picture this //h.s. au//

Chapter 4

Harry wanders over to the couch and motions for me to sit in the chair opposite him. The look on his face is tired and grave, yet he still manages to look undeniably handsome. I sit, staring at the floor and wringing my hands. Whatever news he has to tell me, I know it won't be good. Harry clears his throat and I look up, meeting his eyes. 

"So, we have a major problem here at the shop," he starts off, his raspy voice made rougher by the emotion it holds. I bite my lip, panic clutching at my chest. He's going to fire me. 

I sit forward in my chair, determined to change his mind. "Listen, I'm sorry about being rude to you, I'm not usually like that. Please, you can't fire me, I can barely afford rent as it is and-" 

Harry cuts me off with a sharp bout of laughter. "You thought I was going to fire you?" he chuckles, shaking his head, and I can't help but appreciate how nice he looks when he smiles. "Nah, I would never do that. Marlene would kill me. But there is a serious issue." 

Some of the tension eases in  my chest, and I blush, leaning back in my chair. 

"The shop isn't bringing in enough revenue to break even, let alone make any extra money. And I know you're already being paid below minimum wage, so we can't really cut your pay. But this is really serious, we're in some pretty deep debt." 

I blink, tears beginning to gather in my eyes. "Marlene never mentioned it," I whisper, interlocking my fingers so tightly that they begin to turn white. 

Harry shrugs, looking defeated. "She wouldn't want you to worry. Ever since Robert-" he stops short, swallowing hard, then continues, "Ever since Robert passed, she hasn't been making nearly enough money to cover renting this building along with supplies and other expenses. Barely anyone comes in here, I've only been here a day and I've noticed that." 

I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling quite defensive. "Well sorry we're not good enough for you," I retort. Annoyance flashes in his eyes. 

"I never said that," he replies through clenched teeth. "But some things- well a lot of things, actually- are going to have to change if we want to keep the store open for much longer." 

I roll my eyes. "You don't really think that you can just waltz in here and change everything, do you? Have you even talked to Marlene about this? Have you even considered-" 

Harry cuts me off again. "Actually I have talked to her about this and she agrees that things are going to have to change." He smiles triumphantly at me, and I decide that maybe I don't like his smile that much after all. 

I pinch my lips together, trying to keep my colorful vocabulary contained for now. People like Harry are one of my major pet peeves. He's the kind of person that just stumbles around blindly, messing everything up without any sort of plan in mind.  

I rub my temples in an attempt to ward off my on-coming headache. "Well," I say sarcastically, "As soon as you figure out how to fix all this, do let me know. I need to go print that film." I stand up, trying to look as dignified as possible, but ruin that charade the moment I trip on the leg of the couch, falling flat on my face. 

"You do that," says, Harry, chuckling. "I'm going to brainstorm for a bit here, so 'll probably lock up." I do not reply, instead hoisting myself up and shuffling behind the counter, my face red as a tomato. 

Printing film is a long and tedious process so I only get through about half the pictures before I realize it's 7:30. I really don't enjoy biking in the dark, so I decide to pack up and leave. Now that the days are getting shorter I'll have to start leaving earlier or invest in a bus pass. I store the rest of the film carefully away and leave the dark room. 

"Harry I'm gonna leave, okay?" I say, grabbing my bag from behind the counter. I frown and look around as there's no reply. I scramble over to the couch, about to give Harry a piece of my mind for ignoring me, but I notice he's fast asleep, an open notepad on his lap. His lead lolls to the side and the pen he was using has dropped to the floor. I have to giggle a bit at how ridiculous (and cute) he looks. 

I don't dare wake him; I know he's had a long day. I could drag him to the futon in the back room, but as I examine my less-than-toned arms, I decide it's best not to try that route. Instead I grab the pillows and blanket from the futon and supply him with a little makeshift bed. He must have been really worn out because even as I put his head on the pillow, he does not wake up. I stand back and admire my work. He's now stretched out along the length of the couch, instead of the awkward position he was in before. I tear a sheet from his notebook and scribble a note, laying it on the table. 

Hey, you fell asleep but I decided not to wake you. I'll lock up for the night and I'll be back around 8 tomorrow. I'll bring breakfast.

-Lavender 

I sigh and close the door, locking it behind me, then head home. 

***************************

I'm surprised to see Connor lounging on our sofa when I reach the apartment. 

"I thought you were going out with Dylan tonight," I say, dropping my bag by the door and kicking off my shoes.

"And I thought you were going to be home by 7," he snaps. I raise an eyebrow and head into the kitchen the scrounge for food. He wasn't usually this crabby, he and Dylan must've had a fight. Dylan is his on-again off-again boyfriend and they tend to bicker quite a bit. I liked Dylan a lot though, he's super sweet and laid back and he accepts Connor for who he is, which is what I appreciate most. 

"Sorry," I reply, knowing better than to argue when he gets this way. "I got held up at work. Marlene's sick so her nephew's taking over and we don't work together so well." 

This bit of news seems to perk Connor up a bit, he's always loved drama. "Is Marlene going to be okay? And what about her nephew? What's wrong with him?" 

I smile, glad that Connor's back to his usual self and pour myself some frosted flakes. "I think she'll be fine, I spoke with her on the phone and she said she'd be back in soon. Her nephew? Well, his name is Harry, you know the one who lived in England for a while. He's really cute but really obnoxious. He said he had to start "changing things" at the shop." I shake my head irritably and pour some slightly over warm milk (that Connor had left on the counter no doubt) on my cereal. 

"You said he's cute? That doesn't sound so bad," he says coming into the kitchen as well. I shake my head and put the milk back in the refrigerator. 

"Is that really all you paid attention to? He's an asshole, Connor, gorgeous eyes and adorable dimples aside." 

Connor laughs harder now, "Oh yeah, you don't care about his looks at all! "Gorgeous eyes," you say! You really do crack me up sometimes." He ruffles my hair then tries to steal a bite of my cereal. I slap his hand away, pouting. 

"You're a meanie," I say, heading into the living room.

"Too true," Connor replies, settling in next to me on the sofa. 

"So, what happened with you and Dylan?" I ask, eager to direct the conversation away from Harry. My plan works like a charm, Connor sighs dramatically, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. 

"Well you will not believe his excuse this time! Absolutely ridiculous!" I take a bite of my cereal and settle in for a long, long drama-fest. 

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A/N: New chapter yay! I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you like it. Feel free to vote and comment. Thanks for reading :)