matchmaking for experts || h.s au

six

"So, this is..."

"Weird, right?"

"Yeah. And..."

"Insane?"

"Absolutely," Harry agrees with a laugh, and Maia lets out the breath she's been holding, relieved that he seems to be on the same page as she is. That he also finds this whole thing ridiculous.

Absurdity aside, Maia is impressed that Laura manages to pull this off but also angry that she's not given a heads up.

Sure, she had her suspicions when Laura asked her to meet Anton at the cafe because in the few years that she's known Laura, she has never asked other people to do her work. Regardless of how busy she is, she always somehow finds a way to get her job done. But Maia decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Even when she saw Harry sitting all by himself in the cafe with two cups of coffee in front of him, she thought: okay, this is just a coincidence.

But when Harry told her that Laura had met up with Anton during lunch, it all clicked. It wasn't long before realisation crossed Harry's face too and as though she could sense that her two friends finally realised what was happening, they received a text message from Laura in the group chat.

Laura Jones: Surprise! @Maia, you're Harry's date and @Harry, what did I tell you? ;)

Niall Horan: WHAT

Grace Davison: Oh my god... I can't believe you did that!

Niall Horan: no way!

Chelsea: That's amazing! I'm so glad one of you guys chose Maia!!

Maia put her phone away as soon as Niall started asking for proof that she and Harry are indeed on a date.

"Do you want to... Take a seat?" Harry asked, then, and Maia eyed the empty chair before she shook her head. "Oh. Okay. Right yeah, we don't have to do this."

"No, no," Maia shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

She looked around the café one more time. The soft, warm lighting overhead, the calming scent of coffee beans, the low hum of an acoustic version of a song that she's heard playing on the radio a lot — they all feel a little too intimate for Maia. It wasn't until she looked out the window an idea popped in her head.

"Wanna go to the pub instead?"

Harry's eyes darted from the pub across the street to the coffee on the table. "But... the coffee..."

Maia looked at the coffee that he had ordered for her, one that had gone cold no doubt, and she picked up the cup, taking a few sips of it whilst standing. She ignored the weird taste it left on her tongue and her throat, and then tilted her head, "So?"

And that's how they find themselves in a pub, surrounded by people unwinding from a long day at work, welcoming the weekend with alcohol.

Instead of two cups of coffee and two croissants in front of them, they have gin (Maia's) and beer (Harry's) as well as fish and chips because Harry insisted that Maia shouldn't drink on an empty stomach.

"Christ. Laura is crazy, isn't she?" Maia says as she gathers her hair and pulls it into a ponytail, tying it with the black hairband she has around her wrist. She's taken off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair but she's starting to suspect that it's not the warmth in this pub that's making her feel hot. "You know what? I'm gonna kill her."

"I'll help you with the body," Harry offers and that makes her laugh.

"Good," Maia grins. Tension seeps out of her body and she relaxes into her seat. Reaching for her gin, she takes a sip before asking, "So, Harry Styles, what do you usually talk about when you're on a date?"