"Hey Grace, the boy you brought here some nights ago is here" Chloe said walking casually next to me while she was taking an order to a customer.
I looked around, but I didn't see him anywhere.
"Where is he?" I asked her, trying not to be noticed by the other waiters, and especially by the new one, who seemed to always want to find reasons to bother us.
"He was quite awkward standing near the entrance, so I just told him to go to the balcony while you were in the kitchen. I hope you don't mind."
"I surely don't, thank you" I replied, turning my head to glance out of the French windows, spotting his silhouette against the lights coming from the street. "Do you think you could take the order at table 7? I'll just see why he's here and come back."
She let out a little laugh. "Sure thing, go to your boy. Be fast though, you don't want James to catch you, believe me" she said, whispering the ending part as she pretended to walk past me to go back into the kitchen.
I glanced around, making sure nobody's eyes were on me, and made my way to the balcony door. I opened it fast since it was unlocked, and slid out.
"Hey" I whispered, slowly taking a few steps forward, my arms wrapping around my middle to warm myself up at the contact with the cold weather of the evening.
He was leaning on the railing, looking at the city beneath him. When he heard my voice, he turned his head to meet my gaze.
I walked until I was standing next to him and put my hand on his shoulder, as he was still leaning on the cold iron. "Harry?"
He sighed faintly, a slightly accentuated pinkness on his cheeks and top of his nose because of the freezing cold. "I've seen many things, but only a few could be defined as beautiful. But then I look and I feel like I haven't understood beauty at all."
"What?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows, letting my hand trail down his arm to rest over his hand, that was just as cold as the air around us.
He shook his head. "It's just something one of my students wrote once. I feel like as time passes, I just understand it more and more."
I hummed at his words. "I know the city from here is quite pretty, but don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit?" I whispered to him, watching him as the corner of his lips turned upwards a little bit.
"I wasn't talking about the landscape" he replied as softly, not wanting to disrupt the moment.
I looked down for a second before glancing at him again as I felt him shuffle a little closer when a cold wind blew through us.
"Why are you here?" I asked him, changing topic, as I leant against the railing just as he was doing, looking at the myriads of light beneath us.
"I figured you would've enjoyed having some company for the walk back home" he said, turning his head towards me.
"You figured right" I replied, "I'll be done in thirty minutes. Do you want to come inside and warm up? I could get you a hot tea or coffee if you want."
"Thank you, but I think I'll just wait here, I don't want to be a bother to you. Besides, the view from here is indeed quite lovely."
"You know you wouldn't bother me, Harry. But okay, I'll come here again when I'm done" I told him, and went back in.
As soon as I got in, I noticed that most of the customers had already left and that the waiters had started cleaning the tables.
"So?" Chloe asked sliding next to me as I was bringing some empty dishes back into the kitchen.
"So what?" I asked back.
"What's he doing here?"
I rolled my eyes at her excessive curiousity. "Just waiting for me to finish my shift."
"Oh my god, other than being outrageously handsome, he also seems lovely! He's a keeper."
"Seriously?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"Have you seen him? He's so charming. You're so lucky to have him as your boyfriend."
"Oh! We aren't together, actually" I replied putting down the dishes.
"Are you sure about that? Because from the way he looks at you, he seems to be thinking otherwise."
"Oh come on" I replied, and went out of the kitchen again.
• • •
When my shift finished, I headed to the balcony.
"Hey there" I said, and Harry, that was checking his phone, looked up at me.
"You're finished?"
"Yeah, time to go home" I replied as we walked in.
I turned around and locked the balcony door and, after having said our goodbyes to Chloe, we got out.
I closed my coat as soon as we were in the streets. "It's getting quite cold" I said, trying to make conversation.
"It's almost November" he replied, "It was bound to happen."
"I can't wait for Halloween."
"I used to like it when I was little. It seems a little... meaningless now, though" he said.
"What do you usually do for Halloween?" I asked him.
"Nothing. I stopped celebrating it many years ago."
I glanced at him. His hands were into his pockets, and he was looking ahead. His body seemed a bit tensed up, probably because of the freezing cold.
"Well this year will be different" I told him, and he looked at me.
"What are you planning?" He asked, with a hint of worry.
"Nothing important at the moment" I said. "Gemma is so nice" I added jokingly after a while, trying to change topic.
"I've never been as embarrassed in the twenty-five years of my life" he replied blushing slightly.
"Your rings, Harry!"
"Please don't" he said, putting his arm around my shoulders. "This is the last time I'm walking you home."
"It probably won't be."
"You're right" he replied, "I like you way too much for it to be the last one." He stopped walking and I did the same.
I looked up at him. He was biting his lower lip nervously.
"And..." He continued, "I'm willing to... try, if so are you." His gaze flickered to the wall behind me.
I smiled. "Are you asking me...?"
"I like you. And I know I said I wasn't ready, but as the time goes by I can't help but realise that... I'd like to be yours."
His words fell between us, accompanied by a small silence.
"Yes, Harry" I said after a few interminable seconds, and stood on my tiptoes to reach his height, "I'd like to be your girlfriend."
"Thank god" he replied smiling, "That was one of the most nerve-racking things I've ever done."
"Shush" I whispered, closing the distance between us and leaning my forehead against his, "Now you really should kiss me."
He closed the small distance between our mouths, and our lips met.
"We should go home now" he murmured, breaking the kiss. "If we're lucky enough Gemma won't be around."
"Oh come on, she's not that bad" I said laughing lightly.
• • •
Let's take the stairs" he said when we got into our building.
"Why, so that we can have time to run away if Gemma is there?" I asked playfully.
"You read my mind" he replied sarcastically, "Now let's be silent, I think people are sleeping."
"It's midnight, it's not that late" I asserted.
"Right above us there's a couple with two small children, I can promise you they are sleeping."
"Now, how would you know that?"
"I saw them once in the main hall" he replied as we reached our floor.
"You're quite observant."
"Not really, they're quite loud. It's surprising that you didn't know."
"Shut up, now" I said, "I was wondering if you'd like to come in for some tea?"
"At midnight?" He asked.
"We've also had it much later" I replied.
"That's true. I wouldn't mind at all, as long as you have sugar" he said smiling.
"Cane sugar?"
"Don't."
"Well I don't know if I have cane sugar, you might have to resort to the normal one" I said unlocking my door and walking in.
"I won't mind" he replied shutting the door behind us.
"Are you gonna help me or are you just gonna stand there?" I asked him walking to the kitchen and turning around when I reached its door.
He hung his coat on the hanger next to the door. "I'm gonna help."
And if we fell asleep in each other's arms on my bed while the tea was still steeping, that's for no one to know.