Wish [Harry] On Hold

08 | P a r t y

Dedicated to seasidestyles because I am only slightly obsessed with your incredible work. Thank you for writing such great and enjoyable stories x

ON FRIDAY, LOUIS INVITED ME to a party. I was quite surprised by his invitation for two reasons; one, I was only expecting a coffee from him when entering the shop and two, it was such a sudden and last minute question. The party was the next evening.

"It's tomorrow night at my place and I'd really love it if you could come," he told me as he handed me my drink. "I know it's last minute but I'd love to see you there - I never usually get to see you out and about apart from when you're in work mode. Liam will be there too and some other mates of mine. It'll be a laugh!"

I laughed and nodded. "I'll think about it," I promised before turning and heading back towards the ERHA, a coffee for Fiona and myself in my hands.

On my way up to repairs, my eyes were peeled. I had a touch of paranoia, always expecting Sally to pop up out of nowhere and try to get me back in some way for calling her out on her mistake. Funnily enough, I'd not seen her since Monday and I was relieved - the last thing I wanted was to get in another argument with her, despite me being the one to have caused it last time.

"Jane!" a voice suddenly hissed from the doorway on my left.

"Jesus!" I gasped, jumping slightly, nearly spilling the two coffees. "Harry, don't do that, for God sake."

"Sorry," he mumbled, flashing me a small, guilty grin. He looked so adorable sitting there in a spinny-chair, his hair laying in its unruly state around his face. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked, my curiosity surfacing by the second.

"You'll never guess what happened to Sally?" he said, still smiling. I shrugged, not entirely sure I wanted to hear. "She quit!"

My mouth fell open. She quit her job? Wow, what a guilty conscious could make someone do. "Wow," I mumbled. "That was an extreme decision."

"I know," Harry said, sighing deeply. "I'm not usually the kind of person who hates someone - my mother always told me it was because I'm too nice - but I'm so damn happy she's gone. I sound completely awful right now, don't I?" He looked to me for an answer.

I just shook my head. "I feel the same way."

"It's just a relief, you know? Before, I was walking in and seeing her sitting there, tapping away like she couldn't care less ... well, she never cared, after all." His face fell. "But, she's gone, Jane."

"I feel ridiculously uplifted," I admitted, laughing as Harry spun himself in the chair, his arms spread upwards and wide, a smile on his face.

"I feel like a child waking up on Christmas morning," he laughed, standing and closing the door behind himself. "It's almost as if she was worried someone else was going to get mad at her - like her big secret had spread."