hospitality ❥ h.s

four

I didn't sleep that night. Or the night after that. I couldn't sleep because of Rowan; my mind kept filling up with random thoughts of her. One second I would be thinking about what to have for breakfast the following day, and the next I would be wondering what Rowan's favorite thing for breakfast is. It's weird.

I'm not going to lie, I do like Rowan. I like her a lot actually; she's kind, funny, energetic, and has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. It's really a shame that we only met for the first time on Saturday, otherwise I would make an effort to get closer to her.

But with it being Monday today, I get to see her once again. I made sure to dress neater and put some cologne on, hoping to impress her this way. If I did, I'd consider myself lucky, but if I didn't, I would end up making a fool out of myself in front of her, and I don't want that.

By the time I arrived at The Cheesecake Factory, I was beyond nervous. My eyes kept shifting between the crowd of people walking in front of me as I stood outside the entrance and my wrist watch. I've always been an impatient person. And as the minutes passed without her showing up, I was beginning to think I had been tricked once again.

I should have known. After all, why would a pretty girl like Rowan want to hang out with me? I'm not worth her time, I'm not worth anyone's time.

"Expecting someone?" A voice asked from behind me.

I sighed and nodded my head, not wanting to face this person. And after a short pause I finally said, "Yeah, but I'm not sure she's showing up anymore. I should have known this would happen, I'm nothing but a joke." I made sure to mutter that last part.

"Harry, you shouldn't speak of yourself that way," the voice spoke again, this time the voice coming out in a scolding manner.

Predicting who the mystery person might be, I turned around with a hopeful smile on my face, and once I was able to detect who it was, the smile grew involuntarily.

"Of course it was you," I said to her, "only you would speak to a random stranger out on the street."

"Now now, let's not backtrack on our relationship," Rowan stated, crossing her arms, "after all, we're friends now." And after another short pause that followed her sentence, she pulled me into a welcoming hug. I froze for a moment, but then hugged back when she didn't let go.

"How was your Sunday?" I asked her once she let go of the friendly embrace.

She fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt while she answered. "It was fine, how was yours?"

"It was fine," I repeated, and we walked away from The Cheesecake Factory while we talked. "Are we not going to have lunch together?"

"I was thinking we could take a stroll around the area instead," Rowan responded, her smile finally coming out of hiding.

"Okay," I said, then paused for a moment. "So, did you happen to bump into any other strangers before you arrived, or did you just plan to be fashionably late?"

"For your information Harry, I wasn't late. You were just early."

I laughed. "Oh really? Because if I remember correctly, you said to be here at eleven, and right now it is," I checked my watch, "eleven thirty-seven. Therefore, you were late."

"Alright, I apologize for my tardiness," she held her hands up in defense, "but I have a good reason."

"Which is?"

"I slept in." I rolled my eyes at her pathetic excuse. "Okay, I'm sorry!" Her beautiful smiled then quickly transformed into a pout. "Will you forgive me?"