ambivalent | hes

4

The doorbell rang, signaling that Harry was here. I rushed to answer the door. He had on a plain white t shirt, skinny jeans and boots.

"You look great." He complimented me.

"You too." I replied, smiling.

He bent his arm at his hip, waiting for me to lock mine in his. I laughed as I intersected our arms and he called me "madam" as we strode towards his vehicle. He opened the passenger door for me, then jogged to the drivers side.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as he pulled out of my driveway.

"It's a surprise."

I groaned sarcastically, and he chuckled.

After a while, we arrived at a lake and I spotted multiple people in gondolas paddling slowly across the water. His text made sense now.

We walked down a path lined with cherry blossom trees to a miniature booth.

"Just two?" The little old woman occupying the small building asked.

"Yep." Harry said, handing her some money.

"Harry, I can pay for myself." I suggested.

"I've got it." He smiled at me as the woman returned his change.

We continued down the path to a dock, where two men were waiting.

"Hi, is it just the two of you?." One of the men said.

I nodded, and he began directing us on how to enter the boat properly and safely. Once we were situated in the boat, they offered us a paddler, but Harry rejected. They gave us a set of paddles, which Harry took, and we moved away from the dock.

"I hope this isn't too much." Harry said as we made our way down the lake.

"No, this is great. We're just missing a bottle of wine." I reassured him, smiling.

He chuckled, throwing his head back. He looked handsome when he laughed. "I'll take note of that for next time."

"Next time?" I raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Of course, if you want there to be a next time." He continued.

"We'll see." I said in a teasing manner.

His hands were clasped tightly around the paddles, showcasing his nervousness. I didn't know if it was due to the fact that he was paddling on open water and didn't want to accidentally tip the boat, or because he didn't want to make a fool of himself.

"So, do you live on your own?" I asked, hoping it would calm him down a bit.

"Yea, just a few blocks away from you. How about you?"

"It's just my mom and I."

"How did it go at work yesterday? I heard your boss yelling at you."

"Oh, I, uh, kind of got fired."

"Really? Just for being late and accidentally screwing up a rude customers order?"

"Incidents similar to that have happened in the past, but it doesn't really matter that much to me anyway. I can find another job."

"You're confident. I like that."

I stumbled over my words, and now I was the one who was nervous.

We continued our conversation, learning more about each other. His full name was Harry Styles, he was 23 and had one sibling, a sister named Gemma. He was born in Redditch, but grew up in Cheshire, England. He moved to America to pursue his dream of visiting Los Angeles, and he loved it so much he decided to stay. I told him many things about myself, even bringing up my father once. However, I failed to mention my heart condition, the reason I had to take pills every morning. It was too personal.

The river wrapped around the bank dotted with the same cherry blossoms we saw earlier, adding a romantic and calming touch to the ride. It lasted about an hour, which seemed like just the right amount of time. Once we arrived at the dock, Harry got out first then helped me out and we left the boat to the two men waiting at the dock.

We made our way up the path we came down earlier and got in his car once we reached it.

He pulled out of the parking lot and I said,

"That was nice, Harry. I really enjoyed it."

"I thought you would. You seemed like the type." He replied, flashing a quick smile.

"I'll take that as a good thing." I returned the grin.

"It is. I like that type." He told me.

When we got to my house, we sat in his car, continuing to talk and not wanting the night to be over, yet like all good things, it had to come to an end.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. We need to hang out again sometime."

"We will, hopefully soon." I said as I got out of the car.

"How about this weekend?" He asked.

"Definitely. See you then."