i love you, nora jane [h.s.]

7.

"When shooting stars flew by in the night, I'd wish for selfish things and lost dreams. If one passed me now, I'd wish that I could be everything you need."
-Harry's journal.

.....

"I was thinking," Alastair Greene came to me the next morning, dark circles painted under his eyes. "We got off on the wrong foot, yeah? So come over for dinner tonight."

I was huddled over the counter, skimming through old magazines Nora Jane said were for the customers to read. The only thing was, there were no customers that day. The shop was empty and quiet, except for the sounds of my thumbs flipping pages and Anneliese popping gum in her mouth.

"I'll take you up on that offer. What time?" I called after Alastair as he grabbed his coat and hat, slipping them on as if he was in a hurry.

"Seven, then. Be prompt or don't bother showing at all." With that, he threw the door open, and stepped quickly out to the sidewalk.

I shook my head at his remark, turning to Anneliese, who was holding back sarcastic laughter.

"This should be a grand time," she winked, blowing a pink bubble that hid the width of her lips. I pressed my index finger into the side of the bubble, causing it to burst and stick to her cheek. "You're an ass!"

"Where do you think he goes?" I leaned over the counter, blankly staring at the sidewalk outside. Anneliese was intently focused on ridding her skin of the gum, so I asked a second time.

"Huh? Oh, who knows. Maybe he goes to a pub, maybe he goes to a lady's house. He never tells us. We never ask," Anneliese washed her hands underneath the faucet, splashing me with the water as a form of revenge. "Why do you care?"

I thought about it for a passing moment. "My father used to leave every day. I never knew where, but I always assumed--or hoped--it was his job." Sometimes it was his job, but when he found out what I knew, it was for other reasons. To get away, to avoid the issue, to forget he even had a son waiting at home for him.

"Sorry to hear that," she changed her tone to something along the lines of empathy, drying her hands and the dampened counter off in silence. "I wonder what's the matter with NJ."

I hadn't talked to Nora Jane since the night before, and it seemed she was doing her best to avoid me. I would busy myself in kneading dough or cleaning dishes each time she walked by. When she would, she'd stare at the floor with her hands in her apron pockets. Those pockets were now empty.

"Some days you just need time to yourself, I suppose."

Anneliese smirked, lifting herself to sit on the counter in front of me. "That's funny you say that. Wasn't she with you last night? You should know what's wrong."

"Before you go making assumptions, nothing happened," I said all too defensively. Anneliese raised a brow, questioning me without any words. "I swear."

"Okay," she nodded, hopping down from her spot. She walked circles around me, interrogating with her actions. "We'll see if nothing happened when dinner comes."

.....

Alastair was pouring wine into each of our glasses before Anneliese was finished cooking. He was on his third glass, making small talk all the while.

I sat next to Nora Jane, who only paid attention to what her father said. Every few minutes I'd reach for her hand underneath the table, but she'd pull away and rest her hands in her lap. Meanwhile, Alastair Greene was watching me closely to see when I was going to make a mistake.