Copyright © zylgnagnaba 2014
Harry entered the back of the black car wearing a stolid expression on his face and he remains this way almost after fifteen minutes into the drive. His brows are drawn together, lips pressed in a tight line, and eyes locked on the screen of his phone, scrolling away on the different e-mails sent to him from the last couple of days.
He remains oblivious to his surrounding even as the car starts to drive off from his penthouse. The view outside slip by in a blur, sunbeam casts swirling lights against the polished exterior of the vehicle, slight glare penetrating through the window. The car stops in the middle of a gridlock. A cacophony of impatient horns and distressed screams emit from the outside, urging for the traffic to move so that they may arrive on their intended destination on time. A usual catastrophe at an early morning in the middle of Chicago City, but none of these observations goes noticed by Harry as he is still drenched on the different messages on his phone. Somewhere in between all these, he'd just repel his eyes from the phone screen to glance up before going through his e-mails again.
A tedious sigh leaves his lips once the car finally moves from the congested road, a subtle sign that somehow he is paying attention. But it takes no genius to notice that Harry is slowly slipping away from the progress he'd been making for months now.
Betty sits with him just a few inches away, glancing at her boss every now and again; gray eyes framed with thick eyeglasses. She bobs her head to a non-existent tune, silently drumming the sign pen against the open page of her itinerary.
He might have seemed rough around the edges, but she had always known that he's not incapable of compassion and love. His tough facade may very well be his way of brushing these types of presumptions aside, of people thinking he is vulnerable to any kind of emotions. But Betty saw Harry gradually tear this veneer away these previous months right before her eyes.
She saw how Harry would walk in to the office as a whole new person every day, acknowledging everyone who bumped into him and greeted him. He wasn't the boss who looked down at his employees and imposed boundary between him and them anymore. No longer the inconsiderate superior who'd always humiliate an employee for doing an unaccomplished task. No more snide and condescending remarks. Lesser grumpy days. She's got Charlie to be thankful for.
Although the massive change in his attitude is still in existence, she couldn't shake off the observation that's something has been bothering him for the past three days.
Harry has been remarkably passive about everything that's going on, not only in the company, but in other matters as well. She took note of the several times he had zone out in the middle of a conference -- when it always took him few seconds to process an information before he could respond to them; or when a word enters one of his ears and out with the other. Betty could only accurately guess that her boss is preoccupied with something heavy or serious. Her eyebrows pull together at the few instances when she had heard sniffles from inside his office travelling to her post just outside his door.
It's not like her to ask him pertaining to personal matters, so she didn't bother. She was just contented with small bits of cryptic messages and small hints, then she'd be able to put two and two together...still, they remain as theories. All her theories are always leading up to Charlie.
"How is Mr. Tauss doing with his job?" Betty's train of thoughts is interrupted as a gruff voice sears through them, making her eyes avert from outside the window to the suited man sitting at the opposite end.
Harry's eyes are still focused on the phone screen as she replies, "Sir, he's doing awfully good. Really attentive. Gets along well with other people in the workplace."
As she finishes, she notices a slight twitch on Harry's face. She sees pain and regret.
"Good." He quips, his throat bobbing up and down.
There is a long and tensed silence, at least for Betty. Whether her boss asked the question just to make a conversation or he really was curious, she isn't sure, but it starts to bother her. He had first asked the same question on Aiden's first three weeks being an assistant to the HR manager and he never mentioned him again until this day.
A humorless laugh is heard from the opposite side of the seat and Betty looks at Harry, watching him shake his head and looks out at the window.
"Never gonna be able to use that name again...ever." He tells her but his eyes are boring holes to the side mirror of the car. There is nothing but bitterness in his tone as he spoke, causing for Betty to shift in her seat and give her boss her full attention.
Creases are formed over her forehead as she frowns. "Sir?"
"She figured it out. Charlie." Harry sighs, leaning back on his seat casually and placing his hand over his lap after pocketing his phone. "She already know I'm not who she thought I was. She hates me, you know?"
Betty nods, chewing the information in. She could only imagine what her boss is going through right now. She's quite certain that he's even more disheartened than what he's leading others to think. These past few days, he'd been too closed off. He had been acting nonchalant, even as he told Betty these things regarding Charlie. But she's aware that Harry is hurting. She'd been his assistant for years now that she's already able to distinguish his different moods one from the other -- that is unchangeable if you may ask others (him always being grumpy and serious).
"She doesn't want to see me anymore." He says this through a breath, now fiddling with his fingers as he looks out the window.
Betty sees that Harry is holding so much back, but is overwhelmed about the fact that he is confiding to her. She had known about Harry Styles' secret endeavour -- living a double life -- after all. So it's only convenient for him to tell her things regarding Charlie above anyone else.
She is just about to open her mouth when Harry speaks, "It's okay, Betty. You don't have to say anything. I wasn't asking for any insights about love or forgiveness. There's no way I could redo everything I've done."
"I was going to say, my son hates me too."
This captures Harry's attention and he instinctively peels his eyes from the window to look at his assistant.
"He's thirteen, sir and I didn't even watch him grow. I was never there in the most important occasions of his life. He won an interschool decathlon last week and it was my mom who informed me. I wanted to congratulate him through the phone, but he didn't want to talk to me." She shakes her head, eyes casted down on her lap. "He claims I was always busy. That I have even more time for work than him. I don't blame him because it's true."
Harry remains quiet.
"I'm not telling you this so you may feel guilty, sir. It's my problem and I chose to prioritize my career, therefore, I'm suffering the consequences. I'm just trying to tell you that at some points of our lives, we go through similar things but with different people. And it's up to you if you're gonna do something about it." Her eyeglasses shimmer against the sun beam. Harry squints to look at her intently, awaiting for her next set of words. "You love her, sir. Don't allow her to think differently. We make some bad choices, but it doesn't mean we're bad people. And I know you hid the truth for her sake. Charlie is an intelligent sweetheart. I'm sure she'll understand. Don't wait until it's too late."
"I thought I said I don't want any of your love advices." Harry straightens his back as he humorlessly chuckles.
"But I did it anyway." Betty muses which earns a small smile from Harry's lips.
He looks down at himself as a sudden thought appears in his head. What she just said was something Charlie would say.
"Why are girls so complicated?"
"Tell me why boys are complicated first, and I'll answer that question, Sir."
"Fair enough." He gives the small lady a tight smile. "Go home, Betty. Go back to England. Take a vacation. Spend the rest ot the week with your son."
"But sir-"
"No buts. Go home. Don't worry. There's no salary deduction, rather, a 20% rise for your loyalty to the company. I will not replace you. Your job will be waiting for you until you're ready to come back."
Harry's reassurance warms her heart, causing for a color to rise on her cheeks and heat bring tears in her eyes. She feels gassy as butterflies dance around the pit of her stomach. She couldn't speak, try as she might.
Harry watches her reaction with amusement. He didn't know his suggestion would mean so much to her. He knows Betty deserves the treat. She's been around the company since forever. He remembers being an intern and Betty was already his eldest brother's assistant. Until Derek was promoted and Betty was then assigned to him.
He rarely watched her take a break...relax or take some time for herself. And after hearing about her son holds him responsible for taking her away from the thirteen year-old.
"Thank you, sir. You don't know how much it means to me...to see my son after so many months being-"
"It's okay, Betty. Come here." Harry chuckles as he scoots closer to Betty, his lean arms coming around her shoulders to comfort the lady, seeing as she started weeping.
"Thank you, sir, so much. And really, sir. You should fight for Charlie." She says in between sniffles, wiping at the snots below her nose with the handky Harry offered her.
"I'm working on it." He says over Betty's head, nodding in agreement with his own words.
-----
Boxes upon boxes are laid out on the ground and more are coming as men carry them out out of the gates, others come loading them inside the truck that's parked at one side of the road.
Harry's green eyes follow the routine for almost a minute as he stands outside Charlie's apartment complex, puzzled and confused before walking towards the entrance. At one point, he has to walk inside the building with his back pressed against the wall so that he may fit with the man carrying the box taking up the whole space in the narrow hallway. The struggle has gotten even worse upon reaching the staircase and climbing over it, not missing the agitated remarks from the movers who are busy doing their job.
He is out of breath the very moment he reaches Charlie's door...only to find out that it is closed with a sealed note plastered on it.
NO TRESPASSING: Private Property, the heading reads. Statement of laws, offences and their penalties are explained below the bold letters.
Harry swallows hard, stepping back from the door as he run his hand through his hair. His heart thumps against his chest, the feeling shaking his nerves as he looks from his left to right. Distressed, he continues to watch the same men taking out boxes from another apartment next to Charlie's.
As he spots one man who is busy dusting his hands off, as if his job is done, Harry nervously approaches him.
"Excuse me?" Harry towers over the man that is probably older than him. He looks up at him, paying him an inquisitive stare -- a sign for Harry to speak. "What's happening? Where's the tenant here?" His hand gestures to the next door and the man's squinty eyes follow its direction.
"No idea, man. All I know is this entire building is bought by a commercial company and had old tenants evicted as soon as possible."
Harry's hands immediately rub over his face, frustration and worry ridden on his face at the information.
"You okay, man?" The small man asks, concerned.
"Yeah, yeah. Just-" He tries to explain but remembers to dial Charlie's number. His hand digs his phone from his back pocket, hesitating as he presses her number on speed dial.
It has been three days that his call would always go straight to voice mail, his texts received no reply from her. So now as he waits for the other end to ring, he doesn't know what he's anticipating for.
"Sorry, who are you looking for anyway?" The mover interrupts and Harry appreciates it, knowing he just wants to help by any means he could.
Harry takes in a sharp breath, closing his eyes as he massages his forehead, easing down the lines that have formed there.
He sighs as his eyes meet with the man's. "My fiancé."
As soon as he says that, a robotic voice declares that the number he is dialing is already out of service.
*****
I can sleep forever.
Sorry that it's short and shitty. I will update again soon. IK the chapter name gave you false hope. Eeh #sorrynotsorry
Even if you hate it, please still vote and comment?
-- Glyz xx
PS: I am officially a LOUIS GIRL bc why not? He's hot AF.