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Harry stared out the restaurant window, anxiously biting his lip and wishing the waitress would stop staring at him from behind the coffee machine. He started to plot a few different ways he could kill Gemma and get away with it. Maybe he could hire a sniper to take her out on her way to work, although that way she wouldn’t have to suffer much. Perhaps a good old fashioned strangling would be more satisfying.
He glanced at his watch, realising this guy was now 25 minutes late. He had had a bad feeling about this whole date ever since Gemma mentioned it last weekend over coffee. She had begged him to go out with Jack, an accountant at the magazine she worked at. She promised he was just Harrys’ type (not that he had even really established what that was) and even took the liberty to book this table for them to meet.
He sighed and took his phone out of his pocket. 30 minutes late. He opened his messages and scrolled to Gemmas name, reading again the time and place to make sure he was where he was supposed to be. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the waitress walking back to his table. Plastering on what he hoped resembled a genuine smile, he looked up.
‘Sorry to ask again, are you sure I can’t get you anything?’ She looked awkward and for a moment Harry wondered who this situation was worse for.
‘Thanks but I’m okay for now’ He pulled the menu towards himself ‘My date will be here soon, I should wait for him’
Harry watched her walk away, tucking her order book and pencil back into her apron. He hated being single, blind dates, the whole lot. He had thought moving to London would make finding like minded men much easier, and while he had no trouble finding one night stands, thanks to Soho and Tinder, he hadn’t exactly found someone who was willing to hang around much longer than a good morning blow job.
A lady at the table next to his was looking at him sadly while whispering to her husband. This had officially escalated from slightly embarrassing to completely mortifying and another look at the clock, confirming Jack was now 45 minutes late, confirmed Harrys suspicion that he probably wasn’t coming.
He opened his last message from Gemma again and started typing. ‘You absolute arse, this Jack guy has stood me up...I hate you’ He stabbed the send button with his finger, looking over to the waitress again. He wondered if it would be rude to wave to her from her not-so-sneaky hiding place behind the bar. Could she be any more obvious in her pity?
His phone vibrated against the table.
‘What! No way! Shall I text him for you, or is that weird? I’m sorry H xxxxxx’ Harry rolled his eyes, his sister was the worst.
‘Yes that would be weird! It’s okay, I think I’m going to call it a night. See you tomorrow? Xx’
He pressed send with slightly less anger this time. It’s not her fault he’s been stood up. Well it sort of is but perhaps it’s not a crime worthy of her death.
The waitress was looking like she was about to come back and Harry weighed up his options. He could admit he had been stood up – awkwardness rating being a solid Level 10. He could go to the bathroom and hope there was a window he could crawl out of. That seemed dramatic even for him, and besides he hadn’t paid for his pint he had already drank, and while he is a lot of things, he is not a thief. Or he could just sit in this chair for the rest of his life, becoming part of the furniture, eventually he would die and they could drag his corpse out into the street and breathe a sigh of relief that he’s finally gone.
None of those options were appealing but the dying in his chair one was definitely the least embarrassing.
He placed his hands on the table, ready to stand up and admit to the waitress that he had been stood up. Maybe he could get home in time for The Bachelor. He could even stop by the pizza shop on his way home. A solid plan.
Suddenly a person was sliding into the chair opposite him, all noise and bluster.
‘Hi love, sooooo sorry i’m late, bloody traffic was awful, hope you weren’t waiting long’ He was talking loudly, shrugging his coat off.
Harry stared wide eyed at the man at his table. This wasn’t Jack, he had done some pre-blind date facebook stalking and while Jack seemed handsome with his blonde hair and muscular shoulders he was nothing on this guy.
The man turned to the side, hanging his coat on the back of his chair, eyeing Harry and whispering quickly to him
‘Just go with it, I’m Louis, I couldn’t watch you squirm over here on your own any longer’
Harry kept staring, he knew he must look ridiculous but he couldn’t believe this was happening. Louis was beautiful with messy brown hair swept over his forehead, blue eyes and a short scruffy beard. He was shorter than Harry and as he adjusted his jumper, Harry caught glimpse of a tattoo across his chest.
‘Erm, I...’
Harry could feel his mouth moving but nothing seemed to be coming out.
‘Relax Curly, consider me your knight in shining armour. That waitress was seconds away from combusting into flame of pure pity.’
He blushed at the nickname ‘Its Harry, I’m sorry I’m just...where did you even come from?’
‘I was outside waiting for the bus’ He pointed to a bus stop just over the road from the window Harry had been staring out of. It was dark and rainy outside, he couldn’t make much out. ‘You’ve been sat here for nearly an hour on your own, did someone stand you up or something? That’s a shitty move’ Louis reached for a menu, opening it up and casually perusing the starter section.
Harry was partly embarrassed he had been so obvious, but he was also grateful for Louis’s timely appearance. The waitress was smiling widely at him from her position behind the bar.
‘I...erm...yeah was meant to be meeting someone. My sister set me up on a date with someone she works with’
Louis looked up, a smile on his face and Harry was absolutely positive he had forgotten how to breathe.
‘Oh god, sisters are the bloody worst aren’t they. I’ve got four of em, so I know all about it’
His eyebrows shot up ‘Four?!’
‘Yep, and a brother. Thank god he came along, I was getting seriously outnumbered. I think I’ll have the chicken and mushroom, looks decent. What are you having, must have bloody memorised the entire menu by now, you’ve been sat here long enough’
Harry smiled. This situation was a bit crazy, but it was an improvement on his situation ten minutes ago. And besides, Louis was gorgeous. Harry almost couldn’t believe this was happening.
The waitress approached the table again, ready to take their order.
He looked at Louis, he almost seemed to be glowing.
‘Yeah I think I’ll have the same’ he said
He watched while Louis ordered two chicken and mushrooms and two pints, managing to make the waitress laugh at least twice while he did it.
He thought maybe he ought to pick Gemma up some flowers on his way home.