ii.
Harry isn't a jealous person.
He has no explanation for it, apart from the fact he just isn't. The feeling has threatened to creep up on him, but he usually stops it in its tracks before it has the chance to toil him. It's an ugly thing – jealousy – and he doesn't like how it warps people and their perception of the things. Thinks that it only leads to negativity and lowliness that doesn't need to be felt.
However, he can't say that this holds up when he sees a boy whispering into Y/N's ear during his lecture. It almost makes him pause as he's discussing micro-social inequities, partly because Y/N rarely talks to anybody in class (especially while Harry is up there teaching) and partly because the guy was cute, Harry could admit. A boyish gleam in his eyes as he giggled to her about something and Y/N is all soft smiles – which he wouldn't mind if it wasn't awful close to the smile she gives him when he says something particularly cheeky.
Then that ugly thing...that ugly feeling tickles its way into his brain and into his heart, capturing his veins with a heat that sinks his stomach. He'd never been the possessive type either, and he doesn't think he is but – but Y/N is his person...his girl. And watching some boy try to swoon her right in front of him just...well, god, he just doesn't know what to do with himself. Tries to focus but two minutes later when he looks back up and the boy is sliding something over to Y/N, he feels the pit in his stomach grow.
"Miss. Y/N and Mr. Price," he begins, trying to swallow the annoyance clouding his voice, "Unless you're keen on sharing what's so funny, I suggest you stop and give me your time. This is important and we need to get through this for the test."
A wriggle of guilt itches through him at the sight of Y/N's face worming startled, confused, and hurt all in a few moments but he forces himself to continue. It's not like he could very well go all soft on her in front of everyone, apologize for calling her out in front of everyone because he knows...god he knows how she feels about groups of people – it's part of the reason that they started the one on ones in the first place. So the guilt looms and manifests into a heavy cloud over him, as he attempts to avoid looking over to her but his gaze keeps floating past her, seeing the sad puppy-like face she's unintentionally pulling.
He ends class ten minutes early, slipping his phone from his back pocket as the students filter out of the room. Typing a message out quickly because he knows Y/N pulls out her phone to play music while she walks so she'd catch the notification just in time.
Meet me in my office.
As he begins packing away his things, a voice startles him, "Mr. Styles," he looks up, shoving a few folders into his messenger bag and trying to make quick of it. He feels like the absolute worst and doesn't feel like gabbing to anyone right now, especially when he sees that it's a girl called Ana, who he recalls was telling someone that he was into her at a party. The one who had frustrated drunk Y/N to the point of calling him all aggravated and telling him he was a prick, "I wanted to talk to you about that one series you like? I finally started watching it –"
"Listen, Ana, I really need to head out," he tells her, slinging his bag over his shoulder, "Have some papers to grade, but m'sure we can talk about this later yeah?" He calls it over his shoulder as he pushes out of the room, all but jogging his way to his office. Y/N knows he keeps a spare key in the soil of the potted plant near his door so she should've had no trouble getting in, and the hallway his office is located in is always practically deserted this early in the day so he had no fears of someone seeing her. Hell, if he thought that anybody might be around then he wouldn't be planning on what he was planning on doing to make it up to her. No way would he truly chance it, but given that its so early in the day, the halls are truly vacant; uninhabited by anyone but him until around 11AM and he figures it's because he's on the third floor, where it's nothing but offices, with no lecture halls anywhere near it. Tucked away in a sweet little nook.
