When Love Arrives (H.S.)

Chapter 30

Harry was strangely quiet on our walk to Flo's the next afternoon, his hands deep in his pockets.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him as we crossed the street. He took his hand out of his pocket and put it around my waist. 

"Kind of... I guess this is my first real job interview."

I looked up at him, but he refused to make eye contact with me. His eyebrows were furrowed in either concentration or fear.

"It'll be fine! My boss is really cool. He loves me, and I recommended you, so I don't think you have much to be nervous about," I told him.

"He loves you, huh? I already do not like him," Harry said, trying very hard to sound serious.

"Oh, shut up," I laugh, pushing him away from me. "I'm just his favorite employee. Besides, I've known him forever. He's actually a friend of my brother's, from high school."

"Really? I can't imagine you thinking anyone who knows Gabe to be cool."

I shrugged. "Well, believe it or not, Gabriel had a slightly less massive stick up his ass in high school. Mostly, because he hung out with Joey a lot."

"Joey?"

"Erm, Mr. Parker is what you should probably call him. But he'll probably ask you to call him Joe. That's what most people call him," I explained.

Harry paused for a moment. "Why do you call him Joey, then?"

I shrugged, shooting my best shit-eating grin at him. "I'm just special, I guess."

He shook his head at me, though he was unable to hide his smirk. "You must be some kind of a suck up, then."

I gasped, putting a hand on my chest in faux-disgust as he held the door open for me. I flipped my hair as I walked past him, causing him to giggle. "That's not even remotely true."

"Sure, sure," he said, the hint of a smile still on his lips, but his nervous expression was creeping its way back.

"I'll show you his office," I said, leading him through the restaurant towards a door that read "Employees Only."

From outside, we could hear the soft murmur of a television and the clicking of a keyboard. I knocked a few times on the door, opening it when I heard a deep voice say, "Come in."

"Melissa!" Joey said, turning around in his office chair with a big grin. He was wearing a red polo shirt— with the restaurant logo over his left breast with Manager written underneath— and khaki pants. His glasses were pushed up his head, rotted in his blonde hair, as he was just doing something on the computer. "How's my favorite Knight of the round table?"

I rolled my eyes at his joke as I walked into his office, motioning for Harry to follow me in, who was laughing lightly. "Hey, Joey. This is Harry Styles, the guy I was telling you about."

Joey slid his glasses back on and reached out to shake Harry's hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry accepted the handshake, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Parker."

"Joe, call me Joe... Hey... Are you British?"

"Erm, yea—"

"OH!" Joey interrupted him. "You must be the Harry... Melly's boyfriend," he shot me a look, winking at me, as my cheeks turned red. "Gabe told me all about you."

I was about to jump in to Harry's defense, but he was able to handle this one himself. "All good things, I hope."

Joe smiled. "Of course, of course. Why you standin' there, Mel? Your shift's already started. Let us boys have a little chat, then."