Sweetened || HS AU

• twenty-two •

| Jailen |

It's so easy to leave an impression on children.

That's why it's best to be on your best behavior around them. They pick up on everything. They notice everything. Even if you think they aren't paying attention. I've always been pretty cautious about what I do in front of Hayden, or at least I've always tried to.

Kids make mistakes, though, so of course she'd slip up and do something she wasn't supposed to and it was nothing to let her know that something wasn't appropriate calmly.

And we'd be fine.

Hayden was a good child.

So, can you imagine my surprise when her principal called me and demanded that we have a conference? She said it was urgent and to say that my anxiety was through the roof was an understatement. It was past the roof. It was probably up in fucking space somewhere.

I couldn't keep my leg from bouncing as I waited in the office. I felt like I was in trouble. There was nothing but the sound of a ticking clock to keep me distracted but I've been here for a little over fifteen minutes and it was starting to drive me crazy.

Just when I decided that I was going to go outside and get some fresh air, a knock sounded on the door. I didn't say anything, this wasn't my house. I turned and looked at the doorknob as it turned.

Maybe I was hallucinating. That had to have been the only logical answer, right?

Because there was no way Harry was walking through the door right now. He smirked at me as if he already knew I was here, "Hi, sweetie."

"Why are you here?" I asked, watching as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Bien, bébé," He moved to sit in the chair next to me, lifting one leg over the other and resting his hand on his ankle, "I was in a meeting, right, and my phone was ringing like fucking nonstop, but it wasn't my work phone, it was my personal phone, so I figured it was important, yeah?" Harry sighed, undoing the single button on his blazer and relaxing further into the seat, "I forgot my assistant transferred my contact information over to Hayden's school when she started-"

"She's been in school for a year now, Harry," I said, slowly connecting the dots in my head, "No way you've been-"

"Anyway," He waved me off, "They wanted to speak with both parents, so I canceled the meeting and got here as soon as I could. I hoped to make it here before you so I could surprise you, maybe even hide behind the door, and then jump out when you walked in." He was full-on grinning now, his teeth on full display as he chewed his gum obnoxiously, yet somehow, I didn't think he was joking, "You beat me here though."

I stared at him in disbelief. I don't even think I was mad. I was more confused than anything. How was her school so careless to trust that this random man was her father? Why did they call him even after getting in contact with me? Why couldn't I stop staring at him?

Surely, it was the suit he was wearing. It was a simple black suit, tailored to perfection as always and hugging every inch of his body but I swore this man got more good-looking by the day. His hair was curlier than usual, and his sunglasses resting on the top of his head and keeping his hair from falling into his face, his eyes greener than they normally are. He looked... happy.

"You're weird," were the only words I could manage to spit out at first, "This is weird."

"No, it isn't," Harry shrugged, reaching over and grabbing my wrist, but I didn't try and pull my arm away from him, I just looked down at his fingers and frowned, "What's weird is you acting like the other night didn't happen."