hate & other words || h.s au

ten

"Someone didn't get enough sleep last night," Adam comments when he catches me mid-yawn. I aim a pen at him but instead of hitting him square on the chest like I always do, it falls flat on the floor next to him. Laughing, he goes to pick the pen up and hands it back to me. He also hands back a list of books that he was stock-checking earlier. On days like these, I'm glad that my parents decided to hire him -- he's more competent than I am. "Alright?"

"Yeah," I nod, though if I were to be honest, I don't feel too good. My mind feels fuzzy and my my nose feels stuffy, and I don't know if it's because I didn't get enough sleep last night or because I'm coming down with something -- I really hope it's the former. Falling sick is not on my list.

"So I saw your texts this morning," Adam mentions. I forgot that I texted him last night before I did the stupid thing that I refuse to think about. I've thought about it enough anyway so I ought to think about something else now. Like how the main characters in the book I'm currently reading need to get their shit together because there's only a few chapters left. "What were you gonna tell me last night?"

"It's... nothing important."

Adam narrows his eyes at me as though by doing so he can squeeze the truth out from me. "Must be important if you'd text me in the middle of the night."

"It's just a random thought that crossed my mind. You know how it is. Late nights, random thoughts. I can't even remember it now." I say as nonchalantly as possible as I redirect my gaze to the book that I almost finish reading. But judging by how slow my reading is this morning, I don't think I'd be able to finish it by today. And certainly not when Adam keeps boring holes at my head whilst he waits for me to say something to him.

Eventually, when he realises that he's not getting anything out of me by staring, he takes matters into his own hands. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Yeah?" I look up to kink an eyebrow at him. He nods. "So you're not gonna sell me out like you did yesterday?"

"Fair point. But I only did that cause I have your best interests at heart," he replies, to which I roll my eyes at him. Best interests, my arse. He only has Harry's best interests at his heart. "C'mon, let me in on the secret."

"S'not a secret," I mumble. At least I don't think it is because if it is, I wouldn't have told Harry, out of all people, about it. Which I still can't believe I did that. More than anything, I can't believe I implied that there's a possibility of us sharing the same fate as Aunt Nelly and her husband. That's just insane. Harry must be having the time of his life laughing at me last night.

"Or should I ask Harry about it?"

"Don't," I snap. A grin touches Adam's lips. He's set up a trap and I foolishly fall for it. Damn it.

"So you'd tell Harry, but not me? I'm hurt."

Without looking up, I say, "You're so annoying, do you know that?"

"Ah, I learned from the best." He chuckles and holds both his hands up (if he has a white flag with him I'm sure he'd be waving it right now) when I scowl at him. "I was referring to Harry, not you."

"Nice save," I snort. He sure knows how to get on my good side.

"So...?" Adam tries again with a hopeful look on his face and this time, I don't have it in me to brush him off. Besides, maybe talking to him would help me put things in perspectives and maybe Harry was right when he said that I read too much into things. That said, I refuse to take Harry's words for it. I need to hear it from Adam. I need him to reassure me and tell me that Harry and I aren't Nelly and Jesse. That we aren't soulmates.