Strictly Professional [Narry]

Chapter 41.

Niall isn't fine, though. He's far from it. He tried to keep it together but he failed epically. He hasn't seen Harry since he left him, only Louis and Bresi.

Bresi seems to be his only source of comfort at the moment. Sure, he's got Louis but Bresi knows him in a way nobody else does. Bresi was there when his parents split up, he was there for a majority of his childhood, he was there when he graduated high school and even though they split up after that, he's here with him now. He and Bresi have gone through thick and thin and Niall wasn't one to let that go to waste so it was kind of good that he needed him right now.

Bresi is there when Louis isn't. He's there to make sure he doesn't fall apart, to break into a million tiny pieces, although however tempting it may be. Bresi is there to take his mind off Harry and for a long time it worked. But even Bresi couldn't hold off the nightmares.

The thought of going back to work made Niall a nervous wreck. The thought of seeing Harry again after all this time made him want to puke. He'd rather get his ten stitches taken out again and again rather than have to face to Harry.

But he's a lot of things and being a coward isn't one of them. He knew he'd have to face Harry eventually, it may as well be sooner rather than later. The week after he gets his stitches out, he heads back to work. The doctors said to rest for at least another week but even then, he wasn't resting. He couldn't.

When he got to work the following week, he got a big surprise. There, standing at his desk, were the two bodyguards that were waiting at his flat when he got home from the hospital. Not exactly the welcome back he imagined. His eyes glazed over the two bodyguards who were standing still, like statues before he headed into Harry's office.

Harry is on a call when he enters so he closes the door behind him and rests himself against it, crossing one foot over the other and crossing his arms over his chest while he waited patiently.

"I'll call you back, I gotta go. Yeah. Bye." Harry says softly before hanging up and staring at Niall, clasping his hands in front of him.

Niall points behind his shoulder with his thumb, gesturing to the two guards standing at his desk.

"The guards? Really?" Niall says exasperatingly, raising his eyebrows.

"Told you, Niall, I care too much about you." He sighs and Niall shakes his head.

"Not at work, H. I'm not attracting that kind of attention at work." Niall shakes his head and Harry sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"I just a feeling that Hannah is going to show up soon and I don't want her anywhere you when she does." He admits and Niall's face softens.

"You think she ordered the attack?"

"No reason why she shouldn't. She's desperate. She knew I was in the middle of getting the money to her and she thought that might just send me over the edge. She thought wrong. She ain't getting a dime anymore."

Niall smiles.

That's my boy.

"Really?"

"Nobody attacks the love of my life like that and gets away with it." Harry's frowning and he begins to type furiously at his keyboard of his computer.

"Harry," Niall warns and Harry looks up, "You can't say stuff like that anymore. Not when we're on a break."

"Then you can't call me nicknames. You can't call me Haz or H like you did just there." Harry frowns, pointing and waggling a finger at him.