Scandal // h.s au

eleven: She returned to watching him.

He was leaned over the journal's head of the IT department, describing to him the nature of the situation and what was to be expected from him. She asked why they needed a technician in a newspaper, and he laughed, telling her that they were an organization of their own, and most of the time, things didn't go as planned. She didn't quite get it but he seemed so focused, that he couldn't sense her curious eyes on him.

She took the time to watch his puzzling beauty; lips speaking so slowly, it was almost torturous. Thick eyebrows formed into a concentrated frown, before easing with the slightest traces of a smile taking over his features. Bright green eyes following the technician's every move. Head nodding along in understanding, causing his hair to fall from its perfectly styled position. So, he put his hair up into a bun that Aimee didn't think she could rock quite as effortlessly as he did. He was so beautiful without really trying much. It all came so easily for him, so naturally. He didn't need to try to gain anyone's attention, because he just had it. He didn't need to make a mystery of himself, because he simply was one.

She found herself lost in the mere thought of him more times than not, and it scared her. She wasn't used to feeling so deeply for someone she could barely understand, someone who refused to throw her any breadcrumbs, who never shed any layers away, no matter how many times she assured him that he could.

Somewhere along the way, he had tilted his head towards her, smiling at whatever the technician had said, but her distant expression brought the frown back to his features. He didn't dare speak, not wanting to bring her back from wherever she had mindlessly wandered to, but then she blinked, and he was there, staring at her worriedly. He didn't speak, and he didn't need to. His eyes spoke to her own, the way hers had spoken to his, after his encounter with Liam at the restaurant. She nodded, to reassure him that she was alright, and he nodded in understanding, before refocusing upon the technician. And she returned to watching him.

She enjoyed those moments; where he was so sunk into the outside world, and she was sunk into him. It was her own way of attempting to understand him through reading his little motions, the way he closed his eyes when he laughed, almost to imprint the memory in his head, to file it away with all his other happy memories. The way his nose scrunched slightly, before a frown took over his features. The way he bit down on his toothpick or cigarette, whenever he was thinking something through, or was growing frustrated. The way he rarely allowed the smile to reach his eyes, although when it happened, it was always so breathtaking. It was the movement of his shoulders, or the shake of his legs, that slowly unraveled the mystery that he had been. Again, something so overwhelming, so intense and unfamiliar filled her insides, and she found great difficulty in understanding it.

" There's nothing there. The cameras were angled all wrong. Maybe it was intentional, but we can never know for sure." Harry spoke, his frown only deepening, as he patted the technician's back in encouragement, before fully turning to face her.

" We can go back there, and ask him. Maybe he'd show any signs of nervousness or deception or -"

" Absolutely not." Harry shook his head, once, but it held such assurance, such authority, that she knew there would be no point in arguing against it. She did anyway.

" But, Mr. Styles, we need more clues, or else we would -"

" Miss Montgomery, that pig is a dead end for us. Do you honestly think if he lies, we will be able to tell?" He questioned, beginning his march to God knows where. She followed, remaining quiet for a while, contemplating whether this was another rhetorical question or not.

" Yes, Miss Montgomery, I expect an answer from you."

" Oh. Well, I think his body language will expose him and -"

" His body language will expose him indeed, because and his mouth would water, and his eyes would twitch, and we'd know just how much he's craving you. We are not going back there, Miss Montgomery." His tone was neutral, which was odd, since his words were hateful. She pulled her lips together, casting her eyes on the ground, as she silently followed him.

" Louis called, said he needed to see me urgently."

He didn't ask her to come along, but since he didn't forwardly ask her not to, she assumed he wanted her to. So, she nodded, remaining silent, as she got into her familiar seat in his car, not bothering with her seat belt. She didn't react to his fleeting eyes on her, or the stern look he gave her. She crossed her arms against her chest, resting her forehead against the window, and watching the scenery pass them by. It was eerily quiet, and she knew that he'd never initiate a conversation with her. So, she spoke.

" Why were you mad at yourself?"

" I thought we had ended that discussion, Miss Montgomery."

" I just," She squeezed her eyes shut, releasing a long sigh, before turning to face him, " I'm trying to understand, Mr. Styles. I'm not used to this, and it's -"

" Another faulted assumption that it was all going to be easy and manageable."

" You never let me finish my sentences."

" Effective observation skills, I will give you that."

" Is it because what I normally say isn't worthy of your time?"

" It isn't that at all."

" Then, what is it?"

" I told you, Miss Montgomery, my communication skills are rusty, and my teamwork skills are nonexistent, so most of the time, I will hear only my own voice. It might be unfair, or ineffective, but it's how I am, and I can't change that. At least not as quickly as I probably have to." She allowed his words to sink in, before weakly nodding.

" I was mad because I didn't act the way I should have. That asshole deserved to have his balls cut off and made into some sort of shitty soup and poured over his head. I hesitated, and poorly reacted, and you deserve better. As a mentor and all that, I should have done a better job at keeping you safe." She had two reasons to smile; one being that he willingly answered her previous question, and two being that he felt that urge to protect her.

" I think I like it when you speak. You always say something like balls soup and it makes it all worth it." He offered a side glance, before his laughter filled the air, along with her own. She shook her head, because this wasn't at all how she had expected it all to go. But she liked it that way. She could only hope he did too.

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a/n: so this story isn't getting nearly as much reads/comments/votes as I would have hoped, but that's okay, because I love it so much, and I hope at least a few of you do too :)

if you spread the word about it and share it and stuff, that would be great. if you comment, that would be great as well. if not, then that's great too. as long as you enjoy it at least.

ily x