Hidden. (by seasidestyles-original copy)

four

"Twenty six...twenty seven..." Ryan counts. Mike suddenly starts shaking his head and puts up his hands. Everyone laughs and claps.

"I chan't," he says through the mouthful of candy. A few M&M's fall out of his mouth as he attempts to talk.

A chorus of "aww's" fills the room as Mike sits back down, still shaking his head. Everyone returns to their normal conversation, Perrie and Lana gossiping.

"So Rose," Lana says after awhile. "Are you seeing anybody?"

I snap up, realizing I'm being spoken to. I feel Zayn and Harry's eyes on me.

"Uh,yeah," I say.

"Ooh," Perrie says, nudging me. "Who's the guy?"

"His...his name's Aaron," I say, blushing. "He's a medical intern."

"Wow," Lana says. "Sounds hot."

"Yeah," I say. "He's really great."

"Only an intern?" I look up to see Harry's teasing glare on me.

"He's putting himself through med school." I defend Aaron.

"And how old is he?" Harry crosses his arms over his chest and leans back, taunting me with his deep green eyes.

"He's...he's twenty."

"A little young for you, yes?"

"No."

"Three years age difference."

"How would you know?" I snap.

Harry smirks. "Have you forgotten that I'm an accountant?"

I clench my jaw. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I had your file on my desk this morning," he says, playing with the top of his soda can. "I had to set up your account with the company." He meets my gaze teasingly. "I know more about you than you think."

I stand from the table. "I think I'm just going to get back to work," I tell Perrie,Zayn and Lana. I toss the rest of my salad in the trash.

I know more about you than you think.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I decide I need some air and ride the elevator down the lobby. I still have twenty minutes of lunch so I decide to call Aaron.

I stand outside in the small courtyard in the back of the building. I dial Aaron's number and run a hand through my hair,the cool Portland air soothing my fiery temper.

"Rose, I wasn't expecting your call," Aaron answers. "Aren't you at work?"

"It's my lunch break," I tell him. "I just felt like talking to you."

"Oh." A pause. "So...how's it going?"

"Alright. I mean, I love the job, but--"

"Rose,babe, I wish I could talk longer, but there's a man with an inflamed appendix here--"

"Right. Sorry. I'll catch up with you later."

I hang up. Wasn't he on call last night? Why should he have to work today, too?

It's a demanding job, I remind myself. He'll make time for you. Good things happen to those who wait.

I sit down on a small bench off to the side and watch the gardener mow the patch of grass. The smell of freashly cut grass invades my senses. I've always liked the fresh scent.

I hear the click of high heels on pavement and look up to see Jade, one of the other editors, smiling down to me.

"Hi, Rose?" Her voice is sweet. "Lunch break is almost over, and I saw you storm out of there."

I stand. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. Harry is a real piece of work at times. Don't mind him."

As we walk back inside together, I notice that dark blue hair really suits her, where on some other people it would just look out of place.

"Why is he so rude?" I ask her.

She shrugs. "I don't know him too well," she says. "But it's always a bit funny to watch him stick it to the boss. It's not that I don't like Mr. Greenman, but sometimes he's a bit stuffy."

I nod. "I see."

"I'm sorry you have to sit so close to him, though. The only reason why Zayn doesn't switch desks is because he's friends with Harry." Jade shrugs. "I'm sure if you talked to Mr. Greenman, he'd let you move workplaces."

I shake my head. "No, it's only the first day. I'm sure I'll be fine."

We ride the elevator up. I've managed to keep it a secret that Harry and I are neighbors. I wonder if he's told anyone? I hope not. I don't need some sort of rumor to fly among the office.

I sit back at my desk and do my best to ignore Harry's smirks. He spins in his chair and stares at the ceiling for the rest of the day, not seeming to do an ounce of work.

At four o'clock, I gather my things and walk out with Zayn.

"Where is your place at?" Zayn asks me.

"A few blocks down," I answer. "I wanted a place in the Pearl."

"Ah," Zayn says.

"What about you?"

"I'm up in Forest Heights," Zayn replies. "I guess it's not too long of a drive, and the expenses are lower over there."

I nod. "I heard Forest Heights is really nice."

"Yeah, they've got a lot of parks. It's a nice place to read, I guess." He stops walking at a very car. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he says, unlocking the car. "It was nice meeting you, Rose."

"You, too," I say, smiling. I'm glad Zayn and I hit it off so well. I make my way to my own car. I hope I don't run into Harry at our building. If I had known we would be neighbors, I would never have moved into that apartment.

I walk into my apartment, tossing my keys onto the couch. My first day was great on some levels, but tedious on others. Maybe Jade is right. Maybe I should request a different workplace.

I've always been a tolerant person. I don't like confrontations, and I don't like fighting. I sigh and begin to make myself dinner.

At around eight, there's a knock at my door. I turn off the TV and go to answer.

I clench my jaw at Harry's presence. How many times do I have to run into him in a day?

"What?" I snap.

"Whoa there," he says. "No need to PMS."

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "What do you want?"

"Your mail got put in my box," he says, handing me a stack of letters. "Don't let it happen again."

"How is this my fault?" I ask, taking the letters. "I'm not the one that put them there."

"Yeah, well you moved in here!" He snaps.

I don't waste any time as I slam the door in his face, with lack of a better comeback.

I throw my mail onto the couch. I decide to go to bed early. All of Harry's antics are beginning to drive me crazy. At work he was taunting me, and now he's just plain out rude. I don't think I've ever seen him smile if it wasn't teasing or taunting.

I turn out the light and bury myself in blankets. I hope every day isn't as stressful as this one.