Once Upon A Coffee Shop

Chapter 7: Dark Confessions

Emily's pov:

"This steak is so good!", I say before taking another bite. I assume Harry likes it too by the way he nodded with a huge piece of meat in his mouth.

Harry takes a moment to finish chewing and swallowing his food before starting a new conversation.

"Emily, Can I tell you something?", he asks hesitantly.

I nod with a confused and worried expression. I don't know what he is about to say but I can tell we are both worried about eachother's reactions.

"What would you do if I umm, quit my job?" Harry quietly asks in barely a whisper.

To be honest I don't even know what to say. I remember him telling me he was a lawyer, the night he walked me home. That night I asked him why he wasn't happy with his job and he flipped out at me.

"Why would you want to quit your job? Is being a lawyer boring? Does it make you enough money? Are you even happy with your job?". I just keep firing questions until he leaves a hunk of money on the table and drags me out of the diner.

Harry's pov:

"What would you do if I umm, quit my job?" I ask in a barely audible tone. I know we have lots of privacy but I'm just really uncomfortable talking about this.

She thinks for a long while and suddenly starts asking questions, one after the other. She is being really loud and is not letting me answer. I am obviously frustrated by now and I drag her out of the diner.

As we walk to the car I think about what I am going to say. Should I tell her everything? Should I lie? Should I just leave her? My mind races but we are now in the car. She looks frightened but her expression softens when she sees me. I'm not mad but I'm definitely not happy. It's safe to say that I am completely confused.

"Are you ok Harry?", she asks. Her voice is so soft and quiet. It's comforting and she just makes me want to snuggle up and listen to her voice.

I sigh. "I guess I'm ok but...", I sigh again.

This is harder to say than I thought.

I continue, "I just really want to talk about stuff. You're right, I don't like my job. But I just can't quit."

"Yes you can Harry. If you need financial help I can-", that's as far as Emily gets before I interrupt.

"It's not that I need financial help Emily! I've got lots of money! I can't quit because if I do than I'm gonna be in deep shit!" I realize what I just said and cover my mouth. I don't want her knowing anything.

"What do you mean? Will your family be upset?", she asks quietly. She is starting to catch on.

I grab Emily's hand. "Please don't be scared if I tell you something ok?".

She hesitantly nods and promises to stay calm.

I take a deep breath and start, "When I was 12, my mum passed away. I wish I could say it was a short calm death but it wasn't. Anyway, my dad got custody of my sister and I. This was probably the worst thing that has happened to Gemma and I besides our mum's death. My dad was abusive and demanding. He forced me into law school and said he would hire people to hurt me if I ever dropped out.".

Emilys pov:

I'm shocked. All I can say is that I am shocked.

My voice quivers when I ask,"Why law school? Why did he expect you to become a lawyer?".

Harry's head drops but he refuses to answer my question.

I decide to forget about what I asked and stay quiet.

Harry's pov:

It's been 10 minutes since I refused to answer her question. I think she understands that I don't want to answer it because she is quiet and isn't bringing it up anymore.

I stay silent until a hand reaches for mine.

"I think you should do what you want. But stay safe while doing it." Emily says. Her eyes are piercing into mine. They are filled with honesty and respect.

I don't know what to do to be honest. But I decide to keep what Emily said in mind.

I give her a small smile and sit straight. We drive off with our hands still intertwined.