Interlude [h.s]

twenty-seven

Alouette opens her eyes when a knock resonates through the room.

She sighs and turns to her other side, closing her eyes again and trying to go back to sleep, but the knocking doesn't stop. After some moments she gives up and turns on her bedside lamp, glancing at the time on her phone and discovering it's a little past three in the morning.

Sensing it might be important, she finally stands up and walks to the door, but halts in the instant a chilling thought comes in her mind.

What if it's Harry?

She checks herself in the mirror, she's wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and her hair is a mess. She looks like she just woke up, that won't do.

"Coming! Give me a minute," she says out loud, and the knocking finally stops.

She runs into the bathroom and brushes her teeth while trying to fix her hair with another hand. There's no time to change into something else, so she takes her robe and puts it on. It's elegant enough to hide the simplicity of her clothes underneath.

Alouette finally gets to the door and opens it, clenching her jaw to hide the swarm of emotions that runs through her in the instant her eyes meet a familiar pair of green ones.

"That was more than a minute," Harry comments, a phantom smile on his lips.

It might be the middle of the night, but he's still wearing one of his usual creaseless suits. His brunette hair is falling into place perfectly and his tie isn't loosened, and Alouette wonders if he's been in his office until now.

He takes a step forward and she takes one backwards, feeling her cheeks get warmer. She hasn't seen him in two days, but now it's like no time has passed at all. She's tried her best to avoid him, not knowing how to explain the way she came onto him in his office some nights ago, but now that he's standing in front of her she feels just like she did then.

He shuts the door, and suddenly they're alone. "I seem to have fallen into a bit of a predicament, Lark," he says. He doesn't need to speak loudly for his silky voice to fill the room, letting out a little echo when it crashes against the walls.

"A predicament?" she asks in a whisper.

He hums and takes a step closer to her. "Answer this for me," he provokes her, irony in his voice. "Girl meets boy. Girl is scared of boy."

Alouette gulps and tries to put more distance between them, but discovers she can't move. She's hypnotised by him, all she can do is stare into his sage-coloured eyes as he gets ready to destroy her piece by piece.

"Girl runs away from boy," he continues, "girl defies boy." Suddenly his fingers are wrapped around the back of her neck and she's pulled closer to him. His sweet but woody scent is all around her, reminding her of a clearing of lilies in the middle of the forest. She's never met anyone that smells quite like him, and it clouds her mind. "And then jumps him in his office," he whispers against her mouth.

She gasps, but he doesn't kiss her. His eyes are glinting dangerously, and her heartbeat speeds up. He's having fun toying with her, she realises. Just like the first times they met.

"And disappears for two days." He lets his fingers slide down her throat, letting go of her and rounding her. "Do you think she likes him? Or is she playing him?" He whispers when he's behind her. He brushes her hair aside, and she can feel his breath hit her neck. "Do you think he cares? But, most importantly..." He turns her around, so fast that she can't brace herself and the only thing keeping her from falling is his grip on her. "Do you think the boy will sit back and let her toy with him?" He asks her, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look at him. "What do you think, Lark?"