Under Pressure {H.S}

Chapter 33

Mia's POV:

It's May.

And it's getting warmer outside.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a little chilly, but it's not winter-coat-weather anymore. I'm not a big fan of hot weather, but Harry makes spring feel like bliss. I wonder what summer is going to be like. With him, I'm sure it will be heaven.

"Harryyyy," I draw out.

"Mhm," he hums, his eyes shut.

I laugh, feeling the weight of his body settle into me even more.

I was just sitting on the couch, reading my book, listening to him play the guitar, and then, all of the sudden, I became one with the couch, and someone laid on top of me. Harry laid on top of me.

H was gone last week because he had some meetings in London and wanted to visit Anne and Gemma.

Originally, I was going to go with him, but our plans were busted whenever three people got sick and I had to go into work at Hippie Haven the day before we were supposed to get on our flight.

Even worse, my favorite store manager, Cindy, got sick.

She's okay. She feels better now. I told her to save me the heartbreak and just "retire" already but she refuses to quit. Selfishly, I'm glad she doesn't want to quit. I'd miss her too much.

I've still been working, but I've had to cut back my hours and be extra careful to not get caught when I am working. I'm surprised no one has found out that I own a small business. I swear Harry's fans should be hired by the FBI because I think they know more about me than I know about myself.

It wouldn't be terrible if the media found out that I owned Hippie Haven, but I'm almost certain that sales would increase. A lot.

And of course, an increase in sales wouldn't be an awful thing, but I think it would be too much. I think people would constantly shop there just because they knew that Harry Styles' girlfriend owned the store. Records and everything else I sell would sell out fast because of the sudden popularity. Then I would have to invest in a bigger building, possibly franchises, bigger company deals. And I don't want to do that. Not yet, at least.

And, if Harry and I ever break up, it would look like I owe the success of my business to him. I created this business on my own. I don't want it to look like I owe Harry's popularity for everything I've worked hard for.

I like my business the way it is. I don't want it to change. And I'm afraid if people knew I owned it, everything would change drastically.

That's why I've also made the decision to hire more people, and resign from working in person. Of course, I'll always be there for restocks and organizing when the store is closed. And I'll always check in on my workers and make sure everything is in order. So maybe I'll still sort of be working in person, just not while the store is open.

Since Harry has been gone, and I've been working at night a lot, we haven't gotten much time to ourselves recently.

Al and Naleia are finally coming to New York this week. Harry has been avoiding scheduling anything since Al and Naleia are going to stay with us, and I couldn't be more grateful. He really didn't have to fix his schedule around their visit, or even let them stay here, but he is. He's an angel.

And, since this might be our only bit of alone time for the next week, I make a suggestion.

"You wanna do anything before they get here?" I ask him.

"What time are they supposed to get here?" He asks, referring to Naleia, Al, and Hadley's arrival time. I'm so excited. I haven't seen Hadley since the week of her birth, despite all of the FaceTime calls H and I have made to see her. I know Harry is extremely excited, too.