This chapter is unedited and it's going to need some major editing later lol but I wanted to get it up for you guys so I'll come back to it later!
It's not that long but I have school in 4 hours so I need to sleep. Enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comments!
* * * * * * * * *
I truly hated people.
It was the conclusion I have come to after working at the restaurant for a few weeks now, and especially after the shitty day I've had. I was forced to come in for the morning shift and even though I was supposed to be off by two, my boss asked me to stay until six to cover one of the other server's shift when he called out sick. It was now barely four and I was sick of dealing with all the rude and snobby customers that have come in over the past several hours. It was getting more difficult to keep my mouth shut and remaining professional the more tired I got. My feet were killing me too and I was positive I was starting to get sick from how shitty I was feeling. I could not wait to get home.
I sighed in trepidation when I heard the front door of the restaurant opening, knowing it was my turn to be sat. I poked my head around the corner to see how many customers the hostess was going to sit me only to see the back of a boy who looked to be alone. Well, at least it isn't a big party. Anything less then three was pretty simple.
Turning around, I moved to the chips and salsa station and placed both on my small tray after filling them both up and walked back out to the restaurant. I headed to my section and up to the table the hostess sat me to see the top of the boy's head, due to the menu he was looking intently at covering his face. I stopped when I reached his table and placed the chips and salsa in the middle, opening my mouth to give the same introduction I use with all my tables when I came to a halt when the the menu was placed back on the table, revealing the boys face.
"Chase?" My eyes widened in shock and his face reflected mine before he smiled at me warmly.
"Avriella," He said in greeting and he tilted his head. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Yeah, for a few weeks now." I smiled back at him, briefly taking in his trimmed hair. No wonder I didn't recognize him. "Your hair is different."
"Yeah, I needed a change." He shrugged and leant back, throwing his arm over the back of the booth. "How are you? I haven't seen you since the Halloween party."
I blush profusely at the mention of the party, remembering how we danced and how close I was to going upstairs with him. Who knows how far I would of gone with him. "Er, yeah, I'm good!" I respond awkwardly and cough when my voice comes out to high pitched. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"Okay, just focusing on school." He shrugged, and looked over me curiously. "You disappeared at the party after you took off with your friend."
My face got even hotter and I looked away, glancing at the next table over before shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Something came up."
"It's alright," he sounded genuine and I looked back to see him grinning at me. "I was just bummed I didn't get to spend more time with you. You're a cool person."
"Thanks, Chase." I grinned. "You're cool too."
He chuckled, skimming over the menu once before pointing at something random. "I'll have that please."
Bending down slightly to get a better look, I read what he pointed at and raised my eyebrows. "The bacon wrapped shrimp?" He made a face and I laughed. "You don't like shrimp, do you?"
"Not a huge fan." He admitted and I laughed wholeheartedly.
"Then why did you pick it?"
"I panicked and got nervous."
"Over what?"
"Over the fact I was thinking of asking you out?"
I grew tremendously quiet and stood back up to my full height slowly. Shit, what was I supposed to say to that? No doubt Chase was cute and he was nice too but...Harry. We made a promise to each other not to see other people. But we aren't together, so would it really matter? I wasn't sure but the thought made me feel like I was betraying him. "I uh, I'm not really looking for-,"
"No it's cool, I get it." He interrupted and I sighed in relief from having to say it. "But we can still hangout, can't we? As friends?"
Friends? I can definitely have friends. "Yeah, of course."
"Okay." He smiled and leant his elbows on the table. "How about tonight? We can go get pizza?"
I shifted, still feeling as if this were going to be a date if it was just us two. But the hopeful look on his face stopped from declining. Chase was too nice and I already bailed on him once. "Yeah, okay. We can get pizza."
"Sweet! What time are you off?"
"Not until six" I sighed, taking a glance at my watch. Still one hour and a half left.
"I'll wait for you then. We can go right after you get off."
"You're going to sit here for over an hour and wait for me?" He nodded and I smirked. "Didn't you come here to eat?"
"Yes. Who says I can't eat twice?" He winked and I laughed before he looked over the menu once more and shrugged. "I'll take the nachos for now to munch on until you're free."
"Okay. Anything to drink?"
"Water, please."
"Sure thing." I took the menu from him and walked off, leaving the menu back at the host stand before putting in his order. I got chase his water quickly, exchanging a smile with him before leaving to check up on my other tables, I got them a few more things they asked for and soon, they paid and were off. Somewhere during that time I'd dropped Chase's food off and left him to go clean my station, knowing it was almost time for the end of my shift. I passed Chase one last time twenty minutes before I was due to clock out and left his check for him. He paid on the spot, being too generous and tipping me twenty dollars. I tried to hand it back but he refused, padding it back to me and demanding I take it. I huffed, pocketing it and making a mental note to use it to buy him pizza later.
I quickly finished cleaning my section before I was untying my red apron and clocking out, waving to Roberta before meeting Chase in the front. I stuffed my apron into my purse and shrugged my black leather jacket on. "So where to?"
"I know this cool pizza joint not too far from here."
I followed him out and we walked along the side walk in the direction I usually took home. Filling the air with small talk as we did. Chase was pretty easy to talk to and seemed like an open book, confident in sharing his background with me without an ounce of hesitance. Not like harry. At the thought of him, I checked my phone and sure enough, there was a text message I'd received from him about an hour ago.
Harry: Hey, wanna meet tonight?
I pursed my lips, knowing he probably only wanted to have sex. We hadn't spent time with each other outside of class, not since the other night when he left me in bed after screwing me. I was sure he just wanted another repeat.
Can't, I'm busy. Next time.
I tucked my phone away after hitting send, looking up to see we've reached the little pizza joint. I glanced around and recognized our surroundings to see we were only two blocks away from my apartment. Thank god, because I couldn't wait to go straight to bed after this.
"Have you ever been here before?" Chase asked when he noticed my curiosity and I shook my head.
"No, but it's near my apartment. I'm surprised I've never noticed it before."
"It's really good, you'll love it." He assured me and we moved to an open table after seeing the self seating sign. A waitress appeared at our table in no time, taking our drink orders along with our pizza order. We both already knew what we wanted-, pineapple pizza for him and cheese for me.
"So," he leaned forward on his elbows and wiggles his eyebrows at me. "Tell me about yourself."
I laughed and wiggles my eyebrows right back. "What do you want to know?"
"Got any siblings?"
"An older brother. You?"
"Three younger sisters." He winced. "It's a nightmare."
"I bet. How old are they?"
"Seventeen, fifteen, and twelve."
"Oh god. I can just picture the drama constantly unfolding."
"You have no idea. Thankfully now that I'm no longer living with them I don't need to deal with it 24/7 but I wanted to bash my head in last Christmas."
"What happened?"
"Constant arguing and screaming is what happened." He shook his head. "They're so close in age at least Mikayla and Sasha- the seventeen and fifteen year old, and they're in that stage where they just hate each other so it's a war zone in that house."
"Wow," I shook my head and sighed. "I can't imagine. My brother and I have a huge age difference so I never had to really deal with something like that. I did always want a sister though."
"You can have one of mine." He waved his hand and I laughed. "Too much estrogen in that household for me."
"Well not enough for me! I think having a sister would of been fun."
"I think having a brother would of been awesome." He pouted then grinned evilly. "Let's trade."
"My brother won't be much fun, he's married with a kid now." I grinned. "He's a bore."
"Damn." He said disappointedly just as the waitress came to drop our drinks off. "Any pets?"
"No," I pouted and twirled my straw around my drink. "My mom is allergic to dogs and hates cats so I never could get either one."
"But you can now?" He said with a smile.
"I could..." I thought about it for a few seconds then quickly shook my head. "No, no. I can't. I have no time to take care of it. Maybe in a few years."
"Yeah, maybe that's a better idea." He commented. "Hey, I never got to ask. What are you majoring in?"
"Art." I smiled and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You can draw?" I nodded and he leant forward in interest. "No way. I want to see some of your stuff."
Pulling out my phone, I ignored the two new texts I had from Harry and pulled up one of my drawings I had in my photo gallery. I turned my phone around to show him and he brought the phone closer to his face, eyes wide as he looked at my drawing. "Wow! This is amazing Avriella."
"Thank you." I said a little timidly before locking my phone again. "That's all I have on my phone at the moment but I'll show you some more of my stuff another time."
"You should make like an instragram page specifically to showcase your art."
"I already have an account but it's my personal and I sometimes post my stuff on there." I shrug. "I don't feel like enough people know me or would follow that account if I made it only for art."
"People would! There's so many out there that like and appreciate this stuff. I definitely would."
"I'll think about it."
Our pizza came then and our conversation slowed as we ate, both of us caught up in our food. It picked up again as we finished and we sat there for another hour talking about school and our families. Apparently Chase's dad left them when he was thirteen and his mom raised her all on her own until his dad showed up again when he was seventeen. He shared that he wasn't so welcoming to him in the beginning but now, they're okay.
Though I was a little hesitant, I shared my own story with him about how sheltered I'd been back home and how the boyfriend I had for two years cheated on me. I didn't dwell too long on the topic of tell him that my parents seem to side with my cousin over the matter, but I wanted to share something personal with him after how open he'd been with me. We haven't even known each other long and I felt like he was already becoming a good friend of mine.
A little past nine o'clock, we decided it was time to head out and left after paying. I hugged myself as we stepped outside, feeling the cold crisp air bite into me even through my jacket. I turned around to say goodbye to Chase, taking a step back out of surprise when I saw how close we'd been standing to one another. He didn't seem to notice though, preoccupied by putting his jacket on.
"I'm going to head home now, it's been a long day and I'm exhausted."
"Let me walk you. You shouldn't be walking alone at night, it isn't safe." He said, glancing around the street with a frown.
"You don't have to do that, I'll be okay."
"You're crazy if you think I'm gonna leave you here." He said and jerked his head. "Now shush, and let's get you home."
I sighed in surrender and led the way, Chase falling into step beside me. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and tucked my chin down as we walked, our conversation picking up where we left it in the restaurant. Chase had asked what I was planning to do for Thanksgiving and I told him I was going back home, but left out the part that I was thinking of skipping due to the chance my evil cousin would probably be there.
"What about you? What are you doing?"
"I'm going home, and spending it with my family. Including my dad." He paused and pressed his lips together. "It's the first thanksgiving we're having as a family since he left. My dad wanted us to be together instead of having two separate ones and my mom agreed to it. So...that should be interesting."
"I'm sure it's going to be okay."
"God I hope so." He sighed and for the first time tonight, I got the hint things were not so great with his dad as much as he'd let on. I could sense there might still be some bitterness left. "Either way I'm not really looking forward to it."
"At least you have your sisters, right?"
"Yeah." He smiled. "I will admit, I love them like crazy. It's nice having people that understand how I'm feeling."
I grinned but didn't respond as we made it to the front of the apartment complex. I assumed we'd part ways here but Chase surprised me by opening the lobby door for me, gesturing me in first before following me inside. I turned to thank him, unsure if I should let him walk me up to my actual apartment door when I caught sight of Harry sitting on one of the couches in the lobby. I froze, and he looked up as if he'd sensed my entrance. He was leaning his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely between them and he furrowed his brows when he looked from me, to Chase. Shit.
For a split second, I panicked. Then quickly dismissed the feeling when I knew there was nothing to feel panicked over. Harry and I were not a couple and Chase and I were friends. This was not a date and I was doing nothing wrong.
Just as I was about to give my full attention to Chase, Harry stood up and cautiously walked to where we were, stuffing his hands in his pockets along the way. He looked guarded and unsure, his posture not as straight as it usually it is. He looked- defeated. Something about him was off and it was confirmed when he neared and I noticed his puffy red eyes. Had he been crying?
"Hey..." he paused and his gaze slid from me to Chase standing behind me. "I came to see you but uh, I didn't realize you were with someone."
"It's Chase." He stick his hand out to shake Harry's hand, and even though I could tell he was completely uncomfortable doing it, he shook his hand and nodded in greeting. "You were at the Halloween party weren't you?"
Harry pressed his lips together and answered tightly. "Yeah. I was."
"I thought I recognized you." Chase said, glancing between Harry and I before tucking his hands in his pocket and looking at me. "I'm going to head home now. Thanks for tonight Avriella. See ya soon?"
"Of course. We'll do it again soon."
He grinned, waving goodbye to both Harry and I before walking out of the lobby and into the night. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to Harry.
"So what are you doing here? I texted you to let you know I couldn't meet."
"I know but I...I needed to see you."
"Why?"
"I-," he pressed his lips together and blew out a breath. "Can we go upstairs?"
Of fucking course. I sighed and shook my head. "I'm not in the mood tonight, Harry. Just go home, I'll see you Monday." I began to walk off but he quickly followed.
"No-, wait!" I stopped when he gently gripped my arm and turned to see the desperation on his face. What was with him? He was never like this. "Can I stay? Please?"
"Harry, I don't want to have sex tonight I-,"
"No, not for that. I mean stay as in to-, to sleep. To...talk."
My heart stopped, then broke out into a sprint. "Talk? About what?"
"My mom. My dad. Everything." He whispered and his shoulders slumped even more, eyes quickly darting away from me. But not before I saw how they were quickly filling with unshed tears.
"Are you okay?" I asked, stepping closer to him and instinctively reading up to cup his cheek. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, reaching up and holding my hand against him. "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Everything." He mumbled but then squeezed my hand. "And yet I already feel so much better just being here." He opened his eyes slowly and slowly pulled my hand off him but didn't release me. "Please, Avri. Can I stay? I won't touch you, I promise."
I held his eye, knowing that whatever Harry has done to me in the past that has hurt me, there was something hurting him now. And despite the fact he probably will continue to let me down, I wouldn't do that to him. I couldn't.
"Okay." I agreed and tugged him to follow me. "I just need to take a quick shower but you can lay in my bed."
"And then? Can we talk?" He asked timidly and breathed out a deep breath. "I'm ready to do that. I'm so-, I'm sick of holding everything in. I'm sick of being an asshole."
"Yes, we can talk after."
"Okay." He sighed as we stepped into the elevator and we both grew silent but he still held my hand. I watched the numbers as they changed but tore my gaze away when he squeezed my hand. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Always letting me in even when I don't fucking deserve it." He whispered and then said something I'll probably remember for the rest of my life.
"I know I don't show it often and I'm constantly giving you a whiplash with my back and forth and I suck at showing my feelings but I care about you. And I appreciate you."