GREEN (RL Harry Styles fanfic)

9. Beet Red

Harry and I stood side by side staring at the chalkboard menus along the wall of Food Lab, his lunch suggestion. I had never been there, but I had wanted to try it. I heard their food was pretty good, and as I looked over the menu I was drooling at the options.

"Oh, I'm getting the roasted veggie salad with goat cheese! That's sounds so good, and it has beets too." A beet and goat cheese salad was literally my favorite lunch. I never passed up one on a menu.

"Ew! I thought everyone hated beets," Harry said twisting his face into a grimace." So much for your good taste."

"Have you ever even tried beets?" I challenged.

"No, but that's besides the point."

"I'm making you try some!," I ordered, my stubbornness winning over Harry's. "You should get the Gorgonzola Dolce sandwich, I want to try that." I pointed to it on his menu.

"Who says I'll let you try my food?," Harry said with the smirk I was getting used to returning to his face. I faked offense opening my mouth wide and breathing in a gasp. "Besides, you're not the boss of me, I think I want something else."

Once we were next to order we approached the counter. I rattled off my salad selection and turned to Harry to see what he had chosen, but before he could order the man behind the counter spoke.

"And would you like your usual Harry?," the guy at the counter asked. Apparently this really was one of Harry's favorite lunch spots. Harry nodded and so after we found a table in the back of the restaurant.

As we sat waiting for our food I thought back to my lunch date with Jessie yesterday. It sparked my memory that I hadn't spoken to her since the chaos of last night. I hadn't even checked my phone since leaving the lounge with Harry. I reached into my purse grabbing my phone and unlocking it quickly. I pulled back my lips showing my teeth at the realization that I had five missed calls and a ton of text messages. Just as I was about to read my texts my phone was snatched from me by Harry's hands. I looked up and scowled at his thievery.

"No phones! Not for a couple of days, remember. Doctor's orders." He wagged his finger at me and placed my phone in front of him.

"But I need to let my friends know I'm alright and I want to make sure they're all okay," I reasoned.

"Okay, who should I send the texts to?," Harry asked clicking on the text field on my phone. I would've protested at his blatant disregard for my privacy, but his intentions were sweet.

"Jessie, and Claire. They'll tell everyone else." I paused thinking of what to say. "Tell them I'm alright an-"

"Messages sent," Harry announced cutting me off. He slid the phone in his back pocket, satisfied with a smile on his face.

"What did you say?," I demanded.

"I just told them that you suffered a concussion but were fine and needed to stay off your phone and rest for a few days." I sighed in relief at his answer. "And that Dr. Styles was taking good care of you." He smiled, proud of himself and clearly taking pleasure in all of this.

"Oh my God!" I put my head in my hands. I looked up at the arrival of our food. My salad looked better than I pictured and I grabbed my fork ready to dive in. I looked over at Harry and his plate. In front of him he had the Gorgonzola Dolce sandwich that I had insisted he order. I shook my head at him.

"What?," he said with an upturned smile. "It's my favorite, it's brilliantly good."

"So I guess I do have good taste, then after all?," I said putting a cube of roasted beet in my mouth taunting him with the vegetable.

"Yes, you tasted delicious this morning," he said smirking at regaining the upper hand in our conversation as I blushed.

Our strong personalities seemed to lead to this back and forth banter that I was really starting to enjoy. I pondered if I should reply with a sarcastic comeback, but I decided to let the memory of our make out session in his bed stay right where it was.

"Speaking of delicious, try this!"

I held out the perfect bite of spring greens, a square of beet and some goat cheese and waved my fork at him. Harry shook his head no, but finally opened his mouth as I fed him, not unlike I was feeding a child. He chewed and I watched his face go from frightened to approving.

"Well shit. Now I have to like beets."

"Told you they were good," I bragged at my victory. "Now hand it over!," I said reaching for his sandwich.

"I never agreed to share mine," Harry said lifting the sandwich off the plate and bringing it to his mouth.

"That's too bad," I said pretending he had won. "Hey, I wonder if those girls outside know Harry Styles is right here." I motioned to the glass behind him where a group of teenagers stood, two of which had on One Direction t-shirts and one even sported a tank top with the words 'LOL, you're not Harry Styles' on it. His eyes widened as he carefully glanced back trying not to be seen.

"You wouldn't!," he challenged me.

"Is that a dare, Styles?," I batted back scooting my chair from the table and beginning to stand. His green eyes were light with fear as he handed his sandwich over to me.

"Take it! Take it! Take whatever you want but don't set them loose on me!," He pleaded dramatically. Satisfied with my bargaining skills I took a bite. It was an explosion of flavor as soon as it hit my tongue. The gorgonzola cheese played well off the sweetness of pears and fig compote. The raisin walnut bread was just the right density to contain it all.

"It's so gooood," I literally sang out in an almost operatic way. I really liked food, and my friends were well aware that I would sing over a particularly delicious meal.

"Now hand it over!," he said reaching his long arms over trying to grasp at the sandwich.

"I think I like this one. I don't want to give it back," I played.

"Okay, two can play at your game," his devilish look making me nervous. I wasn't sure what he was planning, but I was scared. "Since I've got nothing to eat to keep me quiet, how about a round of 20 questions?," I nodded in agreement trying to hide my fear while chewing Harry's food. He sat there thinking of his next move before he used the one thing he had against me.

"So, how did you like coming in my bed Liv?," He said deep and deliberate, not realizing the addition of him speaking my name made the words have even more of an affect over me.

Calling an instant truce I handed him the sandwich, my face now as red as the beets in my salad. He smirked and licked his lips before sinking his teeth into his meal. After he finished chewing he spoke again.

"I'm quite disappointed you gave up so easy. Don't I even get an answer?" I shook my head from left to right hoping to end the topic of discussion in a public eatery. "Well I guess I'll just have find the answer out for myself sometime," he said stone faced watching me squirm in my seat. Just at that moment the Violent Femmes 'Blister in the Sun' came on in the restaurant.

Body and beats, I stain my sheets, I don't even know why...

"Did he say when I eat beets, I stain my sheets?," Harry questioned pointing at me and my salad.

"Oh my god, NO!," I snorted at his misheard lyrics. "It's body and beats you weirdo!," I corrected. We both exploded in laughter at his mistake and how fitting it was considering our lunch conversation.

We finished our meals through fits of laughter and cheeky glances at one another, Harry's eyes aglow and his grin never fading.