Anna || HS

CHAPTER 4

~A Saturday in October, 2008~
Anna- 14
Harry- 14
Ben- 16

Anna POV:

My alarm goes off way too early on a Saturday morning, but I groan and get up with it hitting snooze because I am excited about the morning ahead. Harry had talked to the owners at the bakery, and they agreed to have him train me. I will work when they have the need for someone else in the front of the store, which they said would be more frequent during the holiday season. Thankfully, that was fast approaching.

"Anna, Harry is waiting downstairs," mom knocks on my door to let me know that I am making him wait. I have noticed that one of Harry's many quirks is that he is early for everything, and annoyingly prepared, too. Unfortunately, he will likely spend a fair share of time waiting on me. I am constantly running behind.

I reach the boy waiting in my kitchen as he hands me a travel mug filled with what I assume is tea, since the English are so set on getting me to love this drink as much as they do. "Mum made sure you had a breakfast tea for the walk," he offers.

"I am happy to drive you two to town," mom interrupts, but Harry and I both wave her off because the walk to and from work is part of the allure of working in town. Plus, this means that I get some time to get to know Harry better.

We start our early morning walk to work a few minutes later. It is a brisk fall morning and we are both wearing our jackets with scarves wrapped around our necks tightly. Harry has his hands stuffed in his pocket, holding his tea precariously in the crook of his elbow, while I wrap my bare hand around mine for warmth.

"So," he says "do you have a boyfriend back in Norway?"

"Getting right to it, are we?" I joke, meeting his tone. He rolls his eyes and me and I answer. "No, I haven't had a boyfriend at all. The last year, my focus was on everything except boys." I say with a little sigh and I begin to get self-conscious about his question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Harry says "I just want to get to know you a little better, and I don't want any jealous boyfriends getting mad at me for spending all this time walking you back and forth to work. Plus, my friend Ben wanted me to ask you." He pushes into my side with his elbow and raises his brows suggestively in my direction.

Ugh! those dancing eye brows and his damn green eyes.

I move on from his comment to ask him "So, same question to you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not sure," he offers. "I've  been 'getting closer' to my friend Abbigail," he says with air quotes, which I assume to mean that they are goofing around with each other. Then he continues, "but we have been friends for ages. I don't know how we crossed the line from friends to more without actually having that conversation, but it hasn't come up yet."

Dang. He's not single. I hadn't guessed that he was dating anyone, but really a guy like that wouldn't be single either. I don't know what I expected when I asked Harry that question.

"Well, do you kiss Abbigail? Because 'friends don't kiss friends' has always been my motto, and that has been a sure fire way to decide if it's more than that."

"Yeah. We have kissed, but it was a recent thing." He says as he runs his hands through his hair and sips from his tea mug. "I'm going to this small party tonight. It's actually at Ben's house. Would you like to come along with? Then, you can meet Ben and help me maybe sort out the Abbigail situation?" He asks, looking at me, pleading.

Getting to know Harry better was something that I wanted to do, but was I ready to be set up with someone? I decide to ask him if any of the people I met in school this week are going to be there. "Will Maddie or Clara be there?"