Golden [h.s.]

8. two and a half weeks

"Are you done sulking?" Lydia asks as I grab my things from under the counter.

I worked the day shift today after she bugged me for the past two and a half weeks to set me up with this guy Jax knows, and I finally caved.

Two and a half weeks since Harry and I kissed.

Two and a half weeks that have gone by without him reaching out to me, despite my numerous texts to him.

Only to see a few days ago in the tabloids that he was spotted in California, leaving a club in the early hours with some woman. I didn't read it of course; Lydia was the one who fed me all the details.

He wasn't even in New York anymore; what did I expect really?

He's Harry Styles, for fuck's sake, and I'm just a random bartender who he knew for a few days. It was one kiss, and it was amazing, but of course, I probably freaked him out over my small stories about my personal life, and the kiss probably only made him realize just how crazy this all was.

I wasn't entitled to any response from him anyways. It's best that I move on with my life; at least I put myself out there, right?

"I am not sulking," I roll my eyes as we walk out the bar together, and wait on the curb for the Uber to pull up. Lydia scoffs.

"Yeah, sure," she says sarcastically. "All you've been drinking is fucking whiskey, that is your sulky drink." I shake my head as the car pulls up, and we get in, heading to my apartment.

"Jax said he and Brad will meet us at the restaurant at 8:30, so we have an hour to get you dressed up," Lydia squeals and I try not to groan.

She and Jax have been seeing more of each other, and since the whole shortlived thing with Harry, she's been insisting on me hooking up with Jax's friend, Brad (who also happens to be the owner of Lotus) despite my constant declines and refusals.

I should know better by now; my best friend doesn't take no for an answer, and I just agreed to one night so that she would stop bugging me about it.

"Fuck What's-His-Face, instead you should fuck Brad," Lydia wiggles her eyebrows at me. "He's so hot, and he owns the biggest club in the city, and most of all, he's into you!"

"He's only seen pictures of me, Lyds," I mutter. "What if he's some pompous ass?"

"Will you just give him a chance, Ella?" Lydia sighs and I roll my eyes. We soon pull up in front of my apartment, and we thank the driver as we climb out.

Once we get inside, Lydia rushes me into the shower, shouting at me to shave my legs. I roll my eyes but smile to myself.

Regardless of the situation, Lydia always has my best interests at heart. I'm lucky to have her.

I soon finish up, pulling on a black dress, doing my makeup, and curling my hair for the night.

It's about 8 p.m by now, and we rush outside and into the awaiting Uber. Lydia is practically bouncing with anticipation the entire drive to the restaurant, but I play with my fingers, feeling a bit nervous.

Sooner than expected, we pull up in front of a classy restaurant and Lydia steers me inside. The lighting is moody, and there's soft chatter among us.

"Hi, we're meeting — oh, there they are!" Lydia walks past the hostess, and I give her a small apologetic smile as we walk towards a table in the middle of the restaurant. I notice how Jax's face lights up when he sees Lydia, and it makes me smile.

I look at the man beside him, who must be Brad. He's very tall, though I feel that Harry must be maybe an inch taller. He's blonde and is wearing a tight white button down with dress pants, in comparison to Harry's dark head of curls and the tattoos that cover his skin.