Ambition || Harry Styles

*25*

I'm embarrassed to admit how much I miss Harry and our Friday nights.

I know I shouldn't, I know I'm only making things harder for myself, I know he rejected me... twice.  But his words play over in my head like a broken record, "I wanted to come over last night. Badly."

My stomach has been a ball of nerves since that night, my heart struggling to retain a steady beat with the constant thoughts of tattooed skin and 'what if's'.

My thoughts swing back and forth like a pendulum.

Swaying right, my stomach flips at the memory of his hands and pouty lips, the idea of his crackly voice, purring impure intentions into my ear as he fills me, stretching my muscles under the heavy weight of his body.

Swaying left, the bone-chilling thought that he might not be who he says he is, that there is a sinister reason for his aloofness and a real fear that there is something dark, lingering just below the surface.

The promise of two weeks has turned into three, and apart from the odd text message with barely a fully constructed sentence, he hasn't contacted me or responded to my own attempts.

Everything is irritating me, and I can feel myself slipping back into my old ways, angry at life and everything in it. I know it's going to take more than an attractive man or emerald eyes to make me see the world with rose coloured glasses but I definitely saw a shift in my positivity, even if it was marginal.

A new guy in accounts coped the brunt of my temper a couple of days ago, Tony, I think he said his name was.  Middle-aged and wearing a suit two sizes too big for him, he had knocked on my door with a cheesy grin and even worse jokes and started firing questions at me like we were going to be best friends.  He dropped a file on my desk and called me, "champ" before Katie swiftly stepped in and removed him and could completely lose it.

It's 6pm on the third Friday that Harry has missed the mentoring session with my dad and Katie and Liam come swanning into my office despite my grunts at them to piss off.

They don't know about anything that happened after the party, except for the fact Harry is in New York, and I just feel like after the weird tone of the conversation the night he came over to apologise and the bizarre warning, I would rather not talk about it.

I can't shake the feeling that something else is going on. 

My mind has concocted a million excuses, some logical like, "he's been stuck in boring property conferences," to the downright absurd, "he's clearly a mafia boss," and the heartbreaking in-between, "maybe he's secretly married?"

"Would it make you feel better if I wore this?" Katie jokes having seen me sulk around the office, especially on Friday's, grabbing the patterned suit jacket Harry left on the back of my chair the night we went to get tacos.

She shoves her arms through the luxurious material that swamps her little body and Liam laughs at her silliness.

She walks back and forth theatrically, pointing a finger in a gun shape at me and winking before leaning against the door frame and raising an eyebrow while she looks back at us.

"Hello, Miss Patterson," she mocks in the best raspy 'Harry-esque' voice she can.

I shake my head as she and Liam are in hysterics.

"Wait!" a chuckle breaks through her exclamation."I have something better," she yells as she runs to her desk and back again holding a banana in the air like a trophy, the sleeve of her oversized jacket falling down to her elbow.

A giggle bubbles from my chest as she proceeds to shove the piece of fruit down the front of her black trousers and conservative Liam gasps in shock which only makes us laugh harder.

"I know he is an arse, but god that man is good looking," she exclaims with her hands on her hips, her pelvis thrusting forward and a banana sticking out from the band of her pants.

"Hey!" Liam interjects defensively and Katie and I share a brief moment of silence and a glance before we erupt into laugher again.

We are so loud that I don't hear my father walk into the room, our only indication is Liam bounding to stand from his seat.

There's a panicked rush as Katie pulls out the indecently positioned banana and stows it in the breast pocket of the men's jacket as if that is going to help her save face at this moment.

Dad's expression is fuming, his jaw twitching as he clenches it shut and his eyes shark from one person to the next.

"This is not a playground, stop acting like children!" he scolds before turning his back and leaving us red-faced.

Katie holds a hand over her mouth to stop the inevitable cackle from creeping out prematurely.

"Okay, I guess play times over then," she tries to say with a straight face, throwing the jacket back over the seat in front of my desk and patting Liam sweetly on the shoulder who looks more distraught than anything.

She links her arm in his, offering for me to join them to get some dinner, but I politely decline.

"M'just gonna head home early, I think," I say, checking the clock and really not wanting to imagine sitting here on a Friday night alone, again.

"Good for you!" Katie shouts excitedly. "Go home, relax, throw a banana into a blender if that makes you feel better," she grins at her own joke.

"Thanks guys," I tell them genuinely and we all collect our things to head home at what might be the earliest I've ever left Patterson & Sons.

A/N:

Quick, fun, little chapter for you all!

Hope you have a great weekend, i'm trying to write as quickly as I can so PLEASE VOTE - it really encourages me and keep me motivated!

Also.. does anyone else now hear the word 'motivated' in harry's voice after that dunkirk interview "It's MO.TIV.ATING!" no? just me?

Love Ruby

x