I've been having mixed feelings for the past few hours. I haven't a clue whether Harry likes my gift—no token— or not. It's already eleven in the morning and still, I see no sign of my boss; not even for breakfast. For a morning type of guy, this is already pretty late and as his employee,  I am concerned. Yes,  I am just concerned as an employee.

I guess it's understandable since he did party last night. It's not my business to nose about what my boss does in his spare time but I hope that he enjoyed.

To distract myself, I cleaned, mopped, swept, and wiped more than I usually did until it was time to cook for lunch. I prepare the food as I sing and play some music in the kitchen loud enough for me to hear it properly but quiet enough to hear anyone going in.

Checking the food, my favorite verse comes on and my feet step to the beat as I sing along with the singer. The food is almost done and will only require ten more minutes. As I look at the clock, I see that it's almost half past twelve. He should be playing the recorder now. Whenever Harry wakes up, he starts playing music on his recorder upstairs and it became my sign. Now, it feels weird not hearing it at eight in the morning, the usual time he wakes up.

With him still not here, I set my eyes on the food and continue to do so until it's already cooked. I turn off the stove and look up towards the stairs but still, no sign. Sighing, I decide to set the table in case he goes down any moment. After doing so, I check my social media while checking the stairs every few minutes. 

As I scroll through, I see pictures of my college best friends reviewing for their exams. They all look so happy while they take photos in cafes with books and calculators in hand. Even if they're leaving a space between them every time they tag me in their pictures, I can't help but sigh. That is supposed to be my life. I should be studying or getting ready to practice my profession. But look where I am now. I'm cooking and washing dishes in a foreign land.

Scrolling through photos doesn't do me any good so I close my social media and check the time. It's already past one. I check the stairs again but still, he's not there. Maybe he doesn't have the appetite to eat?

My stomach starts to rumble and finally, I decided that I'll just eat ahead of him. I send a quick text to Anthony and return Harry's utensils in exchange for ours.

Let's eat! I made Filipino food.

Once done, I sit at the table and wait for Anthony to arrive. He does so after a few minutes with his lunchbox in his hand.

"I'm starving. " Anthony announces as he opens the bag and puts the plastic containers on the table.

The burly guy sits across me and inquires about the food I made today. I introduce the dish to him and takes a sip of the soup first.

"This is amazing," His lips curve upwards. "What is this? I should tell Samantha to ask you the recipe of this. "

I chuckle at his compliment and nod. I was never good at taking compliments and always find it hard to reply back. 

"It's nilagang baka. It's a beef soup cooked with potatoes and cabbages for hours. Filipino food." I say as I ladle some onto my bowl.

We start eating and fill the silence with small talk about our morning. As we do so, my mind drifts to a thought that just popped in my head. Maybe I can get more information about Harry through this.

"Anthony, does Harry regularly sleep this late when he parties?" I soften the tone of my voice in case he hears me.

"What are you talking about?" Anthony furrows his brows. "He's not here. "

I stop my spoon midway. "He's not?!"

"He hasn't texted you?"

I shake my head.

"That bloke must be flat-out hammered right now if he's not texting," He shakes his head. "Whenever he goes out to party, he stays in his party pad down by the River Thames. I only figured it out that he went there when Suresh told me Harry went to party."

"He has another house here?!"

"More of a flat. Do you think he'd let anyone party here when most of his valuable things are inside?" Anthony cocks one eyebrow up as he sips another spoonful of soup.

"I suppose not. " I forgot that the guy loves his privacy. 

Oh, how the rich can have such a luxury!

"Usually, he messages Tess when he stays the night there but must have forgotten last night. I wonder why." 

Anthony continues eating but suddenly stops. The guy takes his phone from the table and types something on his phone. He clucks his tongue and places back his phone on the table. Was there something wrong with what I said?

"Is everything okay?"

"Nothing, nothing." He shakes his head, continuing to eat.

The guy changes the topic and I go along with it. I've always been a keen observer and I know that there is something Anthony is hiding. His brown pupils are jaded and his shoulders look stiff. I know that I can't pick the truth out of him right now so I decide I'll just settle it on another day.

We finish our lunch and Anthony cleans his containers and the utensils he used before proceeding back to his duty. Cleaning the remaining dirty dishes went by like a breeze. I don't know what I'm feeling but as I sit on the chair, I feel a little pinprick of sadness inside. 

This dish was cooked so that Harry could have something filling in case he woke up with a hangover. It took me a long time to cook this but he never got to taste it. And now, I don't want him to even see it, much less taste it.

It feels embarrassing to acknowledge that I put a lot of effort into cooking the food. Maybe he'll think that I'm trying to get on his good side or something? No, I'll just cook something else when he arrives. And with this thought, another one pops into my head. My gift!

I rush upstairs and take the gift in front of his room. It would be double embarrassing if he sees this. I'll just keep the record for now and give it at a better time. Going back down, I play with the record in my hands and go back to my room where I place it in my duffel bag.

The bag is the best place to hide it since I don't have to see the object every time. I place the bag on the side of my bed and decide to take my shower. Once done, I head back and change into some yoga pants and a shirt then set up my laptop. My room in this mansion is small with a single bed and side table. Opposite the bed is a gray dresser and wardrobe. To add my own flare to the white painted walls, I hung pictures of photos I took throughout the years all around the room using twine and small clothespins. There are pictures of my family, friends, and places.

Since Harry's not here, I keep my door ajar, turning on my phone and playing music while I write articles. Writing outrageous attention-grabbing pieces about celebrities is similar to writing novels. You need to add imagination to make the readers feel like they're in the story walking with J. Lo at the airport or eating in a restaurant in Itaewon with Tom Holland. All of the celebrities are like characters to the story and it's up to us, the writers, how to present them.

A couple of hours pass and I've only written a fourth of what I should. Thoughts of my boss's well-being keep distracting me. I try to push it away but it just keeps popping in my head. Is he okay? Has he eaten yet? I don't know.

Since I know I won't get to work further with this mindset, I close my laptop and set it aside to lie down on my bed. Should I search for his name to know what happened last night? He is a public figure. But then again, I feel like it's invading his privacy if I did it. Writing pieces about him in the magazine is more than enough sin I'm doing that I regret every time I do so.

Not knowing Harry Styles was better because I didn't have to worry about what he will think of me. Now that I work for Harry I have to worry about whether I should act prim and proper in front of my boss. Not only that, I always have to make sure the pieces I make are not very tabloid-like and never invasive about his private life nor attack his credibility and image as a public figure.

Groaning, I check my phone and see that there's a text sent by Harry.

Please pack your bags, Yari. Make it for one week or more. I'll be there by six to come and pick you up.

Where is this guy taking me? I check the time on my phone and see that it's already four in the afternoon. Shoot! The guy sent it an hour ago and now I only have two hours to prepare. Quickly, I take my duffel bag and stuff my extra uniforms as well as my other clothes inside. I take my toiletries from the bathroom and put them in my bag along with my laptop and chargers.

Once done, I change into my uniform then head for the garden and water all the plants. Besides this being my chore, gardening has always been therapeutic for me since it calms me down. Maybe these plants can subside my nervous tension. 

Anthony comes around the backyard during his perimeter rounds and I smile at the guy. As I do so, curiosity about Harry comes into my mind. He will probably know where our boss is taking me.

Turning off the hose, I then place it back on the side then proceed to approach the burly guy who's walking back to the front yard. I tap lightly on his shoulder and he turns around.

"Yes? " Anthony smiles.

"Anthony, can you water the plants for me while I'm gone? "

"Where are you going?" The guy furrows his brows.

"Harry told me to pack for a week. He says he'll be arriving at six. Do you know where he'll be taking me? " I put my hands on my back. It's still baffling me why Harry suddenly texted this.

Anthony's eyes darken for a second but it went away quickly, turning into a pondering look. "He's probably going to bring you to his flat I told you about earlier. He used to take Tess there for a couple of days and asked her to clean around."

I nod in understanding. Well, that explains his text. Harry needs someone to clean up the place he'll be staying in and cook food for him while he goes out at night.

"Keep an eye on him there would you? Harry doesn't like his security staying there during...these times..." My friend takes a moment to say the last few words which leaves me wondering. "So it will only be you and him there." 

Anthony looks at me with earnest concern. There's something more to his words but I don't prod further. I just nod. 

"Ooh, can you tell me more then about how Harry acts when he starts partying? I mean is he a party animal? Does he stay out of the apartment most of the time?" I look away, finding the ground much more interesting. "I'm just really curious."

"Yari, you didn't tell me that you fancy our boss? " Anthony cocks one eyebrow up.

"Gosh, no! Not like that," I reply quickly and shake my head, my cheeks burning red with embarrassment. "I like One Direction but I'm more of a Niall girl... I just feel like knowing Harry more will make me a little less nervous in front of him...Especially when it will be just the two of us there."

I murmur the last few words and look away. It is the truth. I haven't said it vocally but I still don't know how to act in front of Harry. I've had the luxury of looking at him from afar to hide my emotions as a fan but still close enough to know more of the little details about him. Now, it's much more different. Working for one of your idols is very hard.

Anthony stays silent. I've always known him as a jovial man who never lacks anything to talk about. This quiet version is far from what I know of him and it makes me nervous.

"He was always the life of the party because of his looks and friendly vibe. Incredibly popular with the girls too," Anthony starts and I am surprised that he replied. "We weren't in the same circle but we were neighbors and went to the same secondary school. "

My eyes blink but I nod, waiting for him to continue talking. This is the first time I learned that they were neighbors. What more knowledge does he carry?

"Even though he was popular and was mates with a lot of people, he mainly stuck with two lads," Anthony trails off, looking far away until he turns back and squeezes my arm. "Don't let him be alone with his thoughts there. Ha—"

The sound of a car honking outside cuts our conversation. Before I can ask him to proceed, he walks to the gate and opens it. Sighing, I turn around and head back inside to prepare to leave. I go to my room and check it one last time before I take my duffel bag and close the door. 

Once it's secure,  I head for the kitchen and place the leftover lunch in a disposable container. After doing so, I walk to the living room and see Harry entering the house, twirling the car keys with his left index finger. The guy looks normal wearing his dark jeans and gray shirt. His face though looks blank and there's something wrong as soon as I looked at his eyes. It doesn't have its usual shine.

"Did you forget anything?" Harry turns to me and stops playing with his keys. I shake my head and he jogs up the stairs. "I'll just get something in my room. I'll meet you outside."

I watch as Harry climbs up, his long legs easily closing the gap between each step. Heavy air follows my boss and I sense a brewing tension inside of him that I haven't seen before. What happened to him?

As Harry turns around for the second flight of stairs, I sigh and walk outside towards Anthony who's beside the open garage. My friend's leaning one side of his body towards the walls then proceeds to stand up straight when he sees me approach. Maybe Anthony knows something about Harry's attitude now? I doubt that though. I'll just try to continue what he was about to say earlier.

"Here," I hand him the disposable container filled with food I cooked earlier. "It'll just spoil if I leave it. "

"Thank you! Samantha and Wyeth will love this." Anthony takes a peek at the food.

I lean on the wall beside him while he places the container on the ground. With my bag still in my hands,  I play with the straps and look at the guy beside me.

"About earlier, I'll make sure that he won't be alone with his thoughts, " I bump the wall back and forth, debating to ask the question but I finally muster up the courage to do it.  "What were you going to say again before Harry arrived? "

Anthony purses his lips,  remembering the conversation earlier.

"I was going to ask whether you searched his name online."

"Nope," I shake my head. "I must admit that I want to but I haven't. I feel like I'm invading his privacy in some way."

Anthony's lips curve upward but our conversation is cut yet again by Harry's presence. Our boss comes out of the room with a duffel bag of his own and proceeds to walk inside the garage. Antony takes out his phone and types something before he walks to help Harry. I feel my phone buzz and it's a message from Anthony.

Look his name up.

I look from my phone to Anthony and give a nod of understanding before placing my phone back again in my pocket. Harry opens the trunk to his Aston Martin to put down his bag.

"Give me your bag, " Harry motions with his hand for me to come to him.  "I'll put it in here with mine. You can sit in the back."

I give him my bag and he places it beside his then Harry closes the trunk. It closes with a thud and it suddenly dawns on me that I'm going to ride a Bentley for the first time in my life. How many people can ride a luxury car like that?! Not many. Yet, I try to be calm and collected while I open the gray doors and enter the backseat, the scent of lemon wafting through my nostrils.

Harry sits down in the driver's seat and starts the engine. My eyes dart all around, absorbing every image of the four corners of the car, as the vehicle exits the garage and out to the road. I hear the sudden play of music and see that Harry's turned on the music player. The guy looks up,  not daring to move his gaze away from the road.

The car comes to a stop at a red light and I look at the sky and the sun above us, taking a picture of it with my phone. I've always been amazed at the beauty of the sky. Each day shows a different shape of a cloud, a different hue of the sunset, a different twinkle of the star, but at the end, it's all still part of one great painting of this vast universe.

"I forgot to tell you last night that I wasn't going to sleep there, " Harry looks up at the rearview mirror. "You must have waited a long time before you took your lunch this afternoon. "

"No, it's alright. Anthony told me when we were eating. " I shake my head and smile. My emotions earlier were completely hidden in the pits of my heart.

Harry purses his lips and nod,  accelerating the car when the light turns green. "So you must have a clue now where we are staying," The reply comes off as a statement and I nod. "We're almost there. "

The car cruises along the streets and comes to a stop at the entrance of a large modern condominium complex made of dark glass near the River Thames. A guard talks to Harry and after a few seconds lifts the barricade up to let the car enter. The car cruises past a couple of condominium towers and drives towards the underground parking lot of a tower facing the river.

Harry parks the car in between two other sports cars and stops the engine.  He takes something from his dashboard and I see that it's a pair of dark-tinted shades. Putting on the shades, my boss opens the door and steps out of the car in one fluid motion. I follow Harry's move and head out as well, carefully opening the door in case I scratch the car beside us.  Harry takes the bags from the trunk and hands me mine then safely locks the car.  Looking from side to side, Harry walks straight ahead to what I see is the elevator.

We ride up the elevator, silence filling the space between us , until we reach the twelfth floor of the building. Harry steps outside first and I follow suit. I am immediately greeted by a gust of cold wind as we walk along a brightly lit corridor lined up with dark wooden doors along each side of the wall.

My boss stops at the last room on the right and procures a set of keys from his pocket. He pushes a key into the doorknob and I hear a few clicks from the door. The door opens and Harry steps inside to turn on the lights. I follow my boss inside,  blinking my eyes as I adjust to the light.

The apartment's aesthetics is different from that of the mansion.  Shades of brown and gray along with white fill the colors of this minimalist apartment.  On the left side are a dining table and mini kitchen while on the right is the living room and two doors.  One is at the end near the television while the other is adjacent to the living room near us. Dark and heavy curtains cover one side of the living room too, letting no outside light come in.

Some of the most striking things here are the smell and disarray of the kitchen table filled with empty bottles and leftover food. The only similarity between here and the mansion is the turntable and shelf full of records on the wall beside the curtains. 

"Sorry about the mess. Just clean it once I'm gone." Harry picks up a random shoe and puts it on the side. 

I nod and look around.

"Your room will be this one, " Harry points to the door on our right nearest to us.  "I'll just go to my room and will be heading out afterward. Here's the spare set of keys. Make sure everything is locked before you go to sleep. There's food in the fridge. You can eat that."

The guy places a similar set of keys onto the table and without a word,  heads to his room in the far end. I take the keys to the table and head for my room. My room here is different. Unlike the one in his mansion,  I'm guessing that I'm staying in the guest room where it contains a queen-sized bed, a side table, a couple of dressers, and a large window overlooking the River Thames. The room is beautiful and it's the first time I'm staying in such a luxurious place.

I place my bag on the floor beside the bed and test the mattress by bouncing up and down. It's very soft just like in the mansion and I lay my head down,  melting into the soft pillows of the bed. Since I know that I'm alone,  I take my phone and search Harry's name up.  I don't know why Anthony made me do it but maybe this will give me a clue.

My phone searches the words I typed in and I feel my heart beating loudly while the bar loads,  revealing several articles of the same topic when the green bar reaches the end.

Harry Styles Seen Partying In Chelsea After Break-up With Jade St. Clair

I don't dare click on any article but close my phone. My lips curve down and I sigh. So this is why he's acting like this.

~~~ 

AN: Oh wow! I was able to update early hahahaha. Let me know what you think about this chapter guys. Thanks and stay safe! Now onto updating Crash and Fall