Adore You Too [H.S]

2 // Liz's Future Grandson In-Law Henry

I cannot even tell you how much I hated going to work. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job...I always have. I love what I do and I take pride in my work I love my clients with my whole heart, it's a new adventure in the salon every day. There's almost never a dull moment.

But this was all before Harry was staying with me. We eventually got him that rental car we'd talked about before I decided to take a few extra days off. He told me that he wanted to explore Colorado since he's never been able to do it before.

As much as I wanted him to have his freedom while he's here, I couldn't help but feel nervous about him running around. If something were to happen to him, I wouldn't be able to stand it. Not only that, but I'd feel like it was my fault that it happened to him. Though I never the chances were very low, I couldn't help but worry.

"Well, well, well," I hear a familiar voice say as I finish the last bite of the sandwich I had for my lunch, "would you take a look at who finally came back to work."

I tilt my head up to see one of my regular clients waddling towards me. She is the cutest old lady named Elizabeth, but instead of being called Betty like most older women with that name, she liked to be called 'Liz' or 'Lizzie'.  She said it kept her young.

"Liz," I say excitedly, standing up quickly to greet her. I've always loved the past few years of doing Liz's nails, we always had the best conversations. Liz gave great advice and was very wise. She's lived a full and adventurous life, being in her late 70's.

I rush up to her and take her into my embrace, loving the feeling of a warm, grandmotherly hug. She gave the best hugs too.

"How have you been?" I ask her as we pull away, not being able to hide the smile on my face, not that I tried to anyway.

"Oh, I've been just fine darling," she says sweetly, setting her gray and black Coach purse down onto the floor next to the chair she would be seated in. We walked back the short distance to my nail station. "How was your trip? Or trips, I should say."

"They were good," I say, sitting down in my chair. Liz takes a seat across from me, letting out a sigh. She lifts her hands up onto the table, revealing her insanely outgrown nails. It had been a few weeks since I've last been in the salon—other than to do Harry's nails—and you could definitely see it on her nails. Liz usually got her nails done every two weeks; every other Tuesday, to be exact. "Good lord."

"I don't trust anyone else to even touch these damn things other than you," Liz says, shaking her head. My heart warmed at her words, she was literally the sweetest.

"Good," I say half-jokingly and she laughs gently. I grab my e-file off its little holder and turn it on, preparing to drill the old gel polish off her nails. "So what are we doing today? The usual?"

"I was thinking since it's a special occasion, you coming back to work and all," she says slyly, flashing a mischievous grin as the gel drills off in the form of dust, "we could do something a little crazy."

"What do you have in mind?" I ask simply, concentrating on keeping the drill moving, not wanting to burn her.

"Something colorful," she says, still not sure what she wanted me to do on her nails, "my granddaughter always tells me how plain my nails are and she thinks I need to spice them up."

"Okay," I say, nodding knowingly, "Do you want like a blue? Or pink? Ooh, maybe a purple."

"Hmm, mind if I take a look at these?" she asks, gesturing to the ring of nail colors.

"Oh, go right ahead," I tell her carelessly. With the hand I wasn't working on, she takes it off the hook before taking a moment to look over the colors.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her and how adorable she was. After a few seconds of deciding on a color, she shows me two different nails, one blue and one pink. The same Liz that only ever gets white tips—or occasionally a nude color—was asking for not only one, but two "bright" colors.

"Liz," I say utterly surprised, my eyes widening.

"I know, I know," she says quickly, smiling, "it's adventurous, especially for me. But my granddaughter painted her nails these exact same colors a few weeks ago and it looked so darling on her. She'll be so excited if I get the same colors."

"Wait, you said your granddaughter had pink and blue nails?" I clarify, setting my e-file down now that I had removed all the old gel. I knew Liz's granddaughter and I were around the same age, she was just a few years younger.

"Yeah, she said it's for her boyfriend," she tells me, shrugging. "He's in a band apparently. Or did she say he was? I'm not sure."

"That's...impressive," I say, trying my hardest not to snicker as I caught on to what exactly what was happening here. "Do you know the boyfriend's name?"

"Henry, I think it was?" She tries to recall, her face twisting in thought. "But she showed me a picture of him and he is very handsome. Now, I don't agree with some of the things he wears in some of the pictures she's showed me, but I'm sure he's a nice young man."

I grab my phone off the side of my work desk, preparing to pull up a picture of Harry, wiping the dust off. Soft chuckles manage to escape the restraint that was my sealed lips. A picture of Harry I took on our last day in Anguilla before turning the phone around so the screen was facing her.

"Hold on, let me get my glasses," she excuses herself, holding up her index finger as she reaches down into her purse to retrieve her glasses. After getting them she places them up the bridge of her nose, holding her hands on the sides of my phone to see the picture.

Even with her glasses on, she squints to see my screen. I had to hold back my laughs for the fear that I might make her feel bad...or have her swat me on the arm like she's done before.

"Oh yeah that's him," she says, still inspecting the picture, her mouth hanging open.

"Wait, why do you have a picture of him?" Her eyebrows crinkle as she tears her attention away from the phone to look at me.

"I know him," I say simply, pulling my phone away, "very well."

Liz gasps. "Have you two been together before?"

"A few times actually," I say metaphorically. If Harry was her granddaughter's current boyfriend, that meant Harry and I had been together on and off for the past 8 years.

"Oh that little cheater," she sneers, anger taking over her features.

"No, Liz," I had to stop to finally let out a laugh...as well as a snort. "Your granddaughter's 'boyfriend' is dating half the world's population."

"See?" She says, her eyes wide. "A cheater."

"Liz," I sigh, "his name is Harry Styles. He's a famous singer."

"But..." she looks distressed. "How dare she lie to me?!"

"Sorry." I cringe, hating to be the one to break it to her. "How long has your granddaughter been saying she's dating him?"

"2 years!" She says, her mind blown.

I tried not to laugh, I really did. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you fail.

"So who is he really dating?" Liz asks.

"No idea," I lie, shrugging. A smirk tugs on my lips as I apply bond primer to the area of natural nail she had from the grow out.