The Night We Met

IX

Harry

"Please?" Roslyn begs. I look over at her and see her pretty grey eyes pleading with me. She pouts causing me to look down at her lips. They're pink and plump and fill me with the insatiable desire to kiss them. 

"No," I tell her. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms in front of her chest. I snicker at her reaction as I take a bite of my pasta. 

"You promised - "

"I actually didn't promise anything, love. It was a suggestion."

"You said, and I quote, 'We'll flip a coin for who pays at the restaurant'," I snort at the terrible British accent she puts on. "That sounds pretty promising to me."

I shrug and put my fork down. Her insistence on paying is cute. Hardly anyone ever offers to pay for me. However, that doesn't mean I'll allow it. I have more money than I know what to do with and judging from the little I know about Roslyn, I'd feel guilty if I let her splurge on me. She lives a modest life in a tiny apartment with not too many things. There's no need for her to spend money on me when I could buy her three mansions and a private jet and still be fine financially. 

"I was being polite," I say. "You're not paying for us."

Roslyn frowns. 

"Can I at least pay for my half then?" she suggests. 

"No."

The corners of my mouth quirk up at her stubbornness, and also her frustration. It's endearing. 

Roslyn mutters something under her breath, causing my smile to widen. 

"What was that?" I ask. She huffs and averts her eyes. In response, I tap her foot gently with my own in an attempt to get her attention. "What did you say?" 

"Nothing," she replies, and I swear I see the ghost of a smile on her lips. 

"Nothing? It sure sounded like something..."

I tap her foot again and again until she pushes against me and our feet tangle under the table. My heart skips a beat at the innocent flirting. I'm not used to this. I'm used to flings and fucking, not conversations and flirting. I can't even remember the last time I flirted with someone just because and not to get in their pants. 

Roslyn turns back to look at me. Her grey eyes are narrowed and her lips are upturned the smallest amount. She leans in and rests her forearms on the table. 

"I said 'you're infuriating'," she tells me, to which I grin. 

"I'm a lot of things, baby. Infuriating is only the tip of the iceberg. " I respond quietly. Her lips part and her eyes darken slightly. I lean back in my chair. "Now finish up so I can pay. The concert is going to start soon."

I grin as Roslyn mutters to herself and begrudgingly eats her food - ravioli.

I could get used to this. I didn't know what I wanted when I found her. Part of me thought only sex but then I decided I wanted more than that. So I took her out on a date - my first proper date that didn't end in fucking in years. And to be honest, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I felt...free. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I also felt giddy and childlike in the best possible way.