Reckless {HS}

thirty-five

Delilah's Pov

The air around the dinner table felt thick with unspoken tension, like we were all walking on glass, afraid to make any sudden movements that might shatter the uneasy silence. I kept my head down, focusing on the plate of food in front of me, trying to stay out of the unspoken standoff between me and Harry.

I still didn't understand why he was being so distant, so cold. After everything—after that moment in the training room when it felt like there was something between us—he'd just shut down completely. And now, here we were, sitting at this damn table, pretending like nothing had happened.

I stabbed a piece of food with my fork, chewing slowly, doing my best to stay calm. But every now and then, I'd steal a glance at him from across the table, his jaw tight, his eyes staring blankly at his own plate. The others seemed to pick up on the weird energy, too. No one was talking.

Suddenly, Harry broke the silence, his voice low but clear. "We're leaving tomorrow."

I blinked, looking up at him in surprise, as did the rest of the guys. Liam, Niall, and Louis exchanged confused glances, all of them clearly caught off guard. Usually, there was some warning, some lead-up before we made a move like this. Not this time.

"We're leaving already?" Liam finally asked, breaking the silence.

"That's sooner than we expected, mate," Louis added, leaning back in his chair with a frown.

Harry didn't look at any of them as he explained, "My dad called. Said there's a job we need to take care of."

The mention of his father immediately sent a chill through the room, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that made the air feel heavier. I could feel my pulse quicken as the reality of the situation set in—tomorrow, we'd be doing something dangerous, something illegal. And I'd agreed to help out.

What the hell had I been thinking?

My hands tightened around my fork, anxiety creeping in as my mind raced through all the things that could go wrong. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't a criminal. I didn't belong in this world of heists and secrets, and yet, here I was, about to dive headfirst into it.

I could feel someone watching me, and when I glanced up, it was Niall. He was eyeing me carefully, his brow furrowed as if he could sense my growing anxiety. "You good?" he asked, his voice soft enough not to draw too much attention, but loud enough for me to hear.

I nodded quickly, trying to brush it off. "Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

I could feel Harry's gaze on me too, but I refused to look in his direction. I didn't want him to see me like this, to know that I was freaking out. He was the last person I wanted to show any weakness to right now. I was still mad at him—though I wasn't sure if I was more mad at him or myself. And for whatever reason, it was easier to respond to Niall than to Harry.

Niall gave me a small, knowing look, but thankfully, he didn't push. Instead, he cracked a small smile, leaning in a bit closer. "You'll be alright. Just stick with me and you'll be fine," he said, giving me a reassuring wink.

I couldn't help but smile, even though the knot in my stomach hadn't loosened. He made it sound so easy, like we were heading off to some casual adventure instead of a full-blown criminal operation. But his lightheartedness was kind of comforting, like maybe everything wouldn't be so bad after all.

Just as my nerves started to settle a little, Niall leaned over and whispered something else under his breath. "Besides, if you mess up, Harry'll be too distracted staring at you to notice."

I snorted, completely caught off guard by the joke. The laugh slipped out before I could stop it, and I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks. Niall grinned at me, clearly pleased with himself, while Louis gave us both a suspicious look, his eyebrows raised.

Harry, though, stayed quiet. I didn't dare look at him, but I could feel the weight of his silence. It made my heart ache, just a little. I knew he noticed my laugh, my reaction to Niall. And a part of me felt guilty—like I was betraying some invisible line between us. But I couldn't help it. Niall was the only one who could make me feel at ease right now.

Still, something gnawed at me. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered that maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't have let the silence between me and Harry stretch this far. But as the night went on, and the conversation around the table picked up again, I pushed that voice away.