9th Piece
Quickly, I put my hand on my mouth and internally scream. I didn't mean to say my thoughts out loud!
"Right? The guy just broke up with the love of his life and here they are hounding him for answers about the relationship. The bystanders looked dodgy too." Ellie sighs then turns to look at me.
I ponder my friend's words and smile softly after. At least there are still a lot of us fans who have rational thoughts. Some are going overboard and would cause a riot if there are or will be other girls that Harry is linked with. I know that they just want the best for him but the guy is his own person too and is fully capable to decide on his own.
The car speeds away followed by a range rover. Once the cars are out of sight, the crowd starts to disperse, people talking amongst each other about seeing a famous celebrity. I hear ladies talking about Harry's looks and his breakup while the paparazzi brag about the number of photos they took. As for the two of us, Ellie and I walk back to the front of the supermarket.
"I'm sorry to keep you here with me. Your boss must have been telling you to get back to the party already." Ellie sends an apologetic look while she gives me the paper bag filled with the snacks I bought.
I turn to my friend with a confused look. Party? Boss? Oh right. In an instant, I change my confused face with a smile and accept the bag.
"They've been texting me nonstop earlier but it's okay. Anything for a friend."
"Yeah, I saw you texting and looking frantic, " She commented. Thankfully, she doesn't know that the boss I was talking to was the celebrity who just speed away. "I'm taking the bus down the center. Are you heading the same station?"
"Yup, I'm riding there too. Let's go?" I nod towards the direction.
We converse about earlier's events, mostly Ellie talking about Harry in an animated way. I love her enthusiasm and how she was very closely paying attention to my boss.
"He looked so frustrated once he went out and saw the paparazzi outside. It must've been annoying to him getting questioned about Jade? " Ellie sighs. "I still think Jade and he are the perfect match but the people need to give a break. "
"Wait until you see him in the morning with a calm face but the heavy aura surrounding him permeates the whole room. It's like a mourner wearing a vibrant mask of a smiling joker. Really sad and scary. " I shake my head.
"Wait, what? Where did you learn that? " Ellie stops her tracks and turns to look at me with furrowed eyebrows.
Shoot! My eyes turn wide as saucers and I grip the paper bag a little tighter. I didn't even mean to say it out loud. Quick, Yari, make an alibi!
"Uh... I read it on some website when I was researching." I chuckle and wave my hands dismissively.
Is this how I will get caught? Will this be the end of my job? I still have a lot of daddy's bills to pay back home and if Harry knew I just revealed that I worked for him, it would break his trust. The guy just got his heart torn and now I'm breaking it again? I can't fathom what will happen!
"Oh, they must have paid that insider well." Ellie nods.
My nerves calm down and I internally breathe a sigh of relief. Phew. I still get to work for Harry.
"I know, right?" I nod in agreement.
Our conversation continues even when we reach the waiting shed of the bus stop. Ellie and I sit there for a few minutes still talking until her bus arrives after five minutes.
"I'll message you online, okay? Bye, Yari!" Ellie waves at me as she enters the bus.
"Bye! " I wave back at her as the bus closes and speed away.
I breathe an audible sigh of relief and take the cap that's been stuck on my back for the past hour. It's been causing me back pain and I stretch my body side to side to relieve the tension. Putting the hat on top of my head, I fix my shirt and relax on my seat. The bus that I will be riding comes up and I board the vehicle.
The bus ride is a short twenty-minute ride up the north of London and I reach the bus stop before my feet can even relax. I continue the path to the house while I walk and shiver in this cloudy weather. I don't know how I managed earlier with just a shirt on but now I can physically feel the cold air hitting my face.
I arrive outside of the property shortly and press on the intercom.
"Good afternoon. Who is this?" A male voice asks.
"It's Yari. Yari Salvacruz." I reply back.
"Alright. Wait for a second, Yari." I hear knobs turning and the familiar sound of metal rubbing against each other until the gate opens revealing Anthony.
"Hi, Yari," The guy welcomes me. "How was your first experience with paparazzi earlier? "
I step inside and beam at my friend. "Hi Anthony! It was scary but I managed. Did you just arrive? "
"Glad you survived your first experience. There will be a lot more," Anthony chuckles. "No, we arrived about an hour ago. Harry's inside."
"Alright, I'll go inside then. " I walk back but stop midway." Did you get to water my plants? "
"Every day. " Anthony assures me.
"Thank you! I owe you one."
"I'll take note of that."
I continue down the path and go inside of the house. The place looks the same as we left it but I sneeze. I'm sensitive to dust and I'm sure there's definitely a thin coat of it everywhere. I'm already dreading the amount of time I'll be cleaning this place.
As I walk to the kitchen, I see Harry putting the items we bought inside the fridge.
"You're here," Harry looks up and offers a smile before returning back to his work. "Sorry about earlier. "
I shake my head and put the paper bag I'm holding on top of the counter. "Oh no, it's okay. I don't mind."
"The payment's there on the counter by the way. Thank you for buying it. "
"Thank you. I'll continue storing the grocery away. You can go up and relax now, " I take the money from the counter and place it inside my pocket. Harry added a few more pounds again but I only take what I spent. Then, I place the cap and shades on the counter as well. "Here's your cap and shades too. "
"Thanks. Just put it there. And it's okay. I'll help with this. My room is still a mess when I left. " Harry places the vegetables on the compartment below.
"Oh I'll clean it up after this or do you want me to clean it now?"
"We can clean the room after this. I need to change my beddings too by the way," Harry shrugs. "I know you're tired from earlier so you can clean the rest of the third floor tomorrow. I'll be calling the cleaning services tomorrow too. "
"Alright, Harry. " I nod.
This is really a weird day. First, Harry allows me to bring leftover food. Second, Harry insists to buy and pay for the chips and chocolate that I like. Third, Harry used the term we when cleaning the room. Does this mean that he will be helping me? If this is a dream, I hope that I'll dream of this again.
Harry and I store the groceries away and I see inside the fridge that the leftover drinks and food have already been organized neatly. From time to time, I sneak a peek at him and see him focused as ever stacking the yoghurt cups neatly on top of each other.
It's interesting to see this side of Harry doing normal things. It makes him more human in my eyes. If only other people can see it too.
We finish arranging the grocery and I head over to the closet to get the cleaning materials-rags, vacuum, cleaner, all kinds of things. Harry and I walk upstairs to his room in silence with the guy leading the way. Walking up, I sneeze a couple of times and scratch my arms. There really is a lot of dust here.
Harry takes the duffel bag outside his door and enters the room. The room is simple and contains a king-sized bed, a mirror and table on the right, a window on the left beside the door to the bathroom, and a sunroof on above the bed. Facing the bed is a large flat screen tv and some game consoles below it.
Harry's room is a bit of a mess with his unmade bed, pieces of clothing on the floor, the bathroom completely open, and the table littered with various chips wrappers and bottles of beer and soda. I see Harry trying to arrange some of his personal items out of embarrassment but I know that this level of mess is a product of anxiety and stress from his previous breakup. When you have a broken heart, you lose the motivation to do your normal tasks. It leaves you to only consume your worries and painful thoughts.
Harry starts picking the leftover chips on the table while I drop the cleaning materials and pick up the clothes on the floor. I take the clothes and fold it neatly inside the laundry basket in his bathroom. My dad always taught me to fold dirty clothes after using so when I put it inside the basket, there would be more space compared to just throwing it in.
"I'll get the beddings." Harry announces.
"No, it's okay. I'll get it," I stand up after folding the clothes.
I step outside of his room to head to the second-floor closet containing all things needed for the rooms. I take the beddings from a compartment and return to the room where I see the vacuum already plugged on, ready for use.
"I'll help you change. " My boss walks towards the other side of the bed and starts taking off the white pillowcases.
I stand still in my spot for a second, caught off guard by Harry's words. The guy is offering to help change the beddings of his bed? This is new. Yet, I walk towards the bed and place the new sheets on a clean surface and start taking off the blanket. We work in sync as we take off the old beddings and change into cleaner ones. Harry follows my direction and in no time, get his bed set up.
After the bed, Harry takes the vacuum and starts vacuuming leaving me to wipe the desks and pictures on his table. Once I'm done with that, I leave him in his room while I clean his bathroom. It is relatively clean except for the various toiletry and hair products lying haphazardly on the floor and counter. It takes me half an hour but I manage to make the room pristine.L
Once done, I get out of the bathroom to see his bedroom already clean while the old beddings, vacuum, and other cleaning equipment are nowhere in sight. Harry's nowhere too. All that's here is his bag. There's a faint whizzing sound outside and I check out the source.
Stepping outside, I see Harry vacuuming the hallway. His eyes are intent on the floor he's cleaning and I stand there for a second to look at him. The guy's face is clear and the tension from earlier at the grocery already gone. His green eyes look soft like green grass in a meadow while the mask he usually puts on for people is placed somewhere away. I like seeing this kind of Harry.
Before I stare any longer, I make my presence visible. I cough slightly to get his attention and the guy looks up, a smiling face greeting me.
"You're done with the bathroom," Harry comments. "I've put the beddings down the laundry already. "
I put the cleaning materials down and try to take the vacuum from him. "Harry, I'll do it. You can go back to your room. "
The guy shakes his head, continuing to vacuum. "No, it's alright. I've already started and it's relaxing."
"You don't have to clean that. You just had a long day with the paparazzi earlier."
"Which is why I need to do this more," He simply states and goes back to vacuuming the floor under the bean bags. " Can you cook the dinner while I finish this? I want to taste that dish you've been telling earlier. Convince me why we brought the leftovers here."
The guy changes the subject and I follow his word. I haven't considered that Harry is still bothered by earlier's trip to the grocery. I thought that celebrities get over it easily but I realize that they are also human and some might overthink it more than others. Harry definitely needs to be distracted if he's still thinking about it. I may not be able to be a listening ear for him for now but I can help him in my own little way.
Carrying the rest of the cleaning materials with me, I head downstairs and into the kitchen. As I near the last step, I hear music coming from the turntable. It's one of the songs from the record I gave Harry! I know because I've been listening to the songs of the album ever since I bought it. My heart beats in elation as I store back the materials in the cabinet. It's flattering to learn that Harry actually listens to my gift.
I cross the living room and head to the kitchen to check the fridge of the leftovers we brought. It takes me a few minutes but I finally decide what to cook. For today, I'll be making fried rice with meat and mixed veggies along with stir-fried beef.
The dish is easy to make and the leftover food will definitely be turned to something palatable. I start the dish, singing to myself as I prepare, and get into the rhythm of preparing. Though the kitchen in the apartment was nice, I've missed cooking in this space where I learned a lot of things about this country and Harry.
It takes an hour to cook the food but seeing the end product is worth it. The fried rice smells amazing while the stirred fried beef makes my mouth water. I'm sure that Harry will like this too. Singing to myself, I set Harry's plate and utensils on the table. Suddenly, I hear Harry's voice from a distance.
"I can smell the dish from the third floor. " Harry comments.
Turning around, I see Harry returning the vacuum in the closet near the entrance to the garage. The guy must be finished already.
"The food's done. Do you want to eat already? " I offer.
"I do. "
The guy sits on his usual seat in the dining table while I scoop up the food onto large bowls. I take the bowls to the dining table and set it in front of him. After doing so, I stay at the back and watch him from the oven window. Harry takes a spoonful of each and it feels like an hour but finally, Harry stretches his neck and I smile to myself. Good job, Yari!
"I've been convinced. This is good, really good. " Harry turns around and gives a wide smile, dimples popping and eyes crinkling.
My heart stops beating for a second. This is the first time that Harry complimented the food I cooked and gave me a direct smile. It feels so special and intimate and I want to capture this moment in case he goes back to his dark self.
"Thank you. " I offer a shy smile in return and turn my head away before he sees me blush.
Harry turns back to eat and takes his phone from his pocket. Now it's my cue to go back to my room. I'm almost turning the corner when Harry speaks.
"So how was your baptism by fire earlier? " I hear Harry say.
I turn around and look back at the guy who's still continuing to eat. "Sorry? "
"How was your experience seeing the mess of paparazzi earlier? "
I walk back to the kitchen and stand beside the counter, surprised that he's talking to me during his lunch. This is a first for him.
"The movies were right in showing how the scene earlier happens. The paparazzi were scary and the ladies looked like they wanted to take a piece of you. Well a lot did. A few just wanted to admire you from afar. "
"I'm thankful and blessed for having fans, especially those who show their excitement more than others. I understand why they're doing it. The paparazzi on the other hand are just mostly predators offering me bait so I would talk," Harry chuckles bitterly. "I'm sure you've heard of what happened to me recently. You heard the paparazzi shouting. You must have read the articles too."
What an intriguing conversation topic. We're finally delving onto his breakup. Is this why he wants to talk to me? Does he want to know if I read articles about him so he can fire me for going about his business? What do I reply to his statement?
"Uh, yeah. I've heard of it." I decided to go with the truth. There's no point in lying and I'm assuming that he's trying to check it too.
"So what do you think of it? What do you think of me based on the things you read? Everyone knows my story already. You probably read that I am a cheating womanizer." Harry stops eating and turns to face me.
His face is serious and the soft green eyes from earlier are gone. I know that he's trying to look calm and aloof. The guy is practically waiting for me to confirm his statement. He is absolutely wrong.
"I don't know why you guys broke up. I haven't really read the stories and I only know the things you told me when you...uhm...got drunk... that uhm...one night." I shrug.
The guy scrunches his brows quizzically. "You seriously haven't read it? "
My eyes turn wide at his accusation. Does he really think that I am that type of person who will gossip about her boss?
"I really didn't- I promise. Pinky swear!" I shake my hands in refusal. "I wanted to read it but as your employee, it's an invasion of privacy. I don't want to get fired."
Harry turns his head to the side and chuckles slightly, his face contorted in a questioning look. "So you didn't read them because you felt it would breach your contract?"
"Well that's one of the reasons, " I fidget with my hands and look down. "Another is that I'm not keen on being involved in other people's personal business. Especially breakups. You're human. Imagine getting your heartbroken and the world talking about one of your lowest points in life?"
"I can. "
I look up to see Harry shrug and instantly, I feel my cheeks heat up. I wanted him to believe what I said because it is true but at the same time, I have a part time job with a company basically making money out of his misery. If circumstances were better, I would resign from that part time job immediately. For now, I will do my best to make factual articles about Harry's side and only the facts.
"I've decided that I will only allow myself to learn about the breakup of a person or celebrity if one of the party decides to open up to me about it or the celebrity was ready to share it," I add. It takes me a while and I debate whether I say the next words but it's now or never. "I know you're not ready."
Harry Styles stays silent. The tension in the air is palpable and I feel really uneasy in my chair. The questioning look in his face turns into confusion. My boss stays in that same expression and I start to panic if what I said was wrong.
Fortunately, after what seemed like a millennia, Harry's face finally changes into a relaxed and peaceful smile, probably having assessed the meaning of my words. His green eyes brewing a storm subside into its green meadow again.
"Thank you for not reading about their stories. " Harry says softly.
I offer a small nonchalant smile. "No worries."
The guy turns back to eat and I continue the trail back to my room. Before I can even process the conversation that happened, I lay my eyes on my duffel bag. I totally forgot about my bag! Harry must have given this to Anthony and he brought it to my room.
I place the bag on the side and inspect the place. There's a thin coating of dust everywhere and I can feel it on the floor. Once I'm done eating, I'll definitely clean this room. For now, I return all my unused clothes inside my dresser and the other belongings back in their rightful place.
The thought of earlier's accident comes to my head and I'm thankful for fate to work its way. The boys bumping into me were just circumstantial but I'm thankful because I got to remove the jacket and other disguises too. If I didn't, Ellie would have seen me and I wouldn't know how to explain why I look so much like the girl in the picture she showed me. Maybe I'll tell her in the future if Harry allows. For now, it is a secret.
I dust my bed and the pictures on my wall when my phone buzzes. It's from Harry.
Thank you for the meal and our conversation. I haven't gotten the chance to know you that well yet but today was a good start. Thanks again. x
My heart beats quickly and for the first time, I am excited for the coming days. Harry's starting to get back to his old self.
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AN: Please hit the vote button and comment down below. I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. <3
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