Aurora [H.S AU]

Chapter 59

I got a heart and I got a soul
Believe me I will use them both
We made a start
Be it a false one, I know
Baby, I don't want to feel alone
So kiss me where I lay down
My hands press to your cheeks
A long way from the playground
I have loved you since we were 18
Long before we both thought the same thing
To be loved, to be in love
All I can do is say that these arms were made for holding you
I wanna love like you made me feel
When we were 18

Song: 18, by One Direction

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2019, December, 1st - Sunday | 10 am

Aster's P.O.V.:

It's been 2 weeks ever since I gave myself a little vacation - I've never taken so many days off in a row.

After everything that happened, I simply couldn't bring myself to go to work and pretend things were just ordinary. I know Harry told me I should act normal, to go on with my life and do not try to raise any doubts from my father's end, but honestly, I simply couldn't do it. It was too much, and I've decided it would be less suspect if I wasn't around, knowing too damn well I would not be able to look at my father and not want to punch him.

Although I was beyond excited about seeing his nose broken, I made the decision the next morning after Harry came back home - I mean, his apartment - all bruised and hurt. I spent the whole day working from home, organizing everything and made a huge handover to the senior lawyer right under me, then sent an email to the Human Resources announcing I would be taking a few weeks leave, not giving them the exact day of my return, because honestly, I didn't even know if I was to return at some point.

My father called, obviously, the moment he got to know I was leaving "on vacation." I didn't want to answer the phone, but Harry convinced me, saying I had to keep the appearances. We'd agree I would not tell my father I knew about the cameras, making it look like Harry was the one who decided to take them down without my knowledge. Rickie and Abel have been going there every day for almost 20 days, tearing everything down to be sure they had all the cameras and possible bugs taken off, but honestly, I'm still not sure if I'll ever be able to go back there.

Anyway, I told my father I was travelling to Turin, in Italy, to visit Calvin and was going to spend at least a whole month there. He questioned if I was going to be back in time to his and Penelope's marriage, which was going to happen December, 20th. I told him I was attending and turned off the phone right after, rushing to the bathroom and vomiting all my breakfast in the toilet - just to hear my father's voice was enough to trigger me.

The first week "living" with Harry was terrible. I was too traumatized about the camera situation, feeling totally blue and out of my character. Although I was in Harry's apartment, I still felt like I was being observed the whole time. I kept looking over my shoulders and scanning every little corner and crevice in his apartment, but of course I didn't find anything. That didn't prevent me from feeling exposed the whole time, vulnerable, and honestly I barely left his bed the first few days.

Tate and Brie were quick to get used to the new apartment, I think mainly because I was there all the time. Harry kept going to work, the official and the "undercovers", meaning he is almost never around - his routine is insane, honestly. Although we've been staying together, at each other's places, for a while now, I still had my own routine to focus on so I hadn't actually stopped to analyze his daily schedule. But now that I have, I've gained a whole new level of respect for him - how he manages to look so good and energetic all the time is beyond me.

He usually wakes up at 1pm and goes straight to the condo's gym. Then he comes back home, showers, eats something - anything will do, really. I've even seen him taking a shot of bourbon as lunch once - and goes to S&L, where he leads the Sales Department till around 7pm. Then, he comes back home, has dinner with me, which is something new to his routine, usually he would eat something at a restaurant, and goes to Karma and do whatever other things he does while drug dealing, questioning people and mainly being illegal, which sometimes still baffles me. He comes back home around 4, 5am, takes a shower and goes straight to bed.