The Flat Share | WROETOSHAW

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

My parents were visiting for the weekend to see Jordan and I, just for a catch-up since it had been a while since we'd seen them.

We decided to go for a family dinner and they invited Harry along too, which was sweet of them. They got on well over Christmas when he made his surprise visit, which was one thing I was extremely grateful for. Things had been pretty hectic lately with all of the moving around so it would be nice to have an evening out to take our minds off of it.

Though despite the chaos, we were very settled into our new apartment and I loved living with Harry, just the two of us. It felt so natural and I couldn't be happier.

Hopping out of the shower, I rummaged through my wardrobe for something to wear. We were booked into a restaurant in the city that none of us had been to before, so we thought we'd give it a go. It was an Italian.

"What are you wearing?" I turned to ask Harry, who was still lying on our bed.

Honestly, I admired and hated how quickly it took men to get ready. "Probably just black jeans and a white top."

I nodded, turning back to my wardrobe. My eyes landed on a black long-sleeved bodycon dress that sat around mid-calf, that'd do. Rummaging for my black boots and a purse, I tossed them all on the bed and started to get ready.

Getting into an Uber around thirty minutes later, Harry's hand rested comfortably on my thigh and I smiled softly at the gesture. For someone who doesn't know how to express emotion much, he's definitely learnt to with me. I was grateful.

♡

Thanking the driver as we stepped out, I shuddered as the wind hit me suddenly. Taking Harry's hand in mine, we walked toward the restaurant. Jordan had texted to say he was running a few minutes late, but my parents were already seated inside.

Spotting my parents sitting around a table in the far corner, I waved to them as we headed over, both of them standing from their seats to greet us. Dad stole me first and pulled me into a hug, making mum do the same with Harry. I smiled at the sight and pulled away softly, heading over to mum with open arms. Harry and dad shook hands and exchanged how are yous before we took our seats.

I glanced around, the restaurant was pretty; modern but with darker tones and deep emerald velvet seating. There was low lighting for ambience and candles dotted on each of the tables. We chatted for a while before Jordan finally arrived, apologising for getting caught in traffic. Now that everyone was here, we scanned the menus for what to order.

"Hi, welcome to Valentino's, what can I get for you guys?"

I glanced up at the waiter's voice which seemed oddly familiar and my heart stopped. It took a moment for us to lock eyes and his also widened significantly.

"Elle, the waiter is talking to you," Mum broke the silence.

"Uh, yes... I can see that," I cleared my throat, Harry's hand came to my thigh and he leant in, "You okay?"

I nodded quickly, "I'll just get the linguine, please,"

Turning back to the table quickly, I ignored Jordan's very obvious stares of confusion. My eyes stayed locked on the candle in the centre of the table until the waiter left, my hands feeling very clammy.

"You look like you've seen a ghost,"

"It's nothing," I replied, sipping my wine.

Harry could sense that something was wrong, I knew he could. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Mr and Mrs Robinson?"

My eyes darted to his before over to my parents, who nodded. He took my hand and lead me out of the restaurant. I followed him out, eyes fixed on the exit and not on a certain someone.