Un-Tying the Knot {h.s.}

Chapter 35

Thursday nights are the busiest nights for the upscale sports bar, Big Wang's. Harry knew this because he was forced to look through the weekly numbers every Monday morning, but he didn't really understand the extent of how busy his own restaurant was until he walked through the door twenty minutes ago.

The place was absolutely packed, TVs lining every wall showing every sports game imaginable. The clientele flirted with a diverse cross section of humanity — from college students to tourists to giggly girls dressed in skimpy clothing excited to be out on the town to the drunk guys trying to hit on them. Now, seeing it in real time, made the numbers make sense, which oddly made him somewhat proud of an achievement he didn't even really earn. At least he was successful at something.

Harry had snagged the last seat at the bar, tucked tightly between a burly biker looking dude who paid him no mind and a highly attractive female that looked like she might be some kind of high class hooker. When he sat down, he went unnoticed — aside from the bartender who recognized her "silent partner" of a boss immediately. He was thankful she didn't make a fuss, but poured him his typical bourbon and ginger without needing to ask.

And there he sat, the amber liquor burning its way down his throat, but it was nothing compared to the nervousness that burned his belly.

He checks his watch again, wondering if Eleanor was going to show up. He thought he had made himself pretty clear over the phone earlier, but time will tell if she listened.

He had spent quite some time planning this rendezvous, taking an entire week to mull it over in his head to gain the courage and the right method to approach her. He decided it would be best to start small — something simple — and when she had called to invite him to dinner at a fancy sushi joint, he took took the opportunity.

He remembered clearly the thrill of excitement that trembled down his spine when he had said "no" to her, that he wanted to eat at his restaurant instead. She laughed and told him she would meet him at Katsuya after work, and what started as a thrill quickly turned to dread. But he didn't back down. He said no, they were going to eat at his restaurant. It was what he wanted to do, so that was what they were doing.

As he takes another sip of the hard bourbon, he cringes at the memory of her telling him she'd be waiting for him at Katsuya at 7:00 before she daftly hung the phone up on him.

He glances at his watch.

7:30pm.

The bartender snatches his empty glass with a small smile, and all he can do is give her a tight lipped grin in return, the next sip bitter to match his mood.

He glances over his shoulder, wondering just how long he should sit here and wait. His stomach knots at the thought of her actually not showing up. What would he do then? His mind at the moment is a blank canvas, his thoughts literally stuttering to the end of the movie reel playing in his mind. There is nothing next. Nothing he can see, anyway. Eleanor was his everything anymore. She was the first person he saw in the morning when he woke up, and she was the last person he saw before drifting to sleep at night. Almost everything he did involved her in some way — even his closest friend in LA was her fucking assistant.

So what would he do if she didn't show up? Would that be it? The...end?

He shivers hard, throwing back the remainder of his glass in one dizzying gulp. He doesn't want to think about that. Eleanor would be here any minute. She probably just got stuck in traffic or couldn't find parking or was stuck at the office.

Right?

Or — he grimaces at the thought — she was waiting for him at Katsuya.

God, he really didn't want to go home if that was the case. Maybe this was all just a bad idea. He should have just sat her down at home. He wasn't one for public displays, and she certainly wasn't shy about causing a scene. For all the thinking and processing he did on this, he didn't really plan it that well. He should have talked to Olivia about it first...