Cakes, Country Clubs, and the CEO [h.s]

Chapter 7

Hurrying away from the ballroom area, I could feel the sinking panic settling into my chest. The overwhelming need for air continued to grow and grow as I neared closer to the entrance doors.

Mistakenly I had assumed the door was a push rather than a pull, resulting in me hauling my body continually at them in an attempt to bust them open. My mind was much too cloudy to comprehend the simple knowledge of why the doors refused to open. Such actions of throwing my body against them, when they refused to move the first few times I pushed at them, were exhausting and overwhelming for the emotional state I was currently in. The stress of it had tears beginning to prickle at the corners of my eyes.

"Why won't-", shove, "these freaking doors", another shove, "open!" I shriek at no one in particular.

I nearly gave up my attempts of getting out of the building once my back hit the door and slid down it to the floor. The exhaustion of the night was hitting me hard, such preparations for the night being completely time consuming and demanding. The job we were hired to complete was difficult, but of course the final outcome was worthwhile.

However, Sabrina's wonderful addition of family drama was by far unexpected. I wasn't necessarily mad at her for keeping her brother's existence and position in the company a secret from me, more so hurt that she felt that she couldn't trust me with that information.

She's been my best friend for the past four years of high school for goodness sake. We'd been through the years that are the most testing for friendships, and we finished them closer than ever before. I only assumed that she trusted me enough to disclose such information. I only did the same for her. I told her all of my deep and darkest secrets because I knew I could put my faith in keeping the information to herself.

I guess I was wrong...

"So are you going to sit there all night or..."

Not realizing how lost in thought I had gotten for so long, the sound of someone speaking to me immediately snapped me out of the thoughts running mindlessly through my head. The embarrassment of someone spotting me curled up in front of a public door while a party took place all around me was beyond embarrassing. The red on my cheeks was impossible to stop at this point.

"No. no", I assure quickly, pushing my hands off the ground to give myself a hoist up. "I was trying to leave, but I think the doors are broken" sticking my thumb towards them to show what I was talking about. I was too embarrassed to make eye contact with my spotter, instead opting to occupy myself with anything else that would distract me from the situation out of nervous habit.

"I noticed, it was quite funny watching you fight a door", the voice comments, this time the familiar accent catching my attention. The shock of it once again tears my eyes upward to his own sea green ones. "I think", Harry continues, passing by me swiftly to approach the door, "that if you realized it was a pull door, you might have had an easier time exiting".

Pulling the door open for demonstration, he motions a waving hand towards it, indicating for me to walk through. "Yeah", I agree quietly, mumbling the words more so to myself, "you're probably right".

"Probably" he agrees, a smirk playing slyly across his lips. The manner, I took notice, caused the yellow spechish of his eyes sparkle even more, making him look even more dashing in the low light of the club. "You threw yourself into that door pretty hard, love" he comments, washing away any hope of mine that he hadn't witnessed the entirety of the small scene I threw just moments ago.

"Yeah, um", I stutter slightly, "I just really needed air".

"Looked more like you were trying to knock it out of yourself", he points back, his grin still holding a prominent spot on his face, pride from his sassy comeback obvious among his features. I could see where Sabrina got some of her personality from.