BLACKHOUSE [H.S.]

Seven

I get off work around eight-thirty and start walking home, still confused and anxious about everything that happened today.

Harry didn't say anything else to me, or look at me for that matter, for the rest of the day, he just slammed my cash tip on the desk in front of me and left. If Louis didn't require them to tip me out at the end of the day I know for sure he wouldn't have given me anything.

I can't stop thinking about the look he gave me before storming out of the back room. His eyes were a dark shade of green, with nothing but pure anger behind them. I keep racking my brain for anything I could have done to make him act that way towards me, but I can't come up with anything.

Louis said he's like that with everyone, but I didn't see him treat anyone else like that. He didn't really show any emotion towards his clients, but he wasn't hateful by any means. He just did his job, got paid, and sent them on their way.

He truly is a talented artist, the stuff he does is incredible, but I find it hard to really appreciate his work now that I've witnessed his strange behavior.

Everyone else was so nice to me today. They were helpful when I had questions and genuinely made an effort to get to know me. I think, as long as I try to avoid Harry, I might actually enjoy this job.

As I reach my building and start up the steps to the door, I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pull it out and see that it's Cass, pressing the accept button and holding the device to my ear.

"Hey," I answer, buzzing myself into the building.

"How was your first day?" She asks excitedly.

"It was... interesting," I vaguely confess.

I open the door to my apartment and step inside, kicking my shoes off and dropping my tan messenger bag on the floor next to them.

"Interesting?" She questions, sounding confused.

"Yeah..." I trail off, grabbing the rosé from the fridge and a mug, then sitting on the couch. "Harry's kind of a dick."

"Oh god," she groans. "What did he do?"

"Well, when Louis introduced us he looked at me like I was some disgusting creature," I start, opening the bottle of wine and filling the dark blue cup, and take a big drink. "And when Niall put on Boston Manor, Harry yelled at him to turn it off and then said I was a problem."

The line is quiet for a second, making me nervous waiting for Cass's reaction.

"Are you serious?" She finally says, slightly raising her voice. "Why would he do that?"

"I have no idea dude," I shrug, laughing. "I didn't say a single thing to him all day, besides 'hi' and 'your client is here'. It was so weird."

"I'm going to have to talk to Niall and see what his problem is," she huffs. "That's not okay."

When she mentions his name, I quickly remember what he said about her earlier. "Oh, speaking of, Niall said that you were badass today."

"W-what do you mean?" She stutters, clearly surprised.

"He asked me how long you and I have known each other, and when I told him he said 'that's cool, she's badass'," I giggle, taking another sip of rosé.

"You're lying," she gasps.

It's clear that Cass really likes him, and I love how happy this makes her, but I can't help but feel slightly nervous and protective after how things ended between them last year; even if he is a nice guy. She seemed fine after the break up, but something tells me it affected her more than she let on.

"I swear!" I laugh.

"Shut up!" She squeals. "Did he say anything else?"

"Not about you, no. He did talk to me a lot today though," I smile at the positive interactions I had today, trying to ignore the negative ones. "Everyone, besides Harry, was really nice to me."

"I told you something was off about him," she mentions our conversation in the car this morning. "He's only said like, three words to me, and I've gone out with all of them a handful of times."

"Do you know what his story is?" I wonder.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that everyone at Blackhouse is either British or Irish? That can't just be a coincidence.

"No idea," she says. "I've tried to ask Niall and Louis about him but they're always super vague and change the subject."

"What the hell?" I furrow my brows, confused. "That's kind of weird, don't you think?"

"Very," she agrees. "Just give it some time, I'm sure he'll come around. I think he just puts on a 'tough guy' front."

"I hope so..." I chew my lip nervously. "Hey Cass, I gotta go okay? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Do you need me to take you to work in the morning?" She asks quickly before I hang up.

"No no, that's okay," I decline, shaking my head. "I can walk."

"Okay," she mutters. "Let me know if you change your mind. I love you."

"I love you, too," I reciprocate.

I hang up the phone and take another swig of the wine, grabbing my laptop from the coffee table and opening it up. I go to Safari, and type 'Harry Styles' into the search bar.

I don't know why, but I feel compelled to know more about this guy. I think I just want to understand why he treated me the way he did today, to find a reason.

Even if he does have some dark past, it definitely doesn't make it okay. I have been through some shit, but I feel like it made me a better person, not the opposite. I guess everyone responds to things differently though.

I hit enter and my screen fills with results, it's mostly just photos of his work and a link to his Instagram. I scroll down a bit and see a headline that reads 'Popular British Tattoo Artist Arrested on Assault Charges'. I widen my eyes and click on the link, a mugshot being the first thing I see.

I didn't notice it earlier, but he has a bar through his left eyebrow and a black ring in his left nostril, along with a tattoo of a snake covering his throat.

He looks like he got punched in the face, his lip split with dried blood on his chin and the beginning of a black eye forming on his right. He's smirking in the photo, which makes my stomach turn.

He almost looks... proud?

I swallow the lump in my throat and scroll to read the article, dated November 11, 2019. Three years ago.

British tattooer, Harry Styles, was arrested Saturday night at a London nightclub for assaulting a man who claims he did not know who Styles was before the incident. The victim, Carson Miles, alleges that Styles attacked him unprovoked. A fight then ensued, and police were called. Both men were arrested and posted bail the next morning. Styles has declined to speak with us.

Whoa. What the hell?

There isn't really any more information in the article, so I'm not sure what really happened. Maybe the guy is lying? Maybe they did know each other? I have no idea, but what I do know is I do not want to make Harry angry.

~~~~~

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