“Well, I think I’m definitely bordering on that sexual harassment thing now, so I’m going to let you go clock out and station myself behind the counter until you leave,” Janine added.
“It’s okay. Really,” Larissa replied. “I’m not uncomfortable or worried about you. I’m not going to get you in trouble.”
“It’s fine. I just need to be real: the owner will be back in town after an extended vacation. That can only mean she’s going to be here more herself, so she won’t need me to manage things much longer. I need to start looking for another job, and, hopefully, it won’t be awkward for you for too much longer.”
“It’s not awkward, I promise. Maybe we can be friends? Work or no work.”
“Possibly. Have a good night, Larissa,” Janine said with a smile.
“You too,” Larissa replied and headed toward the back, where she clocked out and grabbed her stuff, including her bag, which she never left in her car when she went inside anywhere.
Harlow had told her to put it in the trunk when they’d gone grocery shopping once, and Larissa had explained that her laptop was in there.
“You back everything up on the cloud and report it to the cops as stolen,” Harlow had argued.
“And what would I type on in the meantime? Besides, the cops won’t buy me a new computer,” she’d argued back.
“You’d just use mine. And if you needed help, I’d help you with the money part.”
“So, I should leave my bag with my computer in it in my car instead of carrying it with me because I back things up on the cloud, could file a police report, and could borrow your computer? Makes a lot of sense, Harlow.”
Harlow had just laughed in response and had taken Larissa’s bag off her shoulder to carry it herself.
Larissa didn’t know what had made her think of Harlow as she walked to her car in the parking lot, but she was still thinking about her as she sat at the table in the library, trying to focus on what she was reading. She didn’t want Harlow to move an hour away, and not because Harlow carried her bag sometimes. She liked having her around. Yes, Harlow was a distraction sometimes, but she also helped Larissa stay on task, was fun to watch movies with, made the best popcorn, and didn’t use all the hot water when she showered.
Larissa knew what she wanted to do then, and it made sense in so many ways. Harlow could just move in permanently, or at least until she moved in with someone else one day. She could pay Larissa a small amount in rent, but nothing close to what she’d pay that apartment complex, and that would give Larissa a little extra money should the bookstore lay people off, and she and Harlow would still have time together. They lived together so well, in her opinion, that she thought Harlow might not even care about the longer drive to work, especially with how much money she’d be saving in rent. She smiled as she closed her computer, having a plan to ask Harlow that night, and she packed up her things because she was getting nothing done at the library anyway.
Then, she remembered that Harlow hadn’t come home last night, and her mood went from excited and happy to sad and confused instantly. Harlow hadn’t texted her or otherwise let her know that she wasn’t going to be there, and that really could only mean that she’d gone home with a woman. Larissa wasn’t ready to process what that meant for her right now, so she stood, left the study room she had been able to snag, and exited the library. When she got into her car, she decided to text Harlow to see if she’d reply.
Larissa: Hey, leaving the library. Want me to pick up something for dinner?
She started the car, not expecting a fast response, but her phone dinged seconds later, so she took a look.
Harlow: Sure. I’m not there yet, but I should be in about an hour. Can it be pizza or something I can reheat?
‘She’s still not at the house,’ Larissa thought to herself, and typed that she’d get their usual pizza order.
Then, she drove home, wondering where Harlow had been all night and now, all day, too.
CHAPTER 16
“Alicia, I swear, I did not take your jacket. Why would I even do that? It wouldn’t fit me. Your boobs are way bigger than mine, and my shoulders are broader.”
“I’m not suggesting you stole it on purpose, but that you might have it. I can’t find it.”
“How is it thatI’mthe one with stuff still in boxes, andyou’relosing stuff?”
“Because of the two of us, you’re the organized one.”
“Yeah, you really let this place go since I left. I thought you were going to move out, too. That was the plan. Then, you renewed the lease by yourself.”
Harlow slipped on her shoes by the door.
“I was. I started packing, but I was too lazy to look for a new apartment, and moving is expensive, so I decided to renew for six months and find something later. Not all of us have a best friend with a guest room we can crash in whenever we’re between apartments. Why are you leaving already? We can have dinner or something, if you want. I’ve had fun with you today. It’s almost like now that we’re broken up, I like youmore.”
“Thanks?” she asked as a joke. “And what, now that sex is off the table, it’s easier to hang out with me?”
“No, now that I’m no longer worried about you leaving me for Larissa, you’re more fun to be around. I think I carried thatworry for most of our relationship, and now I don’t have to. Whatever you decide to do is on you and whoever you decide to date next. They can deal with you.”
