the diner - harry styles (short story)

14

"where were you going anyway?" she asked, his eyebrows furrowed,
"huh?"
"on the plane, where were you going?"
"oh! new york," riley gasped,
"you've been to new york?" she asked, excitement running through her veins, "what was it like! what did it smell like! what were the people like!" he laughed,
"it was, uh, not like the movies. smelt like gas and cars, there were people everywhere, took us forever to get somewhere, but most of the people were surprisingly nice."
"so it wasn't like how i met your mother?" riley frowned,
"oh, god no,"
"i still want to go," she shrugged, the place seems so magical in winter, she just had to visit,
"i take it you've never been?" he asked, she shook her head,
"never been out of the state,"
"you've never been out of carolina?" he asked, eyes wide,
"i want to, believe me,"
"why don't you?"
"i can't leave my dad," she confessed,
"it's your life, riley,"
"god, you sound like my grandma right now," she laughed lightly, "she has told me the exact same thing, but, i have a life here, i have a job, i have my father and i have a few friends, i don't have a reason to leave this life,"
"are you living?" he asked, she looked at him confused,
"i mean, yeah, my heart is beating," he laughed,
"no," he smiled, "i mean, do you feel that you are experiencing life the way you should be?"
"i don't know," she paused, "i've never really thought about it, i've just been... living and accepting the way things turn out, you know?" he nodded, she was thankful he didn't think she was talking complete rubbish,
"sounds like you're living for other people, and not really for yourself," she pondered his words before speaking,
"i mean," she inhaled, "maybe,"
"where do you want to go?" he smiled, she tilted her head, "name one place in this world that you want to go,"
"london," she spoke quickly,
"good choice," he nodded,
"you've been?" she smiled, he stared at her for a moment before speaking,
"i," he stuttered, "i'm... i'm english, riley," a blush quickly heated up her face,
"i- i completely forgot," she confessed hiding her face with her hands,
"how? how did you forget?" he asked laughing, his accent now more prominent than ever,
"it just," she started to laugh, "blended in with everything else," he laughed again, "it's just you, i," she was a nervous mess and didn't know how to explain what was running through her mind.
"you know, i appreciate that," he nodded, "normally it's the only thing notice about me,"
"well, they're missing out on everything else," riley exclaimed,
"yeah, like my impressive milk shake making skills,"
"you are a... ball of talent," she laughed, he chuckled with her,
"a ball?"
"...yes,"
"i... okay, a ball..."
"well i mean, you can sing, you make overly impressive milk shakes and you draw dogs,"
"i could be the world's most impressive liar and none of that could be true," he smirked,
"well, i'd be blindsided."