It was a morning like any other.

Atlas resisted the call of the sunlight as it beckoned him to awaken from his deep slumber. He had no reason to be awake that morning, but someone else had different plans.

It was gentle at first but he felt a hand slowly creep up the side of his arm, in a rather tempting manner. The hand made way for his face where it grabbed him by the jaw and shook him around gently, like a child with a toy.

"Atlas…wake up…" Cooed a soft and loving voice that soon inched closer.

He felt a weight drop on top of him, like an impatient house cat, and he knew it could only be one girl. He breathed a sigh, laced with exhaust as opposed to relief.

"Harper…I'm tired after last night…not in the mood to be…awake." He mumbled with no clear enunciation to his speech.

This should have been a clear sign to leave the boy alone, but Harper giggled at his response and laid on top of him to speak directly into his ear.

"I know we were out late last night, and the party was fun, but you promised you would take me out today for our anniversary, remember? You said you wouldn't forget."

She was right. The anniversary of their relationship was fast approaching, and if Atlas had forgotten like the previous year, he would have been in for a world of pain.

After contemplating going back to sleep, Atlas sighed and sat up, opening his eyes to the girl before him. Harper followed suit, running her fingers through his messy hair when she got the chance to.

“Look at you. You’re a mess Atlas, go brush your hair before I do it for you. We need to get out before the sun goes down!”

Atlas rolled his eyes, picking up a hairbrush from the bedside table. He knew very well this was Harper’s way of saying she wanted to style his hair today. She took the brush with a giddy smile and got to work taming the boy's toothpaste-coloured mane.

“I see you’re already prepared to go out,” Atlas mentioned, seeing that she was nicely dressed, her hair styled and tidy. “What’s a good location for today’s date then? Something fancy and expensive?”

Harper shined him a sunbeam smile, twirling his hair through the brush.

“I don’t know, why don’t you pick today? I trust your decision-making most of the time.”

Atlas raised an eyebrow in questioning.

“Yes, most of the time. I’ll list about ten different options before you make the decision yourself.”

Harper pouted her lips in a fit of fake anger.

“Okay test me then, give me a location and I’ll say yes, that’s a one-hundred percent guarantee!!”

“The Riverside Cafe.” Atlas replied dryly with low expectations.

Harper paused her brushing and thought about the option. Her contemplative expression showed she was scouring her memories to find a certain detail she couldn’t quite reach.

“Hmm, I don’t know, we went there last time didn’t we? It was really nice but…”

She paused, noticing Atlas’s sly smile, and gasped in shock.

“You’re right! I really do make this hard for you! I’m SO sorry I hurt your feelings, oh my gosh!”

Her tone was clearly mocking as if she had said that to provoke Atlas. However, it backfired. Atlas enjoyed her joking nature far too much for him to care. He wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug, much to her surprise.

“It’s okay, I forgive you. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. Annoy me? Maybe. But hurt, no way.”

Harper made a humming sound that descended from a high note to low, a sort of inward sigh, as her heart was touched by his words.

“I love it when you say things, Atlas. They make me feel…alive”

Harper settled into Atlas’s embrace and soaked in the morning sun, despite her protest to hurry to their day trip. She listened to his heart beating in his chest, one of her favourite sounds, one she hoped would never fade or stop.

For a brief moment in time, the pair shared that same sentiment that peaceful morning as they listened to what kept them alive.