HARRY
Friday, August 25th 2017
As much as I truly intended on going out on the town with my friends, I opted to finish my first essay that was due in a few days for my History class. The coffee shop that I frequented wasn't terribly busy, so I snagged a cozy table in the corner and got down to business. An hour or so in, my eyes burned from staring at my laptop screen and the caffeine I'd indulged was beginning to wear off. Wearily, I stand up to refill and I catch a glimpse of a familiar face.
Upon meeting her, less than a week ago, her pretty green eyes were immediately fetching, and tonight, they're the first thing I notice. As she steps in line, I smile at her and she flashes me a quick one back. "Mary, right?" She turns to me and nods.
"And your name is Harry, yeah?"
"Yeah," I answer, "How are you?"
"Exhausted." Her reply matches her tone. "I came in to work on that stupid essay..."
"That's exactly what I'm doing...it's proving to be rather difficult."
"Oh, great. I haven't even started it yet." She quickly orders a latte and then I hand the barista my empty mug and she hands it right back, after filling it with black coffee.
"Actually, I managed to get quite a bit done."
"Lucky you." She smirks and I motion towards my half empty table.
"I could help you, if you want?" Much to my dismay, she shakes her head.
"I'm okay, thanks though." I sit down as she moves towards the table beside me, but before she puts her things down, she eyes me and then she walks back. "Um...so I can be unintentionally stand-offish and my therapist says I should learn to let people help me instead of doing everything on my own...do you mind?" My smile has returned and I pull the seat out for her.
"Please." I look at her, not too obviously, but I find time in between our chats and smiles to observe her...she's absolutely lovely. Not, like, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but she's so pretty. I begin to compare her to my best friend...Elizabeth being this stunning blonde, tall and slender with these full lips and warm, chocolate irises. Men truly stare at her wherever she goes. Mary is different, she's shorter, kind of tomboyish—but in a really endearing way. She seems like the type who is so comfortable with just blending in. Her beanie has little worn-in balls stuck to it, and her flannel looks terribly cozy. As the hour ticks by, I find myself becoming more and more enamored by her...all of her. She's clearly very intelligent, she's funny and kind. Somehow, I can see myself spending more time with her...getting to know her and really liking her. The ding of my phone brings me back to reality and I see her eyes, unmeaningly, drift to my lit up screen. Elizabeth. I know that some women tend to find the dreaded best girl-friend to be annoyingly threatening, but that couldn't be further from the truth. However, this girl doesn't even know me well enough to know that she's just that. My best friend. "M'sorry..." I begin, as my thumb slides over the unlock button.
Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE the night I had. Call when you can!
I hastily type in a response.
Busy now...can I call a bit later? How late will you be up?
Her reply is instant, and I appreciate that. I want to get back to this essay-writing session.
Ugh! Like half an hour...just hurry and call whenever you're done! xx
My thumbs pad over the two words in less than a second and I send it.
Will do. x
"S'my best friend...she wants to tell me about her night." I don't know why I've chosen to tell her this. "I guess she went and saw this ridiculous band—anyway, sorry. Shall we?" She nods and I watch as her shoulders begin to lower, as if they were wound up before.
"I didn't mean to look at your phone..."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I don't mind." I assure her. She nods and begins to type away on her keyboard.
"I do have to get back to my place soon though...my roommate never feeds my cat when ask her to, and I asked her to tonight so I assume it didn't get done."
"Let's do like...fifteen more minutes?" Again, she nods.
"That's perfect."
"By the way...I love cats." She chuckles.
"I don't trust anyone who doesn't."
"I couldn't agree more, Mary."
+
"Thank you for walking me home, Harry. That was really nice of you." I shrug, because truly, it's nothing.
"I wasn't going to let you walk by yourself."
"I probably would've just hopped on the tube." I blush, feeling slightly foolish. "But, I'm glad you walked me. I wanted to spend more time with you, if I'm being honest." I'm ecstatic to hear this.
"It's refreshing to hear someone's honesty, so I appreciate that." A brief silence settles over us before I step towards her. "Would you want to grab dinner one night this week? Or lunch...or coffee—I dunno..."
"Dinner would be really fun! Um...I have this horrible lecture on Tuesday afternoon and I'm definitely going to need a drink afterwards...maybe we could do it then?" I have a class on Tuesday night, but I figure there's no harm in skipping it. Besides, it's more of an elective.
"Tuesday night is perfect. Do you want me to pick you up?"
"Sure! Well, if you don't mind?"
"I'd be happy to." My phone rings loudly, which cause me to jump and she giggles. I take it out of my pocket and a picture of Elizabeth and I overwhelms the screen. "M'sorry, again." I say. Before I can decline the call, she backs away.
"No, you should answer it. I'm gonna head up anyway. I'll see you Tuesday? Say seven o'clock?"
"Seven it is...I'll see you then, Mary." She waves, bashfully, and I answer the call on the final ring. "Yes, Elizabeth, what can I do for you?"
"I want to go to bed!"
"Then go to bed, you goof."
"But I wanted to tell you about my night..."
"Oh yes, how were the Fretless Pests?" She huffs in annoyance.
"Fretless West, and they were actually really great." I chuckle, "Guess who has a date with the lead singer?"
"Margot?" My assumption isn't entirely thought out.
"No, dummy. Me! Margot went home with the drummer." I really couldn't care less who Margot went home with, I back track to the real answer she's just given me.
"Wait, you're going out with the lead singer?"
"He's taking me to dinner on Sunday—well, I don't know if we're going to dinner, but we're going out on Sunday."
"Should I be worried?"
"Why would you be worried?"
"Because, he's in a rock band, Beth...that's practically a recipe for disaster."
"Oh okay, Mr. Almighty." I can hear her sigh and it's very dramatic. "He's actually..." Her tone softens. "He's really nice. And he was such a gentleman all night. Not to mention...fittest man I've ever seen."
"Heeey..."
"You don't count."
"Fine." I grumble.
"Mum and Anne both thought he was gorgeous. Anne said it right to his face, she was all, you are very nice to look at." Although I'm amused, I feel myself returning to the worried older brother that I'm not.
"Can you just...can you be careful, please?" Her end is quiet. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"I'll be fine."
"You've said that before—"
"And I was fine before. I'll be fine now." It's my turn to sigh.
"Alright."
"You don't have to worry about me all the time, Harry."
"You know I can't help it." It's not that anything has ever happened to her that's made me worry, but I care about her more than I care about...well, pretty much anyone else, aside from my mum and my sister. "Especially when you're a whole hour away!"
"Oh, I know. I'm so, so far...practically galaxies away from you." Her sarcasm has me chortling immediately. "Dork." As our laughter dies down, I stop walking.
"Just...please call me if anything happens tomorrow? Even if it doesn't, I'll want to know how it went."
"Is that your way of saying, don't go home with him?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
"You know I wouldn't." Her tone is serious now and I believe her. She's the only girl I know who hasn't given up her virginity to the first bloke that came along. She was innocent in that sense, and she was smart. Even now, I'm worried for when that day comes. Will he be good to her? Will he treat her the way she deserves to be treated?
"I know, I know. M'proud of you for that, you know I am, right?"
"I do, yes. You tell me whenever Margot brags about her sex life or when I choose not to go home with someone. So...what had you so tied up tonight?" Her change in subjects makes me excited to tell her about Mary. I'd almost forgotten about the sweet girl in the midst of our conversation.
"So, I met someone tonight..."
"You too? Tell me about her!" I proceed to give her the details of my night, and I tell her all about the green-eyed brunette, whom I felt absolutely besotted with.