I called Madyson to tell her that she could pick up the car so she could drive home tonight, since Harry was bringing me home from now on. I could hear the grin in her voice when I told her it was because Harry had offered to drive me, and I knew I'd have to explain the details to her later. I smiled as I hung up the phone, satisfied at how my day was going so far. It was 5 minutes to closing time, so I began to show Harry how to close up shop. I took my job semi-seriously, and he could tell I was focused while teaching him, which caused him to smile.
"Ready to go then?" I asked, after locking up the back room and shutting down the computer. Harry nodded, that smug grin still on his face. He walked out in front of me, politely holding the door open.
"Thanks." I said, impressed but not surprised by the gentleman gesture. He nodded again, being awfully quiet.
We got into his car, and I blushed as I remembered how I had just sat there with my shirt soaked through so recently. The same indie station we had turned on was still on, too, but it was playing quietly.
"You're being quiet." I said to Harry as he backed out of the parking lot.
"I was just thinking," He said, slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. "We could go get some food. Today was a long day, and having dinner alone wouldn't be fun for either of us."
"That sounds.." I paused, trying to think of an appropriate word. "Fun." I said.
"Only if you want to, of course." He said, taking my hesitation as rejection.
"I'd love to." I said, and hoped it wasn't too bold of a statement.
"Alright then. Where would you like to go?" He asked, finally glancing over at me.
"Wherever is fine with me. I actually prefer casual over fancy."
"Casual it is." He said, grinning at what I'd said. I wasn't the same as most girls, and I think Harry appreciated that. "How about that old pizza parlor?" He questioned. "What's it called again? Antonio's?"
"Angelo's." I said, laughing a bit. "And yes, that sounds good."
"To Antonio's then." He said, grinning slightly. I laughed, knowing this time he'd purposely messed up the name. He turned up the music a few notches, and I felt so peaceful. Just sitting in the car with Harry and listening to music as the sun went down outside our little bubble. It was a good feeling to have. We pulled in to a packed parking lot in a bit, and got out of the car after finally finding an empty parking space. We walked in together, and I blushed, realizing we appeared to everyone around us as a couple. I didn't mind.
"Table for two." Harry said to the young man at the desk.
"We're actually full right now." The employee said apologetically. "It's going to be a 2 hour wait; we have a large party reserved in half an hour. If you'd like you can order pizzas over at that desk, and get them to go. Sorry for the inconvenience." The man smiled politely.
"What do you say J?" I blushed intensely at the nickname he'd just given me.
"We can get pizzas to go." I said, not really caring if we sat there or somewhere else.
"Alright. What kinds your favorite?" He asked, focusing on my lips as they formed words; it was extremely noisy in the parlor.
"Pepperoni. But I like basically any kind." I said, smiling and shifting towards him.
"Same here." He said, smiling and stepping up to the other counter to order. Minutes later a lady in a red hat that excitedly stated, "Angelo's!" on it, handed a large pizza box to Harry over the counter. He said thank you and handed over a bill, saying "Keep the change." He turned back around to me, and grinned gesturing towards the exit. As we went outside, I was thankful that the temperature was pleasantly cool, since it was very hot inside the restaurant.
"Are we going to go to your place then?" I asked, watching my Doc Marten clad feet as they met the pavement.
"If you'd like." He said. I could see him watching me in amusement out of the corner of my eye. "But if we do, the pizza's bound to get cold by the time we get there. We could stake out here in the back." I looked up at him, a bit surprised at what he'd just said. I didn't pin Harry as the adventurous type. And I don't mean that in a bad way, just that he seemed more the reserved, polite type. Not one to eat pizza in the parking lot of the parlor. Harry kept surprising me, and I was finding that we were more alike than I'd first thought. Eating pizza in the parking lot of the parlor is something I'd do.
"That sounds really fun." I said, smiling at him.
"Really? No sarcasm?" He asked, unsure if I was being genuine or sarcastic.
"I'm serious!" I laughed. "Let's go find a place to sit." He smiled; I think he was a bit surprised I was so enthused by his idea, and followed me as I walked around the building to find the perfect spot.
"Here?" I asked, standing in the back employee parking lot, under a building light.
"Looks perfect." He said, smiling and sitting down in a parking space with his back against the curb. I sat across from him, cross legged, just like him. Behind me was all woods, and in the summer it was perfect. Sun down, good weather, pizza, and an insanely attractive boy. You could say today was one of the better days.
"Let's dig in." He said, opening the box. We both took a slice, and there was silence between us for a moment as we enjoyed the pizza. There was music playing from the speakers of the building, and due to my impressive knowledge of music, I soon figured out they were playing the album Babel by Mumford & Sons. Good band. We ate our pizza and talked, about anything and everything really. Nothing too extreme or deep, just fun, pointless conversations that I enjoyed. They helped me get to know him better. After three slices of pizza I was stuffed, and I laid on my back and looked up at the stars. Summer nights are incredible. Stargazing was always one of my favorite things to do, especially on clear nights like these.
"Do you like stars?" Harry asked softly.
"I love them." I stated. I heard the sound of his gentle footsteps as he got up and then laid down about a foot away from me.
"I never realized how fascinating they are." He said, his voice low and quiet.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" I asked, turning my head to look at him for a moment.
"It really is." He said, his voice almost a whisper at the end. "They've always been there, but it took a while for me to notice that they're unlike anything else. Very unique." He stated. "So simple, but so beautiful."
"When I was little," I said after a moment. "And we had to write down what we wanted to be like when we grew up, I'd always write, "I want to be like the stars.""
"Your dream came true." He said, barely audible. A blush came over my cheeks as I realized everything he'd said about the stars he'd meant about me. After a few moments of not knowing what to say I finally spoke again.
"Now when I think of it, my teachers must've thought I meant I wanted to be famous. That kind of star. But no, I meant the ones up there." I laughed a bit, and so did he. As I looked at Harry once more, I saw the happiness that he felt. He radiated light, and I could feel it as I laid next to him. It was then I realized Harry and I were stars, and together we made an incredible light.
