Bonded

Chapter Twenty Three

Harry was stiff as he mechanically chewed on his dinner. He had gotten his hopes up for a peaceful night after having an agreeable car ride home with Isaac. He hadn't gotten the third degree he was expecting, but instead, Isaac seemed kind of complacent with him, making only light and casual small talk. Harry had been excited, thinking that his good day was going to get to end on a positive note.

His bright and cheery outlook was put on hold though, when they arrived home and the air was full of a thick and heavy tension. They were so late that Daniel had actually beaten them back, and the heavy atmosphere was all thanks to him. It was obvious that he was in, yet another, terrible mood. Harry felt a tinge of disappointment but he wasn't really all that surprised. Frustrated and stressed was all Daniel ever seemed to be anymore. 

Isaac didn't take the situation lightly. He hadn't even bothered to remove his shoes or coat before rushing straight to the office where Daniel had holed himself away in. 

Not wanting to be alone amongst all the tension, Harry opted to help Ollie out in the kitchen, with dinner. He even smiled and listened as Ollie tried to distract them both with the lastest gossip over his daycare kids parents. 

The two of them escaped into the drama of the different parental situations. Even laughing at some of the antics one divorcing couple had gotten into. The two of them seemed to silently agree to carry on like they had the previous night, and eat dinner alone. Harry even surprised himself by asking if Ollie wanted to watch a movie together after, but right when they sat down and were about to start eating, both Daniel and Isaac emerged from the office and brought with them their heavy and suffocating presence. 

Harry had to concentrate on each and every bite he took, as he tried to avoid anything that could make things worse. Even Ollie was visibly affected, as he sat across from Harry in an unusual silence. 

The tension was too much and Harry regretted not going straight to bed when he got home. His hands shook slightly as he tried to cut through his meat, causing his knife to scrape loudly against his plate. He saw Ollie wince from the sound, while Daniel tisked at his poor etiquette. 

"S-sorry," Harry whispered, as he put his utensils down and placed his hands on his knees. He couldn't handle any more, his stomach turning and threatening to expel the little food he had consumed. It felt like a bomb was going to go off at any minute, and they were all just waiting around for it to explode. He snuck quick glances around the table, but no one noticed. They were all lost in their own thoughts, as they sat rigidly, like stone statues.

Finally the silence was broken, when Ollie slammed his cutlery down. "I can't take this anymore," he said, very impolitely. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but there's obviously something going on and if it's going to ruin our meals I think we have the right to know what it is." 

Daniel leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes at Ollie's little outburst but Issac looked confusingly between both Harry and Ollie. 

"Don't you already know?" Isaac asked.

"Know what?" Ollie replied, equally confused. 

Isaac looked back at Harry, "You didn't tell him what's been going on?" He asked, sounding shocked. 

"No," Harry denied, "I -I did."

"Tell me what?" Ollie asked. "About the Elite showing up? Harry did tell me about it, but what does that mean?" He furrowed his brows and tried his best to figure it out. "Are they closing down your office?"

"Since when has an Elite been needed to close a tier three company?" Daniel asked.

Ollie frowned, "That's true, but if they're not closing down Isaac's branch then why are you so worked up about it?"