Defenceless l.s

Two

The knot in my stomach crawled up my throat and cut off my airways as I tried to breath. It would be alright, all I had to do was relax and it would go fine. What was the worst thing that could happen? My eyes fell shut, I swallowed, my throat hurt and my eyes were burning as that image burned inside my head. I can't do this. I can't- "Mr. Tominson, Mr. Style will see you now." Fuck! I gave him my best smile and stood up, cursing the dizziness. I couldn't afford to mess this up right now, couldn't bear to disappoint Liam once more, like I hadn't already done enough. The man gave me a look and led me down a long hallway till we were standing in front of a large glass door. I could see a blurry shape on the other side, moving about and oh- he was coming this way now. The door opened and a tall, and I mean tall man appeared in the doorway. It might have been my fright, or perhaps the intimidating smirk playing at his lips that made him look way scarier than he was. Maybe I was just building it up in my head and he was actually a really nice bloke. But I wouldn't know if I chickened out now, would I?

I smiled and took his stretched out hand and my smile faltered along with my newfound confidence. "Harry Styles" was all he said as his hand gripped mine in a firm hold that I couldn't break out of even if I were to try my best to run, not with the way he was looming over me and I decided that no, his tall stance was not something I had imagined. It was very much real and all very much terrifying. "Nice to meet you." I nodded and curtly introduced myself before taking a seat in his oddly large chairs. You could fit at least one and a half of me in here. He cleared his throat and looked down on the paper in front of him. "Shall we begin?" That sounded nothing like a question. Maybe it wasn't because he certainly didn't give me any time to answer. "So, Louis Tomlinson," my name sounded weird on his tongue, almost taunting and I didn't like it. "-tell me about yourself." And oh- what I hated that sentence, not once in my life have I had a good response to those words. Not on my first day of preschool with twenty other kids looking at me funny, not in my first football practice with the pressure of my entire team on me, and certainly not today with laser green eyes burning into my very soul right now. And of course just like all those times my mind was as blank as a new canvas and I decided to paint a big "FUCK YOU" on it with big bold red letters. "Erhm," great start Louis! Don't be so nervous, they can sense nervousness. What? He's not a fucking dog. Ok, focus! "-well I am Louis Tomlinson." I noticed my leg was bouncing like and stopped immediately. It will notice the nevouceness! "I worked as a personal assistant at a law firm for about-"

"I know who you are." He cut me off and suddenly his voice sounded a lot deeper. "Louis Tomlnson, twentysix years of age, graduated from Cambridge regional college, waitered during school and you worked two years at a law firm." His eyes skimmed over the paper lying on his desk. "Is that correct?"

"Yeah, I mean yes. I worked as a P.A for Mr. Adams. John Adams. He is a lawyer. But you knew that. Obviously. I worked there for two years."

"I know who you are, I want to know who you are." What the fuck does that even mean? Is he trying to screw me over? Cause if he is, it's working darn well! Great, the interview hasn't even started yet and I'm already fucked.

"Why did you quit?" Oh crap! Why didn't I think about this question coming up? I was already certain that I wouldn't be able to get this job, and my mind only grew stronger by the minute. "That's quite a private matter, don't you think?" My hands shook against my thighs. His head tilted back, the tiniest amount I wouldn't have noticed if my eyes weren't trained on him like he was a million dollar treasure, but he didn't feel like a treasure. More like a foreign monster that might attack the moment my gazy left him. He looked at me for a moment, not saying a word before resting his elbows on the table and cupping his face with one of his hands, the other one hanging limply but still somehow looking firm. "Louis Tomlinson," he dragged out my name, almost in a teasing manner. "-I don't think you quite understand the implications of this job. If you work here, you do as you're told and now is as good a time as ever to start practising, because I'm sure you want this job, no?" I nodded frantically, I couldn't possibly mess this up anymore than I already have. "Yeah, of course. I mean yes." Damn it!

"Then I'll ask you again, and this time give me a straight answer or you might as well leave now." I gulped and my chest felt tighten. "Why did you quit your job at the law firm?" My eyes fell to my lap and I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. "We just had some disagreements." My voice came out week. Come on, quit being so pathetic! Ugh. "About what?"

"He asked me to do some things that I rather wouldn't do." He raised his eyebrows, unimpressed. Liam was right, I was just being dramatic. "But it's your job to do as he sais?" He questioned further, oddly enough he didn't seem to judge. "What he asked wasn't in my job description."

"What did he want you to do?" It was silent for a moment, the only sound was my heart in my chest. "He asked me to do his laundry." His loud laughter took me by surprise and I finally looked up. His head was thrown back, his locks grazing his shoulders. "What did you do then? After he made you do his laundry?" He asked once he'd calmed down. "Well, at first I didn't want to, but when he threatened to fire me I sucked it up for a while until I realized that it wasn't worth it and quit, hence this interview." He pursed his lips, eyes slowly scanning over my face. I waited. Waited for him to say something. I could practically hear the blood pumping in my veins until finally "So tell me, what makes you think you're suitable for this job?" A sigh of relief escaped my heavy lungs and thankfully the rest of the interview went relatively smoothly. Well, I mean at least if you compare it to the first half. He quickly thanked me for coming as I got up to get the fuck out of there and glanced at my watch as the door closed behind me. Huh? My interview was a lot shorter than the others. Maybe he was late to a meeting he had to get to. Yeah, that must be it.

The car door slammed louder than I had anticipated and my foot might have pressed a little too hard on the gas pedal but I couldn't help it, the adrenaline was still pumping through me like a match dropped in gasoline. I had to get away from there. I sent Liam a quick text before going inside. What a mess it was, we certainly couldn't live like this. I picked up the pieces of glass scattered in front of the sink from yesterday's events. I think Liam might've forgotten about it and I don't want him to get hurt. After I was done cleaning, vacuuming and cooking, I became restless once again. At least I had my mind of the interview for a little while. I shook my head, like the unwanted thoughts would magically just fall out. Liam should be home soon. I nodded. Right. I served up the food and checked my phone again, he hasn't texted me back yet. Where could he be? My stomach rumbled but I didn't feel like eating without him here with me. I had never really liked being alone, which was another reason why I wanted to get a job as soon as possible. It was driving me crazy, spending all my days by myself.

The food was cold and my appetite gone when the door finally opened. I rushed over to him. "Where were you?"

"At work, where else?" He shrugged off his jacket. I didn't like it, it still smelled of store. Plastic. Leather. Whatever it was, it wasn't Liam. "Oh, why didn't you call?" I frowned. "Or answered my texts?"
"My phone died, will you relax." He kicked his shoes carelessly to the side before pushing past me into the kitchen. "Oh great! I'm starving," he announced as he entered the kitchen. I smiled. "Yeah, I made you pasta, let me heat it up for you." I grabbed one of the plates and put it in the microwave. "Thank you, babe." I hummed and grabbed the other plate and began wrapping it in plastic wrap. "You're not going to eat?"

"Oh, I made a sandwich while waiting for you," I lied. He sighed. "Please don't make me feel guilty about this, you know I have to work so much cause you wanted to switch jobs. I'm doing this for us." My throat felt tight again, yeah I knew that, I shouldn't be complaining. "M'sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know that, but sometimes I feel like you don't think before you speak." His face softened when he saw the look on my face. He smiled at me and tapped his lap. "Come sit with me" and who was I to deny that? I padded over and carefully sat down on his leg. "So tell me now, how did the interview go?"