The Love Club

Fifteen

I don’t know what I’m expecting. Maybe to be stood up, though I know Harry would never do something like that. Maybe, in the deepest recesses of my mind, I’m expecting him to confess his undying love for me with roses and a bottle of red wine, but that’s not quite right either. 

What I’m not expecting is the group of four politely milling about in the restaurant lobby. 

The girl catches sight of me first, politely nudging her brother in the shoulder to catch his attention before pointing my way. His green eyes are lit up when he turns to find me, and he promptly laughs at the wide-eyed shock I’m wearing. 

“Hi,” he greets as he approaches me, giving me a one-armed hug. In my ear, he says, “I would have warned you, but surprises suit you.”

I’m not entirely sure what he means by this, but I don’t have time to figure it out before he’s introducing me to his sister, who pulls me in for a hug like she’s known me for ages. Harry chuckles again at my quiet acceptance of this, despite the fact that I’m stiff as a board before complying.

“So nice to finally meet you,” Gemma says as she pulls away, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She shares the same bone structure as her brother, the same open acceptance of everyone who crosses her path. 

I barely have time to squeak out a hello before I’m engulfed in yet another hug by the woman Harry has introduced to me as his mum. She’s warm, her embrace somehow simultaneously strong and gentle. When I pull away, she’s giving me the same toothy grin I’ve learned to associate with Harry, and I can’t help but smile back. 

When I turn to Robin, he offers me his hand and I sigh in relief, something that has the rest of the Styles clan in yet another round of laughter. I wonder if the blush in my face has started to fade yet, or if I’ll have to wait another ten minutes for my complexion to settle down to its normal fair tone. 

After that whirlwind of an introduction, I take a brief moment to scan my surroundings. It’s a dimly lit posh restaurant hidden in an extremely ordinary white brick building. When I had been standing outside, it took me more than a moment to decide whether or not it was actually the correct address. I feared I had stumbled upon a bank, but somehow plucked up the courage to try the door anyway.

“Let’s eat, shall we?” Anne asks, and I nod dumbly as a hostess appears to show us to a table. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so out of your element,” Harry comments quietly as we weave through a maze of tables and chairs. “I bet you’ve never shown up somewhere so unprepared in your life.”

I turn to glare at him and promptly trip over my feet. Harry reaches out to catch my arm, a smug smirk on his face. I’m about to curse at him when I realize we’ve stopped at a table, the rest of his family seated and observing this exchange with more than mild interest. Instead, I accept the chair he’s cheekily pulled out for me and plop into it. A few seconds later, he’s taken the seat beside me.

The hostess leaves us, promising a waiter to arrive shortly. Harry and Robin are already searching the menus, but I notice Anne and Gemma’s respective gazes on me and cross my legs under the table self-consciousy. So much for returning to a normal skin tone.

The dining room is dimly lit with candles and fairy lights strung above our heads. As I scan the room, it’s apparent that the place must be reserved for celebrations or business meetings; the tables are filled with mixes of both. 

In my occupation, I’ve seen my fair share of nice restaurants. I’ve done stakeouts in a few, or have been otherwise treated by clients who are thankful for the matches I’ve found for them. I never look a free meal in the face. So I’m not sure why I feel so out of my element as I open my menu and blankly scan the contents. I’m no stranger to places like these, and yet I fidgit restlessly in my seat, crossing and uncrossing my legs as I try to ignore Harry’s occasional worried glance.