Trapped [H.S. MATURE AU]

5.*

*contains sexual content

Harry Styles

I didn't know what I had listened to. I didn't know what she didn't want me to find out, I only knew I had broken her trust. I didn't know what I was thinking, but it's too late now.

As soon as she had closed the door I had tried, I had really tried to apologize right away. I had stared at the screen of my phone and I had tried to come up with something reasonable to tell her. I had been frozen, completely frozen.

I had taken a while before leaving and start driving toward the studio. The job of the day had kept me busy, distracted. I had focused on the model in front of me and I had irreparably found myself thinking about Charlene. Thinking about her and how different it is to photograph her. How different she is, too. Not even one time I had gotten bored while working with her. She's a breath of fresh air, her eyes tell me something, they're full of life, of questions and — somehow — answers too, they're sharp, deep and eloquent.

On the other hand, the pair of dark eyes looking back at me were just terribly empty and bored.

We had taken a while to find the perfect pictures, the whole day had flown away before we had even realized. I was happy to leave but also scared of going back to reality and what had happened today. Charlene hadn't texted me for the whole day, not that I was surprised, but disappointed. I would've preferred her rage, over her silence.

I hadn't taken too long to come up with a decision, while driving toward my place. I had made a U-turn, very quickly and I had started to drive toward her place, with my palms wetted in my own sweat, holding for dear life my leather-bound wheel.

Once I arrive in front of her place I wait in the car for a few seconds, trying to find the courage to knock on her door. I can see the light coming from the single window on her place which obviously tells me she's inside.

When I finally manage to find the courage, I get out of my car and walk to her door, forcing myself to knock right away, before I can change my mind once again.

She takes a while to open it and when I see her I quickly understand why. Her hair is wet and she's wearing a robe over her naked body. She gives me a confused look, probably wondering what I'm doing here now.

"Sorry, I was in the shower!" She just says. She doesn't seem mad, just bored or annoyed, maybe.

"Can I come in?" I ask her right away. "Or I can stop by later, if it's a problem..." she seems hesitant at first, as she looks back at me with a wary look in her eyes. I can't blame her. After a few seconds, she just opens the door and steps aside to let me in.

For the first time, I realize that I had never been inside. I had always waited for her outside, but I had never stepped in. The small room looks exactly like her, it doesn't say a lot about herself. The walls are white and plain, just like everything else. It's quite tidy, except for some piece of clothing around the room here and there, the only thing that looks more worn out is the huge library standing against one of the walls. Full of books, more than what I've even owned or read in my whole life.

"Sorry if I came here unexpectedly..." I tell her, as she turns around to get a brush from her drawer and starts brushing her wet hair, still facing the wall.

"It's fine, I was going to call you anyway..." she just says. She doesn't seem mad, but I can't see her face from here and I wonder if her face is giving away any type of emotion. "I was wondering if you could start giving me part of the money..." she tells me, after taking a deep breath, almost swallowing her pride away. She turns back toward me and looks up at me, with her hands on her hips and her face trying hard not to give away any kind of emotion.