Half A Heart › New Edition ✔

Chapter 28

Harry's POV

I'm sitting on the couch with Niall when I hear someone opening the front door. Cass and Jake have been working all day so I've been alone up until I left to go hang out with someone.

Niall flew in a day or two after Louis came down. He's been at his house, here in LA, so I decided to pay him a visit; a visit which ultimately ended with me making him come back to Cass' house with me. I wonder how she's going to react.

"Harry!" Cassie calls when she walks through the door. I hear the door close and some shuffling in the hallway. She's probably taking off her shoes.

"In the living room," I call to her.

I look over at Niall who has his given all his attention to the reality show that's playing right now. He said he wanted to watch the Keeping Up with the Kardashians but I refused to let him because of my relationship with them. It would just be weird.

Cass' footsteps get louder as she travels toward us. When she sounds like she's close Niall speaks up, "Hey, Cass," he says.

I don't hear a response so I turn my head to look at her. Her eyes bounce back and forth between Niall and I before they settle on me. I hear the light sound of Niall opening and sipping from his water bottle and then I notice she's put on her straight face.

"You really want me to get with Niall, don't you?" She asks. My breath hitches the tiniest bit and Niall starts to choke on his water. Cassie looks amused with herself, meanwhile Niall is the color of a cherry tomato. I know what she's doing. I should play along.

"Well you wouldn't shut up about him so I decided to just let you have him." I say waiving my arm between the two of them.

"I would've been able to shut up about him if you hadn't made him look so good. We could've been over this by now, Harry," she folds her arms over her chest.

"Guys!" Niall says interrupting us. "What the hell is going on between you two? This is weird."

Cass and I erupt into a fit of laughs and giggles. Niall looks confused as all hell but he won't be much longer. I can't mess with him without feeling bad about it.

I manage to stop laughing long enough to tell him what's up. "We're just messing with you man. We had a conversation about our relationship, not too long ago, because I got called in for a friendly tea for three."

Cassie raises a brow at my terminology. She doesn't know that the guys and I have our own code. There are terms that we use to have a private conversation whilst among large groups of people and this is one of the many. I don't want to explain any of it to her at the moment. I need to distract from it until later down the line.

"Come in, the water's nice," I give her a big smile whilst waving her closer.

Cass walks around the back of the couch and then proceeds to sit on it's arm. I wrap an arm around her, guiding her into my lap so she can be more comfortable. She adjusts herself and I give her my full attention.

I keep my eyes on her, admiring all the little things about her. I notice something different. She's done her makeup differently than she does when we go out somewhere. She looks tired and there's this weird extra presence of emotion behind her eyes. I don't believe I've ever seen her this way. Something's got to be up.

Niall clears his throat. "So... Cassie, how's life treating you?"

She sighs a deep sigh whilst nuzzling her face into my neck. I rub small circles into her lower back and I can feel a smile forming on her face.

"Babe, take a load off. Tell us all about your day at the office," I encourage her.

She sits up and looks straight ahead at Niall and then at me before daring to speak. "It was a great day. I didn't realize how much I actually missed working. I mean the hours for today were insane but I'm glad to be back on a schedule. Not to say that I didn't miss laying around and being lazy with you, Harry, because I did. I came up to be with you during my lunch but you were gone."