Blueprint

P11 - Work and Play

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Week 8

There was something odd about the way we maneuvered the office. It was a daunting task to try and pretend that we hadn't spent many nights together, wrapped up in his bed sheets or on some other unconventional surface for sex, especially in front of his colleagues and around a very clingy Addison. I did my best to avoid him, and if there was no reason to lounge in his office while he occupied it, I was not going to spend a single unnecessary second in it.

I was sitting across from Addison, eating lunch together in the lounging area on the first floor, directly across from the main foyer. My fork crushes through the bland salad, piercing a piece of lettuce that I missed when I applied the dressing. I sigh to myself as Addison rambles about the legal change event occurring tonight. The entirety of the event was an attempt to gain sponsorship, endorsements, and fundraise to further advance an agenda I was not aware of it, and quite frankly, not bothered to know more. As far as I was concerned, everyone would be there, and I didn't want to be the least enthusiastic of the bunch even if I already was.

In the foyer, the front doors of the firm open to reveal Mr. Yung and Harry, both of them dressed in suits — only difference was Harry opted for a no-tie-look as usual. Addison's rambling disperses further, reduced into white noise as I watch the two men converse quietly, their respective guards standing a few feet behind them. They pause their movements, exchanging a few words before Mr. Yung casually departs in the opposite direction towards his office, his guard following behind him. I lower my eyebrows in curiosity, watching Harry sigh to himself, hand running through his hair — a movement that was representative of his already evident stress.

A moment passes. He's standing there alone, shutting his eyes and inhaling deeply. The evidence of his anger and frustration were clearly depicted in the frown and the dark look that he settled on. Everything about his current demeanor was disquieting, and I took note of the way he beckons Axel with a movement of his index finger, giving him a demand that Axel quietly and wordlessly accepts. The large man exists the firm moments later, and Harry is left standing at the foyer. A fraction of a second lingers before we make eye contact.

Our distance is considerable, but we could see each other just fine. I could see the details and he could see them, too. His face falls very gradually, his hands slipping into the pocket of his slacks. The rigid expression of his makes me look away, and I ignore the tension I feel due to his presence, until it disappears, and he's gone into what I assume is his office.
"Okay, spit it...Mr. Styles looks at you like he's obsessed," Addison suddenly says.

Mid-chew, I cough and bring my fisted hand to my mouth, covering whatever salivated contents could escape past my lips. Big eyes almost bulging out of my head, I stare at her in absolute surprise before swiftly blinking and recomposing myself. Voice raspy, I nervously inquire, "What? No, he doesn't. He's..."

Addison's left eyebrow raises, her lips curving up into a knowing smirk. The brown of her eyes interrogates the light warmth of mine, and she simply hums to herself, shrugging as she digs her for into her own fruit salad. The scent wafted past my nose, making me sick with anxiety. I didn't think Addison would do much with her suspicions, but the fact that she saw right through it was extremely unnerving.
"I've said this before, Athena. You're a horrible liar," she muses. "It's okay. I'm not going to tell anyone." For a second, she looks to her bowl before popping a sliced strawberry into her mouth, then proceeds to look at me with a humorous glint in her eyes.