022. CINEMA // WINDOW

If there was one thing Rory loved about her job, it was how easy it was to get tips.

All it took was showing a little cleavage, flashing a smile, and giggling at an (unfunny) attempt at humour; men were putty in her hands.

God, she got quite the rush when she picked up the check and saw her tip.

Her eyes glanced to the side, watching Harry make his way down the from the second floor. She averted her gaze back to the customer in front of her, not wanting to get caught staring for long. In her defence, it was hard not to stare. He was hot - extremely hot. And he was all hers.

No one knew what the two got up to behind closed doors. And that level of secrecy was quite the turn-on. During work, they both did their jobs and kept up the act of despising each other. But once the night was over, the two were inseparable. She liked their secret life. Her favourite part was knowing what he did that only someone on an intimate level would know. Like how he hummed songs when he cooked - his go-to being Jolene by Dolly Parton.

"I need to speak with you."

Rory turned her head to the side in disbelief over Harry's rough tone. "I'm with a customer," she said, gesturing to the man on the other side of the bar. "Can this wait?"

Ignoring her comment, Harry waved over another bartender and turned to the balding man. "Tim will handle your order." His eyes fell back to Rory. "Now, Rory."

With a loud, frustrated sigh, Rory followed Harry's lead to the storage room. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene and miss out on even more tips for the night. She had been working that old guy since the minute he walked into the bar, and now Tim - ugh, Tim - was going to take all of her earnings.

The second the door slammed shut, Rory narrowed her eyes at the devil standing before her. "What the fuck is wrong with you? This is my job, Harry. You can't just-" She fell silent, noticing the goofy grin spreading across his lips. "Is this seriously funny to you? Because the whole jealousy thing will not fly with me."

"Bambi. I'm not jealous."

"Then what the fuck was all of that?"

Harry stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. "Keeping up appearances. I have to leave for work in fifteen minutes - I can't see you tonight."

"But you are at work."

"You know what I mean."

No, I fucking don't because you don't tell me shit about your life outside of this bar. "Right. I do," she said. "So you're not jealous I was flirting with a guy?"

"Of course not. I know it's business. I just wanted some alone time with my girl before I have to go."

My girl.

She heard him say it - there was no denying that's what he said.

My girl.

It wasn't anything to freak out about.

My girl.

And yet, there she was. Freaking out about it.

My girl.

"Rory?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

She blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Are you going to be safe tonight?"

Harry only had a few of these work nights since they started dating, but it always worried her nonetheless. Especially since she had no idea what went on. There were only two things she was given information on. One, the night he turned up at her apartment covered in blood was a work night. And two, he promised never to show up at her door after a work night ever again.

"It's for your safety," he explained.

"But what if you're hurt?"

"Dallas can stitch me up. And then you can fix up his work in the morning."

Rory didn't understand why he showed up at her apartment back then but made a promise never to do it again now. However, if there was a third thing she had learned about work nights, it was the fewer questions she asked, the better.

"I'll be safe. It's a meeting. If everyone plays nice, there will be no guns and no blood."

"Do you promise? Because when you said that last week, you came into work the next day with a black eye."

"Well, they didn't play nice." Noting she wasn't in the mood for teasing, Harry quickly added, "I promise, Rory." He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. "Now, can I kiss you before the rest of our time is up?"

After spending fifteen minutes saying goodbye to Harry, Rory finished her shift at work, trying to score as many tips as possible and clocked out for the night. A bottle of wine and catching up with her two best friends called her name, and she couldn't get out of the bar and over to Mia's apartment fast enough.

"So, you two are officially together then?"

That was the first question from Mia once Rory finished her summary of the past few weeks. Apparently, her relationship with Harry was far more interesting than the story she told of the bachelorette party that got drunk and took their tops off one night.

"Yeah. I mean, we're dating."

"Are you two exclusive?"

Rory shrugged. "I don't know." She shifted her gaze between her two friends. "What?"

"Nothing... we're just..."

"We're worried," Benny interrupted. "You've never been like this about anyone, Ro. We just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt."

Mia topped up her glass of wine. "We wouldn't be good friends if we didn't bring it up. Maybe we're wrong." Forcing a smile, she looked over to Benny for moral support.

"Right, maybe we are." He took a sip from his glass. "What does his hot friend think about you two?"

"Who? Che- I mean, Colson?"

Mia licked her lips. "Yeah, him."

Fighting the urge to throw up over her friend's reaction, Rory looked down at her glass. "We didn't tell him. We haven't told anyone."

Another look of concern was exchanged.

"Okay, so it's a secret. That's not always bad," Benny said. "What do you guys do together? Do you go out for dinner? See movies? Volunteer at an old folks home?"

"We don't leave my apartment most of the time." Rory took a large sip. "Oh, god. I'm an idiot, aren't I? I thought I liked being a secret, but... he probably has a girlfriend! Or a wife or husband or-"

"No! Rory! Don't spiral!" Mia quickly affirmed. "You just haven't done this before. Friends with benefits isn't bad, don't get us wrong. But feelings get complicated and-"

"Friends with benefits?" Rory repeated with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, you know, fucking for fun. No strings attached. Doing the-"

"We're not having sex."

Yet another glance was exchanged before they said in unison, "Wait... what?"

"I mean, yeah, we slept together the night we went out. But the next night, when he came over, I made it clear that I was not sleeping with him and gave him the option to leave if he wanted to, and he didn't."

"Wait. I'm confused. Rory, why are you so scared about this then?"

"Because I told him I like him, and now that feeling isn't going away!" she cried out dramatically, slumping back on the couch. "The more time I spend with him, the more I like him, and you said it yourself; I haven't done this before! I've never felt like this with anyone else I've been with."

Benny leaned forward. "Do you want to be like... boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Sure-" her eyes widened. "I mean, I don't know. I think..." She paused to finish off her glass of wine. "I think I just want to know we can get there. And that, you know, he's not..."

"Fucking someone else on the side?"

"Pretty much. Yeah. But I don't know how to do that... you know, have a serious conversation with someone this way. If I were conning some guy, it would be easy. But I'm not."

Mia clasped her hands together. "I have a brilliant idea."

"Here we go," Benny muttered.

"Listen before you judge, Benard," she snapped. "Let's go out and have one night where you practice talking to people, no con involved."

"You just want to go out."

"Yes, and," she took hold of Rory's hands. "I want to help our little flower get over her fears so she can ask the sexy boss man to be her boyfriend."

Benny rolled his eyes. "Here's a better idea." He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and handed them over to Rory. "Write down five questions you want to know about him or ask him. That's what we'll work towards preparing you for."

"Can we do both?" Rory pouted her bottom lip. "Not the practice thing. I'll write down these questions, and then I just want to go out and dance."

"Deal!" Mia happily cheered. "I'll go pick out outfits!"

Rory looked down at the blank page in front of her. "Where do I start?"

"Well, what do you know about him?" When she seemed lost on how to respond, Benny asked, "Where did he grow up?"

"I don't know."

He tapped her paper. "Write it down. We can condense the list after." Benny filled up their glasses. "Has he always lived here in the city?"

"I don't know," she said, already writing down the question.

"Does he have any family?"

"His parents are dead."

He nodded slowly. "Alright. That's something. Here, let's go for an easy one! What does he like to do for fun?"

Chewing her bottom lip, Rory nervously replied, "Uh. Work?"

"Work? Seriously? Who likes to work?"

What did Harry like to do?

Killing people? It's not like she could say that.

Pulling on her hair? Calling her a good girl? Okay - now I'm just thinking of what I like.

Her eyes widened with joy. "Oh! I know! He collects records!"

"What's his favourite artist?"

Rory quickly scribbled down the question.

After time and a list of random things to ask, which became more challenging to understand as her penmanship went to shit after all the glasses of wine, Mia returned dressed for the night.

"You two got so drunk! Jealous." She tossed Rory an outfit and looked over the list. "Ro, you didn't even put down the big questions. What's his past dating history like? Has he had a proper girlfriend before-"

"Yes!" she interjected, her head getting stuck in the material of her shirt as she attempted to take it off. "He's had a girlfriend before."

"How long were they together?"

Rory let out a sign. "List it!"

"Huh?"

"She means write it down," Benny answered.

"So the mystery hot bar owner had a girlfriend in the past. I wonder what she was like."

Finally managing to pull her shirt over her head, Rory let out a sigh. "Don't know. But she is stunning."

Benny raised a brow. "How would you know, Ro?"

"I snooped a bit. He had some photos in a drawer, and I couldn't help myself."

"Oh my god! What did you find?"

"Pictures mostly. He was a good student. There were a lot of photos of him winning awards as a young kid... some perfect attendance records."

"Shut up!" Mia squealed. "You guys are, like, the same person!"

I wonder if you would still say that if you found out what he really did for fun.

"How so?"

"Two little brainiac children that turned into overly guarded adults."

"I'm not overly guarded."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Ro, it took you three months just to tell us what street you lived on. Not the apartment building you live in. Just the street. Do you know how long your street is?"

"It's called being cautious," she said, slipping on the scrap of material called a dress. "Now, if we're finished talking about my totally normal security measures, can we go out?"

When the three of them were together, they were an unstoppable force. The carefree attitude of Benny and Mia was something Rory had learned to love about her friends and (slowly) became thankful it had rubbed off on her. It wasn't like she would cancel her night plans just for anyone - that attitude was reserved for them, and only them.

"Oh my god!" Mia shouted over the loud music. "I love this song!"

Benny took another shot of alcohol and used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. "What is it?"

"I don't know!" Mia admitted in a fit of drunken laughter. "But it's good, and I like it! Let's go dance!"

A countless number of drinks and a small pill with a smiley face were Rory's recipe for a successful night - and to forget all about her fears of crowds. The dancing lights flashed across the crowd; her eyes followed each colour, watching as it illuminated the bodies around them. Her hips swayed to the music. Whatever this song was, Mia was right. It was a good song.

Her body stilled, catching a pair of familiar green eyes from across the room.

While a playful smile curved onto Rory's lips, the man sitting in his booth looked anything but pleased as he watched her. Rory had no idea why Mr. Angry Pants had made an appearance. Considering she had been ignoring advances from others all night while Harry had an eager blonde companion by his side, if anyone had a right to be angry, it would be her.

Fucking hell. What was his thing for blondes?

Her smile began to disappear the longer she stared as an unknown feeling twisted in her gut.

With a quick word to her friends, she successfully excused herself without them following, made her way out of the crowd, and headed down a long hallway towards the bathroom. At least in the comfort of a closed stall, she could have a moment to get her mind right.

The chatter from the gaggle of females she had passed was suddenly gone.

Did the door open?

She stepped out of the stall and realized the group of others had vanished. The dingy space was now quiet - far too quiet for a club. Washing her hands in the sink, her eyes scanned the area around her. Everything appeared to be as it was minutes ago, but she could never be too sure.

Rory opened the door to create a tiny crack and peered into the hallway. Standing at the end were two heavily armed guards; she knew for a fact those unnaturally large men weren't there minutes ago.

Closing the door as quietly as she could, she turned the lock and looked around to figure out her next move. A window on the far wall seemed to be her only escape. She wasn't that high up - even in a dress, she could shimmy her way through and easily jump down without breaking a bone. At least, she hoped. It had been a while since she had tried such a thing while intoxicated.

Making her way to the wall, she grabbed the garbage can from under the sink, dragged it to the spot needed and turned it over. With her makeshift ladder, Rory stepped up and began unlatching the window.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She didn't have to turn around to know who stood behind her; she could recognize that voice anytime. "I was just getting some air." Stepping back to the ground, Rory straightened her dress and slowly turned around.

"Why aren't you at Mia's?"

"Well, hello to you too."

Harry stepped forward. "I'm serious, Rory. Why aren't you at Mia's?"

"Why aren't you at your meeting?"

"This is my meeting, Bambi."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you're getting lots done," she muttered, brushing past him and heading towards the - now unlocked - door.

"We are not done here, Rory," Harry grabbed her arm as she stepped out into the hall and pulled her against the wall. "Answer my fucking question."

"Sorry - could you repeat it?"

If it weren't clear already by his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw that Harry wasn't having fun, his venomous tone would have given him away. "Why the fuck are you not at Mia's."

"I was," she answered, biting back the urge to make a snippy comment. "But she wanted to go dancing, and Benny's always down for a good time, so here we are."

"So they're here too?"

Rory nodded.

"Shit."

"What's got your panties in a twist?" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "I would have thought you would have been happy to see me, Harry. I know I was when I saw you." Leaning forward, her voice dropped to a seductive whisper. "I thought we could have some fun tonight. I would have loved to get down on my knees for you - let you fuck my mouth again. But this grumpy little attitude has turned me so far off."

"You're drunk."

She snorted. "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."

"I'm not playing this game, Rory. Go home. Now."

"Why? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

"Really?" she questioned, stepping to the side, "Then who's that hot blonde I saw cuddled up next to you...?"

"No one," he repeated.

Rory raised a brow, taking another step away. "Oh. Interesting. So you wouldn't mind if I just went over to say hello and-"

Before she could move another inch, Harry's hand went to her throat, shoving her roughly back against the wall. He didn't press down on her airways, but his hand lingered behind as a reminder that he could. And with how his nostrils flared with anger, Rory knew he wanted to.

"When I tell you to do something, you fucking listen to me, alright?"

"That's not how this works. Don't fucking talk to me like that."

"Not how this works?" His hand slid up her throat, moving to grip her jaw. "Go get Mia and Benny and go home, Rory. Now. Understood?" Met with silence, Harry seethed, "Do you understand me?"

Pulling away from his grasp, she stared at him in slight disbelief as her drunken mind attempted to make sense of the situation. Gone was the man she saw hours ago who wanted fifteen minutes alone with her to kiss goodbye. Instead, she stood in front of the devil that made the hatred in her blood boil.

"Do you fucking understand me, Rory?"

"Ask me that one more fucking time and see where it gets you."

"Either leave now, or you'll end up with a bullet in your head tonight."

"Seriously?" she snapped. "We're back to you wanting to murder me already?"

"Far from it, sweetheart." Harry stepped towards her, making sure she heard every word as he said, "I'm trying to make sure you don't end up dead tonight."  

did you really think ALL the cinema chapters would be cute? come on. its harry and rory after all