CHAPTER 17
At 7 o'clock, I lug my grandmother's overnight bags into my bedroom and set it on a chair. "You can have the bed, Rose. I'll sleep on the couch," I say as she walks in after me.
"Nonsense, sweetheart," she presses a kiss to my forehead. "You're the one doing me a favor by letting me stay here. I'm not too old to sleep on a sofa."
I let her speak, not about to question my grandmother's vitality. She's nearly sixty-seven years old, but she has the face and figure of someone who is forty. Whenever we go out in public people always mistake her as my mother.
But then again, Rose was my mother growing up. She still is.
"I'm not saying you're old. Just take the bed, Rose. I won't sleep at all if I know you're stuck on the couch," I argue.
My grandmother sighs. "If you're sure-"
"I'm positive," I interrupt her, kicking off my pumps and pulling the clip from my hair, letting it flow freely down my shoulders. "Right now, all I want is some dinner. I'm starving," I add, heading towards the kitchen.
"Do you want anything?" I ask as I remove the ingredients to make a sandwich from the fridge. My stomach growls with hunger, and suddenly my mind flashes back to last week at this time, when I was eating chicken casserole with Harry. I set the bread down on the counter with a heavy sigh.
"Just some tea, please," Rose pipes up, effectively ending my daydream about Harry. I grab the kettle and she takes it from my hands. "And I'll make it myself."
"How are things going with Ryan?" she asks politely, pouring some water into the kettle. My back stiffens even though I was expecting her to ask that question. I hadn't told her about Ryan yet, simply because she never liked him and I couldn't bear to hear her say "I told you so."
"We-we aren't seeing each other anymore," I reply curtly before biting into my sandwich.
"Well," my grandmother hums, "I can't say I'm sorry to hear about that, because he was a total ass."
"Rose..."
"It's true," she defends herself, and this time I have to agree with her. "Can I ask what happened?"
"He cheated on me," I mutter darkly. I don't realize how tightly I'm clenching my sandwich until my nails break through the surface of the bread.
"I bet work is very awkward now," she sympathizes, folding her hands together, like she's praying for me or something.
"I got a new job," I tell her. She doesn't look surprised. I bet she was expecting that.
"Really? How is that going for you?" Rose asks yet another question. I take a big bite of my sandwich but by the time I swallow she's still staring expectantly at me.
"It's good," I finally answer. "It has better pay and a better environment. My boss and I argue sometimes but it's usually okay." I mentally curse myself for adding the last part, knowing that it will only prompt her to ask more questions.
I'm right. Rose takes a sip of her tea before speaking again. "Who is your boss?"
"His name is Harry, Harry Styles," I say in a monotone. The last thing I need is for my grandmother to find out I became involved with one of my co-workers...again.
She raises her eyebrows at me but thankfully doesn't say anything else about it. I sigh in relief and finish my sandwich, and no more questions are asked for the rest of dinner.
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I wake up to the sound of my cell phone ringing. My ringtone is annoyingly loud and chirpy and makes my head hurt. I glance quickly at the clock and see it's only eight-thirty in the morning. Saturdays are my only day to sleep in and I'm irritated that someone would even call this early.
"Hello?" I answer groggily. There's a slight shift on the other line and I crinkle my forehead in confusion. Who is this person?
"Leah," an all too familiar voice finally speaks.
"Why," I say, fully awake now. I sit up in my couch and pull my covers over my bare legs. "Why are you calling me, Harry?"
"Well, you see, I-"
"How," I continue, completely ignoring him, "Did you even get my cell phone number?"
"Your resume..."
It's not even that funny, but suddenly I find the thought of Harry ruffling through his papers to find my resume just so he could call me really amusing. A hysterical giggle bursts through my lips, betraying me, and I clap a hand over my mouth.
"What's so funny?" He sounds like he's smiling.
"Nothing," I snuggle deeper into the covers, wondering if Rose is awake yet. Probably not, or she would have come in to my room and demanded to know who I'm talking to.
"So why did you call me?" I ask Harry. It's weird to talk to him over the phone. It feels a little more personal than just chatting in the office, and that scares me.
"I need to ask you a favor," he replies, his voice even slower than usual. He sounds almost as if he's nervous. "I, uh...you know the charity dance I told you about a couple days ago? The one that Edward is hosting?"
"Yes," I say slowly. My covers have ridden up so that my feet poke out at the end. They're painted a shade of minty green that is no where as pretty as the shade of Harry's eyes. Then I curse myself for thinking that, because I'm supposed to be mad at him.
"Well," Harry is saying. "The friend I was going to go with to the dance just cancelled on me because her aunt had a mild stroke so she has to fly halfway across the country to visit her. Anyways, would you like to come with me instead?"
By the time he finishes speaking my jaw is halfway to the floor. I can't believe he actually just invited me to go to the charity dance with him when he knows that I'm trying to keep my distance from him, especially after the whole Cassie thing. Even though she just happened to be his sister, it still gave me a major reality check.
When I don't answer, he sighs. "This is really important, and I can't show up without a date," he pleads. "I know we aren't on the best terms right now, so think of this as a favor to your boss."
I hate that his words make me feel guilty and somewhat break my resolve. "I don't have a dress," I finally say. It's a lame excuse but I pray that Harry will take the bait, get the hint, and ask someone else.
He does the opposite.
"You don't have to pay for a dress for this. You're doing me a favor, so I'll buy it," he tells me, then groans. "Shit. I have meetings all day until five."
"Harry-"
"Hey, listen, Edward will pick you up at your apartment in like an hour. He'll take you into the city to shop for whatever you need and get your hair done," he interrupts me before I can protest.
"My grandmother is at my apartment!" I practically shout, desperate to get out of the mess I just made for myself. "I can't just leave!"
"Not a problem, Edward can bring both of you. It will be fun. I'll see you at seven, okay?"
Before he hangs up, he adds, "Thank you, Leah."
"Yeah," I whisper weakly to the dial tone in my ear.
At the moment Rose walks into the room. "Who are you talking to?" she asks, just like I expected her to. She sits on the edge of the couch and pulls my covers down so they are covering my toes again.
"We need to get ready," I sigh, not answering her question. "Edward's picking us up in an hour."
"Get ready for what? Who is Edward?"
"My boss asked me to attend this charity thing with him tonight," I admit, pulling my pillow on top of my face so she can't read anything from it. Rose has always been able to read me like an open book.
"Isn't that a little inappropriate?" My grandmother chastens me. I hear her shift around on the bed but I don't remove the pillow from my face.
"We're going as....working partners." I wince as the words tumble out of my mouth. Who the hell says 'working partners'? That's right...people who are fooling around with their boss.
"Who's Edward?" Rose asks, and I let out a tiny sigh of relief. I was expecting her to ask a much more pressing question than that.
"He's Harry's...I mean, my boss's, grandfather. And he's my friend," I explain. "He's going to go take me shopping to get a dress for the charity dance tonight."
"And I'm coming...why?"
"Because I can't just leave you here alone all day," I sit up, the pillow finally falling off my face.
Rose gives me a skeptical look and I can tell she's not sold on the idea. I take her hands in mine and give her my best angelic face.
"Please? It will be fun," I plead. "I really want you to come."
"We'll see," she hums but I know I have her convinced. I pump my fist in the air in victory and then hop off the couch and pull Rose to her feet beside me, making her laugh.
"Come on," I smile. "We've got some getting ready to do."
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dedication: xxNotTonightxx
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