Dinner
1903 Words
My phone buzzed on the counter as I set out dinner plates. I filled the boys' cups with ice and water, then sat on a barstool to read it.
Rayne: OMG...my sister is NOT hanging out with THE Harry Styles?!?
My heart started pounding in my chest. Alexander was right- our families would find out - I just wasn't prepared. I chose not to reply right away. The front door opened and the smell of pizza wafted through the apartment as Alexander walked to the kitchen.
"Boys! Pizza's here!" I shouted. A few seconds later, they came darting into the kitchen from the playroom.
"I hope it's cheeeeeeeese!" Lennon screamed.
"Me too!" Added Bas.
Alexander and I exchanged looks and chuckled- they wouldn't eat anything other than cheese. We watched as little hands grabbed at the slices and little legs raced to the table. Alexander broke his stare from the table and grabbed a slice, then a drink from the refrigerator. He sat down with the boys.
The awkward silence was deafening, so I asked Alexander how his day was. He took a moment to answer.
"We got a lot accomplished," he began. "I really feel a connection with Jesse. I get to work with the guys tomorrow. The band will actually be setting up in the larger studio - we will compose the major parts of the songs."
"Well, that's awesome!" I replied. "Do you have the demo with you?"
Alexander stared at me. "I actually don't. And I will probably crash at the studio tomorrow night. We have a lot to finish."
"Ok, that's fine. I knew it would be like this..I'm flexible." I assured him.
He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Obviously, something was bothering him. He seemed to be a million miles away.
"Want to talk?" I asked calmly.
He nodded, but turned to the boys.
"What movie are we going to watch from our fort tonight?" He asked excitedly.
The boys started talking at once. They planned out everything- from the blankets they would use to the pillows to toys they would bring into the fort. I loved listening to their little voices. Once they had finished their pizza and galloped to the playroom, I cleared their plates and glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was 6:30pm. I had an uneasy feeling creep into my stomach, but I walked over and sat at the table with Alexander. He sat in his chair, staring at his empty plate.
"Does he know your last name?" He blurted out.
I knew he meant Harry. So I was honest: "No."
"Or at least, I don't think he does. I mean, it hasn't been brought up...we've just hung out," I tried to explain. This confused me even further - Harry really didn't know much about me.
"What time is dinner?" He asked cooly.
"The car will be here at 7:30," I watched his face for hints of emotion.
"Ok. Just remember I need to be up and out pretty early." He said.
Something was off about his calm demeanor. Was he really just giving me space? Was he planning something? So many questions swept through my mind, but I couldn't say them aloud. My phone buzzed on the counter again. Alexander got up and walked over to place his dish in the sink. He quickly glanced at my phone, then me.
"Are you going to answer?"
I shook my head no as I looked at the screen. My sister must have been upset that I hadn't answered in a decent amount of time. I pressed ignore.
Alexander left the kitchen to wash up. So I joined the boys in the playroom. I knew I would be cutting it close getting ready, but I didn't want my family to feel I was leaving them too quickly. The boys had already set the blankets and pillows on the love seat and were picking up toys to make room for the fort. They chatted with one another and looked at me.
"Sorry, mommy, this is for boys only," Lennon said with a very serious look on his face.
I grinned and chuckled. "Well, daddy will be in here soon. I'm going to dinner but tomorrow we are going to the park- just you, me and Bas. Ok?"
The boys nodded. I kissed their cheeks and walked to the bathroom. My phone buzzed again. My heart skipped a beat.
Harry: Nothing too fancy tonight. Dress comfortably.
What the hell did that mean? I started straightening my hair and grabbed a few bobby pins from the drawer. Next, I gently applied a light layer of foundation, brushed on some bronzer and lastly, added black eye liner on my bottom lid. I looked my face over and chose to add black mascara to my lashes and a fushchia color lip gloss to my lips.
Me: Running shoes or heels? Seriously.
Harry: Ha! The sandals you wore the other night would be fine.
I opened the closet door. I grabbed my favorite pair of gray jeans from the hanger and a comfortable gray and light blue striped sweater. Once I was dressed, I eyed my shoe selection. My hardly worn white Toms sat at the bottom of my closet, so I slipped my bare feet into them. My phone buzzed again.
Rayne: You can't ignore me forever! I am coming up for a visit next week, remember?
Oops, I had forgotten, but it didn't change much. We had plenty of space in this five bedroom apartment. I looked at the time, it was 7:28. I stuffed my wallet, phone, keys, lipgloss and gum into the small white leather purse I had chosen and rushed out of the room.
"Wow! Look at this fort!" I said as I entered the playroom.
"Mommy! Boys only!" Bas reminded me.
Laughing, I threw my hands up in defeat, kissed their cheeks, said a small goodbye to Alexander - who once again seemed emotionless- and quickly exited our apartment.
The car was waiting for me when I walked out of the front doors. Rodney tipped his hat and opened the back door for me. I smiled, thanked him and sat in the seat, only then noticing it wasn't just a car, but a limo. Harry sat across from me, grinning. He was wearing tight black pants, a button down maroon shirt, with a black leather jacket over top. Shiny black leather boots covered his feet, of course.
"Hi Harry," I smiled back at him. His eyes were glowing and his dimples showing. This was one handsome man - who made me blush like a schoolgirl.
"Hungry?" He asked as he adjusted his jacket.
"Actually, I am. The smell of pizza had my stomach growling -" I stopped and glanced nervously at him.
He looked puzzled. I felt my hands clench together.
"Someone in the building had one delivered," I saved myself.
He nodded and then went on to tell me about his day and who he had met. He paused once we arrived outside a small italian restaurant. He climbed out first and all at once flashing lights flooded the backseat of the limo. I hesitated, but slowly got out of the car, gripping the driver's hand for support. He led me to the door and opened it.
A hostess quickly whisked me away to a table set for two near the back. As I sat, I looked around for Harry, but he was nowhere in sight. The waiter, Kevin, brought me a Limoncello and winked at me. I blushed as he briskly walked toward the kitchen.
"Sorry about that," Harry's deep, but smooth voice quipped a few moments later.
I shrugged and smiled. "It's ok. Are you alright?"
He chuckled, "I'm used to it, there's hardly any privacy anymore."
I was enthralled by the way he spoke. I had friends with accents, but his, well, I found his sexy as hell. I found myself wishing for him to speak more. I blushed at my own thoughts.
Our server, Kevin, returned to our table, looked at me, then Harry, and with a confused look on his face asked what we would like. I ordered manicotti with a Caesar salad and Harry ordered the lasagna with a tossed salad. While Harry was folding his menu, the server winked at me once again.
"Think that's a good idea, mate?" Harry asked casually.
"I-I-i am just trying to be pleasant," Kevin lied as he turned and walked to the nearest computer to enter our order.
"The nerve of some people!" I joked. This brought a smile to Harry's face and he let out a small laugh.
I asked him about where he grew up and his family. He answered openly and honestly- and I took in each and every word. This getting-to-know-you conversation was not something I had done in quite a while; though it had never been with a celebrity, I was enjoying the normalcy of it.
Our food was placed in front of us by the expediter who asked if we needed anything else. Harry asked for some fresh Parmesan and I asked for extra napkins.
"Alright, mom," Harry cracked himself up at that one. I laughed nervously and prayed silently for the nerve to tell him the truth.
Dinner was quiet while we enjoyed the savory bites. I shared a piece of mine with him and he did the same with me. Kevin checked in as soon as he saw our plates were empty.
"Dessert?" He asked and waited.
Harry raised his eyebrows at me, I grinned and said, "if it's anything like dinner, I may never leave this place!"
Harry asked Kevin to bring one of each dessert to our table. I'm sure he saw the looks of shock on mine and Kevin's faces, because he threw his head back and laughed.
"YOLO!" He smirked and Kevin strode to the kitchen.
I grinned and batted my eyelashes at him. I'm not sure why, but he liked it more than I thought he would and moved his chair closer to mine. Shortly after that, a cart full of close to fifteen desserts arrived beside our table. Harry reached over and started placing the small plates on the table. We each had a fork, so we would taste one and groan or simply move on to the next. And after eight desserts, we couldn't handle anymore.
"Check, please," Harry requested rubbing his hand over his stomach. "Looks like I will need an extra work out tomorrow to get rid of these treats."
"Me too, I didn't even go on my run today!" I whined. "And I probably can't tomorrow either, ugh."
Harry looked at me. "We could work out together?"
"I prefer to run alone..it's my only quiet time," I responded.
The conversation ended when Kevin brought the check.
"I'm sorry about earlier," he looked at the floor. "I didn't realize you two were, well, a couple."
"We aren't." Harry and I both said at the same time.
Kevin looked back and forth at us and gently took Harry's credit card from the table.
"Thank you for dinner," I said. "It was delicious."
Harry seemed pleased that dinner had gone well. "Want to come see my new flat - err- apartment?"
I brushed some crumbs off the tablecloth and my pants. It was time for Harry to know the truth.
- Writer
