Lush Expiration | Harry Styles AU | BOOK 3 ✓

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Warning: chapter contains explicit content.

Harry Styles

I woke up before Vicky did. Niall and I were eating breakfast in the kitchen because we had just returned from our morning run. We discussed our plans for today before Lauren and Vicky would be here. To talk quietly was excessively crucial since we didn't want anyone to find out what was ahead of us.

Today, Niall's lawyers were going to figure out if a settlement could take place. Evidently, we didn't know if this would turn out the way we hoped. Niall tried to assure me not to panic, and wait on one of his guys to reach out.

"Did you sleep at all last night? You look tired." Niall pointed out. He moved the spoon around after he poured sugar in his coffee. He flipped through the newspaper which laid in front of him.

"I barely did." I said and reached out for the milk to cover my cereal. This morning I had already spotted the dark circles underneath my eyes, but I thought he wouldn't notice them.

"I get that, Styles. But you can't let it take control of you. You've got to make sure to keep your personal life and career separate." His words seemed to be a warning.

"Haven't done that in ages." I joked.

"It's time you do."

"Because..?"

"Because Vicky is going to find out." He said.

"She wouldn't find out this so easily." I let him know.

"You are wrong, Harry. Women see everything. Even if you think you've got all of it hidden away, she will find out." He explained to me with a serious tone. "I mean it, Harry."

"I'll do my best." I assured him.

The conversation between Niall and I was cut short when Lauren waltzed into the kitchen. "So what are we going to do today?" she asked and then placed a kiss on Niall's lips. Her hands rested on his shoulders, and I saw how she was massaging him gently.

"You guys are going to visit some spots in Los Angeles while Vicky and I are at the Moulin Rouge." I told Lauren.

"And with 'visit' you mean?"

"Talk to our lawyers after they're done talking to Ethan." Niall replied.

"Sounds like a plan." Lauren agreed. Then she moved to the refrigerator to get herself breakfast. "You guys are just going to have a normal working day, huh?" she asked.

"I'm always at the club on Tuesdays." I told her. "If I disappear, I'm either sick or hiding something."

"Have you reconsidered telling, Vicky?" she wondered – changing the subject.

"I have. But I'm not going to tell her." I said sternly. The way I looked at Lauren, must've given her the confirmation I wasn't going to say a word to Vicks – neither was she. Thankfully, she didn't respond to my answer and she joined us at the table.

Ten minutes later, Vicky entered the kitchen. She pressed her soft lips onto mine before asking how the morning run was. Niall started complaining about his stamina in great detail, and it made Vicky laugh.

I was happy her day started like this because I wanted her to smile – I needed her to smile. Whenever I looked at her, I wanted her to give me this feeling which would tell me this was going to turn out fine. We would be all right.

Vicky and I drove to the Moulin Rouge together after she packed her bag. I had to make sure she wouldn't suspect a thing, therefore we needed to stick to our daily routine. While we were back on the road, Niall and Lauren would meet up with their lawyers and see where we were at. I wondered when I would hear back from them.