Lockdown | Harry Styles | AU

Chapter 25

With the atmosphere thick and all eyes fixed on her, Aubrey could feel the hot embarrassment flushing her face. Her nervous gaze moving around the room before it flickered over Dakota's warm stare and Harry's... not so warm stare.

In fact, without having to say anything at all, Harry let off so much hate towards Aubrey that it made a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Uh, there's not much to uh, say really..." Aubrey finally replied with a gentle shrug, her voice quiet and rough. Her shaky fingers brushing a few strands of blonde hair away from her face. "Um... well I, um..."

"Aubrey can speak four languages." Timothee finished for her, saving Aubrey from her sudden lack of words and humiliation, her mouth completely unable to string even one sentence together.

"Oh, wow." Dekota beamed, "that's amazing." Her tone filled with genuine marvel as she continued to smile at Aubrey. Her perfect hand still resting on Harry's thigh, the contact between them so distracting that Aubrey found herself fighting the urge to just get up and run away. "What languages?"

"French, Spanish, Italian and German." Timothee answered for her again while Aubrey just let her mouth silently open and close, her mind whirling with so many thoughts she could barely register what was happening. Her vulnerable eyes looking up at Timothee when he wrapped his long arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, his expression beaming down at her proudly before he looked back over at Harry and Dakota.

"That's very impressive." Dakota commented, shuffling in her seat before she brought her wineglass to her lips, tipping more of the expensive wine into her gorgeous mouth. "I keep telling you we should learn another language." She aimed her last comment towards Harry after swallowing, her hand now moving to pat against his thick thigh. The action making Harry finally move his burning gaze away from Aubrey as he locked eyes with his wonderful girlfriend.

"Well, darling... We're both just so busy at the moment." He said sweetly, throwing Dakota a half smile. His voice actually managing to sound casual despite how much it felt like something was squeezing his heart.

Darling.

He never called Aubrey darling.

The pet name made the knots in Aubrey's stomach tighten.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Dakota suddenly asked after throwing Harry a warm grin, her focus then turning back around to face Aubrey and Timothee.

"Oh, we're not—"

"Oh no—"

Aubrey and Timothee blurted out at the same time, their denial coming out so quickly that they practically cut each other off. Their eyes glancing towards one another as Timothee removed his arm from around Aubrey before giving her a small cheeky smile. The image making Aubrey's lips lift with her first real smile since she had entered the room.

The exchange between them bothering Harry.

Bothering him more than he liked to admit.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Dakota giggled awkwardly, "I just assumed..."

"We're just really good friends." Aubrey finally spoke a full sentence, her eyes locking with Harry's. The tension between them almost uncomfortable, a tension that Dakota seemed to be oblivious to.

"She speaks." Harry mumbled, his eyebrows creasing a little as he rolled his lips together, his icy comment earning a curious look from Dakota. "So... Aubrey, what experience do you have then?" His question making Aubrey's expression drop, confusion etched across her face, "you know... for the job," his glaring eyes widening a little.