CHAPTER 16
"By the way, I found out about Valerie," I tell Renee as we eat lunch together the next day.
We're sitting in the cafeteria together as usual. It's Friday and my date with Liam is a week from today. The last couple of training sessions we had together were a tad awkward, but Liam is such an easy-going person that he made it seem like nothing had changed.
Renee interrupts my thoughts about Liam. "What? When?"
"After Harry and I, you know," I trail off, and can feel my face starting to heat up. Renee grins knowingly at me.
"After you and Harry totally got it on?" she smirks at me and my eyes widen.
"Not so loud! I don't want everyone talking about us," I reprimand her in a whisper. The last thing I need is for everyone to start hearing rumors about me and Harry. I don't want to be just another Valerie.
"If Hank was the one who interrupted you, they probably already are," Renee points out.
"You haven't heard anyone else talking about it, have you?" I ask nervously.
She shakes her head. "No. And if Hank was the only one who saw you two, then he probably won't tell. Harry will know he was the one who leaked the news if it gets around."
"I hope you're right," I mutter into my salad bowl. Suddenly, I feel as if I have lost my appetite.
Renee seemed unconcerned as she took another big bite of her sandwich. "Do you think that if I laid a wet one on Louis-"
"No. You'd probably find yourself looking for a new job. I'm lucky I'm not."
After taking a small bite of my salad, I spot Hank out the corner of my eye. He's leaning against the cafeteria wall with a little smirk on his face. And he's staring directly at me.
"We probably shouldn't be talking about this," I whisper nervously to Renee, nodding my head slightly in Hank's direction so she can realize he's in earshot. She nods and sips on her water.
I glance at the clock hanging on the wall. "I need to get back to the office anyways," I tell my friend. "Harry went out for a haircut." Even though his two phone lines are covered by voicemails, I still feel bad leaving his extensions unattended during office hours.
"Okay. But remember, tomorrow's payday," she reminds me. "Why don't we go to the mall and shop for some new clothes after work?"
"I'd love to, but I have to pick up my grandmother," I tell her, just now remembering about that. "She's getting her floors redone and has to stay with me this weekend. How about next weekend?"
"Sounds good," Renee smiles at me then shoos me away.
I find return upstairs to see that Harry's office is brightly lit, which means he has already returned from his haircut. I try to make it back into my office unnoticed, but Harry's door bursts open and Louis practically plows me over, his hands full of my chocolate clusters.
"Sorry," he mumbles with his mouth full. He glances down at the cookies in his hands and then back up at me. "Have I mentioned how much I love you?"
I look pointedly at the treats in his hand and roll my eyes. "What you love is my baking."
"That, too," Louis winked at me. He started to walk away but I called after him. "Louis, wait!"
"What is it, sweetheart?" he gives me a goofy grin and I roll my eyes again. No wonder Renee has a thing for him. The guy is a natural born flirt.
"The other day," I begin awkwardly, wondering how to ask him if Harry had told him about us. "What did you-"
"Relax, Leah, I was kidding," he laughs, cutting off my nervous rambling. "But," he adds, lowering his voice, "I do think there's a little something more than a business relationship going on there."
"We're just friends," I say immediately. Actually, at the moment, we're not even that. I still haven't forgotten about Cassie. But Louis doesn't need to know all the juicy details.
"Uh-huh," Louis says, not sounding like he believes me at all. "You have a good day, Leah."
"You too," I call weakly after his retreating figure. He waves once more before disappearing into the elevator. I turn around to go back to my office and nearly have a heart attack when I see Harry standing there.
"Louis is very...observant," he finally says after a moment of me simply gaping at him in surprise.
I nod, not sure what else to say. I try to enter my office for the umpteenth time since I got up here but Harry stops me.
"I need to talk to you for a couple minutes," he says, guiding me into his office. I sit down nervously in one of the chairs.
Harry paces around his office a couple times with his hands clasped behind his back. I watch him with a beating heart. For some reason I feel like he's about to fire me.
Then he says, "Have you been paying for my lunches with your own money?"
I blink in surprise. Out of all the things he could have said, I wasn't expecting this to be one of them.
"Um, yes?"
"What would possess you to pay for my lunch for a solid two months?" he asks calmly but I can hear the underlying frustration in his voice.
"I didn't mean to," I try to explain.
"Then why did you?"
"I told you. Once I started bring food to you, I couldn't think of a graceful way to ask for the money. I figured you'd eventually realize I was paying for it all, and you'd pay me back. So it was a loan."
Harry nods slowly, then asks, "So why are you so upset with me?"
I know this is the question he really wanted to ask me and I cross my arms. The past week I have been avoiding him like the plague, mostly out of embarrassment. The whole Cassie thing made me realize that I was just another doll to him, just something to check off a list.
"I'm not upset," I deny.
He snorts. "Bullshit. Tell me what's wrong with you."
My last strand of self control snaps. "What's wrong with me? More like what's wrong with you!" I'm standing now, my finger pointing accusingly right at his chest. "I'm not the one who slept with someone right after we kissed!"
Harry closes his eyes slowly. "So this is what it's all about," he murmurs. "I should have known."
In my anger I moved across the room so Harry and I are now face to face. For whatever reason his comment only angers me further, and I open my mouth again.
"Yeah, Harry, I know you can get any girl you want. You don't have to sleep with everything that breathes to prove it to me," I hiss. "I know Friday probably didn't mean that much to you, but for me..."
I trail off, embarrassed that my rant got so personal. Suddenly, Harry's hand is cupping my cheek and forcing me to look into his eyes. His green orbs are as captivating as ever, and suddenly all I want to smash my lips against his all over again.
I have a feeling that Harry's thinking the same exact thing because his gaze flickers down to my mouth and back. He slowly begins inching forward but at the last second I press my palms against his chest and push him away. It's a weak gesture but it works.
"We can't," I say simply and turn to leave his office. Before I can reach the door Harry calls out, "Cassie...Cassie is my sister."
His words stop me and I turn around, taking in the hopeful and apologetic expression on his face. I know what he wants and I want it too, more than he could ever imagine, but this time I have come to my senses.
"It doesn't change anything," I say, and then I walk away.
++++++++++++++++
A/N: WOW SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT also this chapter is short but I kinda like it
dedication to iwantnarry
VOTE AND COMMENT K BYE