Pulse

He heard a knock on the doorpost as he sat up, wiping his eyes, he looked Alex' way.

"Hello", the boy said, shyly.

"Hey", Harry replied, "how are you feeling now? Did you sleep okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you".

He heard the bell, announcing that the bread was being delivered. "Fuck!" He yelled as he jumped up, "forgot to write my list".

The boy chuckled, carefully watching his every move.

"How much do you want?"

"Oh, I don't know, however much you want to give me, I don't want to be rude".

If he could, Harry would buy him the entire bakery. Instead he had to opt for a small loaf, he did add a little strawberry cake, just for fun. He quickly hung up the money before running back inside.

"Aren't you supposed to actually order?" Alex asked.

"Oh", Harry's mood sunk, he hadn't thought about the fact that Alex knew nothing about him, "I'll explain sometime".

Alex looked at him in confusion but nodded nonetheless.

"What do you do for a job then?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

Harry smiled at that, he loved his job. "I knit and sew", he said proudly.

"Oh, can I see?" Alex asked excitedly.

Harry ran over to show him some of his creations. He had a bunch of jumpsuits he made for himself and some gorgeous knitted table pieces that still needed to get sent out.

"Wow", Alex whistled, "you're so talented".

"Thank you", Harry blushed.

"I know this probably sounds weird, but can I watch you today?"

"I'd love that".

Harry took out his list of orders, not a lot of people trusted him enough to let him make things for them, but it was enough to pay the bills. He smiled as he saw that Loretta had placed yet another scarf order, this time with a heart pattern. He wondered if she would keep this one for herself, or would give it to her husband, Robert.

He noticed Alex' eyes did not leave his hands the second he started knitting, it was endearing. He felt bad about not knowing the boys actual name, felt like it was a shame he had to use a fake one. For Harry, names felt holy, they meant something, your parents probably spent weeks or even months trying to pick the perfect one, it's why he made sure to remember the name of everyone in his town.

He turned to the boy, "hey Alex?" He asked.

Alex looked up at him with a soft smile, a smile that made him feel all warm inside. "Yea?" He asked.

"Is it okay if I call you something else?" He asked softly, "I don't feel right going against what your parents chose for you".

Alex' smile grew, "what would you call me?" He asked.

The warm feeling only intensified, and Harry immediately knew. "Sunshine", he said.

It made him blush, he nodded and quickly turned his head, too embarrassed to look Harry in the eyes, "I'd love that".

"Also", Harry coughed, "I don't know why I gave you a fake name yesterday, considering I already live here and all, my real name is Harry, Edward is just my middle name".

"Harry", the boy repeated, and god it was the most beautiful sound Harry had ever heard, "I love that name".

It was Harry's turn to blush.