The Assistant

Chapter 6

I sat next to Harry in the Sony lobby, my hands clasped between my knees and my legs bouncing. I’d never been more nervous in my life. Harry was casual in his brown beanie, jeans and light blue pocket tee, seemingly completely calm but I could tell by the way he stared at the same spot on the floor that he was freaking out just as bad as I was. 

It’d been over twenty-four hours since Paul had caught us in the bathroom of their honorary event for the boys. Where he’d pulled Harry out and told me I wasn’t needed for the rest of the evening, leaving me to sob in the bathroom before gathering myself enough to go and wait for Harry in his hotel room. He’d gotten in late but came straight to me, holding my face in his hands, unable to stop kissing me long enough to ask if I was okay. I was completely shaken to my core. This was what I’d been afraid of from the start. 

It’d only been minutes before Paul pounded on Harry’s door. Harry refused to answer and Paul used his master key to come in and grab my purse and tell me it was time for me to leave before he was forced to escort me out himself. I was shaking and trying not to cry again while Harry pleaded with Paul to leave me alone. I could tell it was bothering Paul to be this forceful with me. To be so cold. But it was his job. He was only doing what he was supposed to. I was the one who’d failed at doing mine. 

Harry had grabbed my hand as I followed Paul out and pulled me back to him. “Tell me this isn’t it. Please, tell me that what you said in the bathroom still matters,” he’d begged me and I’d touched his cheek and pressed my forehead to his lips and exhaled, trying to break up the heaviness in my chest. 

“Harry—”

“Tell me this is worth it, and I’ll fight like hell for you. Just say it.” 

Paul had grabbed my wrist as gently as he could while still being insistent and pulled me towards the door. 

“It’s worth it,” I admitted before he’d pulled me into the hall and accompanied me on the longest walk of shame of my life. 

The whole next day, Harry and I waited together at his flat to hear from management. To find out my fate. Too nervous to do anything more than cuddle up on the couch and watch mindless television. He’d made us a lovely dinner that I could barely taste and I slept over even though neither one of us slept. The phone rang early in the morning and we were asked to meet at Simon’s offices. Both of us lightheaded and spinning too much to eat anything all day. 

Harry slipped his hand between mine and squeezed. I held his wrist with my free hand, already feeling slightly calmer just by his hand in mine. 

“It’ll be alright,” he assured me.

“Easy for you to say. You won’t have any consequences.”

“Not having you there every day will be a big enough consequence.” 

I looked up into his face. Into those green eyes, rimmed in a stormy blue that never seemed to be able to lie to me. I always knew what he wanted through those eyes. I sighed and rest my chin on his shoulder. He kissed my forehead and suddenly all of this seemed meaningless. The fact that I was about to get royally chewed out. The fact that I was about to lose my job. None of it mattered. I was getting Harry out of it all. He was enough.

“I love you,” I whispered, still getting used to the phrase on my tongue. I felt his lips curl into a smile against my skin.

“I love you,” he returned.

The office doors opened and Paul beckoned for us to join them. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I stood, not letting go of Harry’s hand as we walked into the large office. Simon sat at his large desk, Paul and Preston leaned against the back wall. The bands PR, agent and manager sat around on the couches along with their lawyer. The presence of the lawyer petrified me.