Yes, Boss

forty eight.

Flora. 

It's been a month since I left, and two weeks since I last heard from Harry. He's not the kind of guy to give up his pride in pursuit of a girl, sure he must have liked our sex if he called me that many times. But he's clearly stopped trying, I kept thinking I'd be able to pick up the phone and have the courage to explain, no such luck. 

I stayed with Luke for two weeks, before coming back home and telling my parents I wasn't ready for the high pressure yet, and that I wanted to go to university in Manchester in September. Until then I managed to wrangle myself a full time job at Topshop on Oxford Street to earn some money before I leave, and so far, I love it, no complicated boss just a great 30% discount. 

It's a freezing February morning and I'm arranging faux fur gilets on a rail next to ripped skinny jeans, people flood in as soon as the doors open, this shop never fails to be busy. I've moved round to some different rails, picking up some knocked down t-shirts from the floor - literally customers, hang it back up. I've felt like crap the past few days and crawling on the floor isn't helping one smidge. I pause as I spot a familiar pair of studded Louboutins and a pair of tanned toned calves, only one person I know has those shoes.. and olive skin that brown in the middle of a British winter. Fu*k. I can't let her see me. I stay on my hands and knee's hoping she'll walk past. 

"Fu*king hell, Flora?" Amber says. I look up dreadfully and she has a huge smile on her face. 

"Oh my god! I'm so happy to see you.. where the heck have you been girl.. what happened?" She shakes her head in disbelief, pulling me up from the floor with a manicured hand. I look at her speechless, shaking my head almost feeling like I'm going to cry, Flora pull it together.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" I shake my head, looking at my feet. 

"We've missed you so much.. Harry took three weeks off, and Niall said he was drunk like every night, things in the office just weren't getting done, he's sorting it now though, thank fu*k" Amber says, looking at me with huge concern in her eyes. 

"I got some drunk voicemails..." I nod ruefully, biting my lip hard. 

"So you got the one saying how he felt about you?" Amber asks. 

"What? No.. they were just about like um sex and how much he misses it" I whisper, my voice quiet. 

"He left you a voicemail confessing his love for you! Me and Niall were there!" She says, my head snaps up. 

"Don't be silly. Harry doesn't love me.. we knew each other a few months. It was a stupid fling" I say, though it wasn't stupid to me. 

"Ring your voicemail! I'm not lying to you" She rolls her eyes in exasperation. 

"Amber.. later, I'm at work" I say, despite being desperate. 

"Take a break, say you need 15 minutes, you look like shit this morning. Gorgeous outfit, you're pale as anything though, lets get you a coffee" She speaks quickly, I've missed her outlandish behavior. I sigh.

"I'll be two minutes, wait here" I say, going to find my manager. 

"Erm Kayleigh, I'm not feeling well.. could I take ten to go get some water" I ask pleadingly. She smiles.

"Of course take as long as you need hun" She says. I rush a thankyou and grab my bag and coat from the locker room, finding amber. Phone clutched in my hand, Amber grabs it from me, dialing my voicemail as we walk and deleting messages, thrusting my phone into my hands a few minutes later with a triumphant smile. 

I place it to my ear cautiously. 

"Flora, it's me again.. please call back, you've no idea how much you mean to me. I love you"

I pause in the street, my mouth open. He's fucking right, I had no idea.

"Erm are you okay babes?" Amber asks, pulling me to the side of the pavement. 

"Yes.. I.. no.. I had no idea Amber" I shake my head, wiping tears away angrily. 

"Fix it then" She says. 

"I can't.." I utter. 

"Yes you can! I swear to god Flo, he'd have you back in a second" She says in frustration. 

"I can't.. it wouldn't be worth it..." I whisper, the only person I've told being Luke. 

"Flora. You're going to meet him for dinner or I swear I'm going straight back to the office and telling him where you work" She says defiantly, I shake my head. 

"You can't do that.." I plead. 

"Can't I?!" She teases. 

"Okay... tell him to call me, but you have to promise me something.." I say. She places a hand gently on my arm with a caring nod. 

"This stays between me, you and Dadd- I mean Harry" I say, looking around in paranoia. She scrunches her nose in confusion before disregarding it. 

"Sure,  what a threesome we are" She grins dirtily. I roll my eyes with a genuine smile, and my stomach lurches at the thought of Harry. 

"Shutup, I have to get back to work" I chuckle. 

"Expect a call" She says, grinning so widely, god you'd think she just found a missing person, she hugs me extremely tightly and plants kisses on each of my cheeks. 

Harry. 

I practically jump out of my new season suit as Amber flounces into my office uninvited. 

"Fu*king hell Amber, it's called knocking" I snap, at the end of my tether with the disorganization of the office and with what happened. It doesn't wipe the enormous smile off of her face though. 

"I know something you don't know" She teases, her voice sweet as she looks at her manicure and wanders over the window to check out the view. 

"Please don't fu*k me about" I say gruffly, rolling my eyes as I continue to work, maybe I don't need a new assistant to guard my office, maybe I need a security guard. 

"Oh wipe that gorgeous frown off your face Mr. Styles, I've got some information you'll want" She teases. 

"Do tell?" I mock her sarcastically. 

"It's gonna cost you" She sings, still smiling. 

"If it's the office gossip Amber I frankly could not care less" I say. 

"Fine, god you're no fun" She pouts.. I continue to look at her expectantly. 

"I met a certain little ginger in Topshop today, she wants you to call her" Amber says, my heart nearly falls out of my chest. 

"Flora?! You met Flora?! I mean.. how is she?" I cough, correcting myself. 

"Oh cut the crap Harry sweetie, you've got no chill, just call her" Amber says, arms folded impatiently, I can't help but smile at her a little fondly. I'm going to owe her for this. 

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The overwhelming majority of you said to Continue and not start a sequel so here I am carrying on, this is gonna be a long book but whatever as long as you're happy! Hope you like this 

- Ro xxx