Lush Seduction (Moulin Rouge) | Harry Styles AU | BOOK 1 ✓

41

Vicky West

It was time for my shift at V's Café. I had parked my car decently at the back of the parking lot, and I stepped out of my Mini-Cooper. It was ridiculously early in the morning, not a time I would usually come in, but I wanted to get extra money for the trip to New York.

For me it wasn't small, but for Harry it was. I saw it as probably the biggest trip I would ever make; it didn't make much sense - I wasn't actually leaving the continental US - but I couldn't see myself ever earning enough to take some lavish trip to Europe, so I was going to enjoy my little trip.

I had peeked on the schedule at work to see if who I would be working with this morning, with much excitement Clarity was going to be working at the same time as me. I could already see her cleaning the tables from a distance. She must have been the first one to arrive, since the first employee always needs to do the tables.

As I opened the door, I saw Clarity turning her head towards me. She cheered out of happiness instantly, and she ran towards me. It was quite a surprise when she didn't fall because the floor was still wet from her mopping.

"You're still alive!" She beamed, making it sound like it had been an immense time since she last saw me. Had it?

"I am!" I cheered. "How are you, Clarity?" I questioned her immediately.
I started to help her clean up as we continued to chat.

"I'm stupidly busy, but in some way everything is perfect, and I've just heard that my cousin is having a baby!"

"Really?! Does she know which gender?" I made the tables ready for the people who came for a Christmas lunch.

"It'll be a girl," She spoke full of happiness. "It means I need to be out of town for a while since she's going to celebrate her pregnancy. Are you free the week after Christmas?"

"I think so. Yeah, I should be back from New York by then." I informed her.

"You're going to New York?! Since when?!" Clarity's interest piqued.

It was clear we hadn't really talked for a long time, and I surely did miss talking with her. We had grown distant because of our alternate shifts, but since we both worked today we would have time to catch up.

"Someone is taking me," I said, my cheeks started to heat at the reminder of Harry asking me.
"Who?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"I don't think you want to know," I muttered quietly.

"It isn't the chef, is it?" Clarity asked.

"No!" I immediately exclaimed. "I hardly ever talk to Dan, why would I go to New York with him?"
"Great," She said, and looked away from my incomprehensive face. I knew she was hiding something.

I continued to look at her and she sighed heavily. "Why are you giving me that look?"
"Tell me why you're being evasive," I demanded her playfully.

"No, you'll think badly of us."

"I hardly think so. I don't even know what is going on." I made her clear.

"Well, we may or may not have had sex in the kitchen." She spoke, and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for some kind of lashing.

"Clarity!" I yelled in panic. "You naughty girl, who would have thought that!"

"Sssht!"

"There is no one here except us; I can be loud if I want. I'm sure you and Dan were... Tell me everything, and I want the details." I sat down in a booth, and Clarity joined me.

"We've been talking to each other non-stop. Just one day we needed to close the café, and I said it was awfully quiet so..."

"So what?"