Unrequited

Chapter 17 (Part 1)

The six of us burst through the door of the cafe, shaking out umbrellas and shrugging off coats. An elderly man peered disapprovingly over the top of his newspaper at the bunch of rowdy teenagers who were disturbing the peace of the quiet little shop. Harry shook the water out of his hair (result of an impromptu dance in the rain, swinging around a lamppost), as Zayn led us to a table in the back corner. Harry took a seat closest to the wall, dragging me with him by my wrist. We all ordered large breakfasts, hungry after already having been up for hours in the hotel, packing and biding our time until the worst of the storm was over.

“How long will it take us to get to Glasgow then?” I asked between mouthfuls. “About seven hours,” Zayn replied, leaning back so the waiter could put down a plate in front of him. “Ugh. Yay.”

“I think the crew left earlier this morning. They’re going to set everything up already,” mused Niall who was already on his second breakfast burger with the lot. “Really?” I stabbed another piece of bacon with my fork. “Poor things.” Louis snorted and my head snapped up to look at him. “What?!” My mouth was full of food but it was easy to explode at Louis when he was openly taking a jab at you. Fork dangling casually between his pointer finger and his thumb, he tilted his head tiredly. “This is like when you cleaned the dishes in the hotel, Char. Honey, it’s their job, they’re used to it!”

“See, I knew you’d get an even bigger head once you got those tour buses!” I teased. Louis made a face and went back to his breakfast, Zayn sighing, “Ah, children,” in his signature comical accent. I’d almost forgotten the unusually quiet Harry beside me until without warning, he had his hand on my knee. A sideways glance without moving my head proved Harry to be absorbed in what was on the plate in front of him, carrying on eating as if his hand had a mind of it’s own. Knowing his obliviousness was all an act, I decided to play the game, taking a sip of my orange juice without any obvious stutter in my actions. I was half way through swallowing when Harry moved his hand, sliding it all the way up my thigh. I choked on the juice in shock, setting the glass down on the table as the other boys stared at me. “Don’t die on us, Char!” Zayn laughed. “Here, have some juice!” Louis suggested, pointing to the glass that had initiated my coughing fit in the first place. “Forgot how to swallow like a normal person,” I squeaked as Harry squeezed the hand that was still positioned opportunely on my leg, despite my near-fatal coughing fit. The boys went back to eating after I’d reassured them I was okay and I turned my head purposefully to Harry, eyes wide and demanding an explanation. He pushed some bacon around on his plate as he chewed on a toast crust. The only signs that he knew what was going on under the table were his pursed lips and surfacing dimple. He was trying unsuccessfully to force away a smile. My eyes bored into the side of his head and he cleared his throat as I dipped a hand under the table to push him off me. His smile only became more defined. “That’s a very intense stare you’ve got worked up there, Charlotte,” Louis said incredulously like the dramatist he was. “Why would you be looking at Harry like that?”

“Because he’s mental,” I said through clenched teeth, eyes still on Harry who made no effort to meet my gaze and carried on playing around with the untouched bacon on his plate. “And why exactly is he mental today then?” chuckled Liam, his eye flicking over to the bubbling drama at our end of the table. Harry set down his fork and crossed his arms on the table. “Yes, Charlotte,” he smirked, finally meeting my eyes for the first time since he performed his brave little act. “Do tell.”

“Because...because...” He raised his eyebrows, daring me to say it. “Because you’re not finishing off that last piece of bacon! Is it not the best bacon you’ve ever had?” I was thinking on my feet and my hastened cover-up was somewhat feeble. Harry pushed the plate over to me. “It’s all yours sweetie pie.”