Where Your Heart Is (A Harry Styles Fanfiction) #pfcc2k16 #Wattys2016

Chapter Eight: ~It's nice to have a friend~

Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand.

*****

"There's nothing to talk about, really."

She is taking a seat, her eyes never landing on my face as she says those words; like she's not even considering the possibility that I may actually have an objection about her statement.

Which I do, of course. And I let her know immediately.

"I beg to differ with you on that one, my dear... Lea." I say, letting out her name with a sigh of abashment. "I think there is a lot to talk about if you ask me."

Her blue eyes snap at me, as her bottom lip is trapped under her perfectly small, rounded teeth. She studies me carefully before breaking the contact, to take a quick look around.

I can tell that she's making sure that we are the only people around, and that she is making a big effort not to retort my words with another nasty comment like she did before. Not that I really minded, to be honest. I have no idea why, but I just didn't.

Maybe it was because I got to hear her saying my name and I enjoyed that greatly, even if it was pronounced with a bit of contempt.

"Well then, it's a good thing that I haven't. Asked you, I mean." Clearly, she doesn't pull it off, but I guess it could have been worse. And again, I don't care about it. She's talking to me and I guess I'll take what I can get for now.

"No, you haven't." I agree with her. "But if you had I would say that I want to explain that note to you."

I curl my lips into the biggest smile I can offer to her, hoping that it would do the trick to soften her mood and make her a bit more open to hear me out. I have been told that if I smile in a certain way, I hold the ancient power of getting my way.

A tiny flicker lights up her eyes, but she manages to fight back the grin that's making her mouth tremble. I give my cheeks a rest reckoning that she evidently has no weakness for my skills, or if she does, she knows how to counteract them.

And I like that even more.

"Listen... Harry."

There goes my name flying out of her mouth again, disarming me like a songbird. And I can't ignore the thrill it gives me, so I lean forward to do as she says, fighting the impulse of jumping across the desk to take a seat next to her.

"I'm listening." I whisper, pushing my hair behind my ears and rising my eyebrows at her.

She sighs heavily before speaking up again. She sounds annoyed and worried, and maybe a bit sad. I don't know her that well. I don't know her at all, in fact. But I will do my best to convince her that I want to and that she should let me.

"I already came clean to my boss about the fact that we've met before..."

"Came clean?" I innocently mock her choice of words. "You make it sound so dirty... I like it."

But I regret my cheekiness on the spot, and I show her the palm of my hands when I lift them up in an honest gesture of apology.

"She's alright with it, but that's as far as we can stretch it." She continues, ignoring my unsolicited remark. "And I don't want to have a problem with her. So there will be no talking about names being confused and misdelivered messages... As a matter of fact, we will just pretend that we only met today."

I don't want her to see how much her words truly upset me. I want to act as cool as I can, though it is surprising to me how hard it is.

I pretend to be considering her command, pressing my index finger against my mouth and narrowing my eyes in reflection.