picture this //h.s. au//

Chapter 3

I don't see much of Harry for the rest of the day, he remains in the office and I stay in the front of the store dealing with the few customers who walk in. For the most part though I sit on the stool behind the counter, missing Marlene. Harry is too cold, too abrupt and sarcastic. He has none of Marlene's softness or Robert's constant good humor. Of course, his parents could have had none of the traits that Marlene and Robert possess, but it seems like some would have rubbed off on him, seeing as he spent so much time with them growing up. He seems closed off, as though he's trying to protect himself from demons unbeknownst to me. I rub my temples and glance at the clock which reads 6:15. I sigh in relief. Only 30 minutes to go. 

Normally time flies by at the store, and I'm always reluctant to go back to the dumpy apartment. But today 6:45 can't come fast enough. Cold dread fills my stomach as I wonder if every day will be as torturous as this.I've always loved my job and usually look forward to spending time at the store. I sincerely hope that Harry won't be the reason my one happy place ceases to bring joy to my life. Without the normal background of chatter and music, the shop is deathly quiet, save for the occasional muffled rustlings coming from Harry in the back office. 

I think I begin to nod off at some point, but I'm harshly jerked awake as the door chimes, announcing the entrance of a customer. I blink the sleep from my eyes and paste on a smile that probably looks more like a haggard grimace. The man standing before me returns an equally tired smile, though I'm sure his is much more charming than mine. He's quite tall, all dark blond curls and soulful dark eyes that crinkle as he grins. I realize that I've been checking him out for  a good while, and cough awkwardly. 

"Uh, hello, welcome to Picture This. How can I assist you today?" I say once I've regained my power of speech. 

"Great, well um, I'm James," he says, blushing. "Uh, I guess you don't really care about my name but um-" 

I laugh, "No, it's okay. I'm Lavender, it's nice to meet you. So, what do you need help with today?" 

He throws another bashful smile my way, and my heart skips a beat. Damn, he's cute. 

"Right well, see I've taken some shots for my brother's wedding but I..." he pauses, looking more closely at me and I can feel heat creeping up my neck. He scrunches his face up for a moment, but his expression smooths out as a grin lights up his face. "Lavender! I knew I knew you from somewhere. We used to go to high school together. remember me? James Gallagher? We had photography class together all four years." He smiles triumphantly at me. 

I return his smile as memories of our high school years trickle back in. "Oh wow!" I exclaim, "I didn't even recognize you, you got so cu- I mean, tall!" 

He laughs and leans against the counter, his stance relaxed. "I hardly recognized you either, you're even prettier than you were back in high school. Speaking of school though, how's college been treating you?" 

I can feel myself beginning to blush, but answer, "Oh, I graduated over the summer. No more school for me! How about you, though?" 

"Still there unfortunately, racking up those student loans. But I'm doing freelance photography on the side which keeps some bread on the table." 

At this, I remember I actually have a job to do, and switch back into business mode. "Oh yeah, you said something about some pictures for your brother's wedding?" 

"Hmm? Oh, right! So he and his fiance wanted me to take some pre-wedding pictures at the park  last weekend. They insisted I use film photography which I know next-to-nothing about, so I actually need to have them printed," he says, digging around in his bag before producing a film canister. "Here you go, they should all be in there." 

I take the canister from him, setting it on the table behind the counter. "Great! I should be able to get these to you in a few days. Is that okay?" 

He smiles, nodding, before taking out a pen and a scrap of paper, quickly scribbling something down. He hands it to me saying, "Here's my number, in case the photos get done early...or if you just want to catch up over coffee sometime." 

I smile, butterflies flitting in my stomach, "Sure I'd love to!" I refrain from telling him that I won't actually be able to call him, seeing as I no longer have a land line. That little tidbit probably wouldn't encourage him much.  

He reaches over the counter, squeezing my hand lightly, "See you around, Lavender." He smiles impishly before letting go and heading out the door, waving quickly before exiting. 

I lean back on my stool, letting out a long breath. James certainly hadn't been that charming and attractive in high school. He was never a bad looking kid, just a bit loud, with hair as wild as his personality. He loved photography but hadn't loved the structured assignments we were given- he usually just did what he wanted. In freshman year he'd sat down next to me, announcing that his name was James and that we were going to be great friends. I hadn't believed him of course, because very few boys wanted anything to do with me, but he stayed true to his word. We didn't see each other outside of school very much after freshman year- he began to focus more on sports and I on art, but we shared photography class together all four years.

We were pretty close back then but had lost touch after we'd graduated. I open my palm and look down at the numbers scribbled there, letting out a little giggle. Boys hadn't approached me much during high school.  I was a sweaty, blushing mess for the majority of my formative years and it hadn't really helped me in the romance department. 

In college, I'd gotten over the brunt of my awkwardness and I found it a lot easier to socialize with people who wouldn't judge my every move and word that came out of my mouth. My freshman year I'd met Chase and I became totally and completely enraptured. He was all smiles and charm, so full of passion. We started dating that year and kept it going for another two. And then... I swallow and take a deep breath, internally scolding myself for still getting emotional over this after so much time had passed. 

The office door creaks open and tired-looking Harry emerges, breaking me out of my reverie. Sympathy begins to stir in my belly, despite his rude attitude towards me before. He glances at the canister on the table behind me and asks, "Did we have a customer? I didn't hear anyone come in." 

"We did. He was just dropping off some film that needs to be printed. I'll get to it in a minute though," I say, setting down James' number on the counter. Harry frowns and comes over to inspect it. I try to snatch it away, suddenly feeling self conscious, but he grabs it before I can. His eyes scan the slip of paper and a scowl darkens his features. 

"Who's James? You're not making social calls during work hours I hope." 

I blush and reply defensively, "That's really none of your business. You're not Marlene, you can't tell me what I can and can't do." I immediately regret saying this as his eyes narrow and mouth curls into a biting grin. 

"In case you haven't noticed," he says leaning closer, "Marlene is not currently here. I'm in charge. Deal with it." But for all the anger in his expression, I can also see a sliver of hurt in eyes eyes, and fear in the lines around his mouth. He's scared he's going to lose her too. I bite my lip, swallowing down my nasty retort, because I know what it feels like to lose someone. 

I sigh and grab the film canister behind me. "Whatever. I'm going to start working on these. I'll lock up later, you can go now." Harry shakes his head, and I look at him with dismay. I really don't want him around right now, his sour mood puts a damper on everything. 

"Actually, we need to talk. We have a big problem." 

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A/N: Dun dun duunnnnnn! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but at least this chapter's a little longer. Vote and comment please! xx