therapy [h.s.]

Twenty

"Emma, are you dressed yet? Dinner's ready."

Harry's voice sounded close, and I assumed he was right outside the door.

"Be out in a minute!" I called back to him.

My hair was still damp from the shower I'd just taken, and I used the towel Gemma had laid out for me to dry it the best I could. I pulled my leggings up a bit, and my shirt down before leaving the room.

Harry stood outside the door, aimlessly scrolling through his phone.

"Are you really that eager to see me?" I joked.

He looked up at the sound of my voice, and smiled cheekily, his dimples popping out.

"Going for the bed head look this evening?" He questioned amusingly, referring to my unbrushed hair.

"I just got out of the shower, thank you very much."

"You shower with your clothes on? That's quite odd."

I rolled my eyes at his goofiness, but smiled nonetheless. The two of us walked into the dining room, where Gemma was serving dinner, but stopped in our tracks at what we saw.

The good-sized table was set with only two places across from each other. Candles were lit, and it looked as though good china was being used.

"What's all this?" Harry questioned, voicing my thoughts.

"Oh nothing really. Just thought you and Emma might enjoy eating a meal alone. You can talk, maybe say some things that should've been said a long time ago," Gemma said, smiling mischievously.

I knew exactly what she was hinting at, and I immediately felt nervous. I knew being alone with Harry wouldn't end well.

"Oh Gemma, you didn't have to do all this. You and Ashton can join us for dinner, it's not a problem really," I spoke quickly.

Ashton appeared out of nowhere, and pulled out one of the chairs. He motioned towards the seat, urging me to come and sit down. I reluctantly sat down, and he pushed the chair in for me. Harry sat in the chair across from me, looking uneasy himself.

"No, no. I want you two to enjoy yourselves."

Gemma walked into the room, placing a salad and a dish of pasta in front of each of us. Ashton followed, giving us each a glass of water and placing bread in the middle of the table. Gemma stepped back, seemingly admiring her work.

"Bon appetit. Ash and I will get out of your hair. You kids have fun."

She patted Harry on the shoulder, before she left with her boyfriend without another word. We sat in silence, avoiding eye contact.

After a few beats of quiet, we both simultaneously skipped the salad, and went straight for the pasta.

"So, how was your day with Ashton? Snorkeling was fun?" Harry asked me, looking up from his plate.

"Yea, it was. How was your time with Gemma?"

"Nice. It was good to catch up with my sister after so long."

I nodded, continuing to eat. I looked up at Harry every few moments, out of curiosity of course. After a while he stopped eating and put his fork down.

"Do you know what this is all about? The dinner and everything?"

I looked up from my food, noticing his eyes boring into mine. They were an incredibly dark shade of green in the moment. His eyebrows were furrowed, and seriousness covered his features.