Sweetened || HS AU (COMPLETED)

• three •

i just think this song is so cute.
can this count as a filler chapter?

| Jailen |

The ceiling had become too familiar. I knew every single flaw above me because it was all I'd been staring at for the past four hours. The sun had made itself known about two hours ago and it was only then that I was starting to regret not purchasing blackout curtains.

At first, I was almost sure Hayden was gonna be bursting through the door any second to wake me up like she always does around this time but I didn't hear her moving around the house at all.

Yesterday wore her out. After Harry dropped us off at Jason's house, Jason promised her that they'd go to the farm, and once she heard that, she forgot all about Harry.

Jason thought it was comical. He was standing outside when we pulled up and once he realized who was driving, he couldn't stop cackling. He knew the backstory, I told him what happened about a year after my daughter was born when he was starting to become a little too curious as to why Harry wasn't around Hayden. Which resulted in him also cutting ties with our family. However, I didn't tell him everything that happened with Harry, which is why I wasn't even surprised when Jason dabbed him up and ignited a conversation.

Harry surely didn't seem to mind the talking, especially because it meant he got to stay around longer.

I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. I felt like a failure. I really thought we were in the clear. Free from Harry and everything that came along with him. I had accepted the fact that there was no more Harry. He simply did not exist and running into him yesterday was messing with my mind, whether it was a coincidence or not.

I glanced over at the clock and decided to get up. It was still early enough to make breakfast. I stood up from the bed and adjusted my pajama shorts, frowning at how cold the floor was beneath me.

The silence in the apartment was deafening, it made me uneasy. So I didn't hesitate to connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker the moment I entered the kitchen. I put my playlist on shuffle, humming along to Playing Games as I moved around the kitchen to gather the ingredients I needed.

I moved slowly, eventually finding comfort in how quiet the apartment was. For once in the past 24 hours, I wasn't overthinking. It took me about thirty minutes to finish cooking and when I was done, I figured I'd go ahead and wake Hayden up to get the day started. But just as I was leaving the kitchen to make my way to her room, there was a knock on the front door.

"Who is it?" I asked, pausing in the hallway, my eyes zoning in on the door.

There was a sigh and then a voice, "Open the door, sweetie."

My stomach sank and my eyes went wide. What the fuck? I held my breath, freezing in place as I screwed my eyes shut and waited. Maybe if I pretend that I'm not here, he'll leave. How did he even find my fucking apartment? Who am I kidding? I'm sure he's known where I lived since I moved in.

More seconds passed and I was starting to think that my plan actually worked. That is until he spoke again.

"Il n'y a aucune chance que tu sois sérieux. Open the damn door, Jailen." He knocked on the door once again and I sighed heavily before I slowly made my way towards the door.

I put my hand on the handle and hesitated. I felt nervous. My stomach twisted and my skin was starting to become sticky as I tried to convince myself to open the door. He was becoming more impatient as he continued to knock on the door. Out of irritation, I swung the door open, just enough so that we could see each other, and glared up at him.

"Hayden is sleeping!" I sneered, not missing the way his eyes roamed over my body when he took his sunglasses off of his eyes and clipped them onto the front of his white button-up.

"'Morning, Jai," he grinned and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he licked his lips.

"I brought breakfast," He said, his jaw flexing as he chewed on a piece of gum, and before I could respond, he pushed the door open and made his way inside.

"Harry-" I tried to protest but he cut me off.

"You know, I've been wondering what the inside of this looked like," He smiled at me, "It's cute. Very... you."

"You're weird. This whole thing is fucking weird," I shut the door and leaned against it, folding my arms across my chest, "Seriously, Harry. Why are you here?"

"I was doing some research," He said, turning around and walking further into my apartment. I followed, annoyed at myself for following. He looked back at me as he entered the kitchen, "And apparently, there's a zoo not too far from here." He sat the bag of take-out breakfast on the island, his eyes lingering on the food I had just cooked, "So, I thought why not take my daughter to the zoo? Get to know her a bit considering I missed, what, four years of her life?"

I rolled my eyes as I walked further into the kitchen to stand on the opposite side of the island, "You've been stalking us for years, you didn't miss much." He smirked and I shook my head, "I should call the police."

He chuckled, obviously finding this funny, "Stalking? No. Observing what belongs to me? Yes."

"We don't belong to you, Harry."

Harry hummed, "A simple DNA test would say otherwise, sweetie."

"This is my last time asking. Why are you here?"

He didn't say anything as he picked up a diced potato and ate it. And he moaned. He moaned. My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed harshly, the moans I hadn't heard in so long causing my body to have a reaction. Was it a good reaction? I wasn't sure, but my face heated up and I looked away from him, moving to the counter and grabbing my phone to try and distract myself.

"We're spending the day together, baby," He said, grabbing one of the plates and filling it with food. "Like families do, right?" Then he paused, "Maybe you wouldn't know. Did you ever do this kind of stuff with your parents? Probably not-"

"Did you?" I snapped, tilting my head to the side, watching as he smiled slowly and shook his head.

"Nope." He took a seat at the island after grabbing a fork. I stared at him as he ate, his jaw flexing as he licked his lips and nodded to himself. When he realized I was staring, he hummed, "You wanna start getting our daughter ready for the day? It's warm outside, so make sure she's comfortable."

I scoffed, my face twisting in annoyance, "Fuck you, Harry. I don't need you telling me how to take care of my daughter." And before he could respond, I walked out of the kitchen, but not before hearing him chuckle.

"Fille têtue, têtue."