1985 (h.s.)

Chapter Eighteen

This suit is one of my favorites 😍

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I woke up bright and early. My nerves were killing me. I swear I sat in front of my closet for twenty minutes before deciding what to wear. I chose a jean romper and an orange, red, and pale green striped shirt. I tightened my black belt around my waist and threw a blue windbreaker across my shoulders. Not the most stylish look, but it would do.

Aunt Erin left breakfast for me in the fridge. I had some blueberry muffins and homegrown cherries. I made sure to save the pits because that's what we used to replant. Cherries were probably my second favorite fruit behind strawberries and in front of bananas. Olive made this outstanding smelling cherry pie and it always made me drool.

It was a cool morning so I closed the window that was usually open in my room. I sat down at my desk and plugged Aunt Erin's curling iron in. While it was heating up I dug through my records and put my favorite Jackson 5 one in. It was one of the ones Uncle John had passed down to me. I scooted back down to my desk and began to wrap my hair around the curling iron. Every once in awhile I switched directions to give my hair some contrast. Since I had shorter hair, it didn't take long to curl it. I brushed the curls put lightly and topped them off with a bit of hairspray.

I checked the time and made sure to unplug the curling iron before leaving. I turned my record player off and slipped my shoes on. I grabbed my keys from my desk and skipped out the door.

I was undoubtedly nervous. The whole drive to work was spent with me worrying and playing out the worst reactions imaginable in my head. One ended with a zombie apocalypse. Man, I've been hanging out with Niall too much. Anyways, sweat coated my hands. My heart was thumping out of my chest. I almost started to get a stress migraine. Those things suck.

Not even the music in my car could distract me. I was about to tell Harry how I felt about him. What was I going to say? Should I be serious? Should I just go up and kiss him? No, that would be an invasion of space. Ugh, this was all too hard. My last boyfriend just asked me out of nowhere. I didn't really know him before. I knew not to make that mistake again.

I parked in the back of the bakery and sat in my car for a good ten minutes before finally entering. I didn't see Harry's car around so maybe I'd have some time before he came in. To prepare. Definitely not to procrastinate. Maybe. No, not to procrastinate. Yeah, we are procrastinating just a little.

Before entering I took a deep breath and opened the back door. It was silent in the kitchen. I poked my head in and saw Olive sitting at a table, her nose poked in a book. Her reading glasses sat low on her nose and she licked her finger with every page she turned.

"He's not here dear," she said looking up at me. I fully enter the room and start mixing some bread dough together. Olive got up and sat on the stool by the counter. Her eyes followed my every move, "He'll be in later though. Don't feel so pressured hun. It's just Harry."

This lady could read my mind. I swear, "I don't know what you're talking about," I walked to where my apron was hanging. I tied it behind my neck and back in some not-so-neat bows.

"Elaine, I'm old, not dumb. I saw you sitting in your car for ten minutes before coming in. Trust me, I've been in your position before. When I met my wife, I instantly thought she was the most beautiful thing I ever did see. It was as bad as illegal to be a lesbian in my day. You think it's bad now. I never thought I'd meet someone who could love me back as much as Delilah did. I spent months working up the nerve to tell her how I felt and I didn't regret one moment. Trust me, you'll be so relieved once you tell him. You're lucky you might actually get to marry your prince. I couldn't ever marry mine," Olive explained. She had mentioned that her partner died before they could get married, but I never knew it was because it was illegal. That is one thing I want to change in the future. You should be able to be with who you love without judgment of others.