He laced his fingers through hers, and the edges of her lips instantly tipped up. He smiled back, a trace of nervousness in the demeanour. Their coffees were set aside, ignored. This must be the first time they were holding hands.
Something flashed across my vision before a loud thud shot through my ears. My body jolted in response. I peered up to find the source - Darren. He had dropped something on my table. "What's the matter with you?" I said sharply.
"I finally found it." He said, pointing to the object that had just landed infront of me.
Beside my unfinished plate of salad was a thick book. 'Loving The Chains That Bind - Stockholm Syndrome' was penned on the cover of it. I exhaled a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I don't have Stockholm Syndrome." I made it clear.
Darren threw a small washcloth over his shoulder before dragging a stool towards the table and settling himself on it. He cocked his head toward the young couple seated at a table across ours. "You almost scared off those people over there by gawking at them like you've never seen a couple before. Your lunch break is over, by the way, and you haven't even touched your salad." He said.
"I wasn't... gawking at them." I was a little embarrassed because I had been sort of observing them.
"You were practically searing holes through them with those big eyes of yours. It's creepy." He mimicked a shivering person.
A laugh escaped, in spite of my attempts to hold it in. "And what does that have to do with this book?"
He inched closer and spoke in a lower voice. "I just think maybe you're... missing someone you aren't supposed to."
My smile wore away and I felt a burn in my chest. A week had passed since I last saw Harry. He had promised that he would somehow find a way to see me, but so far it he had not been true to his words. During these past few days I had struggled to appear collected, I had strived to put on a smile even.
My family and I were finally in a state of peace, free of any vile disturbance and I needed to show that I was happy about that, or else they would think something was amiss. And so I had been putting on an act.
They weren't aware of how I cried myself to sleep whenever the lights were out. I was in the company of more people now but I had never felt so alone. No one knew what I had really been through the past few months and even if they did, they would undoubtedly judge and criticise me and rob me of my dignity, if I even had any to begin with. I felt that Harry was the only person who would understand me, only he could offer me the comfort I was in dire need of now.
And I feared that I might never see him again.
After all, I had given up my virginity to him. That was the objective of the whole Baby Doll thing right? Giving myself to him felt so right at the time but now I was drowning in regret. There was a high possibility that Harry merely gave into his father's pressure. It hurt to think that he never meant it when he told me he loved me. And his long absence was only feeding my doubts.
So much of my trust in him had perished over the past few days but I still missed him terribly. I was ashamed of myself when I had thoughts of going back to the mansion. Sure, this may all seem morbidly wrong in the perspective of an outsider but it was impossible to just stop loving someone.
"You aren't getting paid for lazing around! Get off your bums!" Gretchen Grimm yelled from the counter, her hoarse voice unfitting for a woman. She was in charge of Peppercat Cafe, and she took full advantage of her position. She was about a head taller than me, but her badly maintained red hair contributed to her towering height.
I had been working at the cafe for three days now and things were going fairly well. With Darren by my side, I was given a burst of confidence when I took up this job. It helped me take my mind off Harry, although I wouldn't say it was very effective. Gretchen wasn't that much of a bother as she ignored Darren and I most of the time. She would only yell at us when we were cracking jokes or doing anything that seemed a little fun.
"Just flip through it when you get the chance." Darren shrugged before rising to his feet.
I rolled my eyes at him. I was absolutely positive that I wasn't suffering from a psychological disorder.
"Come on, I want to teach you some latte art." He nudged his head to the side.
I took one last glance at the young couple who were now seated closer to each other. They whispered into each other's ears and I felt the green monster act up inside me. It was like they were lost in their own little world, oblivious to everything else around them. The spectacle was so appealing and I found myself altering it mentally. The boy was suddenly Harry, and I was the girl. He spoke into my ear in quiet whispers. I laughed and,
"Thalia." I was disrupted from my thoughts and my breath caught in my throat. Darren had caught me again.
"You're going to scare them off." He laughed lowly before grasping my hand. "Come on." He dragged me into the back kitchen.
Gretchen watched us with unfriendly eyes, her strong gaze obstensibly wishing bad upon us.
I leaned onto the counter, propping my cheek on my hand as Darren swiftly retrieved two coffee cups from the cupboard. Both of his index fingers hooked around the handles of the ceramic cups and he spun them before sending them high up in the air, earning a gasp from me. He briskly turned his body, legs twisting before reaching to collect the cups. They fell right into his robust hands and he set them on the counter. He looked at me with a smug expression, searching my face for a reaction.
"Show off." I muttered then broke into a chuckle.
"Couldn't help it." He shrugged.
__________________________
Harry's POV
I pressed the pencil hard against the paper until the lead broke and rendered the drawing a mess. I laughed at my own deliberate action, venting my frustration. The alcohol was doing a good job repressing my urge to push everything off this goddamned table. My vision was blurred at the edges but I could tell that I had once again failed at the eyes. Those eyes. They were just impossible to capture.
"Harry, your father is here."
"Stop shouting!" I told Mrs Briffen. I just hated her so much sometimes.
"But... I'm not." I heard her say before another figure moved into the room.
"Son," The figure advanced, coming into clearer view. Wow, he really needed to lose some weight. I found myself amused by my dad's chunky physique and a compulsion to burst out laughing took over.
"Damian." I acknowledged, then cracked up as I rested against the armchair.
"Respect, my son. Respect." I heard him sigh as he stood infront of the table. "Oh, what's this?" He held up my drawing. A frown became evident as he observed it.
"None of your business." I stood up and snatched the paper from his gloved hands, the sequence of actions too quick for my body to handle. My head throbbed and I slowly sat back down.
"What have I always told you? All this sketching is a waste of time. You should be thinking of doing something productive." I felt like swinging my fist at that massive bulge of a stomach.
"I will, if you give me back my keys." I told him, kicking my feet up before resting them on the table. The impact caused the empty beer bottle to topple down to the floor, and the sound of it shattering against the marble shot through my ears.
"I gave you time to think about your actions and realise your loss, but look at you. I'm sure you aren't doing that. So you aren't getting your keys back." He told me.
"Quit trying to control me, I'm twenty years old! And I'm not apologising to that bitch." I spat.
His face contorted in fury, I liked the reaction I was getting. "What, are you in love with that whore?" He grabbed the paper again and shook it in the air.
"You're more of a whore than she is." I wasn't making sense but rage swelled in me. "You're evil, a complete-"
"That is enough!" I saw liquid sputter out of his quivering mouth as he clenched his fat hand, the paper crumpling in it. A wave of anger greeted my system and I stood up, shooting a glare at him. The fact that I was inches taller than him encouraged me to do what I had been wanting to for the longest time. My hands closed into fists. My mother would never have resorted to prostitution if he hadn't left us. She wouldn't have died as early as she did.
Then I remembered that he had my car keys. I needed to see Thalia, and I needed my car keys for that. I inhaled, calming myself.
His features softened before his thin lips twisted into a grin. "What a man you have become." He hissed. "I remember how timid you were as a child... trembling everytime I yelled, cowering behind your mother on the first day of school. I've done a good job. Look at you now." He stepped back to take a look at me.
"Give me back the keys." I said roughly.
He massaged the wrinkles of his forehead before looking at me again. "Let me propose a deal. You get your keys back and I'll even let the driver take you out again if you attend the year end event with Kaylee Anne."
"Fuck that."
"Just a little staging. Many of my acquaintances will be there. It'll be great." He chortled at his idea.
"What do you say, son?"
__________
Sorry for the short chapter, I've been so busy. I'll try to update sooner so do vote!
By the way, a user called poptagsyea just created an Instagram for Baby Doll, it's @babydollstory and lots of things are going to be posted there!
Twitter: wonder_wall123