Commission for Anime-FanGirl666 CH 2

Chapter Two

 
   The problem with having a driver that knew exactly how to get through the city, Kacey decided, was that they got you to your destination much faster.  That wouldn’t be such a problem if not for the roiling mass of nerves that her stomach had turned into at the thought of seeing Harry.

   She really didn’t understand what her problem was.  It wasn’t like she’d never gone to dinner with him before, although usually there were others with them.  And she had seen him fairly recently, so it wasn’t that.  But for some reason that she couldn’t name, tonight seemed very different from the other times she’d hung out with him over the years. (An insidious voice in the back of her mind said that it was just false confidence that Maria had given her, making her think this dinner was more than it was.  She quashed the voice ruthlessly.)

   “Kacey, there you are!  I hope that the ride wasn’t too bad?  I know how city traffic can be.”  And there he was, the man of her dreams.  Dare she say it, her perfect prince.  

   Harry walked over quickly, grabbing Kacey up into a tight hug, with a giant smile on his face the entire time.  She let herself sink into the embrace for a moment, before pulling away with a smile that possibly didn’t reach her eyes.

   “It’s good to see you, I’m so sorry about last night.  If there was any way at all that I could’ve sneaked out, I would have.  It would have been a much more fun night spent with you.  You’re much prettier than the diplomats that I actually spent the night entertaining.”  Harry threw a roguish wink her way, teeth glinting white as he smiled down at her.  Kacey briefly wondered if her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

   “Don’t worry about it, Harry.  I waited for a little while, then went home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  No biggie.”  It was only a small lie, but she still felt a bit bad about it.

   “Well then, maybe we should head inside to our table?  I hope you’re okay with French food.”  Harry waggled his eyebrows ridiculously, startling a laugh out of Kacey.

   “You know I am, you doofus.” She made sure that he could hear the fond exasperation in her voice.  

   Evidently he could, as he smiled wider, if that was possible, and led her inside.  Her butterflies only got worse when he took her arm.

 

   The restaurant was more beautiful than she could have imagined, but Kacey was almost sure that she was biased, because anywhere would be beautiful if she was there spending time with Harry.  

   The lighting was dim, creating a very intimate setting for anyone dining there.  There were small two-seater tables in the main dining room, with two hallways to either side branching off into the dining rooms for parties of three or more.  There was soft music playing, not loud enough to really be listened to, but ensuring that all the patrons would have relative privacy for any conversation taking place during their meals.  

   The hostess obviously recognized Harry, despite the restaurant being fairly new, and led them to their table quickly.  They were seated at the corner of the dining room farthest away from the door.  Kacey was grateful for the dim lighting as she blushed, thinking of how private their little nook seemed.  To avoid any awkward silence as the two of them settled in and began perusing their menus, she decided that small talk would be a good idea.

   “I’m really glad you chose this place, I’ve been dying to try it out.”  She didn’t think that Harry heard her for a moment, but then he flashed her a small, warm smile.

   “I know, that’s why I chose it.”  Damn those butterflies, they were making this difficult.  She was relieved when the waiter came to take their drink orders, and Harry ordered wine for the two of them.  

   “Sorry if you weren’t planning on drinking, I just figured that since Frank can drive you home...”  Kacey quickly interrupted, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

   “No, no, it’s fine.  Especially since I won’t have to catch a cab if I get a little tipsy.  Not that I’m planning to or anything!  I just-”  She turned red as Harry laughed, hoping that he was laughing with her rather than at her.

   “Don’t worry, Kace, I know what you meant.”  He turned his attention back to his menu for a moment, before carefully folding it and putting it to the side.

   “So, what’s been eating at you, kitten?  You’ve been tense since you arrived.”  The puppy dog eyes were killing her, but she somehow resisted.

   “Oh, you know, just work and stuff.  They’ve got some new girl that’s causing problems for everyone.  I’m sure it’ll sort itself out eventually.”  She gave a laugh that sounded fake even to herself.  Harry began to look concerned, and she cursed herself internally for her inability to lie to this man.

   “Well, if it’s causing you so much distress, I’m sure that it is more serious than you’re making it seem.  Do you want me to look into it?  Maybe get her transferred?”  He looked at her so earnestly that she thought her heart might break.  

   Before she could respond, the waiter arrived to take their orders, wine in tow.  Kacey couldn’t have been more thrilled to see the alcohol.  After the waiter took their orders and left, she hurriedly poured herself a glass and took a big gulp of it, not really caring at this point whether or not she looked ridiculous doing it.

   “Woah, are you sure that nothing more serious is bothering you, Kacey?  You’re acting really strange.”  She gnawed on her bottom lip, debating on what she should say now.  He didn’t believe that a problem at work was bothering her, he knew that it wasn’t nothing.  But there was no way on Earth that she would tell him what was really bothering her.

   As she debated on what she could and couldn’t say without dying of shame, their waiter brought out some kind of appetizer that Kacey figured Harry must have ordered when she wasn’t paying attention.  She was glad of the food, it meant that she had an excuse to not say anything.

   

   Throughout the meal, Kacey somehow evaded Harry’s questions, and even ended up enjoying herself somewhat.  However, it was impossible for her to relax at all, because she was constantly afraid that he would guess her secret, that she was in love with him.  

   It made her sad that she couldn’t even manage to be truly at ease around one of her closest friends anymore.  The two of them used to be so close, but slowly her feelings for him had changed their friendship into something stilted and awkward.  She felt like crying at the thought that she was losing Harry, and had no one to blame but herself.

   In what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, the two of them were done with their dinner and ready to leave.  After Harry paid for them (despite Kacey’s protests that she could pay for herself), they made their way out of the restaurant.  Frank was waiting outside, standing near the door.  They walked the short distance to the car in silence, climbing in and getting settled for the short drive.

   When they were pulling out of the restaurant’s parking lot, Harry turned to Frank with a look of determination on his face.

   “Would you mind taking us straight to my place?  I know that I had said that we would be taking Kacey home first, but something’s come up.”  Frank looked at Harry from the rearview mirror.  With what almost looked like a smirk on his face, he simply said, “Of course, it won’t be a problem, sir.”

   Kacey was confused, she had no idea what was going on in Harry’s head.  She trusted him, though, so it didn’t really bother her to be going back to his apartment.