05. Late Night Talks
HARRY
As soon as the girl - whose name was apparently Ember - was gone, my smile dropped. I spun around to face Michael and sure enough, he was poker-faced. How did he know "Ember"? More importantly, how did he fucking know I was here?
"Now, before you say anything, is Niall all right?" He asked, concern making its way into his voice.
Huh. This is the first genuine emotion he's given off since he got here.
I sighed. "Yeah, it's just a sprain - you know how he exaggerates."
He scoffed, nodding, but his eyes weren't on me anymore. They looked past me, pinpointed on the corner Ember turned earlier. I could see the gears in his mind spinning, working on something or trying to figure something out. The last time I saw him like that, he tried setting me up with his daughter.
I shivered unconsciously, remembering that damn awkward conversation we had.
"Harry, how do you know Ember?" He pulled me out of my thoughts. When I looked back at him, he was squinting down at his phone.
Should I tell him? I guess, if I do, nothing bad would come out of it. She was merely some girl I bumped into a few times...right?
I shrugged. "I ran into her at the cafe in the square...quite literally at that," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head.
I recalled how shy she seemed and how cute her attempt at getting angry at me was. Her voice was so shaky. And then, just earlier, she snapped at me and became this sarcastic little know-it-all. Two sides of the same coin. I subconsciously grinned.
She's incredible, really.
"Well, according to this text Liam sent me, they're back at your place again," Michael snickered, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "You know, I'd suggest just getting a five-bedroom apartment. It seems they're always there."
I shook my head. "Nah, that would just give them the right to pillage my fridge."
"Hmm. Anyway, the business is taken care of, you best be on your way back. Who knows what chaos they've stirred up while you're away?"
EMBER
"Eric?" I called, rounding another corner of the third floor. The plastic bag with Eric's supper swayed while I walked. Mum, Belle, and I had finished dinner already, and naturally mum suggested that I go and look for him. "Eric?"
The least he could do was say 'yeah?' or grunt or something. It's been an hour since I started looking for him. I asked almost everyone I came across where he was and they all pointed me to the third floor.
Why on earth would he be on the third floor?
"Eric?" I called again.
I sighed when no one answered and sat down on one of the waiting chairs in the hall.
I tried reaching his cellphone, but nobody picked up. I guess he left it in his locker. Damn, I was tired. The elevators were undergoing renovation and you couldn't use the service ones without an ID. I had to walk up six damn flights of stairs. My eyes started to unconsciously close.
"Ember?" My eyes popped open and I all but smacked whoever was talking with the Chinese takeout while I squealed like a little girl.
Ughh. Ember, ninjas don't squeal! There go my hopes of being the next Jackie Chan.
"Damn, girl..."
When my eyes adjusted properly to the light, Eric was on the floor rubbing his brow.
YOU ARE READING
The Pretenders
Fanfiction{Harry Styles fanfiction} "Ember," his warm, minty breath fanned onto my face, making me close my eyes. The January air was cold against my arms; I shivered, but still backed away from the warmth of his body. I felt his index finger sweep across my...
