C H A P T E R ~ F O U R
The next day, Sydney waited patiently for Harry. It was an exceptionally slow day-- no customers so far and it was four already. Time had gone by so slowly when waiting for something, or someone.
Meanwhile, Harry was walking down the pavement with his friend and closest band mate, Louis. They acted as a couple and anyone on the streets would think they were one.
"You have to see this girl." Harry smiled at the thought of her curly hair, and her wide grin that never left her face. "She's so beautiful."
"She isn't hot?" Louis asked bluntly.
"No." Harry said. "She's beautiful, not hot."
"So you like her."
They turned a corner, getting one block closer to the cafe.
"I do, I guess." Harry shrugged because he wasn't exactly sure. It didn't seem like Sydney liked him back, so it would be a waste of emotion and time to think of her when she was most likely thinking of another boy.
Suddenly he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye; the unmistakeable flash from a camera. There's only one type of camera that flashes in public and broad daylight, and that is one that belongs to someone who works for the paparazzi.
"Shít." Harry cursed. "Someone just took a picture. We need to move, now."
Louis sighed. "Why are you so worried about it? Its not like we're dating. It seems to me like you'd rather date Sydney-- or whatever her name is."
Harry grabbed Louis by the bicep, and dragged him down the sidewalk quickly. "Yeah, that's her name." He said when they slowed down. He looked down at his feet to see they were coated with white, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
"It's snowing." Louis, the one to always say something obvious, said.
"Oh, really?" Harry pulled Louis into the shop, and the familiar bell rang. Harry looked around the cafe and was heavily disappointed when he saw a man at the counter instead of Sydney.
"That's Sydney?" Louis snickered. "I thought you said Sydney was a girl."
"Sydney is a girl." Harry scolded. "And that isn't Sydney."
"Oh."
"She told me she would be here today. We were going to talk about what happened yesterday."
Louis rolled his eyes with a sad smile. "You don't have any business telling some stranger about your mental state. You're famous and she could easily tell the world."
Harry hugged himself for warmth. He was beyond cold and a nice coffee would do for now, but it wouldn't be the same if Sydney didn't prepare it for him. Something about knowing that she made it, made it a whole lot better. "I trust her." He said, and Louis didn't respond.
They walked over to the counter together and asked where Sydney was. The man told them that Sydney wasn't feeling well and went home, so that instantly lowered Harry's mood by a few bonus points.
"We could go see if she's in the parking lot." Louis suggested, but Harry's mind was already set on the fact that she wasn't there.
But instead of arguing, he followed Louis out the door and into the lot, where he saw exactly what Louis had predicted. Sydney leaned against a navy blue Honda, bile on the pavement surrounding her.
Harry rushed over and hugged her righty. "Are you okay, what's wrong?"
Sydney smiled weakly. "I'm just a bit sick. Ill be fine, I just need to get home."
"No." Harry said. "You don't look too well, you can't drive like that."
There was a silence, and then Louis spoke up.
"You need to see a doctor or something."
"I'm telling you guys, I'm fine!" She snapped, and Harry took a few steps back. He was a bit hurt but he could understand at the same time.
"Do you know why you're sick?"
Sydney nodded slowly. "I just had a bad coffee, is all."
"Bad coffee." Harry repeated, followed by a laugh and a scoff. "Bad coffee."
"Yeah." She said plainly, and she was already sliding the driver's side she so could get in.
"Hey, don't leave." Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, you just don't look too well at all and I think you need more care than just ignoring it."
"You're a caring person." Sydney weakly smiled. She climbed into the car and her hand hovered over the door handle.
"Don't shut it." Harry pleaded.
"I won't." Sydney said. "I just wanted to talk to you, but I don't feel too well so maybe we can talk Monday."
Hearing the word "Monday" instead of "Sunday" made something inside of Harry snap. It was almost like she didn't want to see him. Sydney seemed like the only girl, the only 18 year old girl who wanted to avoid him.
"Why Monday?" He asked.
"Tomorrow I'm going to college." She said, "Im getting a degree in teaching."
"Oh." Harry mouthed. It was none of his business since he was leaving anyway, but he didn't want her to switch jobs before he left. He wanted to get to know her more.
"Ill see you Monday, yeah?" She sighed and ran her skinny fingers through her hair. Her nails were coated in white nail polish, and it looked like glue, or milk, or...
"Yeah." Louis interrupted his thoughts. Sydney glanced at Louis and smiled, before looking at Harry and smiling even wider. She looked like an angel, a goddess sent from heaven just to make him feel a certain way.
"Bye Sydney." Harry said. "Ill text you, or you know-- you can text me when you're feeling better."
"Either one works." Sydney answered, and she slid her door shut. Harry and Louis avoided the pile of bile when backing up, and watched the car back out of the parking space and out of the lot. It drove down the street before leaving their line of sight, and that left them wondering what to do next.
The snow fell lightly still, and the whole scene seemed calm and peaceful for a brief moment.
"I wonder what that pap is going to make out of the picture he took." Harry wondered aloud. Louis shrugged, his usual reaction, and walked back inside the store. After a while of thinking about Sydney and daydreaming about her, he followed suit.
Inside, the same barista as before was taking orders. He had a name tag that read "Tom".
"Welcome to Starbucks, what can I get you today?" He asked in a polite tone. Harry liked this guy a bit, he was well dressed and he looked neat. He didn't seem like the type of guy to hang around Sydney, which was also a great thing.
"One tall caramel frap." Harry said curtly, and added: "and one chocolate chip cookie."
Louis raised his hand as if he were in a classroom. "Pumpkin spice latte."
Tom pressed a few buttons on the computer, and then the register, and then the computer again. He handed Louis a receipt and walked over to the machines.
"You can't let some girl stop you from enjoying your coffee." Louis nudged Harry, which Harry did not appreciate.
"I'm not." He lied in his defense. "She's just a girl."
Unfortunately, Harry was a very bad liar. Louis was able to tell this, and he gave his friend a knowing smile.
"You're whipped." Was all Louis needed to say.
Tom handed them their drinks and Harry's cookie, which was wrapped in a napkin in a brown paper bag-- not as neatly as Sydney could do it though. He imagined her standing in front of a classroom, in front of students.
It seemed similar to being at a concert. He got the rush of the crowd, knowing thousands of kids were there to see you and no one else.
That's how a teacher must feel.
And as he sat down with Louis and drank his coffee silently, and ate his cookie, he couldn't get his mind off the girl with the long curly hair and the wide smile.
Meanwhile somewhere, that girl was thinking about the cheeky lad from the boy band who she didn't just like for his fame, but him as a whole.