Don't Stand So Close (completed)

Chapter 6

It's been nearly two months since I've seen Harry. Six and a half weeks to be exact. Thanksgiving is coming up in the next two weeks and my Psychological Biology class is kicking my ass. I still have an A in the class but that's only because I'm a perfectionist and over study everything. The subject is not in my wheelhouse, whatsoever but it's somewhat interesting. Somewhat. But it's hard. The hardest class I've ever taken. My thoughts are very evenly split between Psychological Biology and Harry.

The weekend Starla and I were supposed to go to Harry's I wound up having to work. One of the servers at the restaurant quit and my dad was already gearing up to hire a couple more servers for the holidays anyway but they usually won't start applying until just after Thanksgiving so they can save up for Christmas and whatnot. So, I'm stuck filling in every weekend and many evenings during the week when the restaurant is busiest until he can get a couple more people in so I can go back to helping out part-time.

In the meantime, I've been feeling anxious over the fact that Harry and I have not been able to discuss what is going on between us. If there's even anything to discuss. He hasn't even tried to reach out to me in any dway. Not that he has my phone number. I regret not giving him my cellphone number that weekend but it just didn't happen because we thought we'd be seeing one another again soon. There's part of me that hopes he doesn't think I'm avoiding him. I don't know exactly what Starla has told him about why I can't visit. I'm sure he didn't press either, not wanting to give anything away. I've been wanting to reach out to him badly. Trying to think of some excuse to tell Starla that I need his number but nothing seems believable. Harry also doesn't have social media. Like, at all. Not even LinkedIn. I've searched. I decided I'd message him through Instagram, or Facebook or something but he's not on anything. Other than some articles written about him and pictures of him at events and a webpage with zero contact information, I've got no way to contact him other than asking Starla for his number. Which I will not do.

So, I'm feeling unsure about him. It's very possible he's regretting it and going to avoid me now, which easily explains why he hasn't looked me up on social media (he could reach me easily if he wanted to). I have no way of knowing his thinking, though. I try not to dwell on all the possibilities but it's hard when he was so sweet and doting that weekend. The note he wrote me in the notebook is something I read everyday. I've been using that notebook as a sort of diary for myself.

Right now I find myself on this Saturday afternoon, in between the lunch rush and right before the early dinner takers start to come in. There are only four tables occupied right now. The restaurant has 18 tables in total. It's a small restaurant. But with only three of us serving, 18 tables starts to feel like a lot. Two of the servers are splitting all the tables, each one getting 9 tables and I'm running to every table to fill drinks and check on patrons as needed, getting them anything extra.

I'm leaning on the wall right outside of the kitchen, hidden from the view of the guests but I can still see them all. Everyone has their drinks filled and Katrina is handing a check to her table and chatting with them when I see the front door open and everything around me goes blank except the view of the man walking in, looking around the dining room. It's Harry. He's here. In the flesh. I feel like my legs and arms have gone to jelly and blink a few times to make sure what I'm seeing is real.

He's dressed casually in jeans and a beige cardigan with a collared shirt under. He looks cozy and warm. He's got on some tennis shoes and is carrying a laptop bag on his shoulder.

I push myself from the wall and begin to head out toward the dining room and he sees me immediately approaching him. We both carry soft smiles on our faces and my heart is pounding hard in my chest. It feels like I've made up this moment, it's plucked right from a daydream. The closer I get his smile grows wider and so does mine.