Kiss Me Not

Berry bit her inner cheek while she ate in front of Harry. This was the first time that they spent some quality time alone together eating like this since they first met each other. The silence between them felt awkward, and Berry could feel the cold beads of sweat forming in her palms. She wasn't used to this kind of silence, even if it was while she was eating. She was someone that just loved talking to her heart's content.

Having had enough of the silence, she spoke, "How was work? It seems like you're quite the workaholic type."

There was a quick chuckle coming off him, making her stare at him in awe. It was the first time she heard him chuckle. He looked adorable, seeing those smiling eyes for even a second before he quickly replaced them with his usual expressionless facade as he answered, "I'm sorry. This is just my usual routine. Don't worry though, I'll do my best to adjust my schedule from here on out. Truth be told, I was honestly planning to take you out during weekends whenever you're free."

At his words, Berry gave him her most beautiful smile as she excitedly responded, "That's great. I'm always available for you… Even if I don't have the time, I'll always find a way to make time. Let's do that then."

A comfortable silence soon followed the declaration. The two focused on their meals, a sense of sereneness developing between them.

They still were in the middle of eating when Harry spoke up, "When do you want me to meet your family?"

Berry almost choked on the food in her throat. She immediately grabbed a glass of water to try and clear her throat and buy some time. She almost forgot about her family!

"Yeah, right. You can tell me whenever you're ready to meet them. They're always at home, so they can absolutely meet you anytime."

"Do you have siblings?" Harry asked further, and Berry was flapping her ears at the joy of Harry finally asking her things about herself, even if it's more about her family.

"I have two younger brothers. Mickey and Mousey. They are fraternal twins," Berry gladly informed.

"Mickey Mouse?" Harry burst.

Berry held an awkward grin as she mumbled, "I know, right? My parents seem to have an awkward taste in naming their children, like how I'm named Strawberry."

"It's cute… Your name… Like you," Harry sharply complimented, making Berry blush hard.

The two proceeded to have a wonderful conversation while having dinner. By the time they were done eating, Harry said, "You're such a good cook, Berry. I enjoyed the food. Thank you."

She supressed a cringe. Harry sounded too formal. Berry smiled at him, opening her mouth to say something before quickly closing it.

Harry noticed the hesitation on her face, so he encouraged, "What is it? You can tell me…"

"Hmm… You see… I thought we would sleep in one room? I mean, we need to get along, and I think practicing sleeping together is better?" she timidly murmured.

It was so unlike her to act shy like this, but somehow, she didn't want to look desperate around Harry. She knew that she should voice her thoughts on important matters such as this. After all, they would marry each other, right? So it would be natural for them to sleep in the same bed already. Or was she being too presumptuous and modern?

There was silence that followed as Berry dipped her head down and whispered, "I'm so-"

"Let's do that then."

Harry's sudden agreement made her raise her head to look at him.  To her delight, he even had a half-smile as he added, "You're right. I'm honestly not used to this kind of thing since I've never been in a-"

Harry paused. He felt embarrassed saying it, but Berry understood what he meant so she finished the thought for him, "Ah, I understand. You've never been in this kind of relationship, right? That's alright. I'm glad you even considered my suggestion. So what would it be? Me in your room, or you in mine?"

"Anything is alright with me. We just sleep on the same bed, right? Then we can sleep alternately, or you can actually move into my room anytime you want. I'll ask the help later to assist you once you decide to move in with me in the same room," Harry suggested with an awkward smile.

"No need. I can do it all on my own. Besides, it's not like I have a lot of stuff to move. For tonight, how about you sleep in my room? I'm a bit uncomfortable sleeping without my stuff with me yet…" Berry sheepishly mumbled, and Harry agreed.

"You go on ahead. I'll be quick in cleaning this up…" Berry called out with a smile.

However, Harry stopped her and said, "I'll do it. You prepared dinner, so I'll do the dishes. I've been living alone, so I like doing things like this on my own. You go first…"

Berry only nodded and immediately ran back to her room. She was feeling so excited that she was in such a hurry cleaning herself up and changing into her sleepwear. To her surprise, she also had a hard time even picking what to wear.

"This is too seductive... I should choose something more comfortable... Something that looks effortless..." she whispered to herself. Eventually, she finally picked a casual loose t-shirt pajama ending just above her knees.

She then immediately jumped on the bed and pulled up the quilt to cover half of her body. Soon enough, she heard footsteps coming closer, then she felt a weight settling on the other side of the bed.

"Are you still awake, Berry?"

Hearing him, Berry quickly sat up to face him and with a smile, "Yes."

"Is it okay if I sleep on the couch?" Harry whispered.

"Huh?"

Harry uncomfortable massaged the back of his neck as he explained, "You see. It will be hard to control myself if I literally sleep with you in one bed, to be honest. I'm still a man and I can't promise I can control from touching you since honestly you apparently have an effect on me."

There was a loud sigh as he continued, "I honestly think that it would be best if nothing happened between us for at least a month…"

He had a conflicted expression on his face. He was really struggling with how to explain himself.

"I'm sorry? I feel lost…" Berry confusedly murmured.

"It's for your own good. I honestly don't know how to say this nicely, but I believe we have to at least know each other well first. I mean, what if you found out that you can't bear being with me after we get married? That's why I'm giving you one month to get to know me better and for you to have an informed decision on if you really want to marry someone like me. If in that one month, if what happened between us that night didn't produce a child… I mean, if you ended up not being pregnant, and you decide not to marry me, then I'll let you go…"