You Sunshine, You Temptress (l.s)

Barely Hanging On

Harry

The arms of the clock across the room rotate agonizingly slow, taunting me with the way they can't seem to move fast enough.

Barbara has trusted Liam, Ed, and me enough to let us close up. Today's her birthday, and the rest of the ladies wanted to take her out for a nice dinner, so we were happy to take the burden off of them.

The rest of the bakery is nice and tidy, machines turned off, dishes washed and dried, and ingredients in their rightful places. The lobby has a slight hum of music played from the speaker of Ed's phone and the hushed sound of broom bristles sweeping against the hardwood, Liam seeming to take his sweeping very seriously.

"We got any muffins left, H?" Ed asks, appearing from the back corridor with his apron balled up in hand. I nod, sliding open the door of the glass display case and retrieving a banana nut muffin from the tray, placing it on a napkin for Ed.

"Liam, you want one?" I ask, Liam glancing up from the floor, the tip of his tongue peeking out from in between his pursed lips. You give Liam a task, and he'll focus on said task as if his life depended on it. It's quite endearing, really. Earlier Ed asked him to heat his soup for lunch and Liam spent 10 minutes making sure it wasn't too hot nor too cold.

"Yes, please," he says with a gratifying smile and walks over to the counter where Ed and I stand.

"So lads, did you guys have a nice Christmas?" Ed asks through a mouthful of his muffin.

"Mhm," Liam murmurs, holding up a finger for us to wait as he swallows his food. "Went up north to spend the holidays with Amelia."

"Who's Amelia?" Ed and I ask simultaneously, both of us smiling at the minor mistake.

"My girlfriend," Liam says shyly with a hint of a smile gracing over his blushed cheeks.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Ed cheers. "Liam went and got himself a little girlfriend! Can you believe it, H?" He delights.

"Congratulations, Li," I whisper, placing a hand on Liam's and giving the shy boy a sincere smile. We aren't that close since we don't go to the same school, but he's still pleasant company to have around.

I walk over to the cash register, balancing it out and locking it up for the night as Ed speaks up once again.

"What about you, H? You have a good Christmas?"

I look at him and muster up a smile, breathing deeply before I begin. "Yeah, spent it with my mum and my sister. Nice family time." This isn't a complete lie, I spent it with them, but it's just not the entire truth. He doesn't need to know the details.

Louis' been gone for days. After our confrontation on Monday, he's been gone ever since. I still look for him. A glare to his vacant seat in English, a glance over to his usual lunch table with Zayn, but to no avail. Yesterday I nearly asked Zayn where the hell he was, but I realized it wasn't my job anymore. Whatever he's doing, whoever he's with, it doesn't concern me anymore.

We work in silence for a little while longer, finishing up our last tasks before it's time to clock out.

"Come on guys, I'll lock up," Liam says, grabbing our coats and handing them to us. We usher out the door, Liam closing it behind us and locking up.

I turn on my heel to look for my mum's car. She said she'd be here to pick me up, but her car is nowhere in sight.

And while I'm not looking forward to waiting in the harsh wind and subtle snowfall, I'm grateful, because the sight I'm met with instead is a lot more appealing.