Awakened

Dinner

I go on multiple dates with Harry for the next month or so. Being with him is turning out to be better than I could have ever expected. I have learned so much about him, his life, and what he wants to do with it. He is such an easy person to talk to and always seems to give me good advice whenever I ask for it. We can talk about the most trivial things for hours, but we also don't have trouble sharing our deepest fears and darkest secrets.

We make faces at each other across the pool whenever we have lifeguard duty together, much to the dismay of my brother and his friends, who rudely make gagging gestures. At least they have gotten used to me and Harry being a couple, after a little convincing on my part.

Harry and I end up spending our free time going to the beach, eating out at restaurants, rollerblading (which I am surprisingly good at), and binge-watching shows on Netflix. I tried to give up running, but he managed to convince me not to, promising to run with me every single morning.

My brother has tagged along a few times to our hangouts and has finally warmed up to Harry, which is a huge relief. I didn't want him to dislike him though it's difficult to not like Harry. He's just one of those people. They even tease me together, which I don't particularly like, but everyone has to make sacrifices.

Harry took my suggestion that we take things slow into consideration. I don't want to mess anything up by rushing into things too quickly. If we are meant to be together, then things will work out in the end. That being said, I also don't want to leave it up in the air for fate to decide. There needs to be work put in to get something good out of it, and it seems that Harry agrees with me as well.

Harry comes over for dinner with my family one night.

"You look handsome," I tell him after opening the front door and taking his appearance in.

His dark hair is slicked back and he's wearing a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to seem more casual.

"You don't look so bad yourself," he grins.

I'm wearing a black off-the shoulder top and white high-waisted shorts. I curled my hair but pinned it away from my face.

"Thank you. Now, come in. My parents should be done with the food in a couple of minutes." I close the door behind him. "We can head into the living room and watch TV while we wait."

Jacob is sitting on the recliner but stands when he sees Harry walk in. "Styles!"

"Hey, what's up, man," he greets him.

"Nothing much. Just waiting to eat. I'm starving."

"What are you watching?" I ask him.

"A documentary on climate change," he replies. "Did you know that farmers in India are committing suicide because they're in so much debt? The drought is killing their crops."

"That sounds horrible," I reply. "Is the government doing anything to help?"

"Not enough."

Harry gets a pensive look on his face. "It's hard when you want to help someone, but it feels like there's nothing you can do. Or whatever you do isn't enough."

"How about we talk about this subject another time?" Jacob suggests. "Before things get a little too serious."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Kids! Dinner is ready. Come to the table," my dad calls out.

My parents sit next to each other, I sit next to Harry, and he sits beside Jacob. We each grab a plate and being serving ourselves food.

Harry turns to my parents. "Thank you for the food. It looks delicious."

"It's no problem, Harry," my mother replies. "We're just glad you decided to have dinner with us tonight."

"How have you been adjusting so far?" my dad asks him.

"Pretty great actually, especially with Y/N and Jacob helping me get to know the city better."

"Are you nervous to start school in the fall?"

I place a spoonful of rice in my mouth as Harry responds.

"Not really. I have moved enough that I've gotten used to being the new kid. Besides, in high school it's not as big of a deal for most students to see unfamiliar faces."

Jacob cuts a piece of his steak and proceeds to chew it loudly. That is one of my biggest pet peeves, but I don't want to interrupt Harry to say anything. I try to ignore it.

"Do you know what you want to do after high school?"

"The plan is to go to college, but nothing is set in stone yet. Who knows what the future holds."

I really try to concentrate on what they're saying or even my food, but all I can hear is Jacob's loud chewing. It's driving me insane. I focus my gaze on his mouth, watching it move up and down. I block out every other noise, wishing for him to stop. The next thing I know Jacob starts choking on his food.

"Oh, Jacob! Are you okay?"

"Give him some water!"

I break my stare long enough to pour him a glass of water. "Oh, crap! Here you go."

My dad pounds his palm against Jacob's back. His eyes are watering but he nods his head that he's okay.

"What happened?" my mother asks.

"Food must've gone down the wrong pipe," he coughs out. "I'm okay, though. Continue with your conversation with Harry." He takes another long sip of his water.

"Have you decided what you would like to pursue career-wise?" my mother inquires.

When Harry doesn't respond, I glance over to him. His eyes are trained on Jacob then they shift to me. He has a faraway look.

I nudge him with my elbow. "Harry."

"What? I'm sorry. Did you say something?" he asks, looking up.

"Yes," my mom continues, "I was just asking..."

After dinner, I expect Harry to stay for a little while longer.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Actually, I need to go."

"Aww, you do?" I whine.

He nods. "There's something I forgot I had to do. I'll see you tomorrow?" He doesn't wait for me to respond and heads out the door. Halfway there, he turns around and kisses me, barely brushing his lips against mine.

The next thing I know the front door is shutting and I'm left standing in the living room wondering what happened.