Office Hours |h.s|

twenty six

Maude

"Is it just me, or is Charlie's head ten times bigger?" Ben teases as Charlie walks over to our table in the library.

Everyone laughs as he rolls his eyes and takes his usual seat next to me. "Yeah, yeah, you're all just jealous that I'm a big shot intern and you're all stuck begging me for details on this big case."

He wraps an arm around me, squeezing me into his side as I laugh. If only he knew... "Well Charlie, for your information we should be enemies right now considering my family is the one representing the other side." I remind him.

It's only a great excuse for me, considering Harry talks to me about the case when it really stresses him out, and now if I ever let information slip, I can blame my sudden knowledge on the case on my dad talking to me about it. It's kind of genius honestly.

Thursday night study groups have been getting a little more important now that our coursework is getting more intense the closer we get to the end of the semester. We've talked about adding in a Tuesday meeting, and while I'm not too thrilled about that considering that's usually when Harry and I have time to spend together, I also need to get serious about school. H and I will just have to work things out.

In a way, I wish I didn't commit to the group that I would go to this Halloween party over the weekend. I know I'm young and should be partying with my friends and getting into a moderate amount of trouble, but I do wish Harry and I could go away for the weekend again. I'd love more than anything to escape back to Maine and avoid the whole dressing up thing all together.

I'm only twenty two, about to turn twenty three, and I think in the beginning of the semester I did act my age. But ever since Harry came into my life, I'll admit to growing up a little bit. He's a lot older than me, and lives a quieter, more mature life. At the same time though, he has loosened up a lot more since we met. He doesn't gel his hair back as much as he used to, and he'll pick a plain t-shirt over a button down on a day off.

Even though he's older than me and we really shouldn't have much in common, I feel like with the way my family was, I was forced to grow up quickly. Maybe that's why I've never felt this overwhelming urge to date someone my own age. I've tried many times before I met Harry, but those relationships never lasted too long anyway. It could also just be my daddy issues that make me feel safe and appreciated by Harry.

At the end of the day, I just want to be with him. I would take a quiet weekend in Maine with him over this crazy Halloween bender here with my friends any day.

Charlie spends the first twenty minutes of our study group bragging about everything he gets to do at the office. He makes it all sound way cooler than it is, but in reality all he's telling us is how he runs coffees and reads phone records all day long. I have to hold in laughs since I've become accustomed to Harry complaining about Charlie being an annoying kiss ass.

He looks over at me, shaking his head. "But Maude, when he found out your dad was going to be representing the prosecution, shit that was a little scary."

All eyes are on me now, which isn't too pleasant since I know I'm going to really have to play up the fact that I hate Harry. I glance down at the table, doodling circles onto my paper as he continues to talk. "Like fuck, I didn't know he hated him that bad. And to say that all the Sterlings are pigs, god if that door wasn't locked I would have gone in there and put him in his place. I don't care if he would have fired me, I hate hearing people talk about you like that."

I offer him a tight smile, shrugging a bit, "It's fine, I know they hate each other. He's just an ass, and he knows my dad and his firm are better." My heart aches as those words leave my lips and I wish I never said them.