Cakes, Country Clubs, and the CEO [h.s]

Chapter 7

"Funny", I bite back, refusing to give in to his joking manner. The events of the night we're still crushing down on my consciousness, the anxiety of it all feeling absolutely overwhelming. I still couldn't come to terms with the fact that Harry was trying to casually make conversation with me, all while I was dealing with a mental crisis of discovering his existence. And the fact that he was being much kinder to me was difficult to wrap my head around.

Even when he tended to my hand the prior time, he was still much more exclusive. His change in attitude was something I had no clue about the reason for. Possibly because of his successful party, or perhaps something else.

I made my way through the now opened door, thanks to Harry, turning to briskly make my way to the nearest sitting area where I could recoup. Besides Sabrina, I had no way home, and there was no way I could deal with the pressure of having to sit in the car with her for half an hour. I could already imagine the deafening silence of it.

I could call a Lyft, but after one to many horror movie nights with my friend, I felt uneasy getting into a car with a complete stranger who had all the possible chances to kidnap me. And even if I decided to call one, I left my phone in Sabrinas handbag thinking that I could retrieve it whenever I would need to at the end of the night.

Calling my mom would be impossible now anyways, and the last optible option was to walk. But as much as I would never like to admit it, I was completely terrified of the dark. More so, what was hiding in it.

"You look stressed."

Harry's comment once again surprises me, as I hadn't expected him to follow me outside. Our first meeting hadn't been nearly as pleasant, and his personality was so contradictory to our prior exchanges.

His comment makes me let out a dry laugh at the truthness in it. "Could be because I am", I huff bringing my head to rest down into my hands. His decision to follow me out of the building and join me on the outside bench was somewhat shocking, as I hadn't pictured him to be someone who could offer comfort. However, him casually sitting himself beside me as we faced the open sea was the first sign that he showed to prove me wrong.

For a little while the two of us just sat there, taking in the open Santa Monica sea. The waves were absolutely breathtaking at night and as much as I was terrified of the dark, I had to admit that it had a hidden beauty to it as well.

We didn't talk much the whole while, rather sitting in a surprisingly comfortable silence and just enjoying the presence of another person. The crashing ocean waves, the small hum of a party inside, and Harry's own short breaths were the only sounds that filled my ears.

The two of us sat there for what seemed like a while Harry still spotting his tablecloth suit, myself in my ruffled outfit. The breeze from the sea had managed to ruin the waves Sabrina had so carefully put my hair into, causing the top of my head to frizz up.

Figuring that Harry had already seen me get into a fight with a door, putting my hair up on top of my head would be the least of my concerns, as 'unprofessional' as a messy bun could be considered. His own hair had become slightly disheveled from the breeze, his curls becoming unruly around his forehead. Unlike myself, he made the style look stunning.