as she chewed a small bite of pizza.
“Not worried, just curious.”
Harry glanced at Louis and swallowed with their eyes locked, then nibbled her bottom lip. “The, uh, the nights you were working overtime, I was moonlighting.” At Louis’ shocked, silent confusion, Harry quietly explained, “I...I just cleaned some corporate office buildings for a few hours most nights you were out. To earn some extra spending money.”
“Harry,” Louis gasped, her raspy voice thickened by tears. Her heart suddenly felt so large and full she wondered if the weight of her body would sink their pontoon boat. She shook her head and gripped Harry’s hand. “Baby, are you—you—you didn’t have to do that! You need your rest for work! I come home and sleep, but you work regular hours!”
“I wanted to do it. I’d do anything for you.”
“Harry,” Louis said even weaker, tears glistening on her dark lashes.
Harry kissed her closed eyelids, one by one, before nuzzling their cheeks together. She whispered, “Besides,” she whispered, “our friend Cindy had to do some house cleaning before she married the man of her dreams. I have no complaints about doing a bit of cleaning to marry the woman of mine.”