Toxic (H.S.)

14*

"Honey I'm thirty-five," Wendy said back making half the table gasped.

"If I look half as good as you at twenty-five I'll be blessed," Mitch said making Wendy laugh.

"So are you dating anyone?" Wendy shrugged. "Please don't tell me you're doing Tinder." Wendy looked the other way. "Girl! No!"

"Oh it's fun, you can meet great people on those apps. Terrance and I met through a dating app." Philly said proudly.

"I got matched to a guy who said he owned a company, turned out to be an online company. Oh and in his words, he didn't live in his mom's basement, his mom lived in 'his' house." Beth spoke up making everyone shake their heads as if they'd all been there.

I was so used to being in a relationship so I knew nothing about dating apps. "What about you Harry, before Marlene?" Philly asked me.

"Before Marlene, I was in a relationship for almost seven years, so I have no idea what it's like out in that cruel world." Everyone laughed but it was true. Dating sounds awful. "I got lucky enough to meet a very nice person on an elevator ride who stole my heart."

"Literally stole it," Marlene whispered.

"I gave it to you," I said back making her smile.

*

We had a blast and after dessert when everyone began leaving one by one, I noticed that Marlene's phone kept going off on the counter. When Mitch left and it was just the two of us, I saw her look at the phone and roll her eyes. "Everything alright?"

"No, Shane keeps texting me." She showed me the texts and he just didn't get the hint.

Shane: hey

Shane: what are you doing?

Shane: ignoring me now?

Shane: I broke up with Helena, could really use a friend

Shane: Marlene come on

"What a prick, you said he always does this?" She nodded.

"Only when I'm happy, when I'm single he ignores me." I shook my head. "Which reminds me, am I single?" I looked at her and chuckled.

I hadn't asked a girl to be my girlfriend since Emily. I had taken her to a school dance and asked her in front of the school. I didn't know how to even start the conversation. "Come here." I pulled her with me to the small balcony of my apartment. I had put a chair out there and a small table. I sat down and pulled her on my lap. "Marlene-"

"Harry." She said back making me laugh.

"For years I've felt unhappy, angry, and like I was worthless. You have brought this sunshine into my life. It's scary as hell but the more I see all the beauty the more I want it, and I have you to thank. I really care about you and I want you to be mine. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course!" She put her arms around me and kissed me all over. "You are so perfect." She looked in my eye's.

"No, you are." I held her close and kissed her forehead.

She was mine.

*

Later that night, cuddled under a blanket on my couch. The two of us made out while half watching some comedy special. She looked at me and pulled an eyelash off of my cheek. "Harry?" I hummed. "Are you worried about Emily at all?" Her question caught me off guard, I wasn't sure how I should answer.

"I mean in a way I am because I'm not a terrible person. I hope she made it home and she's well. But I don't ever want to see her." She nodded. "Why do you ask?"