The Traveler [h.s. au]

3.*

Slipping my key into the lock, I let out a deep breath trying to prepare myself. Even after coming up with every scenario as to how this is going to play out with Charlie, I still don't know how I'm going to explain this to her. Her older brother just fired her boyfriend for fucking her on his desk. Honestly, how is anyone supposed to explain that?

"Harry? Is that you?" Charlie calls as she lifts herself off the couch. I watch her smile instantly fade when she sees my face. It hits her that something is off. "What's wrong? Why are you home so early?"

The words I got fired are on the tip of my tongue, but nothing comes out. I just stand by the front door, my hands rubbing over my face.

"Harry? What's wrong?" she asks again, walking over towards me.

Charlie wraps her arms around my shoulders just as I say, "I fucked up."

"What happened? Are you okay?" She holds me tighter, and it's oddly comforting.

"Your brother fired me," my words come out a whisper against her neck. It's taking everything in me to just forget about this conversation and start kissing her. I hold back though. That's what got me in this situation to begin with. I release myself from her and make my way towards the stairs.

Her footsteps quickly follow behind. "Wait. Are you serious? Ryan fired you? Why would he do that?"

I stop just before the first step. "Apparently he heard us last night." Her face instantly falls when the dots connect. "Yeah, I didn't think he could."

We both climb the stairs toward our bedroom. "Wha - how could he have heard us? He wasn't even there. You said he wasn't there."

"I never said those words exactly. You just assumed," I say, slipping out of my slacks and button up shirt to throw on something more comfortable. "His door was closed though, so I didn't think it mattered."

Her hand meets my chest with a thud after I slide a t-shirt over my head. "Harry Edward. What were you thinking? I would have never done if I thought my freaking brother would hear us. That's my brother for goodness sake!"

I can't help but smirk, which is odd because it's probably the first time I've somewhat smiled all day. Sometimes Charlie just brings it out of me even when I don't want it to. "Did you see yourself in that dress last night? Can you blame me? Plus I couldn't have stopped you if I tried."

"I can't believe you." She hits me in the arm with a smirk of her own. "So what are we going to do now? Do I need to talk to my brother?"

I quickly shake my head. "No. I'll figure this out. I don't want you worrying about anything. Okay?"

"Okay." She says, letting out frustrated breath. "I'm sorry for getting you in this mess."

"Just don't go showing up at my work in that dress anymore, and I think we'll be fine." I place a kiss on her temple before heading back downstairs.

____

*Two months later*

Well things haven't gone as I planned.

It's been almost eight weeks since the day Ryan fired me as his assistant. I took a day or two to myself just to recollect my thoughts and figure out what I should do next. Unfortunately, the day turned into a week which turned into a month that swiftly turned into two months, and now I'm sitting on the couch still without a job. Don't get me wrong though. It isn't because I haven't tried. I've been trying my ass off, but no one seems to be hiring a university drop out with his only experience being as an assistant. I couldn't even get another assistant job because apparently word traveled very quickly through the grapevine, and no one wants me as a sex addicted liability. They didn't use those words exactly, but by the one way one of employers described what happened, she might as well have.