Violet.
I spent my Saturday in bed after the long night I'd had at the RSP and afterwards at the bar. My body felt heavy as I woke up around noon, and I stretched and rolled over once more, not wanting to leave the warm cocoon of my bed.
The earplugs caused everything to be quiet except for my own breathing, which felt peaceful and calming. I pushed out the outside world like that, cause even in my home, I was never really alone. Besides the roommates and the rodents, I was pretty sure my direct neighbours could hear me breathe on a quiet day.
It was about an hour later I changed into sweatpants and a jumper before making my way through the living room. The sun was shining through the windows, and it was the only times the apartment looked... nice almost.
From a distance at least.
Of course if you got closer you could see the cracks in the walls, the mold on the ceilings and the uneven wooden floors. I stood with a cup of coffee in front of the window, watching a train go by that caused the windows to shudder slightly. Everything always seemed to tremble as a train drove by, which only accentuated how fucking old this building was.
It was exceptionally quiet at the neighbours and around the hallways this afternoon, and I suspected a lot of them had gone out to enjoy the sunny weather.
I cracked open a window and had my usual breakfast; coffee and a cigarette. I know I had to eat today as I had the weekend off and couldn't rely on the RSP food. The frozen pizza with my name scribbled on the box was luckily left untouched by Pierre.
I sat eating my food as I scrolled on my phone, checking some social media that I was hardly interested in. I liked to lurk, I just never posted anything myself. I got a text from Abby that made me grin.
Text from: Abby
We're working together tonight, whoo!!
Another night of staring at Abby's breasts.
Great.
I was kind of nervous to see Harry again, but it wasn't like I expected anything. I knew what type of boy he was, I had known the minute Abby introduced us. He was just really attractive, and the sex was... I sighed when I remembered Harry's hands on me, our sweaty bodies melting together. The eye contact was what made it so much better though.
Harry's eyes were the most calming green colour I had ever come across, and it was very easy for me to drown or get lost in them. I couldn't imagine him feeling the same way, as my eyes were just plain brown with a hint of green in certain light.
Once I was well awake, I decided to finally tackle the bills I'd been dreading. Like he did every month, Pierre left his share of the money cash on the hallway table, hidden in one of the drawers. I didn't know why he didn't use a credit card, but then again, I didn't even know what he did for a living so his money could very well not be clean.
Pierre had always been a huge mystery to me, but I decided to never ask questions. He was the perfect roommate in so many ways. He paid on time, he was never here and he never bothered me. He never stole my food, he never got in my way, he didn't have any weird shit lying around. Most of the time it felt like I lived here on my own, and I was fine with it.
I had always been alone.
My brow pinched together as I put on my glasses and tried to figure out the difficult words on the letters from the bank. After a quick glance over, I transferred the money from my account through my phone, as well as the dreaded bill from Saint Mary's hospital.
I had to go into my savings for that, which is simply how it went every month. I'd earn money from the RSP and I would have quite a bit so I could save. But then the bills came, and everything I tried to save went straight to that and I was back to square one.
Or rather, square zero.
By the time I had done everything, I was recounting Pierre's money and let out a relieved sigh when everything seemed correct. I changed into the same black jeans from the night before and scanned my closet for a shirt, but they seemed to all be in the washer. I picked out a red tank top with thick straps.
It still felt modest enough for me and I suspected the Mayfair would be about a thousand degrees again. I put it on and turned every possible direction in front of the dirty mirror to see how it looked. The scar on my shoulder was visible, mainly the part that ran down the back of my arm to my elbow, but I didn't really mind it all that much.
People hardly questioned me about it, at most they just stared a bit. It was going to be dark there anyway. Harry had actually never properly seen it as the leather dress I wore at the mansion covered about half of it.
I put on my leather jacket, my black combat boots and styled my hair and make-up just a bit. I felt nervous, even more than yesterday. Maybe that was because I was about to see Harry again and every memory of what we did on that bar would fill my brain and I would be a mess the whole evening? Probably.
I tried to lock the front door on my way out, but it just was so stuck and broken that I feared I would just pull the door of its hinges if I tried any harder. For the past four years, nobody has ever broken in here, and even if they did... Pierre and I didn't exactly have many valuable things around.
Still, everything I owned was in that apartment, so it would still be devastating.
I made my way to the bank before heading towards the Mayfair, to deposit Pierre's money into my account. At least I had a few savings now. The bar was somewhat empty as I got there, only a few people occupied some tables, and two men were seated at the bar. The music was still soft and I noticed that the men sitting at the bar were Harry and one of his friends.
"Hi." I smiled awkwardly at them as I headed into the back room to drop off my jacket and my bag. I felt slightly exposed in the red top I was wearing, but it was just a simple tank top and nobody would be looking at me anyways once topless Saturday started.
The thought of being the only clothed woman in the room tonight, made me feel as weird as it did the week before.
I noticed Harry's frown when his eyes were focussed on the skin of my arm, now seeing the burn scar in full glory under the dim lighting. I shuffled back a bit until it was out of his sight and his eyes flicked up before he cleared his throat.
"Violet, this is Liam. I don't think I introduced you yet." Harry motioned to the man sitting next to him.
He shot me a friendly smile and I recognized him immediately from around here, smiling back and shaking the hand he had extended to me. "So you're the Violet I've heard so much about."
My eyes instantly went towards Harry's face in confusion. What has he been saying about me? I was about to answer when Abby walked in.
She chirped a hello to all of us and seemed happy to see me. It appeared all had been forgiven and forgotten. She gasped once she came behind the bar.
"Oh my God, what happened here? Where are all the glasses?" She scanned the almost empty glass cabinet from head to toe and I felt a slight blush creep on my cheeks when I knew exactly what had happened to all the glasses.
I refused to meet Harry's amused gaze and Liam snickered under his breath.
"Violet, what do you think about this bar?" Liam reached his hand up and laid it flat on the bar, tapping it with his fingers a few times. I cleared my throat and my breath hitched in my throat as I searched for words.
"I... It's a very nice bar." I stammered a bit, forcing a smile on my lips as I was glaring at Harry from the corner of my eye. He was about to choke on his laughter and Abby could only look at us in confusion.
Liam nodded at my answer and slid his hand back and forth over the wood. "I agree. It's sturdy. And smooth, feels nice on the skin, wouldn't you say?"
Oh my God.
"Sure. Great bar." I answered as stoically as I could, sending Harry daggers with my eyes. Abby didn't seem to pick up on anything as she was once again frowning at the glass cabinet.
"I hate serving drinks in plastic cups. Mother earth won't like this." She shook her head in disappointment before heading into the back room to drop of her stuff. Once she was behind the door, Harry bursted into full on cackling and Liam had a coy grin on his lips.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I had no idea why I tried to hide the fact from Abby that Harry and I had sex. Somehow, I was afraid she'd be mad at me, even though they never really dated or were official. And I wasn't planning on either, it was just a onetime thing.
"Thinking you'll stay behind again for clean up today, love?" Harry winked at me, the dimpled grin still on his lips in pure amusement, "There's plenty of spaces around here that need christening." Harry's words made Liam cackle, his shoulders violently shaking as he was shaking with laughter.
"Go fuck yourself." I gritted through my teeth before giving him a fake smile and joining Abby in the back room. Abby was changing in the back room and I heard her mutter something under her breath about the plastic waste in the world and how she was unhappy with all the glasses smashed.
She smiled when she noticed I came in. "How was your first day yesterday?"
I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. "It was fine. Bit weird, Harry doesn't actually want me to bartend. I have to like... stock up and everything."
Abby frowned as she kicked off her white trainers. "What do you mean? Didn't you try out for the bartending job?"
"I didn't really try out."
Abby was quiet, lost in thought as she buckled her black heels. They were the ones I had worn a week before to the gang event thing. "Look, Abby... I have to tell you something."
She stood up straight and picked a brush from her purse to comb through her long blonde locks, nodding for me to go on.
"Harry and I kind of- uh, had sex yesterday. Well, this morning." I bit my lip in anticipation of her reaction. Abby was really my only friend who knew me well enough to know I was a shit liar, and I couldn't hide anything from her even if I wanted to. I didn't want to screw up the only close friendship I had by keeping things from her.
"Right." She breathed, shock apparent on her face before she cleared her throat. "So... You and the druggie? I have to say I didn't see it coming. Not really a surprise though, Harry has fucked every girl who has ever worked here, it's kind of a tradition on his part. I just didn't think you'd fall for it."
She didn't sound upset, but I could tell she was slightly pissed. My mouth went slightly dry at her words, even though this was not new information. "I'm sorry." I sighed. "I know you liked him. And it was only one time."
"Look, Violet, it's fine. Not the first time we slept with the same guy within the same week." She had a sly smile on her lips and I racked my brain to remember who she was talking about. My frown turned into a nod as I finally realized who she was talking about. It was years ago though.
"So, you're not angry?" I put my hand on her shoulder and she quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not. It was just sex for me. You were right when you said Harry wasn't into me like that, and I see that now. No use for me to chase a guy who doesn't show any interest. I'm not going to dwell on it. And it was just sex for you, so good on you for getting laid."
I smiled and she pulled me in for a hug. "So, where in his office did you do it? Couch? Desk?" Her grin grew wider as she wanted details from my steamy moment with Harry.
I shook my head. "No, it wasn't in his office. It was on the ... bar." I muttered the last bit with flushed cheeks and Abby gasped loudly, holding her hand against her mouth in shock. "The bar?! Fuck, is that why his mate asked you if you liked the feeling of the bar? That's so hot though!" She laughed.
"Wait, is that why all the glasses are smashed?" She gave me an accusing look and I sheepishly nodded. "You should blame Harry for that, though."
She nodded knowingly. "Harry can get quite aggressive to be honest, not the first time he broke something during sex." Abby had a coy smile on her lips and I felt both intrigued and awkward at her words.
I decided not to ask.
"And how was it?" She asked.
I shifted on my stance slightly, remembering how it was and instantly feeling hot and bothered again. I cleared my throat. "It was good. Really good."
"I know right," She smirked with a nod, "and he's so rough, it's so hot."
"Rough?" I frowned.
Abby nodded eagerly. "Like so... dominant."
I felt confusion over Abby's description of her sexual experiences with Harry. That wasn't how I felt around him at all after last night. She sensed my confusion and cocked up an eyebrow. "He didn't give you his whole speech on 'I have four rules'?"
"Four rules?" I frowned and Abby nodded, "Yea, it's like his ritual. I don't know the story behind it, but he does usually tie his girls up and forbids them from touching him. He's like in full control."
"Wow," I breathed as I shook my head, "That's not what it was like at all. He was... kind of sweet? he asked for my consent like three times and I was constantly touching his chest."
Abby seemed surprised. "His chest? Do you mean he took off his shirt? Shit, I've been dying to see that part of him, even though he always wears his shirts half open."
"He doesn't take off his shirt during sex?"
"Nope," Abby shook her head, "suppose it has something to do with the no-touching thing. Maybe he likes to keep some of the mystery."
"Right." I frowned.
We stood talking a bit more and I was relieved that she knew what had happened. Abby was basically the only person I trusted. She knew everything about me, including the stories behind the two scars on my body.
I noticed her eyes lingering on my exposed burn on my shoulder and instant sadness washed over her face. I was sort of glad it was on a spot of my body that I couldn't directly see myself. I could only see it when I looked in the mirror, and it had been so long that I sometimes even forgot about it until someone pointed it out again.
It wasn't long before the noise in the Mayfair grew busier and busier, and the music got turned up to another notch. When the clock struck 10, all the bartenders lost their tops and I hid my face involuntary to not see all the breasts dangling in my face. It was still a strange thing for me.
Harry had resumed to his position on the couch in the back, and when his eyes met mine, he nudged it to motion me to come to him. I had just filled up the stocks behind the bar and hauled the glass containers to the back alley.
I made my way through the sweaty pile of bodies until I was at the couch. Louis was there too, but didn't really acknowledge my presence. Liam smiled and so did the two other boys. Harry made space for me next to him and I sat down, letting out a sigh as my back was already killing me again.
"How are your legs?" I could hear the smugness in his voice as he tilted his head to talk directly in my ear. My body tensed slightly, but enough for him to notice. His breath hit my cheek and I smelled the combination of alcohol and smoke, but imagined mine was just the same.
"Legs are fine, thanks." I shortly answered.
"It's too easy to make you uncomfortable, Violet. And hilarious too, may I add."
It was silent for a bit until Harry tilted his face closer to mine. "I'm glad you're here though."
"That would be a lot cuter if you weren't staring at my best friend's boobs." I flatly spoke before rolling my eyes, almost seeing brain.
I felt like Harry had been trying to flirt with me a few times, but he was absolutely terrible at it. He used the cheesiest lines, he got extremely uncomfortable and it seemed like he truly had no idea what he was doing.
How could someone who got laid this often, have so little game?
I noticed a girl approach us, wearing a red bodycon mini dress. She had blonde hair that reached just over her shoulders and her eyes were solemnly focussed on Liam, giving him a kiss as she sat down on his lap. "Violet, this is Isobel". Liam introduced us and I smiled at her.
"Hi. Nice to meet you, I'm Violet." She seemed nice and had dimples in her cheeks as she smiled back. They looked quite loved up, but in a cute way. I hadn't seen this girl here before, but it seemed like she and Liam were in some sort of relationship.
"So, you're with Harry?" Isobel asked, tilting her chin in Harry's direction as she tried to yell over the music. I chuckled dryly and shook my head faster than I thought was possible. "Nope. I work here."
Harry got called by a man a few feet away from us and he got up to talk to him. Isobel and I got to talking a little bit as she took Harry's spot on the couch. I learned she was indeed Liam's girlfriend.
Apparently he had met her outside of the bar or the gang life, and kept her a secret for a bit so they could date in private before bringing her into everything. She seemed nice and innocent, the same feeling I got when I talked to Eleanor.
Liam also started making conversation with me, about the weather and other small subjects.
"This is Niall, and that's Zayn, by the way." Liam pointed to the two other men who I knew were Harry's friends. I shot them a wave and they seemed ridiculously friendly. It confused me a bit.
"Why are all of you all of a sudden being nice to me?" I chuckled, causing Niall to shrug. "We never bother learning any girl's name or we never attempt to get to know them, because they always only stay around for one night."
"But you seem to have Harry twisted around your finger." Zayn had a smile on his lips and the other boys laughed along with him. I slightly laughed too, mainly because of how ridiculous that sounded. "What do you mean?"
"He seems to be quite hooked on you." Niall added and the rest of them nodded. It hadn't gone unnoticed how absent Louis was from this conversation. He kept his eyes trained on the bar scene in front of him instead of joining in the conversation.
Isabel climbed back on Liam's lap and she flung her arms around his neck, pecking his cheek.
"Had no intention of getting him on my hook. What makes you think that?" I frowned, still not understanding what they meant. Zayn moved forward on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees.
"Let's look at the facts." He spoke, holding up one finger. "One, he brought you to the meeting at the mansion and you two didn't fuck."
I nodded slowly, while internally cringing at his choice of words. It was true though. I didn't know that was anything out of the ordinary.
"Two, he has your number in his phone. He doesn't have anyone's number." The other boys hummed in agreement and he was holding up two fingers right now, adding a third. "And three, he fucked you on the bar instead of in his office."
I let out a groan and cringed internally. "Does everybody know about the bloody bar?"
They all nodded and I palmed my face. Liam patted my shoulder and Niall leaned in to yell over the music. "Fucking hot though."
Zayn mentioning the bar left me flustered and I looked down to my lap to hide my pink cheeks, thanking my stars that it was dark enough in here. My lips parted to speak but I didn't know what I could say to that. This information was... strange to say the least.
I had no idea Harry was going out of his way with all the things he had done. I didn't know what he was like before. I remember Abby mentioning something about not having his number, and having sex in his office, but didn't think much about it.
"Oh, and fourth," Niall chimed in, holding up four fingers as if I was an infant who didn't know what the word meant "You've made him laugh."
"Ah, yes, that's true." Liam nodded and patted Niall on the back. They all seemed to be very invested in this conversation and it left me baffled. "So, now that we know how you two are together, we're pretty sure we're going to be seeing a lot more from you. That's why we're being nice. And also, Harry asked us to."
"He asked you to?"
"Yep." Zayn popped the 'p' and grinned again. "He's a lot nicer, too. He seems to make an effort for you, he's such a moody wanker usually."
I couldn't disagree with him on that. I flicked my eyes to the bar and noticed Abby looking rather stressed. She waved at me and mouthed me a 'help'. I quickly got up to my feet, excused myself and went behind the bar.
"You need to help me out here, I'm swamped." She exclaimed, gesturing her hand to all of the people waiting to be served. I quickly nodded and started handing people their drinks and taking their cash. The bar system was easy enough, and the work went by a lot faster with the two of us.
"Take your top off!!" One man yelled at me, earning him cheers from around him, "It's topless Saturday!" He added with a frown, almost insulted that I didn't bare my body to him.
"Piss off." I retorted, shoving his beer in his hand and diverting my attention to another customer. Time flew by when I was doing this work, and it was also a lot more tiring. Harry really was doing me a huge favour by just having me stock the bar whenever it needed it. I didn't know how full bartending was always looked down on as a job, it's bloody hard to deal with all the yelling and impatient customers and trying to do all the maths in your brain to make sure the cash register was correct.
I gulped down on my own beer to soothe my throat. All the yelling I had done, along with the sweating from the heat, left me quite dehydrated. Abby was next to me, mimicking my actions. I kept my eyes on her face, not wanting to see her naked body again.
I could handle it when I was watching from a distance, my eye sight being so bad I had basically no idea what I was looking at. But being up close, it was a different story. I had noticed the customers wanted to get served by her rather than by me. Because I wasn't naked.
I was bickering with another customer who was complaining about my amount of clothes when I felt a hand tugging my shoulder. I spun around and saw Harry behind me, a deep frown on his forehead. "What are you doing?"
"I'm bartending, what does it look like?" I shook my arm out of his grasp and handed the complaining customer his beers, along with my middle finger. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, handed me the money before turning around and disappearing in the crowd.
"This is why I didn't want you here. These guys are predators, get back to your normal job." Harry bit, almost dragging me from behind the bar.
"I'm not letting Abby do all of this by herself, this is too much work for one bartender. I can help her without getting naked, and I don't need you to defend me against these pricks. I've done well so far." I dug my heels in the ground to stop him from tugging me into the back room, but it was feeble.
His grip on my arm was so tight my fingers started tingling, and he finally let go once we were behind the closed door.
I stood panting, with exhaustion and with anger. It was then that I noticed Harry's face. His eyes were unbelievably wide, his lip was twitching, his hands trembling and he seemed wobbly on his feet.
"Jesus Christ." I sighed, straightening out my red top before shaking my head. "What on earth did you take?" I couldn't help myself as I grasped his chin, forcing him to look at me so I could see his face.
He seemed incredibly on edge, and I suspected coke or LSD had done the trick for him tonight. Maybe both. He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to hide his shaky breathing and stammering heartbeat. "How did you know?"
I released his face again. "A fucking toddler could tell how high you are, Harry. Have you even seen yourself?" I sneered, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I knew I couldn't hide how disappointed I looked.
His face hardened at my words. "What's it to you?"
"Absolutely nothing. Make sure you sleep on your side tonight, will you? Before you choke in your own vomit." I rolled my eyes and headed back to the bar, but Harry tugged me back. "I don't want you working at that bar. You either do the job you're told to do, or you're fired."
My eyes widened and I tensed my jaw. I could almost feel tears in my eyes from how fucking fuming I was right now. I harshly tugged myself out of his grip and ran a hand through my hair. "Fine." I hissed.
He seemed pleased with himself before he excited the room, holding on to the walls for support to keep himself up. I quickly went to explain to Abby that I wasn't allowed to help her anymore, she said it was fine even though she looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.
I spent the rest of the evening emptying the glass container every once in a while, stocking up the sold out drinks in the bar and sneaking Abby a hand wherever I could. I didn't see Harry anymore tonight, not even on the couch with his friends. I noticed Louis was gone too and it was just Liam, Zayn and Niall left there with three girls, one of them being Isobel. I liked her so far.
Abby and I sighed once the bar started emptying, and at around 5 she announced she wasn't serving anyone drinks anymore and they had to go home. The last customer left soon after and we headed back to the supply room to put on our clothes and head out.
My eyelids felt droopy, and I could only imagine how tired Abby was right now. I had done about a tenth of her job and already felt like I was hit by a truck. My throat was swollen and sore and Abby and I exited the bar together, arms linked as we hummed at the early rays of sunshine.
"Don't you have to wait for Harry?" She asked and I quickly shook my head no.
"He can clean up all by himself today."