The Boy With Antiques

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"Fancy meeting you here."

An awkward laugh slips past my lips as I follow Harry's movements and lock my door behind me. We had somehow simultaneously exited our adjacent apartments at the same time, making for very awkward greeting and even more uncomfortable eye contact.

"Yeah, what a coincidence!" I joke lightly and adjust the strap of my messenger bag as we fall into an awkward silence.

Harry shuffles on his feet slightly and his eyes fail to meet my own the longer we stand across from each other in complete silence. I choose to focus my attention on pulling on a loose string of the hem of my button down denim dress.

I haven't spoken properly to Harry since the night on our balconies. He pried when he knew he shouldn't of, but that wasn't what made me angry. Well, not entirely. I was more panicked and upset at the thought that he could just tell that something wasn't right with me. I know I'm not the best at covering up my phobias and skittish nature, but I don't want the reason to be ever brought up again.

The prospect terrified me. I was trying to move on.

Which made me act like a total bitch towards Harry, which, I'm frankly embarrassed about. Eliza's mini-lecture assuring me that whatever Harry did to upset me was unintentional and that he is truly a cupcake was then backed up by the chalk note I was met with when I made my way back into the café.

But, just thinking of my cheesy reply had me cringing inside. I seemed to be much more confident via our chalk messages than in person.

"Are you on your way to work? I could walk you, I was just on my way actually."

"Today is actually my day off," I smile and Harry pouts slightly before offering a small smile and I decide to elaborate to not come off as rude, "I'm actually buying furniture today."

"After only living here for two months? Whoa, slow your role, next thing you know and you'll actually start sending your mail here." He teases, a goofy grin stretching across his face and I couldn't stop the matching one on mine if I tried.

"The horror." I pretend to shudder which causes Harry to chuckle lightly before stuffing his hands into his jean clad pockets. It's then that I notice the Greenbay Packers snapback covering his mop of curly hair and it somehow made him even more endearing.

"I could... I could maybe take you? I know all the best antique stores 'round that are fairly cheap... You would probably get lost too, Cheshire is pretty complex and scary if you're not careful... So, like, yeah I could escort you 'round if you like. I m-mean if that's okay with you?"

The offer immediately makes my heart begin to hammer at the prospect of spending an entire evening with a male -with Harry. But, the thought of spending it wandering around unfamiliar and crowded streets alone almost causes me to keel over.

I hadn't taken into account how crowded the streets would be when I decided to finally buy a couch today. The thought of bearing that alone was a more terrifying thought than spending it with my neighbor. Harry did have a point and wasn't wrong at all -I had already gotten lost a humiliating amount of times just looking for a grocery store.

"Yeah, okay."

"Seriously, I really want to. I don't want you ending up in the bad parts of town or-," Harry stops trying to convince me when my words finally sink in, "Yeah? You want me to take you shopping?"

My face heats when he puts it like that, but I nod my head anyway, "Yes, please. Only because I've only gone to work or to get groceries -I don't know the area very well. I was just going to wing it."

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