<Coach Styles>

Eighty Five-

Neely's POV
I felt like I was a movie star from the 1920's. Red dress, red lipstick, curled hair, great shoes, I had the whole nine yards. As we walked down the sidewalk, Colby spouted off funny jokes and I couldn't help but to laugh. The cool night air around us was slightly comforting with the soft breeze that blew. Until I saw Harry. Seeing him get out of the car and walk around to open the passenger door, I took a deep breath and tried not to clam up.

"You okay, Neels?" Colby asked sweetly as our hands swung between us.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just saw someone I know," I shrugged and we continued to walk toward the restaurant. Colby went on to tell another dirty joke and nothing could've stopped me from laughing.

"You're a mess," I sighed, knowing my cheeks matched my outfit.

"We both are," he teased with a wink.

"Hey Neely," Paul smiled as we walked past the valet.

"Hey Paul, how's it going?"

"Good, things still alright with you?"

"I'm hanging in there."

"Keep hanging sweetie."

"Always." Harry and Elizabeth walked in front of us and Harry stopped to hold the door. Elizabeth walking inside, I hesitantly stood there.

"Thanks man, I got it," Colby smiled, putting his hand on the glass.

"It's quite alright, you two go ahead." I hadn't realized how much I missed his voice. I hadn't realized how much I missed him.

"Thanks," Colby chuckled. "You coming, babe?" They both looked to me and I smiled at Colby.

"Absolutely." Grabbing Colby's hand, we both walked inside and I heard the door shut behind us.

"It's an hour wait," I heard Elizabeth sigh.

"Neely, what's up?" Marco smiled widely.

"Hey, we just came to get some dinner. Max should've called."

"He did. We don't have any tables in the dining room open right now, but we do have the chef's table. Is that okay?"

"That's perfect," I nodded. I could hear Harry and Elizabeth contemplating leaving until Marco looked to them.

"Would you like to wait at the bar?" Harry shook his head.

"That's okay, we can go somewhere else," he shrugged.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" Colby interjected. I swear I could've punched him.

"We don't want to intrude-" Harry started.

"It's not a problem at all. You seem like a pretty cool guy. Come on."

"Colby," I whispered. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"The chef' stable seats six. We will have plenty of room."

"Col-"

"This way," Marco smiled holding four menus. Following behind him, I didn't hold Colby's hand and when we walked into the kitchen, I cleared my throat as we sat down. Great. Stuck in between Colby and Harry, I had never felt more trapped. I didn't want to get to close to either of them.

"Hey Neely, what's up girl?" Tonya smiled, holding her pad and a pen.

"Hey," I beamed.

"What can I get y'all to drink?"

"Water," Elizabeth smiled.

"Water, please," Harry sighed.

"Sangria," I smiled widely. If I was going to make it through tonight, I was going to need a drink.

"Red or white?"

"Red, please."

"And for you, sir?" she asked nodding to Colby.

"Water," he smiled.

"You know what? How about we do some wine for the table? I know Max's stash is full of stuff. How about Continuium. Let's do 2009," I smiled. I had to smile to keep from crying.

"You got it," she nodded and walked away with a smile.

"I've heard good things about the wine here," Elizabeth smiled.

"We get pretty good stuff coming through here every once in a while. We do wine tastings about once every two months."

"We?"

"This is my uncle's restaurant," I chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed. I hated telling people.

"Oh wow," Elizabeth gushed. "That's gotta be fun."

"Sometimes." Sighing with relief as she brought back my sangria and the wine, Tonya spouted off the specials before going to get our bread and appetizers.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Harry asked. I kept my eyes on my glass of wine and swirled it around.

"Not very long," Colby replied. "How about you guys?"

"We dated in high school," Elizabeth chuckled.

"Have you graduated college already?"

"I haven't, but Harry has. How old are you two? College age, I assume."

"We're both 17."

"Oh wow, you both look so much older," she blushed. I was quiet as he talked to them and hoped and prayed to God Harry wouldn't bring up anything that happened between us. I was having enough trouble sitting there listening to him speak, much less breathe in his scent with every breath I took.

"Didn't you used to teach at our school?" Colby asked and I almost spit out the calamari I was chewing on.

"I did, but I had to resign. Family emergency back home," Harry replied.

"I thought I'd recognized you."

"I have one of those faces." They all chuckled lightly and I sipped on my second sangria. Ordering our food, I was thankful for the silence that fell between us for a few seconds.

"You okay?" Colby asked me quietly. "You're not usually this quiet."

"I just don't feel good," I replied, clearing my throat. I felt like I was on fire and no amount of water could put me out. Harry, sitting there enjoying watching me burn.