Chicago | hs au

31 - The Bean

As we sit in the back of the taxi cab, Harry hold my hand firmly in his, almost like he's afraid of letting go. I rest my head on his shoulder as our driver takes us to a small pizza place near Lake Michigan. We pull up in front of the place and get out.

"Best pizza I've ever had. I swear." Harry hands the cab driver a wad of cash and he drives off, disappearing into the white haze of snow that slowly falls over the city streets. Being January, I'm taken aback by how empty the streets are. It's almost like a dream. The snow falls in front of streets lamps and creates a yellow aura around the light. The city is still decorated for Christmas, with strings of lights strung on sidewalk trees and lamp posts.

It's beautiful.

Harry tugs on my hand and we go inside.

The smell is what first hits me.

Somewhere between a genuine wood burning stove and rich tomato sauce, the smell inside Uno's was incredible. I immediately felt my stomach turn over; my mouth watered, begging for a taste.

A host seats us near the back, and a waitress approaches soon after. We order drinks.

"What pizza do you like?" Harry asks, flipping through the menu.

"Literally anything, just not pineapple or anchovies or anything weird."

"Darn, " he sighs, "I love pineapples and anchovies."

I chuckle, noting the sarcasm. The waitress brings our drinks quickly, even though the restaurant seems quite busy.

"Can I get you two started on anything?" She asks, pulling out her notepad.

"Yes, can we can the deep fried mushroom to start?" Harry asks politely.

"Of course, I'll put that in right now." She scurries away

"You like mushrooms?" I ask.

"You don't?"

"No, I do. I love them. I love mushrooms, I'd just never really met anyone else who does."

Harry grins and points finger guns to himself, "My name's Harry, pleasure to meet you. I love mushrooms."

I give him a wide smile, "Let's figure out our pizza."

"The 'Kitchen Sink' sounds good to me." He notes, furrowing his brow.

I read the ingredients: mushrooms, tomato sauce, garlic, bacon, pepperoni, onion, and basil.

"That's a lot of stuff " I say.

"Is that a 'no'?" He asks, peeking over the top of his menu.

"No, let's get it." I agree, setting my menu down.

"Deep dish?"

"No shit " I respond, raising my eyebrows as I eye a deep dish pizza at another table. It has to be at least three inches tall. My tastebuds are ready.

"You must be hungry." He chuckles, eyeing the same pizza I was.

The waitress returns with our mushrooms which we shamelessly scarf down after ordering our pizza. We talk, we smile, and we laugh all night long.

Once our pizza arrives, we talk a lot less. Too busy chewing and swallowing to chat, I suppose.

At one point, Harry unintentionally gives himself a tomato sauce mustache on top of his visible scruff. I don't tell him.

We finish our pizza, and with full bellies, sigh.

"That was good, Harry, thank you for taking me out." I say.

"Of course, anything for Uno's." He smiles.

The waitress brings our bill and thanks us for coming in. I try to sneak a peek at the price, but Harry shoos my hand away.

"You've had a shit week, this is my treat." He says sternly, smirking, trying to get me to disagree.

"Let me leave the tip." I say.

"No. I got it."

"Harry, I'm living at your house. Let me leave the tip." I beg, reaching for the bill.

"Fine." He huffs, setting it down. I pluck a few bills out of my wallet and lay them on the table beside his. After gathering our coats, scarves, and hats, we leave hand in hand. Harry hails is a taxi and tells him to take us to Millennium Park, and I can't help but think of Chef Paulie.

I watch the delicate snowflakes fall out my window as we ride. The city streets grow emptier and emptier as the night passes. We reach the park around midnight, and there's hardly anyone else out here.

"Want me t'wait?" The cabbie calls as we get out, but Harry hands him a wad of money and says, "No, we'll be a minute. Thank you."

"The amount of money you're spending tonight makes me nervous." I admit.

"Don't worry about it, Katie. Let's enjoy each other's company." He takes my mittened hand in his and walks towards the stairs.

Paulie was right: when the fresh snow sits atop the Bean, it takes your breath away. I stare at the metallic statue in the middle of the park with awe.

Harry says, "I've never seen it at night, much less in winter."

The lights from the decorations reflect off of the mirror surface, sending colors across the snow around it. We walk closer, laughing at our reflections.

"We look so full." Harry says, one side of his mouth twitching up.

The park is empty aside from a few people passing through from the subway station. A few walk out of bars with their friends, only to hail a cab and leave moments after. We're alone.

We take a seat on a bench at the edge of the park. Even though it's snowing, I don't feel the frigid cold I felt earlier. I feel content with Harry beside me, and I can't get passed how beautiful the park looks right now. No tourists, no disruptions, just us.

"I don't think I've properly thanked you for everything you've done for me in this last week." I say, resting my head on Harry's shoulder.

"Katie, you must realize I care for you a great deal." Harry says, looking me directly in the eye.

"I do." I respond. I look to the ground, feeling heat in my cheeks.

"I love you." He says softly, placing a hand underneath my chin to bring it back to his face.

"I love you, too."

I lean in, feeling my eyes close and my lips part. My heart is hammering against my chest, lie, it usually does when I think of kissing Harry.

But before our lips can touch, I'm suddenly jerked away by a pair of rough hands around my waist.