Something Great

Chapter 7

Natalie has just taken a sip of her latte, accidentally leaving a bit of foam behind on her upper lip. Before I can even think my actions through, I reach across and use my thumb to brush the foam away. Her eyes go incredibly wide, and I can feel her warm breath on the pad of my thumb. My lips start to tingle and I lick them nervously.  Just when I've convinced myself to lean in, consequences be damned, a girlish giggle and the sound of a throat being cleared pull me up short and I immediately scoot away from her.  I slap on a smile and look up at the two nervous young girls that have approached our table.  "I'm sorry to interrupt," the smaller one says, "but could we get a picture? We're really huge fans!" As much as I'm irritated by the fact that they interrupted what could've been an amazing moment, I can't say no. I am able to do what I do, only because of them. So, I do what I always do, I smile, take photos, and give hugs.  I want to get back to my time with Natalie, but seeing these girls so happy, I can't help but grin. It's sometimes a hassle, but I love this part of my job.

Natalie's P.O.V

"And your eyes turn from green to gray. In the winter I'll hold you in a cold place. And you should never cut your hair...maybe I fell in love when you woke me up..." - Wake Me Up, by Ed Sheeran

Even after Harry stands up to take photos with the fans, it takes several moments for my heart to stop its sickening pounding from what was possibly about to happen.  Finally back under control, I start to watch him with them.  I know, without having to ask, that getting stopped every time you leave the house must get incredibly annoying, and rightfully so.  But if he's bothered by them, he never lets it show. Aside from the way his jaw tensed briefly, you would've thought the whole thing was his idea. More importantly, he made two girls blissfully happy.  I'm taken aback when one of the girls looks at me briefly, with a smile, before turning to Harry and asking, "Is she your girlfriend?" I'm preparing a careful denial, but Harry beats me to it. "No," he laughs (a little too earnestly, in my opinion), "just a good friend! I was in town so we decided to meet for coffee." Granted, I was prepared to laugh it off and say no as well, but for some reason, his denial of it stings a bit.  Logically, I know why he had to refute it the way he did - a)I'm in fact NOT his girlfriend, and b)if he even suggested we were DATING, my privacy would be a thing of the past. Logically, I shoul be glad that he unequivally denied it.  However, the not-so-logical side of my brain has already gone into overdrive.  The evil little voice of low self-esteem is screaming in my ear "HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH YOU!" Shaking myself, I quickly halt this train of thought in its tracks.

Sitting back down, he picks up his coffee, which I'm sure is cold by now. His grimace confirms my suspicions.  "You know," I start, "you're really good with them, your fans.  I kinda enjoyed watch that." He looks at me for a moment, and then smiles shyly. "The timing doesn't always work out," I don't miss the way he looks at me pointedly, "but I love getting to meet our fans, at least in a calm setting like this. Makes everything worth it somehow. It's hard to explain I guess." He's staring at the table, fiddling with his napkin, almost a little lost in thought.  "Well," I remind him, "I'm sure you just made those two girls ridiculously happy.  This is a story they'll be telling their friends for years, complete with an accurate outfit description, and note-perfect impersonation of your voice!" To this, Harry laughs. I can tell he doesn't like to keep the focus on him though, for he abruptly changes the subject. "Do you like chocolate? I have a sweet tooth. There is a delectable looking cupcake up there in the display case. Share it with me?" He looks a bit like an excited puppy right now. Bless. "Um, sure!" I agree. Now I'M the one giggling. He quickly goes up to the counter, and returns with a plate, containing the biggest chocolate cupcake I've ever seen. Handing me a fork, we both dig in, continuing our conversation from before. 

At one point, Harry excuses himself to use the restroom, and I'm left to my thoughts. You know that feeling you get, when one of your limbs falls asleep, like your hand or your foot, and it starts to wake up? At first it hurts, and then there's this tingling, buzzing warmth, like all of your nerves are alert at once. At first, it's painful, but then it's a relief to have the sensation back.  That's a bit how how I feel right now. The butterflies, the flushed cheeks, the wanting to know absolutely everything about a person...all of those feelings have been dormant. Ever since Jacob.  Dating has only occurred to me in the abstract (oh sure! I'm sure I'll start dating again at some point), and any well-meaning friends wanting to set me up on a date have been quickly shut down.  It just didn't seem important, not nearly as much as making a life for myself and my daughter. Furthermore, the idea of moving on romantically almost made me feel guilty, like I was somehow disrespecting Jacob's memory.  Now, I think I might actually be ready for something more.  Maybe not a fairy tale romance, but something better than what I've had. Maybe I deserve a second chance.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that Jacob would've wanted me to happy.  Fiddling with my napkin, I feel a smile tug at my lips.

Hearing Harry approach, I look up at him and smile.  He returns it, but not as enthusiastically as I would've hoped for. "Something wrong?" I ask him. "No, nothing really wrong. I just realized I need to go, but I don't want to." I almost have to chuckle at the disgruntled look on his face.  "Hey, you said you were looking at buying a house here, right? I'm sure we can meet up again. Besides, I owe you that haircut." I conveniently leave out Patrick's New Year's Eve party, as I'm looking forward to the surprised look on his face on Saturday.  In response, he abruptly pulls me up into a hug. It pains me to finally let go. "Did you park in the garage? I can't walk you to your door, so I can walk you to your car!" he grins cheekily. Airily I retort,"Too bad, I parked valet!" He seems to mull it over, "well, I will just have to wait with you then and make sure you get to your car safely." I don't really have a response to that, that isn't going to make me sound like a goofy, giggly school girl. Scooting our chairs in, we walk to the door and start making our way towards valet.  I practically faint when he slips his left arm casually around my waist, tucking his thumb into my belt loop. The gesture literally makes me giddy. Arriving at valet, he walks us up to the counter where I turn in my ticket. Sadly, it doesn't take them long to bring my car around.  Like the gentleman he his, he subtly shoos the driver away (tipping him before I can even stop him) so he can hold my door open for me. Once I'm in, he closes the door firmly and I roll the window down, looking up at him to say goodbye.  Without warning, he leans down and plants a soft kiss, just to the corner of my mouth, almost on my cheek, letting his lips linger for a bit.  When he finally pulls away, all I can do is stare up at him. He just smirks and says, "I'll see you soon Natalie. Oh, and next time? I won't miss." With that, he turns on his heel with a wave, and heads back to the hotel. Woah doesn't even begin to cover it.