Vera
The pounding in my head is enough to pull me from my sleep, sending me into a spiral of regret.
Who let me drink that much?
Thinking back on it I didn't even have that many shots. I didn't end up eating anything before so I think it hit me harder than it should have. Thank God for that though because I wouldn't have had the courage to go up to that guy.
When Grace initially mentioned that a guy from the bar had been looking over at me I didn't really think much of it. It wasn't like I'd ever see him again. But when she suggested I actually go up to him I was hesitant. Ethan and I only broke up three days ago. The thought of being with someone else hadn't even crossed my mind.
The more I thought about it though the more I saw where Grace was coming from. She wanted me to get my mind off Ethan. She definitely knew I wouldn't end up going home with him or anything but dancing with him could serve as a distraction.
In the end, I decided to go for it, if only for the sake of putting myself out there. I would've never done something like this before Ethan and especially not while I was with him. It couldn't hurt to see where it went.
Swallowing the shot without any Sprite, I back away from the table.
"Wish me luck," I say before turning and walking away from them.
Walking toward the bar, I try to steel my nerves. The worst that happens is I read the situation wrong and he rejects me. In the best-case scenario, I dance with him and call it a night.
I spot him where he was earlier, at the edge of the bar, drink in his hand. His gaze lands on me when he sees me approaching, eyes slightly widening. A smirk appears on his face when I finally reach him.
"Hi," I say, taking in his features. He has light brown hair that looks almost sandy depending on the way the light hits him. His blue eyes bore into me as I look over his face, finding a bit of stubble littering the lower half of it.
"Hey there," he says, eyes taking a moment to scan the length of my body.
"This might be forward, but would you want to go dance?" I ask, getting straight to the point.
I'm prepared to head back to the table when he opens his mouth to respond. "Sure," he says, surprising me.
"That was easy," I mumble, not meaning to say it out loud.
He chuckles, "How could I say no to a girl in a dress like that?" he asks. I send him a small smile and before I know it he's setting his drink down on the bar and grabbing my hand.
The man whose name I don't know pulls me out to the dance floor, finding a good spot to stop. The music slows down right at this moment, making it a more difficult song to dance to. When he turns to face me, I lift my arms, figuring I should put them somewhere. I rest my hands on his shoulders, starting to move with him to the music.
It's different from when I danced with Zayn earlier. That was more upbeat and ended with my feet kind of hurt. I doubt that'll happen after this.
I feel the skin on mine and look to find one of his hands resting on my outstretched arm, the other sneaking down to rest on my hip. I haven't had anyone touch me other than Ethan in so long. It's not even that dramatic of a hand placement but it still throws me for a loop.
I freeze when he takes it further, using both of his hands to pull my hips into him. My arms extend around him, ending up wrapped around his neck. I swallow at the close contact, not knowing how to react.
He smiles down at me as he keeps moving. Everyone around us dances to the tempo of the music, whether it's alone or with someone else. His hips start grinding down into mine as I notice a couple near us start to kiss as they dance.
Oh, God.
He must have seen the two people next to us because he tries to follow their example, leaning down and bringing his face dangerously close to mine. He pauses for a moment, trying to build some kind of tension before he leans in further. Before his lips can touch mine, I pull away from him, dropping my arms and taking a step back.
His face is full of confusion as he stares at me and the now larger space between us. "I'm sorry, I can't do this. Thank you for the dance," I throw out before turning and speeding away from him. I feel bad just leaving him standing there but I felt suffocated all of a sudden and needed to get away.
I didn't mind dancing with him but kissing him would have been too much. I'm not ready for that. I'm not sure when I will be but I definitely don't want it to be someone random in a club.
I ended up heading back to the table and seeing that Harry had disappeared. Grace said he went to the bathroom and that they were ready to start heading out. When asked me how it went I left out the part where I ran away from the guy and told her it went fine.
Zayn had paid for the drinks while I was gone so we all grabbed our things and started heading out. Niall went into the bathroom to check for Harry but he wasn't there so we assumed he went outside.
When we stepped out we found him standing on the sidewalk a little bit away from the club. He called an Uber once he saw us but we had to wait outside till it came. The cold air was biting at my skin as I was standing on the sidewalk, the alcohol starting to hit me.
Harry surprised me by letting me have his jacket. I was hesitant to take it because that would leave him in only a t-shirt but the warmth of the too-large jacket was too appealing. The scent of his cologne filled my senses as I focused on the vanilla in it.
When the car finally showed up, I wobbled over to it and got inside. Niall decided to stay over at Grace's so we all rode the elevator up to our floor and separated when we reached our doors.
I don't remember much of what happened but I know I got my dress off by myself this time, falling into bed once I did. Now sitting up in bed, I see my dress on the floor by my bed. Harry's jacket sits on the other side of my bed, at the foot of it.
Peeling back my covers, I start to get out of bed, shivering when my feet hit the cold hardwood floor. I walk to my bathroom, peeing before rushing to take off my makeup. Once my face is clean of product, I turn to the shower and start the water, needing to wash the night off me.
I brush through my hair as the water heats, stepping into the shower when I see steam coming out from the top of it.
I let the hot water soak my hair and warm my body, instantly relaxing. I shampoo and condition my hair, the lavender scent filling the shower. Once my legs are shaved and my body is clean, I step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around myself.
I moisturize my face and body before leaving the bathroom to get dressed. Wanting to stay warm, I grab a pair of sweatpants and a crewneck, throwing them on.
When I walk back into my room, I grab Grace's dress off the floor, put it back on a hanger, and hang it on my closet door to give back later. I place her heels under the dress before quickly making my bed.
I grab Harry's jacket and leave my room, heading into the living room. The silence in the apartment tells me that Harry's at the gym. I set his jacket down on the couch for him to grab later before walking into the kitchen.
I don't have work till later today so I have time to actually make breakfast. Before I start cooking, I fill a glass with water and take two aspirin for my headache.
Facing the fridge, I scan its contents, pulling out fruit and yogurt. I wash all the fruit before grabbing a bowl and scooping some of the yogurt into it. I pile the fruit on top, finding honey in the cabinet and drizzling some on top.
Gathering my breakfast, a spoon, and a napkin, I walk over to the couch, sit down and eat a spoonful of yogurt. I decide to not turn on the tv, knowing the noise will just hurt my head more. I eat in silence, sporadically looking out the window and taking in the sun.
I wash my bowl when I'm done eating, drying it, and putting it back in its place before walking back into my room. Work starts in an hour so I might as well start getting ready.
My hair is still damp so to avoid drying it I quickly put it in two french braids to get it out of my face. Not wanting to put makeup on, I grab my uniform from my closet. I layer a long sleeve under my shirt and grab a denim jacket.
Dressed, I grab my tote bag and walk back into the kitchen to pack something for my break. I throw a granola bar in my bag and quickly throw together a sandwich too, packing it up. When I see I still have some time, I make a Chai in a to-go cup before heading out the door. I lock it behind me and go down to my car, starting to drive to work.
The sun is out but that doesn't stop a chill from taking over my body the second I step out into the cold air. Rushing inside the flower shop, I nod to the employee at the register before walking to the back room.
When I step inside, I find Jane standing by the couches scrolling on her phone. She's wearing a light green dress that pops against her dark skin. She has white heels that match a white bag hanging from her shoulder.
"You look so pretty," I say as I walk into the room, getting her attention.
She smiles as she says, "Thank you."
"What's the occasion," I ask, wondering why she's so dressed up at work.
"I just finished my shift but I brought clothes to change into for a date," she explains.
"That dress is perfect. I hope it goes well," I tell her.
"Me too," she says before glancing down at her phone, "Shit, I need to go or I'll be late."
Jane rushes to grab her bag which probably contains her uniform. "Have fun," I say as she moves past me to get to the door.
"Thank you," she says eagerly, "I'll give you details later," she promises before slipping out the door.
When she's gone I realize I haven't had that kind of excitement for a date in a while. Toward the end of my relationship with Ethan, going out together wasn't as special as it used to be. It was more of us having to make time to see each other. I miss the feeling of buzzing with excitement to see someone.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I set my things down and take my jacket off before leaving the break room to start work.
The day goes by faster than I expected, customers flooding in randomly. I package enough orders to last me a lifetime and develop an annoyance with the sound of the cash register. My break did little to console me since the shop was still busy when it was over.
By the time my shift ended I was dying to get home. Throwing on my jacket and grabbing my bag, I leave the break room and wave bye to the girl at the register, giving her a look that says 'good luck.'
Since my shift started later today, I'm not surprised to find that the sun is setting when I leave the shop. My drive home is filled with squinting as I try to see the road around the sunlight.
When I do get home, I find the apartment empty again. It's Saturday so Harry's at the club. I know he's not fighting this week but he still went to watch. His jacket is gone from its place on the couch though, so he did come home at some point.
I walk into my room, rapidly changing into pj's for the night before going back to the kitchen. I'm starving after being on my feet all day so I decide to make the fastest meal for me and start boiling some pasta. Pulling out the sauce we already have in the fridge, I pour some onto the pasta and grab the bowl to head to the couch. This time, I turn on the tv, resuming the movie that Grace interrupted yesterday.
I eat my dinner and finish off the movie, washing my dishes when I'm done. It's not that late but I'm hit with a wave of tiredness and decide to call it a night. I walk into my room and brush my teeth before pulling back my covers, climbing into bed, and letting the darkness of my room lull me to sleep.
...
Pulling myself out of bed is much easier when I don't have a raging headache. I'm not surprised to see that it's earlier than I usually wake up, considering how early I went to bed last night.
I force myself out of the warmth of my comforter and walk to the bathroom. After I do what I normally do, I start taming my hair. I slept with it in braids and the frizz on top of my head is immense.
I start undoing the braids, running my fingers through the top of my head. My hair falls against my shoulders in waves as I grab a small clip. I take a bit of hair from the front pieces and clip it together behind my head, keeping my face clear of hair and the waves still intact.
Leaving my bathroom, I walk into my closet and put on leggings and a hoodie since I'm not doing anything today.
Welcoming the silence of the empty apartment, I head into the kitchen, quickly making a Chai and just buttering two pieces of toast for breakfast. I sit at the counter and grab my laptop that was already there, deciding to dedicate the next few hours to homework. I don't have that much, to begin with, but I need to edit an essay and start researching for another one.
After eating my breakfast, I start working, looking through the rubrics for each essay to see exactly what I need. It takes about two hours to finish everything up and I even managed to make an outline with the research I did. Outlining for essays always tricks me into writing out the main points I want to make and saves time for later so I always try to do one.
Out of boredom, I walk back to the fridge and open it to see if there's anything good. We're running low on a lot of things. I mentally take note of it all and decide to take a trip to the grocery store.
I put on shoes in my room and grab my bag before leaving the apartment. I lock up and head down to my car, driving to the closest grocery store. Once I'm inside, I grab everything we need plus a few extra things. I've slowly learned almost everything that Harry eats and likes to have in the house. We were completely out of a few things so if I see something I know he likes I just grab it.
I head to the self-checkout with a full cart, scanning and bagging everything before paying and heading out of the store. Getting back home, I groan at the sight of my trunk when I realize I'll have to make two trips.
I grab as many bags as I can, close my trunk and lock my car, and head to the elevator. When I get to the apartment, I drop the bags down in the kitchen and go back down for the remaining ones.
Putting everything away doesn't take me too long and gives me an opportunity to reorganize the fridge. Stepping back I look at the result and it makes me smile. Small things like that can make my day sometimes.
I lean on the counter as I think about what else I can get done. Catching sight of my devil's ivy, I realize my plants need water and grab the spray bottle I always use. Once it's full, I walk over to the ivy and start watering it. I've kind of neglected my plants lately so I make sure I get every leaf. I get all my plants before moving on to the peace lily. It's still small so I'm careful not to drown it with the spray bottle.
I place the spray bottle back in its place and walk back to my room. Since I have time to kill, I might as well finish the book I got on my birthday. I find it on my dresser and take it back out to the living room, settling down on the couch.
I start reading, flipping through the pages of the short romance book. I was enjoying it until one of the characters did something that made me cringe. Not being able to read the rest of the scene, I grab my phone to take a break from the book.
I scroll on social media, being careful about what I'm looking at. I've had to avoid going on my phone lately because the new Thor movie came out and I haven't been able to see it yet. People on the internet don't know how to use spoiler warnings and I hate accidentally getting spoiled.
I'm speedily scrolling past anything that could be about Marvel when the front door opens. I turn my head and see Harry coming through the door. I didn't see him at all yesterday and I wondered if today would be the same.
"Hey," I say as he steps into the living room. I take in his usual appearance of black sweatpants and black hoodies. I think wearing white the other night was too much for him. He had to retreat into the dark colors he always wears.
"Hey," he says as he drops his duffel bag on the floor. Walking into the kitchen, Harry pours a glass of water, practically chugging it before filling it a second time. Once he's done with that one too, he sets the glass down and picks him his bag again.
"I'm going to shower," he says and walks to his room. I set my phone down and pick up the book again, deciding to brave through the scene. I'm finishing the chapter when Harry comes back, now dressed in shorts instead of sweats and with wet hair.
He opens the fridge, taking in the new contents before turning to me, "You went shopping?" he asks.
I nod, "I got everything you usually put in your protein shakes since you were running low."
"Thanks," he says and starts pulling those ingredients out. I go back to my book again as he starts blending everything. He comes to the couch a few minutes later with the protein shake and a plate with a sandwich on it.
Harry eats as I read more of this book, getting close to finishing it. He stands up to take his dishes to the sink when I get an idea.
"Do you want to go see the new Thor movie later?" I ask, catching his attention.
"What?" he asks, looking up.
"The new Thor movie came out a couple of days ago and I've been dying to see it. We could go later," I suggest.
When he takes too long to answer I continue, "Please tell me you like Marvel."
"I do," he says, making me feel relieved.
"I would've had to move out right now if you said no," I joke. A smirk grows on Harry's face as he continues washing his dishes, slightly shaking his head.
"So do you want to go see it?" I ask again.
"Sure," he says, turning the sink off.
"I'll check what times they have," I say and grab my phone, opening the app I always buy movie tickets on. I find the theater closest to us and look at the times for the showings today.
"They have one for 3:45," I say. Harry checks the time on the stove, seeing that it's almost three.
"That's fine," he says, stepping out from behind the counter.
"I'll text Grace and see if they want to come too," I say, starting to open my texts.
"Don't bother," Harry says, stopping me.
"Why?" I ask.
"Grace and Niall don't like Marvel and Zayn's stuck at work all day," he explains.
"How did I not know this about Grace?" I ask, feigning true shock.
"The ultimate betrayal," Harry says, tone humorous.
"I'll go get changed then," I say, chuckling and standing up from the couch. I grab my book and phone, walk to my room, and set the book down on my nightstand. I open the app again, buying two tickets to the 3:45 showing. Having them online saves time from having to buy them in the theater.
I walk into my closet to start getting changed. Pulling out a pair of jeans, I tug them on and reach for a big black sweater. I search through my shoes until I find a pair of gray and black sneakers and put them on.
Dressed, I decide to leave my hair the same. I grab my phone and my purse from the other night, heading back out to the living room. Harry's sitting on the couch waiting for me. He stands when he sees me and I take in his outfit. He chose black jeans and a gray sweater, pairing it with white sneakers.
"Ready?" he asks.
I nod and start moving toward the door. Harry follows behind me and we step out, locking the door behind us. He unlocks his car when we reach it, turning on the heater once we're inside.
"Which theater?" he asks.
I tell him the theater I chose and he starts driving. We get out of the car once Harry parks, walking into the theater. We're met with lines to the snack stand, and the ticket booth to the right of us. Harry starts walking to the booth but I stop him.
"No need," I say.
"What?" he asks, confused.
"I bought the tickets online earlier," I explain.
"Why?" he asks.
"Saves time," I reply.
"Fine, but I'm buying food," he says and starts walking to the shortest line he sees.
I follow after him and we wait until it's our turn to order. Harry asks for a large bucket of popcorn and gummy bears.
"Gummy bears?" I ask.
"Yeah, weren't they your favorite candy?" he asks.
I smile at the thought that he actually remembered it. I only mentioned it once so I didn't think it would stick. Not even Ethan remembered little things like that.
Harry asks for two bottles of water before paying. We grab everything and head over to the entrance of the actual theaters. I pull up the tickets on my phone, letting the man at the entrance scan them.
"Theater 5 on your left," he tells us. I thank him and we start walking, finding the right theater and our seats inside.
We sit down with perfect timing, the lights turning off for the previews to start. I rip open the package of gummy bears, pulling out a red one.
The red ones are the best.
I hold out the package to Harry, offering him some. He eyes the bag skeptically before reaching in and grabbing a handful. We sit through the previews before the movie actually starts. I've already seen most of the trailers but they're still fun to watch.
When the movie actually starts, I get excited. Nothing beats watching a Marvel movie in theaters.
Harry and I seem to be having the same experience. We laugh at the same times and get shocked at the same reveals. Halfway through, I decide I want some popcorn and reach my hand out. Harry's been holding onto it the entire movie so I have to reach over the armrest between us to get to it.
The second my hand enters the popcorn bucket, Harry's does the same, brushing against mine. I pull my hand back, whispering, "Sorry."
Harry seems tense for a second before he holds out the bucket for me, letting me have it. I grab a handful of popcorn before letting him take it back.
We watch the rest of the movie, enjoying every second until the end credits start rolling. I furrow my brows at the people who get up and leave once the movie ends. I look over at Harry and he has the same expression as he watches the people leave.
"Embarrassing," I say jokingly.
"Very," he replies.
We wait for the post-credit scene, finally leaving the theater after we watch it. When we get back to the car, I check the time and see that it's almost 6:30 pm.
"Are you hungry?" I ask Harry. I know we ate popcorn during the movie but I never count that as food.
"I could eat," he replies.
We ended up driving around until we found a sushi restaurant that had an open table. Sushi always ends with me wanting to take a nap so I was tired by the time we left the restaurant. When we got home, I thanked Harry for coming to see the movie with me. He nodded like he always does and headed to his room.
It's too early for me to sleep but I can use this time to finally finish the book. I go to my room and get changed, crawling into bed once my teeth are brushed. I pick up the book and start reading, eventually dozing off once the words on the page start to blur together.
Vera's Outfit
A/N: We literally wrote this weeks before the Thor movie came out (which I loved). Are any of you Marvel fans ??