Hunger

May (part 5)

Frankie was nervous when they came down to breakfast the next morning. Partly because she was nervous to eat with them, but also because she was worried they had been too loud in Harry's old bedroom. Harry wasn't nervous, he didn't believe they heard anything. 

"Good morning my loves," Anne exclaimed when they came down the stairs. She was plating toast, eggs and vegetables. Frankie smiled at her, and hugged her, when Anne held her arms out for her. "Would you like something to eat, Frankie?" She asked kindly, and Frankie asked for just a piece of toast and some juice. Harry spoke to his mum about everything, they were very close, and it was obvious, he had spoken to her about Frankie's anxiety when it came to eating in other people's company. She appreciated the way Anne just kept it between the two of them without drawing attention to Frankie. 

After breakfast they packed Harry's car yet again, said goodbye to Anne and Darren, and promised they would be back soon. Then they drove off to meet Harry's dad, Des, who lived in Manchester. 

"I've booked us a hotel room for the night," Harry said while they were driving. "We'll meet dad for dinner. He has a new lady friend, who I haven't met, so it's like a double date, where we're meeting each other's new girlfriends." He chuckled, and seemed comfortable enough with the arrangement. Frankie didn't know much about his relationship with his dad, apart from the fact that he seemed closer with his mum. 

"Are you close with your dad?" She asked. 

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so. He's always been there for me. I just don't see him or talk to him as often as mum. I guess it's just the way it is with dads." He smiled and concentrated on driving. 

They checked into The Edwardian, an extremely lavish and grand hotel, unlike anything Frankie had ever stayed in. The concierge greeted Harry by name, obviously they had met several times before. 

"Checking in under Oliver Sudden," Harry said and winked at Frankie. She chuckled at his pseudonym and squeezed his hand. 

"Welcome back, Mr. Sudden," the concierge said with a smile and sent them off with the bellman, who saw them to the lift and up to their suite. 

The suite was on the top floor of the hotel. It was a huge room with a beautiful view of Manchester city centre. Frankie went straight to the window to take in the view. It was breathtaking. During her uni years in Manchester, she had passed the building and admired it, but she had never been on the inside, and she had never expected to get the opportunity. Harry came up behind her, and put his arms around her. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said and leaned his chin on her shoulder. 

She nodded. "Very beautiful." 

"So are you," he whispered and kissed behind her ear. "We're not meeting dad at the restaurant until in a couple of hours. Fancy a bath?" 

Frankie turned around and gave him a cheeky look. "Maybe," she said and let him show her to the bathroom. 

***

They had spent way too long in the bathtub, and time was running short. Frankie wanted to look nice to make a good impression with Des, and so Harry wouldn't be embarrassed to show up with her. Shannon, the stylist, had been a fantastic help in teaching Frankie little styling tricks that made a big difference. She added highlighter to the areas Shannon showed her, and blush in specific places as well, that helped frame her face nicely. She had learned to add fake lashes, which was a nice touch to her otherwise neutral makeup. She didn't need much to bring out her best features. 

She wore a nice, black shirt dress, with a couple of extra buttons open to show a bit of cleavage, that her newly found fondness of shapewear provided. She added a clip to her hair, making her face more open and as the most important touch, she put on her bracelet from Harry. A pair of classic loafers on her feet and she was ready to go.