*Harry's POV*
I watched them walk out the door. Watching them walk away seemed like an eternity. In my mind, everything was slowed down.
And then I did the unthinkable. I ran after her.
I rushed towards the door. My co-worker called after me but I ignored him. I managed to get out of the bakery and ran into a group of students who were startled and confused as to why I was in a rush. I quickly apologized and started running towards the direction I saw Dani and Rachel leave but quickly stopped. They were no where in sight. My eyes frantically searched the crowd.
My heart fell as time ticked by and there was still no sign of Dani and Rachel. I was too late. I lost her. Again. My shoulders slumped. I knew I had to go back to work or else I'd get in trouble.
My feet were heavy as I slowly made my way back to the bakery. When I got back, John constantly asked me what happened and where I went. I just stayed silent with a permanent scowl on my face. He eventually left me alone which I was glad for. Luckily Mel and her husband weren't around to see me run off. Even though I was ignoring John, he wasn't the type to get revenge and tell the owners and I was thankful for that. I'll have to apologize to him tomorrow.
The day went by slowly. I was constantly thinking about her. Every time the chime went off when a customer walked in, I'd quickly look to see if it was Dani, but each time I looked, it only made me more disappointed.
I was hopeless. I thought I was over her. Once I saw her, the feelings came back. I'm still head over heels for her. Why did I run away from her in the first place?
It was finally closing time. John and I worked in silence to clean up the place and to get things ready for tomorrow. John had to leave a few minutes early but that was fine by me. I owe it to him after all.
I turned off the lights and exited the bakery. I quickly locked the doors. Even though I've walked down these streets many times before, it still made me nervous to walk around when it was dark out. I started walking towards the hotel until I heard someone call my name softly.
I immediately turned around and was surprised to see Dani. What is she doing here?
"What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked that she was standing in front of me.
"I thought I'd stop by to talk and see how you're doing," she answered softly. I could tell she was nervous.
"How long have you been waiting for me to come out?"
"Just a couple minutes. I just assumed you had to close."
"Oh."
"Do you want to come to my place to talk?" she asked casually. How can she be so casual about this? I couldn't answer her. I just nodded my head like an idiot and followed her.
.
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*Dani's POV*
My heart was beating erratically as Harry followed me to my apartment. The path to my apartment was familiar so it didn't take too long to reach it. I quickly unlocked the door and held it open for him to walk in. I had to see him again. I just had to.
Earlier in the day when Rachel told me she wanted to go into Mel's Bakery, I refused to go in. I was afraid of seeing him again. I was afraid of what would happen.
The minute I laid my eyes on him, he was looking at me. I had to quickly look away as the flood of feelings came back. The barrier I tried so hard to put up came down. But it was okay because it confirmed something I already knew--that I was in love with Harry. That was when I realized I had to see him again. I needed him in my life again.
I don't know what I was thinking showing up outside his workplace waiting for his shift to end. Or why I'm even inviting him to my apartment. He probably wants nothing to do with me again but he's following me so that must mean something.
I turned on the lights and walked into the kitchen.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" I asked. I watched as Harry took in the apartment. Not much has changed since the last time he was here. My apartment has gotten messier is all.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," he replied. He finally sat down on the couch and waited for me to sit next to him. I waked over to him and sat down. I turned on the TV so it wasn't too quiet. I hope things weren't getting too awkward with the silence. I should've planned in advance what I was going to say to him.
"Uh..." I started. "How are you doing?" He just watched me in silence. I thought he was never going to answer until he finally spoke up.
"I've been...good. What about you?" he asked.
"Tell me how you're really doing," I said back to him. My face was serious as I turned to look at him and he understood what I meant.
"I'm good," he repeated in a small voice. I was frustrated. He wasn't going to tell me how he was really feeling. I knew he wasn't just 'good.' He was hiding something. I thought long and hard about whether I should lie just like him or tell him the real truth. After much debate, I decided to just go for it.
"I haven't been okay," I told him honestly. His eyes widened in shock at my words.
"How come? What's wrong?" he asked. I know he knows why but I just went ahead and answered his question.
"I was worried about you. I miss you," I admitted. I stared at my lap. Harry all of a sudden held my chin. He turned my face so I was looking at him again.
"I miss you too," he whispered. He pulled his hand back once he realized he was still holding my chin. He quickly apologized and I could see that he was blushing. "I'm sorry I wasn't being truthful to you earlier. How am I doing? Well I'm okay but I've been better," he continued, grinning at me.
"Congrats on the new job," I said to him.
"Thank you," he replied. "How's school?"
"Alright. I graduate in a few months so that's exciting." We both went silent after that. I kept my eyes on the TV but I wasn't watching. I finally gathered the courage to ask him the question. "Where are you staying at right now?"
"A hotel." I frowned. It's not cheap staying at the hotel. He'll quickly drain his money.
"You can stay with me if you want," I offered. He stared at me in disbelief.
"But your parents."
"My mom changed her mind about you. She said she was quick to judge and is sorry. I can't say the same for my dad but I know my mom is trying to persuade him to give you a chance." I could see him smiling.
"Tell her I said thank you and that there's no need to apologize."
"Will do. So what do you say? Do you want to move back in?"
"I'll have to think about it." My heart dropped at his response. He then started laughing. What is going on?
"You should've seen your face!" he said between laughs. He mimicked my expression and I playfully punched him in the arm. I buried my face in my pillow. I was dying from embarrassment. Harry tried to pull the pillow away but was unsuccessful. "I'm sorry. Yes, I want to move back in. Are we all good now?" He kept poking my back.
"No," I responded, my voice muffled by the pillow. "You're going to have to move in by yourself. I'm not helping you because you're being mean." Harry pouted his lips.
"Fine. It's a good thing I don't have a lot of stuff."
.
.
At 12:43 AM, Harry was all moved in. He collapsed on the couch from exhaustion and I did too. I was surprised at the amount of stuff he had. Be bought some more clothes and he had food with him too. My fridge was now full of stuff to eat.
"It's good to be back," Harry said, turning to look at me. I turned to look at him and smiled.
"It's nice having you back. The apartment's been empty without you," I replied. He didn't say anything. He just smiled, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
"I'm so tired," he complained. "And I have work tomorrow."
"Go to sleep," I ordered.
"But I don't want to," he whined.
"You said you were tired."
"I'm always tired but I never want to sleep." I ignored his childish behavior and started watching the advertisements that were always on at night. A thought then came to my head.
"Harry--" I started. I turned to look at him. He was already fast asleep with soft snores coming from his mouth. He looked so peaceful and happy as he slept even though I knew he was far from it with his current situation.
I grabbed the blanket that was neatly folded on the couch and covered him with it. As I wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, I took a minute to look at his lips. They were plump and pink and had a slight pout which I admit made him look adorable. I had to resist the urge to kiss him right there on the spot so I settled for his forehead instead. I let my lips hover above his forehead before gently pressing my lips to his hot skin. I let my lips linger for a while before pulling back. As I pulled back, I saw him stir in his sleep which made me freeze in panic. Did I wake him? I carefully watched him for a while before deciding that he was still asleep. I then walked away to get ready for bed. As I walked away, I heard his voice.
"Thanks for the kiss." I swear I could hear the smirk in his voice. My cheeks quickly reddened and I walked towards the bathroom and locked it before he could continue to taunt me.
Kissing him was a bad idea but I'm glad I did it. Everything was falling into place.