R O O M 1 9 7 // Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson Edition

Five

~Tuesday 20th December 2016~

10:04am

A lengthy yawn rips itself through Harry's throat, opening his jaw wide, as he rubs his eye with one hand, wiping the surface of Room 197's bathroom counter with the other. He was perfectly on time for work this morning - thanks to Harrison - immediately getting stuck into work, repeating his tidying and cleaning from yesterday, as Mr Tomlinson scribbles away at his notepad, occasionally turning to his laptop to type.
Despite spending most of the night drinking, Harry feels unusually refreshed this morning, ignoring the yawns and getting on with his tasks for the day, as Mr Tomlinson works away at his desk.

Mr Tomlinson has three empty cups of tea sat beside him, his fourth resting just beside his left hand, as he makes his way through it slowly, with small sips every now and then. A small radio in the corner of the room plays music quietly, the sound filling the silence of the room, as the two men work around each other comfortably.
Harry's phone vibrates in his trouser pocket, as he sprays the glass of the floor-length mirror in the bathroom with soapy water. He wipes away the moisture with a cloth, making sure there are no streaks, before pulling his phone out and looking at the message he has just received.

From: Milo

hope ur having more fun at ur work! i'm so fucking bored! save me bro - i'm falling asleep at my desk

Harry chuckles at his new friend's joke, and quickly replies, typing out a joke in response, grinning as he presses SEND, pushing his phone back into his pocket, and resuming his deep-clean of the bathroom.

Mr Tomlinson hears Harry's soft laugh from his desk, and looks up confused for a moment, tilting his head, as if to move his ear closer to the bathroom where Harry is working. Harry's new smile is infectious, and Louis can't help but smile himself. It does puzzle him, however. The reason for Harry's newfound joy is not clear to the business man, but he is too anxious to ever ask Harry a question like that.

Both men continue like this for a few hours longer, occasionally stopping and talking to each other about random topics that have nothing to do with either of them, but finding themselves more comfortable as the day goes on, growing a friendly bond between employee and employer. Mr Tomlinson doesn't feel like Harry's boss, but says nothing of Harry's reluctance to call him by his first name.
The playful conversation between Milo and Harry also continues throughout the day, both texting back and forth jokes and updating the other on their day. Harry lets out a few chuckles here and there, but more-or-less keeps quiet, not wanting to disrupt Mr Tomlinson in any way. The plan has worked, though. Milo is distracting him from everything, including his attraction towards his boss, images of his slim figure pushed to the back of his head.

The curiosity eventually gets the best of Louis, and as Harry walks past behind him, he swings around in his desk chair, facing Harry and stopping him in his tracks. He smiles up at the young boy, and asks him why he has been laughing to himself the whole day. Harry first apologises, and tells him that it is just a friend. Mr Tomlinson nods, still smiling, and turns again, back to the work on his desk, pressing the PRINT button on his laptop.
Harry resumes his work, now dusting the glass table with a cloth, as the printer beside Mr Tomlinson comes to life, clicking and whirring. It takes a few moments for Louis to realise that nothing is coming out of the machine. So, he checks the ink and paper levels and all is fine, but nothing will print. He glances down at the watch on his wrist. His next meeting starts in twenty minutes all the way across town. He doesn't have time for this.