seraphic [h.s]

chapter nine.

Relief. It was all I had felt as soon as we'd entered the restaurant, the sudden wave of chilling air sweeping over Harry and I as we let the door close behind us. It hadn't taken long before we'd arrived, the drive consisting of nonstop music and letting Harry take the lead with most of the chorus' since it was his 'precious chevy baby' that we were in.

"Pretty sure that's them over there." Harry lowly spoke, once again hovering his hand on the small of my back yet never fully touching me properly. Looking in the direction to where we were now walking, I noticed the corner table everybody had been seated at, an elongated table, enough to fit the seven of us comfortably as well as an extra chair on the side.

"Look who decided to finally join us." Leon whistled, sending me a quick wave, as did Jett. "There was more traffic than I thought there'd be." Harry covered, hiding the fact that our lateness was due to the bickering of which song we'd play next. My mother and father sat opposite one another near the wall, thankfully leaving a spare seat for Harry and I at the end of the table as the others took up the space in between. Taking my seat beside Evie, she tapped her hand against my knee, "Just the five of us remember." I nodded my head, letting out a shaky breath.

Harry walked around to the opposite side of the table, dragging out the chair and sitting beside Jett, who had been too engrossed in the conversation being held by Leon and my father. With a neatly folded menu laying right in front of me, waiting to be looked through, I took it, opening it up and letting my eyes skim over the millions of options to choose from. "What tickles your fancy, love bug?" Jett questioned as she took her own and began reading it, "I'm not sure really, maybe a cheeseburger? The mushroom one kind of sounds nice too."

"Mmm, I was lookin' at that one, extra ranch though, and maybe a milkshake? There's a thought." Her honey tone spoke. Shifting my legs underneath the table, I crossed one over the other, feeling my boot nudge a leg in the process, Harry's eyes immediately flying up towards mine from being so focused on choosing his order. "Sorry." I whispered with a tight lipped smile, though with a simple grin, he trailed his eyes back towards the written words in front of him.

A red aproned woman swayed her way along the checkered floor, sauntering over until she stopped at the end of the table beside me, "Welcome to Shacked Up, are you guys ready to order at all? Or you'd rather some more time?" Her introduction of words had been interjected by the chewing of her gum, her quick eyes hovered upon both Harry and Leon, seemingly speaking to only the two of them in comparison to the rest of us. "Actually yeah we're all set to order." Evie stated as she eyed us all, wanting a head nod in approval.

My mother opted for the salad, a staple in her ageing life that she so loved to express any time we'd dine out. My father, Leon and Harry all jinxing in their order of a 'double stacked mean machine', while Evie had been swayed by the vegetarian option and Jett by the 'mushroom delight'.

"And for you?" The loud chewer of a woman asked, staring blankly at me though sending her glance sideways every few seconds.

"Uh, I think I'll get the cheeseburger, with mushroom if that's possible and uh, minus the tomato please."

Once she'd repeated the order a total of two times because of the few requests she'd seemed to have forgotten, she sent the boys a sly smirk and what I'd guessed was some sort of wink, before turning around and heading to behind the till. "Well isn't this so lovely, finally a night out all together!" My mother praised, leaning forward instead of placing her elbows on the table. "So great, thankyou for this Jane, and thankyou to the both of you for welcoming us into your home the way you have. We're absolutely lovin' it so far." Leon beamed while showing his toothy grin. A tiny snort of laughter sounded from Evie beside me, turning her head in my direction and rolling her eyes at his words.