Substance over Styles | H.S.

XXXIX. Less Conversation

I hope you like this chapter and I don't really know what else to say apart from thank you. Thank you for supporting this story!

I'm not going to hold you up any longer (if you even read this)

Enjoy

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A soft orange-pinkish glow took over the entire atmosphere in my office. The change made me look up and it startled me to find the sun already setting, sending a message to the world that her daily duty was over. I was so entranced by all the work which had to be done as soon as possible, that I lost track of time in the most maddening way. I leaned back into my office chair and thought of what I could have as dinner. It was already late, so cooking seemed too intensive.

A knock on the door startled me and made me lose my balance, even though I was in a sitting position on a chair. The knowledge of a soft knock on the door scaring me was extremely troubling. Ever since I started working here, knocks on doors rarely were good signs. So yes, they got me very anxious.

"Come in." I said with a barely audible voice after clearing it, yet the stranger had heard it nevertheless.

This time, the knock on the door didn't change my perspective on it bringing only doom. As the door opened, I saw the reflection of a beautiful man. A beautiful man who was visibly deeply in pain. Even Breathing was a painful task for the poor soul and I knew just why it was this painful, why it was this hard. It was a main symptom that came along when a person suffered from a broken heart. Every movement and every thought was too much, too painful. The only thing you wanted to do was sleep and mainly forget whatever bad had happened to you.

I knew it all to well.

Green eyes stared intently into mine. They bored into my soul, trying to find something, yet I didn't know what. Harry turned around to close the door behind him, breaking the stare in the process. After that, his eyes never met mine again until he sat down right in front of me on one of the chairs behind my desk. I frowned my eyebrows, wondering what he was doing here.

A soft hello fell from his lips and a quiet hi rolled from mine. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, ultimately making me squirm in my seat. Yet I had to keep taking that control back in my hands. My brain was screaming to get it together, was reminding me that I could not and would not let the pity and love rule my actions. If I did, I would've jumped out of my chair and kissed him senseless without any hesitation. He could do that to me by just a stare.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a quiet voice, sounding nothing like the woman I was a few hours ago in that meeting. Sounding nothing like the CEO I should be, I was. Somehow it didn't feel right to act like that to Harry.

"I'm here for the contract." He said while shrugging his shoulders and clearing his throat. I frowned again, but the paper laying on the corner of the desk reminded me why he was here. Then genuine shock took over my body. I hadn't expected him to actually take on the job.

"Why?" I asked genuinely confused. Millions of thoughts were racing through my mind.

"Excuse me?" His eyes narrowed which made me realise I might have been too blunt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to sound mean. I just didn't expect you to take on the job." I confessed. His eyes and features softened into those I missed so very much. Everything about him screamed familiarity and comfort, even though he looked so very worn out.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders and looked away. My computer screen was far more interesting than the mysterious and un-describable greenness of his eyes.