How It's Going To Be [h.s.]

Chapter 71

{Kate's Point of View}

Immersing myself in work seemed to be the best method to getting over Harry.  Not only did it distract me from thoughts of my ex-boyfriend, but my company also did not deal with any clients or organizations affiliated with One Direction, ensuring I would not have to think about Harry at work.

A week after my phone call with Louis and random text message from Jens, I had slipped into a routine excluding all things related to Harry. I woke up, drank lavender tea, dressed for work, Eli drove me to the office, and I would focus my energy there until it was time to come home. I felt like I was getting to a better place in my life. I felt like I was slowly unbinding myself from Harry and establishing myself as an independent person.

When I arrived at the office, Mr. Carter was gathering the staff for an impromptu meeting. He looked fidgety and anxious as he waved me over to join the group in the conference room. I took a notepad and pen and followed the flow of people.

"We really want you here for this," Mr. Carter whispered to me as I entered the room. "Your expertise is going to be crucial."

 "My expertise in what?" I asked.

"Celebrity and entertainment social media strategy."

"Do we have a new client?"

"Yes. We have just gained a massive client."

The small staff at Hendrix and Carter sat around a large conference table. Mr. Hendrix and Mr. Carter sat together at the head of the table. I sat immediately on their right. There was a strong energy in the air—a nearly tangible excitement. I watched the hopeful expressions of the other staff members as we waited for the announcement. I even felt a slight churn in my stomach.

"Sorry to pull everyone from their projects this morning," Mr. Hendrix began, "but we have some major news. Our focus at Hendrix and Carter is to accommodate a wide variety of public relations needs with a vast clientele. That being said, we have taken on the new project of assisting in the launch of an album. The artist is not new to the music industry, but has recently decided to rebrand himself and reenter the spotlight."

"Our primary objective is to create the new brand for this artist and one of the ways we are doing that is to establish a new social media presence." Mr. Carter nodded to me before continuing, "Additionally, we are helping to host the launch party for the new album which will be happening in February."

"This is an immense task," Mr. Hendrix interjected. "We are asking for everyone to pour themselves into this."

"Who is it?" one of the staff members asked excitedly.

"We'll allow him to introduce himself," Mr. Hendrix smiled.

The door opened and the new client walked in. He was tall and broad-shouldered. His skin was irresistibly tan. His hair was black as night, which only complimented the darkness of his eyes. His jaw was shadowed with facial hair. He wore a denim shirt and black jeans. His lips were pouted dreamily. He stood before us and smiled shyly when a few girls in the room gasped. I watched his hands disappear into the pockets of his skinny jeans as he leaned into his too-cool demeanor.

"Hello, I'm Zayn."

____________

I sat in a closed office separated from Zayn Malik by only a desk. A computer was set up on the desk with Zayn's Twitter account pulled up. I stared at the screen pretending to be looking at something when really I was mentally gathering myself. His stare was making me nervous, but for reasons unknown to me.