Catching Red Eyes - NYC

Chapter 129

"I'll do my best."

After another hour of perfecting my plan, I waited impatiently at my kitchen table. I heard my phone buzz from a text. It was Harry.

*On my way*

My heart fluttered. Oh, shit. I probably looked a mess. I ran into the bathroom and did the best I could with my hair and makeup. My cheeks were already flushed and I prayed the city traffic would be in my favor right now as I ran the straighter through my messy knotted hair. Thankfully, the heat worked and calmed my mop of hair just as I heard a knock at the door.

I grabbed my phone as I ran to the door. I pulled it back and there he was dressed in a white sheer shirt, dark pants, black boots, and sunglasses. His hair was pulled back from his face and he smelled his usual divine woodsy sweet smell. I could have cried at his perfection. I watched as he took off his sunglasses and looked me up and down as his green eyes turned dark.

"H-hi. Come in," I said, stepping back and letting him inside. "What are your plans tonight?" I asked, leading him over to the kitchen island. I could cut the sexual tension with a knife but I tried to ignore it.

"Tonight? Nothing, as of yet."

"Listen, ok, this is going to be a lot of information at once but you have got to trust me on this."

He nodded and I was so distracted by his presence, I had to turn my eyes somewhere else.

"Meredith is crazy and I am afraid if she finds out that I was the one who told Graysen about what happened in Ireland, she is going to go even more insane then she already is, so I came up with a plan to make her confess she was lying. By now, she might even know that I was the one who told Graysen and is plotting my death as we speak, but what is more important right now is your reputation. Graysen isn't talking to me which means I have no idea if he told anyone about her lies. So, we need to get to the source to make her confess."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Harry asked, looking at me with interest. I was relieved he was actually going along with this.

"Call her and ask her to dinner tonight. Tell her you  want to be with her but she needs to be honest with you about everything...starting with what happened in Ireland..."

Harry's eyes grew wide and he started shaking his head. "Rowan, I can't do that."

"Harry, please listen to me. If Graysen is as angry as I think he is then he is going to come after you."

"I have bodyguards for these reasons."

"Yes, and Graysen knows this so he is going to come after you in a different way. I am not 100% on this and I hardly know Graysen but he is beyond furious with you because of what Meredith accused you of. If he can't physically get to you, then he will find another way. Even if I am wrong about all this, we both deserve to know what happened in Ireland...right?"

"Slow down, Rowan. I don't think I am comfortable telling Meredith I feel that way. What if Graysen is lying to you about what Meredith said?"

"He isn't, ok? Look, I know this all sounds crazy but coming from a business perspective, you have got to do this. Celebrities accused of shit like this, true or not, never regain their standing. People will boycott, you will lose fans and I cannot let that happen to you."

Harry looked at me. His eyes locked in mine. We were like this for a few minutes until he spoke. "So, I should do this..."

I let out the breath I was holding and nodded. "Yes. It is the only way to prove she is lying."

"Rowan, what if I find out she is lying and nothing actually happened in Ireland. What will happen with us?"

I hadn't thought of that. I was so focused on protecting Harry that I didn't think about what would happen if nothing actually happened in Ireland. "Let's talk about that after we find out the truth, ok? I know that you didn't force yourself on her, that I know is true and that is what we focus on, ok?"

Harry nodded and took my hand in his. The electricity between us that I had missed over the last few weeks was ignited. I felt it everywhere, from my bones to my nerves to my heart skipping a beat.

"Thank you, Rowan for coming up with this," he said, leaning into me and squeezing my hand. It took all I had in me not to melt into him. "I-I wish I could remember what happened in Ireland so we could put this behind us." 

"I know, me too and of course, Harry. Now, call Meredith."

I felt an ache when he released my hand but somehow was comforted knowing I might be able to touch him again after all this was over. I saw Harry hit the send button and watched as he put it on speakerphone and laid it down on the island.

"Harry, what a pleasant surprise to hear from you. Miss me already?" Her voice made my skin crawl. I curled up my lip to signify my disgust.

"Actually, yes. Would you like to have dinner tonight with me? I want to talk about...us," he said into the phone but not breaking eye contact with me. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"That sounds wonderful. Same place and time as last night?"

I nodded.

"Yes, same time and place."

"I can't wait to see you, Harry."

"I can't wait to see you either."

Harry ended the call.

"Ew, she is so foul but its working," I said.

"Can I ask you something?"

I was a bit taken off guard but nodded.

"Tell me, honestly, do you think I cheated on you in Ireland?"

I broke eye contact with him and looked down at my hands. I hadn't really thought about this. "I-I don't know, Harry. I was so angry with you but now after hearing how crazy Meredith is, I-I just don't know anymore. I guess I convinced myself that you did but I have no idea what to think anymore."

We sat like this for a while until we both realized we needed to figure out how to prove she was lying. I showed Harry how to record conversations on his phone without her knowing. I also was going to have him call me so I could hear the entire conversation while he recorded it.

"I figure I sneak in and wait in the bathroom to make sure you're ok. Once we have her recorded, then we can figure out our next step. Just text me to keep me updated."

(Secret mission: Bring Down Evil Bitch! Comment and vote xoxo)