Rumor Has It [ A Harry Styles OU ]

eighteen

WARNING: This story will contain a brief singular mention of physical abuse, ptsd, heavy alcohol consumption, blackmail, smut, and the death of a parent.

Ishika is still stunned at his appearance, unable to form the question in her mind into actual words. Akash smirks at her response, clearly enjoying her lack of composure and no doubt mistaking it for silent admiration. He walks inside completely and shut the doors behind him before he turns and walks down the worn, velvet carpet of the theater. He turns into the row where she's sitting, making his way down the aisle and plopping into the seat next to her.

Ishika is staring at his ridiculously chiseled face and frowning as Akash takes the movie in. He rolls his eyes, "You always watch the same shit over and over. Don't you get tired of knowing how things are going to end?"

His bitter tone clears the haze of disbelief Ishika is in and she shakes her head to herself, snapping out of it. She leans away from his body because he's obnoxiously leaning over the armrest and into her space — the same as he did before ,when they were together. "What are you doing here, Akash?"

Her exasperated tone makes him finally turn to look at her. His eyes dart up and down her body in a way that makes her want to reach over and yank them right out of his head. Instead, she hugs the blanket tighter around herself. Whereas she is in her pajamas, Akash looks like he's ready for a photoshoot — tailored pants, dress shirt, that obnoxious leather jacket he's always fucking wearing.

"You never answered my texts, babe."

"Don't call me that," Ishika huffs, glaring at him. Despite the bite to her words, she remembers the texts he sent her a few weeks back. Since she'd blocked his original number, he'd gotten a whole new one. She'd quickly deleted the texts and the attached image, a photo of her and Harry from the alley that the publication had posted. The best way to deal with Akash, she'd learned, was to not give him any attention at all.

The smirk falters slightly on his face, jaw locking while his eyes narrow at her. It's a look that used to make Ishika pipe down, drop whatever it was she was arguing with him about. Now, it just makes her stomach churn.

"You're not being very nice," Akash tuts, as if he's talking to a toddler. "Since when do we shut each other out, babe?"

The pet name makes Ishika's skin crawl. She watches Akash for a few moments, his words flying in one ear and out the other. She's trying to figure out what he wants — because that's the thing about Akash Ahuja. He always wants something. She wonders how blind she had to be to stick with him for so long.

A flare of anger sparks up at herself, recalling how pathetically devoted she was to him. At the time, she didn't know any better, but now she does. What they had wasn't even in the remote ballpark of being in love.