Chapter 13
"What's for lunch, girls?" James asked, walking toward us.
After Stacy had painstakingly explained the meaning behind every lyric of Through The Dark, Harry emerged from the booth, smiling at everyone. When his eyes met mine, he winked and sent a secret kiss through the air—just his lips, no hand. I dodged it and rolled my eyes. Stacy sat there grinning, clearly enjoying the scene.
Sneaky bitch.
After a few minutes of light praise for Harry, Anna clapped her hands. "Lunch time!"
"Well, I have veggies today," Stacy said, smiling.
"Where's Harry?" she added, glancing past James.
James shrugged and took a seat in front of her.
Suddenly, the doors banged open. All eyes turned as Harry strode into the lunchroom, walking straight toward us.
What an entrance, I thought sarcastically.
When he reached our table, he smiled at James and Stacy before fixing his gaze on me. He held out his hands, palms up, motioning for me to take them, and winked.
"Will you go out and have lunch with me today, Sweet cheeks?" His voice carried, and all eyes were on us. Stacy and James beamed in excitement.
This is so embarrassing.
"What are you doing?" I hissed, barely above a whisper so only he could hear.
"Asking you out for lunch," he replied, his gaze flicking from my eyes to my hands.
"Go on, Sammy," Stacy nudged me, bumping her shoulder against mine. I looked at her, and with a sly little motion of her lips, she pointed toward Harry's outstretched hands.
"Yes, she's going with you," James added, smirking at both of us.
What the fu—?
"Please," Harry whispered, locking his gaze on mine, his green eyes full of anticipation.
"Fine," I sighed, defeated, and took his hand. He kissed it gently before intertwining our fingers. I could hear the soft whispers and murmurs of our colleagues, probably gossiping about us, but I didn't care. My focus was entirely on the butterflies fluttering in my stomach, the tiny electric jolts that ran through me at his touch.
We walked toward the door, and both Stacy and James shouted after us.
"You don't have to come back after lunch!" James yelled.
"She's on the pill, but protection is still needed!" Stacy added, laughing.
You bitches!
*****
"Are we there yet?" I asked, the words escaping before I could stop myself. It felt like déjà vu.
"Remember, patience is a virtue," he said, smirking at me. I just rolled my eyes.
"Fine. But can you at least tell me where we're going?"
"We're going back to L'Anima," he said, a soft gleam in his eyes. "I want this date to be perfect—without any interruptions. I love that restaurant so much, and I want you to love it too... to forget the old bitch who ruined our almost-perfect night."
I smiled, my heart fluttering, and reached to hold his hand on the steering wheel. He intertwined his fingers with mine as if it were instinct, and I felt the familiar tingles and butterflies stirring in my chest. My cheeks flushed at his touch, warm and electrifying.
When we stepped inside L'Anima, Louis greeted us with his familiar warm smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Simpson and Ms. Jameson. The whole restaurant is exclusively open for the two of you for lunch. I'll take you to your table—please follow me."
The whole restaurant? Just for us? My eyes widened.
"Thank you, Louis," Harry said, and I offered him a smile. Louis returned it politely and walked back to his booth.
"Did you... rent the entire restaurant?" I asked, astonished.
"Yes, I did," he said, grinning.
"Good afternoon. I'm Sheila, and I'll be serving your lunch today," another familiar voice chimed in—déjà vu hitting me again.
I scanned the room, wary, but she simply handed us our menus without batting an eye at Harry. Good. She knows he's not interested.
We murmured our thanks and opened our menus. After a few moments, we decided to order the same dishes as last time. Sheila noted them down and returned to the kitchen, leaving us alone together once again.
*****
Lunch had been perfect. Harry was perfect, and everything unfolded exactly as I had hoped. No interruptions, no distractions—just us, enjoying each other's company. It felt almost surreal.
We were now driving toward Milkshake City for dessert, hoping we might run into Emily again, when Harry's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, grinned, and answered.
"Hey, Mom," he said, his voice bright.
"Thank God you answered so quickly!" his mother's voice cracked, frantic and terrified.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Harry's tone shifted instantly, anxiety threading through every word.
"It's Gabby... she's in the hospital! You have to come, she's looking for you!" his mother cried.
Gabby?
"What happened to her?" I asked softly, though I could feel Harry's body tense beside me. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles white, jaw set. I didn't catch his mother's next words; all I could focus on was the man beside me, his composure cracking.
"We're on our way," he said finally, pressing the end button. His hand still gripped mine, and I held it tightly. He squeezed back, then leaned over and pressed a brief, almost desperate kiss to it.
"Who... who is Gabby?" I managed to ask, though dread pooled in my stomach.
Harry's gaze met mine, filled with a mixture of pain and vulnerability I had never seen before.
"She's my daughter."
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YOU ARE READING
Through the Dark
Romansa"Sorry, but I don't really believe in love," I said flatly. "I've never been in love, and it's not going to change. Guys only want pleasure... hot, steamy sex... and then they leave." "I have to disagree there, Sweet Cheeks," he said, leaning closer...
