Firewall {One Direction a.u.}

Chapter 22

Hi all!  Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was super busy finishing up school.  Good news though: I graduated college!!  I guess that's cool and all but maybe it would have been better if we had an actual ceremony.  Anyway, enjoy the chapter and let me know how you like it!

I wake up in the morning, not feeling any different from the day before even though I'm technically a year older. This birthday is just going to go by like the last ones, I'll buy myself dinner and a cupcake after work and call it a day. This weekend will be the date I plan for Harry and I so I can make sure we have some fun.

I hate going in to work on my birthday because when I was a kid, even though it was early in the school year, my mom would let me stay home. We would watch old home movies and eat whatever we wanted. It was the best way to spend the day instead of wasting it on work.

The only good part is over the past few days I think I've made some progress on figuring out who is trying to take money from the company. I just have to get people's schedules and see if they were busy during times of attack. I also started to get the data of when people log onto their computers. This narrowed down people tenfold.

As I walk through the doors at work, I am greeted by a smiling Brian. "Happy birthday, lovely." He says to me while holding out a second Starbucks drink to me.

I laugh as I exchange his coffee for my refresher. "You have to stop doing this for my birthday. I'm going to get a sugar rush from these drinks."

"It is tradition my dear. You are stubborn and you never let me buy you anything so you always end up getting two today."

My heart melts at his words. I wish one day that he'll understand what his friendship means to me. I've tried to express it to him in the past, but I am the worst with emotions.

I walk around the security desk and wrap my arms around his waist. I slightly nuzzle my head into his chest and let out a deep sigh. "I love you, Morgan." This is not the first time I've heard him say it, but it touches me every time. The only other person in my life that says that to me these days is my grandmother.

I pull away and look up at him. "Love you too, old man."

"Hey!" He pushes my shoulders back playfully, "I am not that old!" I know he's not mad at my joking comment because he has a hint of a smile on his face while he tries to act offended.

"Okay, well I have to take my two drinks and go upstairs for the day."

As I finish my sentence, Harry walks into the lobby. He's on his phone and seems super into what is happening on the screen. He is dressed in an everyday suit, plain black. Brian turns his attention towards him and gets his attention. "Good morning, boss! Lovely day today."

"Um," he pauses, "yes, it is." Harry says as he looks away from his iPhone. "Good morning, Morgan." He drops his left eye into a wink towards me.

My jaw drops and my head snaps over to see Brian's face. He has a smirk on his face, similar to the one on Harry's. "For a minute, I forgot you two were together."

I roll my eyes in response. "We're not together, right Harry?"

"Oh no? So I got that tattoo for nothing, then?"

"Always so sharp, Mr. Styles." I smile as I walk past him to the elevator.

Harry joins me in the elevator. "I thought we were keeping this on the DL." I point out.

"The DL?"

"Yeah, the down low, private and any other words associated that you can find in a thesaurus. I just don't want this getting out. It makes me look cheap."