Far

sixteen

Colton was nice enough, and extremely helpful to say the least. The last few days of work have been nothing short of enjoyable. He had a contagious laugh and a funny personality. He was a joy to have in the bakery. He could be clumsy at times, but the clean-up process was an adventure. I was sad about Harry being replaced, but Colton seemed to be more reliable than Harry ever could be. Has Harry always been like this? Does Harry know?

"Ariana!" Colton calls.

I walk out from behind the book shelf with a stack of books, "Yes?"

He's standing by the register, arms behind his back, and his eyes are beaming.

He gives me a smirk, "Wanna cookie?"

I roll my eyes and smile as I make my way over towards him. I know what he is bound to do with the cookie, and I am not surprised that when I go to grab the cookie, he holds it above his head.

"Get it," he says.

"You little," I set the books down and jump, but still fall short of grabbing the cookie.

I try again and sigh when my feet hit the ground and there is no cookie in my hand.

"I just want the cookie," I whine.

I've consumed way too many cookies since working here.

"You can have the cookie, if you go on a date with me," his voice changed from confident to nervous in an instant.

What?

My cheeks heat up, "What's in it for me?"

"An amazing chocolate chip cookie, and a, hopefully, very fun night with me."

"Okay, fine. But I want the damn cookie, Colton."

He smiles and hands me the cookie, which I gratefully take as I go back to the shelf where I once was. Placing the books on there and polishing the dark wood.

The day moves by slowly, and eventually the street lights turn on and Colton and I begin to close up. We mop the floor, fix the seats and clean the windows.

I grab my bag from the back, and meet him before we walk out. I take the key from my bag and lock the door before I head to my car.

The drive back to the dorms was quick and I am exhausted and ready for a shower when I walk into the room.

After I shower and put my hair into braids, I finish my homework before I decide to write out a few ideas for my final. Maybe one day I'll get with Cole and we can put our minds together and come up with something creative. I plan the next two weeks out, and color code them from most important to least important.

There's a knock on my door as I finish cleaning up a little bit. My eyes widen when it reveals Harry standing outside. It's almost midnight, why is he here so late? And why are his eyes slightly red? Are they irritated?

"Where have you been?" Are the first words out of my mouth when I open the door.

He rolls his eyes, "Nice to see you too, Grande."

He makes his way through the door and looks around the room. He picks up a picture frame of Alexa and I.

"Who's that?" He points to her.

"Alexa. She's my best friend, she goes to UCLA."

He nods his head and sits down.

A minute passes by and I'm still standing by the door as he fiddles with his fingers on my bed. Rings are placed on his first three fingers on his left hand, and there is one on his ring finger on his right and one on his right thumb. There's a cross tattooed on his left hand, followed by many random, different ones across his forearm.

"Did you hear me?" He asks and I snap my head up.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

He sighs, "I asked what you are doing Saturday night."

"Oh, I have a date," I smile.

Colton had verified the details of our date and the butterflies that erupted in my stomach were hard to ignore.

"A date?" He frowns.

I nod my head, "A date."

"Who with?"

"Colton. The guy that took your place at the bakery, since you are never there."

He looks down, "She really replaced me?"

Had he not been told?

I move to sit next to him, "It's not that shocking, really, Harry. You never show up. You leave her hanging to figure it out, and it makes me work two completely different shifts all at once. She needed it and so did I."

"What's he like?" He asks, not looking up.

"He's nice, and kind. He's really funny. He's a good person for the store. I was the one who made the call, and I know that he was a good person for the job."

"Would you go on a date with me instead?" He says after a minute, confidence barely laced in his words.

"Harry, I can't just cancel on Colton," I frown, "Why would you even ask that?"

"I was planning on asking you, but some things got in the way."

There was roughness in his voice, the kind of roughness that makes you uneasy. What was he talking about?

"Is that all you came here for?" I ask.

"Yeah. I just wanted to see you and ask you that, but it seems as though you have your hands full. I'll ask another time," he stands and makes his way towards the door.

I stay in my spot on my bed, completely confused by the whole exchange. Why in the world would Harry ask me out on a date? And why would he ask again after I told him I was already going on one? Why was he so upset that Rose replaced him?

I shake my head and grab a journal, writing everything that comes to my mind to clear my head before I decide to go to bed, knowing that it's a little later than normal. I know that I am not ready at all for the long day ahead of me.