One. || h.s.

Nine.

...

"I though you were going out today," Niall says to Harry, his grip tight on my elbow.

Harry looks strangely out of place among the other people in the lobby in his ripped back jeans and plain white T-shirt.

"I was going to, but Lucy, the lady who is lives in the apartment right now, had an emergency call at the hospital. She dropped her keys off at my place so I could let you in," he explains, making his way toward the elevator. Niall pulls me along, giving me apologetic looks from time to time.

My mind does not seem to be functioning. My body is moving and I hear every word people are saying, but I feel mentally shocked. I don't know what to think about this. I should be angry with Niall for dragging Harry into my life, but for some reason I'm not. All my energy right now is being focused on repressing memories that I don't have enough space in my head to even think about what is happening. Besides, Harry and I agreed to start over.

"Do you like the lobby?" Harry asks as we wait for the elevator to arrive. My head snaps up at his voice and I meet his vivid eyes. A small wave of nerves rolls through me, but I push them away.

"Yes, it's nice," I smile weakly and he nods, giving me a lopsided smile.

"The building is pretty fancy, but don't be intimidated," he says, his tone kind.

"Who said I was intimidated?"

"Are you?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe a little," I admit and a small laugh escape his lips. Niall chuckles too and a nudge him in the side with my elbow.

"Well, don't be. The people here are always gone anyways, either at work or in their apartments working. You never see them, except in the mornings when they're leaving for the day or in the evening when they're coming back. No one hangs around in the common areas much," Harry shrugs. I can tell he's trying his best to make me feel comfortable in this building, but I don't understand why he's putting in so much effort.

"It still seems a little... typical for me," I try to explain. This building is exactly what you would expect to get in NYC; modern, expensive and stuck up. All of which are thing I don't want to deal with.

"Once you see the room you'll change your mind. You'll love living here," he assures me with a bright smile.

"There's still no guarantee I'll be living here," I say quietly.

Hurt flashes in his eyes before he quickly recovers just as the elevator arrives. I stay silent and try my best to keep my eyes glued to the floor as we enter the cabin. The doors slide shut behind us making the space seem smaller than it should be. The elevator doesn't stop to pick up passengers on our way up so it remains the three of us in an uncomfortable silence. Niall has finally let go of my arm and has his hands shoved deep in his pockets while Harry twirls a key ring around his index finger.

When the doors open Harry steps out first follow by myself and Niall. The hallway is wide and long, beautiful light fixtures lining the walls along with contemporary paintings that I won't even pretend to understand.

"Here," Harry mumbles as he stops in front of a door. 804 is nailed to the door in beautiful brass numbers.

Harry unlocks the door and steps aside to let Niall and I through first. As soon as I step foot in the apartment my jaw drops. It's huge, open concept with a large windows lining the far wall with an amazing view overlooking the city. I step further into the space, looking around curiously, trying to find something to criticize.  But I find nothing. As much as I'd hate to admit it, I probably would love living here like Harry said.