"She what?!" Jeremy shouts as he spins his chair around with so much force that he practically falls over.
"Yep," I say, shrugging my shoulders. I look around our triangle of cubicles and really notice how empty it feels without Ava there to get in on the weekly gossip.
"So what did you do, punch her? Kick her in the cooter? Push her into the tulip display?" Jeremy crosses his legs and rests his elbow on his knee. He grabs his coffee with his other hand and watches me intently, like I'm about to give him the most important news of his life.
"No. I, uh, ran away." The second the words pass my lips, I cringe, preparing for a very heavy lecture from the guy sitting across me wearing bright yellow pants.
When nothing fills my ears but the ringing of phones from the other cubicles around me, I carefully look up to Jeremy to see him furiously rubbing his temples.
"Emma," he says, way too calmly before looking up and gently placing his hands on his knee. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Sorry!" Ava interrupts us by running to her desk, nearly tripping on her black heels as she spins her chair around to sit. "What did I miss?"
Jeremy and I look at her, noticing a snag in her tights, her hair messed up particularly on the left side, her lipstick smudged slightly; probably not enough for anyone else to notice, but we most definitely do.
"Girl, what did we miss?" Jeremy asks, lifting his eyebrows as he looks her up and down. Ava's cheeks instantly turn red and her eyes widen as she furiously digs through her bag to find her compact mirror. Just before I think I'm off the hook, Jeremy looks back over at me and he tilts his head.
"Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Are you fucking kidding me?" He practically shouts, making me cringe once again before sighing.
"What did you expect?" I throw my arms in the air and glare at him, trying to keep my voice down. "It was my sister's bridal shower. My entire family was there. I can't just go all WWE on her ass in front of everyone I know."
Ava loudly closes her mirror and spins her chair around. "Wait, what? Who?"
I groan. "It's a long story."
"Yeah, and if you wouldn't have been doing the dippity with Dave, you'd be caught up," Jeremy adds, getting an intense glare from Ava. "Anyways, we're going out this weekend and you're going to stand up to that slut."
My heart flutters at the thought, but it thankfully dies down when I think about this weekend.
"Can't. It's the bachelor/bachelorette party."
"Will Harry be there?" Ava asks, causing Jeremy to whip his head around to look at her.
"He's the fucking Best Man, Ava. God, where have you been?"
"Apparently doing the dippity with Dave," she fights back and I immediately starts laughing. They continue their bicker session while my phone starts buzzing. I quickly turn around and grab it before either of them try to take it from me like they did before.
Harry: Are you busy tonight?
I smile while also chuckling to myself.
Me: Harry, I've seen you almost every day for the past month. I'm not about to stop now ;)
Harry: Oh, well I was going to tell you that I've got other plans.
My heart stops and a frown appears on my face as I put my phone down, unsure of what to say. My phone buzzes as soon as it hits my desk and I quickly pick it up again.
Harry: And now that I've probably made you upset, I realize that I'm horrible at jokes.
"Em," Jeremy says, distracting me. I turn around and look at him and Ava, almost laughing at their annoyed expressions. "Will you please tell this bitch here that she's wrong and I'm right?"
"You're right?" Ava asks, firing back. "What about when you spent an entire month in the IT department flirting with that guy from Argentina? Who was not gay, I might add."
"Oh, he was gay. Have you seen cuticles that perfect on a straight man? Not a chance, honey."
I think for a second about interjecting, but when I hear my phone continuing to buzz behind me, I roll my eyes and turn around.
Harry: Oh god, I've really upset you.
Harry: I'm so sorry, Em. I didn't mean it I swear.
Harry: I was just kidding I really do want to see you!
Harry: Emma?
Harry: Emmaaaaaa!
A giggle escapes my lips as I quickly try to respond.
Me: You know, you're cute when you're worried.
Harry: Oh god I thought I'd lost you.
Me: Not quite. But since you did make me momentarily sad, you owe me.
Harry: I do, do I?
Me: Yep. See you in a bit ;)
"And what about the time when you went down to the gym every single lunch break for a solid month because you thought the security guard was checking you out?"
"Um, excuse me. He was checking me out. And did you see my abs afterwards? Flawless."
"Whether he was or he wasn't, I still proved my point. You've ditched us for people you were interested in too, so stop hating on me and let's focus on what's really important here." Ava slowly turns her head and focuses on me with a curious grin. "So, what do you and Harry have planned tonight?"
.....................
As soon as I get home, I let out a deep sigh. Seeing Harry every day for what seems like forever has made my apartment neater than it has ever been, and on nights like tonight where I'm running ridiculously late, I'm so thankful for it.
In truth, I'm thankful for Harry in so many ways. For almost too long, I've been so content with being alone. I put so much trust and love into one person and once that trust and love was destroyed, I relied solely on myself. Being alone and knowing that nobody could hurt me was my new source of comfort, shielding me from the people who could accept my trust and then use it against me like it was before. I didn't expect that feeling to change, I didn't want it to, but now I realize that all it took was the right person to come along to break me from my routine and let me truly be happy.
I rip off my dress and run to my closet, picking out a white shirt, jeans, a grey zip-up and my Converse, hoping that where I'm asking him to take me isn't anywhere fancy. I shuffle over to the bathroom to fix my makeup and smooth out my hair before I hear a knock at the door. Trying not to sound like I'm rushing, I tip-toe over to the door and let out a deep breath before opening the door.
When I greet him with a smile, I notice the intensity in his eyes as he rushes towards me, pressing his lips to mine with such force that he almost knocks me over. I slam the door shut and he moves me over to the arm of the couch, gently pushing me over onto the cushions as he falls on top of me. When his lips travel down to my collar bone and I'm finally able to catch my breath, I move my hands up to his shoulders.
"Uh, Harry?" I ask, trying not to laugh. He briefly stops what he's doing to look up at me.
"Yeah?"
"What, uh..." He goes back to what he's doing and my hands travel to the back of his neck. "What are you doing?"
He starts unzipping my zip-up and sliding his hands under my shirt.
"What do you mean? I'm paying you back." His hands travel to my back to unclasp my bra as his lips find themselves on my collarbone once again. I let in a sharp breath, thinking for a moment about forgetting my plans for us as my head falls back onto the couch cushion and my eyes close.
"As much as I don't want you to stop right now," I sigh, still feeling the fire on my skin as he travels down to my chest. "This isn't how I want you to pay me back."
He quickly stops what he's doing and looks up at me, his wavy hair blocking most of his eyesight.
"This...this isn't what you meant?" I smile sweetly and shake my head, moving my hands up to push his hair out of the way.
"Okay," he sighs. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, remember when you asked me to take you to my favorite place in the city?"
I could never forget that day. Spending the day together in the park, then spending the evening under the glowing lights and watching them change colors right before he kissed me. It wasn't our first kiss, but because of the immense embarrassment from our actual first kiss, I like to think of our kiss in the park as the most important. It was the moment that I first realized that this was what I wanted, despite my mind still trying to fight me on it.
"Yeah," he says, looking at me curiously. I lift my head up to give him one more kiss and follow it with a grin.
"Your turn."
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Guys, I have been beyond crap at updating, and I have absolutely no excuse for it. I'm so, so sorry and I hope that you all can forgive me and won't give up on this story!
I can't thank you enough for all of the votes and incredibly nice comments you all have made. It means more to me than you could ever understand :)
xx