No Control • hs

two

     I unlock my apartment door and throw my phone on my leather couch. I lean on the kitchen table and hear my keys clang against the granite countertop. I realize I forgot to check the mail when I came home from work and retrieve my keys and phone from the counter and couch. I open the door, lock it behind me, and turn around. I run into Harry. Hard.

     "Sorry." we say in sync to each other.

     "I was just coming over for dinner." Harry says.

     "Oh, ya, I was just getting my mail." I say.

     "I can come get you when I'm done!"

     "Okay!" Harry says smiling and closing his apartment door. When I return from getting the mail, I knocked on Harry's apartment door. "You ready?" he asks.

     "Well, I haven't exactly started on the meal but you can come in." Harry smiles and follows me into my apartment. "I'm making pasta."

     "Mind if I help?"

     "Not at all." Although, I hope he knew how to cook.

     "Tell me about yourself." Harry says.

     "What do you want to know?"

     "Where are you from?"

     "I'm from Indiana, I moved to get a change of scenery and... a change of people. What about you? Are you from here or did you move here?"

     "I'm from Cheshire, England. I mostly just moved here because I was at a difficult point in my life and I needed to get away."

     "Has it been better here?"

     "Yeah, Yeah, I got a job and have a nice apartment, and and a nice neighbor making us some nice pasta." We chuckle.

     "Thanks. Where do you work?"

     "I work at The Coffee Cup down the road, actually."

     "Do you really?"

     "Really."

     "Why didn't you tell me? I work there too!"

     "I know." He says with a smirk.

     "Do you know if we work the same shift?"

     "I don't know, but we'll figure it out." Harry takes the pasta off the heat and strains it. I pour the Alfredo sauce over the strained pasta and put it in two bowls and set one in front of him and the other in front of my barstool. He took his first bite. "Wow." he said raising his eyebrows. "That's amazing."

     "You did half the work."

     "The noodles would be nothing without the sauce."

     "You cook often?"

     "Every once and a while, I am a barista you know."

     "Right." We both finish dinner and I pick up his plate. I swivel around to put the plates in the sink when it slips out of my hand.

     The glass plate shatters on the ground beneath me.I hear Harry's barstool scoot out. I start picking up the large pieces.
"Shid." I say under my breath.

     "What?" I look up at Harry.

     "Did you say shid?"

     "What? No. Yes." Harry bursts into laughter, I join him. "Why's that so funny?" I say still laughing.

     Harry stops smiling as if he had hurt my feelings. "But...why?" He starts laughing again.

     "I'm not big on cussing!" I say looking down and picking up more glass pieces, he follows. Harry stifles yet another laugh.

     We finish cleaning the glass plate up and we sit down on the couch. "Harry, can I ask you a question?"

     "Sure." He smiled and fidgeted with his hands.

     "What about your family?" I ask.

     "They are still in England."

     "Do you see them often?"

     "I see my sister when she visits." I could tell that they were close by the way he looked at me while talking about her.

     "What's her name?"

     "Gemma."

     "Gemma...?"

     "Styles." I felt so nosey but I really did want to know.

     "I'm very inquisitive." I say.

     "I can see that."

     "Now it's time for me to ask some questions." Harry says. "What's your brother's name?"

     "Tyler."

     "How old is he?"

     "Does it matter?" Harry eyes me. "27"

     "What about your parents?"

     "My dad lives in Indiana. Home of the 500." I add. Harry laughs a bit.

     Harry checks the time on his phone then turns it off, getting up from the couch. "I have to go, Louis is probably wondering where I am."

     "Thanks for coming."

     "Thanks for having me, and paying for my coffee, and making me dinner, and wanting to know more about me."

     "Your welcome." I say. "Thanks for helping me clean up my broken plate."

     "Anytime."

     "I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow, then." I say opening the door.

     "I guess so." Harry says smirking. I shut the door and lock it behind him.

     I take a hot shower and change into my comfiest pair of pajamas. I blow dry my hair and French braid it so it will be wavy the next morning.

     I un-make my bed and hop in it, throwing my warm, fresh, linen-smelling, comforter over me. I then smile at the events of the night, drifting off to sleep.