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Cereal

Harry's Monday was just as terrible as you might expect a Monday to be. He spilt his coffee on himself before he even got to work, and then once he did arrive, he was faced with a mountain of paperwork that ended up causing Harry such a fierce migraine that he was uncertain of whether or not he could make it home without screaming at someone. But, true to his character, Harry kept his calm long enough for him to get home, take a shower, and maybe even read little bit after he ate some of the leftovers Freddie had left for him in the fridge.

Harry hated to admit it, but he feared that he was becoming too dependent on this new roommate of his—at least for food anyways. If she cooked for him all the time, then he would probably even forget how to make a bowl of cereal. It was an irrational fear, but it was what Harry said to remind himself not to get too comfortable with her. Normally, Harry was never quick to trust someone, but he found that he was having to consciously distance himself from Freddie. Harry owed it to how comfortable Freddie seemed to be with him, but regardless, he thought it was weird and a bit worrying on his part.

Despite Harry's complicated inner monologue, he would not deny himself the pleasure of having homemade food, especially when it was as good as the food that Freddie had made the night before. It was some kind of pasta dish with a white wine garlic sauce that had Harry's mouth watering before he even stuck it in the microwave to heat up. As he was plating his meal—careful to leave enough for Freddie when she got home—Harry began to wonder whether he should wait for Freddie before he ate. After all, she did make the food, so it would only be the polite thing to do.

However, Harry decided against it for a number of reasons. One, Freddie would probably think that it was creepy of him to wait up on her since they hardly knew each other at all. Two, he didn't even know when she would get back from work. And three, he was starving and honestly couldn't have waited much longer even if he had tried. The food was just calling out to him from the refrigerator, and being the kind gentleman he was, Harry answered its call with a fork in hand.

Thus, Harry ate his dinner alone in his living room with an episode of Grey's Anatomy to keep him company. It was his first time watching the series all the way through, so needless to say, he was enthralled by everything he was seeing.

After finishing his dinner and episode, Harry shut the TV off and did his dishes before curling up on the sofa and taking his book from the side table. Having already showered and changed into his comfy pants, Harry was having a grand ol' evening to himself with his Dickens in hand. It was peaceful and relaxing to get to just sit and do nothing, so much so that after a little while, Harry fell straight asleep with his book on his chest and his blanket wrapped all around him. Altogether, it was a great night, but he couldn't help that tiny voice in his head that asked him where Freddie had gotten off to.

Freddie got home late that night, which was a terrible decision for her to make, seeing as how she would have to be up so early the next day. After an exhausting and admittedly frustrating day at work, Freddie had gone out for drinks with Damien, and once they started talking, it was only too easy for them to both lose track of time. It was definitely a pleasant way of spending her evening, and even more so when she considered that he hadn't tried to make a move on her once. And after a day of being talked down to by her supervisor, Freddie appreciated that Damien respected her as a coworker not to come on to her in any way. She was just a person to him, and that was really nice.

So, the two of them talked well into the night about nothing in particular, Freddie finally getting home at around midnight. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was a bowl of cereal to soak up some of the liquor that was in her stomach. When she had left Damien to take the subway home, she hadn't been that drunk, but now, after the forty-five minute train ride had given the alcohol enough time to take its toll on her, Freddie was finding it to be a tad difficult to unlock the door.