Dark Star

I turned up on Harry’s doorstep the next afternoon, rang the doorbell and waited expectantly.
It wasn’t long before the door opened and a sleepy Harry stood there.

“Hey.” He said somewhat groggily.

“You said two o’clock, didn’t you?” I said, checking my watch.

“Yeah I did.” He said and I could see his eyes lower down to what I was wearing. I was wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a tank top. I hadn’t thought to dress up and just when I thought maybe (just maybe) Harry Styles was checking me out, I saw his expressionless gaze drop to the floor as he turned to walk back in.

“Come on in.” He said, leading me to the kitchen. It was white and pristine with a breakfast bar and he gestured for me to sit down on one of the stools.

“I just woke up and I need some coffee.” He informed me and I watched as he switched on an espresso machine. “Want one?”

I nodded and tried not to look surprised at the fact that he had woken up so late. He stood with his back to me as he made the coffee, giving me the opportunity to check him out. He wore a pair of black cotton pants and a white T-shirt, the tattoos on his arm on display. His hair was pulled back and tied with into a little bun. I was busy checking out his tattoos, when he suddenly turned and caught me watching him. I looked away embarrassed until I felt Harry lightly nudge my arm.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Huh?”

“The coffee.” He said.

As we drank coffee, he began to talk about my job role. He had a couple of charity functions coming up and he wanted me to liaise with the organisers. They had been pressuring him to make an appearance, which he had refused and so he wanted to me to be the go-between.

“I’ll give them anything they want… stuff to auction, autographed merchandise… I just don’t want to go to any functions.” He told me. “You’ll be my ‘middle man’. You can organise everything, from delivering the goods to dealing with the organisers.”

It sounded pretty simple to me, so I was surprised when he told me how much he was going to pay me. It was a pretty hefty amount and I suddenly felt bad for dressing so casually on my first day. Having said that, my boss was sitting across from me wearing sweatpants, so it was quite obvious this job was going to be a little unique.

Ten minutes later, he led me upstairs and into a large room Harry called his office.

“Your desk.” Harry pointed out a mahogany desk. “Phone and laptop.”

I was surprised when he told me that the desk, phone and laptop were his personal possessions and that he was letting me use them for the duration of my time working for him. He gave me the impression that he was not going to be too far though. He settled on a large couch as he spoke to me and I started to go through a couple of emails. It looked like my first day of work had just begun.

“They would like any kind of merchandise that they can auction off on the night of the fundraiser.” I told him.

“I’ve got some memorabilia that I can sign… not sure how much that’s worth anymore though.” Harry said, mumbling the last few words. He listed a couple of things and I typed it all up in an email. First, I introduced myself as Harry’s assistant and explained that they were to contact me for all further queries. It was apparent that Harry did not want to have contact with anyone. He was willing to donate things, but he was not willing to donate his time.
Maybe Harry didn’t think he was worth a lot, but the almost instant response I received from the charity organisers proved otherwise. They were pleased with Harry’s donation but reminded me that Harry’s presence at the fundraiser would be extremely welcome.

“They want you to attend the function.” I told him but he shook his head.

“I don’t do appearances.” He replied firmly.

I replied to a couple more emails, until Harry spoke up from his position on the couch.
“Ali, I have to go now, so let’s just call it a day.”

I glanced at the time and realised that this was the time our paths would usually cross each day.

“Do you have an appointment?” I asked curiously and he hesitated before nodding his head. “Is it to do with the charity?”

“Ali, I might do a little for charity, but I’m no saint.”

His green eyes bore into mine, despite the tiny smirk on his face and I felt my face burning. I wasn’t sure why he had this effect on me, and I took a little breath to calm down. He had barely moved a muscle and I couldn’t even breathe.

My days were following a routine now. I would spend a couple of hours at Harry’s house, making a few phone calls and replying to emails. Harry would hang out, stretching his long legs out on the couch, either reading the newspaper or writing in a notebook. We would spend that time in a comfortable silence, whilst I dealt with all the administrative tasks.
I had only a couple of events to deal with, one being a local charity. The woman I dealt with was called Jessica and I found myself talking to her on a daily basis. She was nice and friendly but she did not stop pushing to meet Harry.

“I’m so glad he has an assistant.” She told me. “Before you came along, the only way I could contact him was via email. He never answers his phone.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear I’m helping you out too.” I smiled.

“We would love him to attend the function.” She said for the hundredth time.

“Harry doesn’t make appearances.” I reminded her as I simultaneously crossed off another item on my to-do list.

“Ali, please. We appreciate the items he has donated, but I think everyone would love to see him in person. It’s just one night… dinner and a presentation. Surely he can spare one night?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” I told her, eyeing Harry who was immersed in reading the newspaper on the couch. I hung up and watched him for a few moments before speaking up.
“They keep asking if you’re going to attend.”

“Well keep telling them that I’m not.” Harry said not even looking up from his newspaper.
“But I think it would be a really good idea.”

He looked up at me and raised his eyebrows.

“And why is that?”

“I just do. I think you owe them a little more than an old signed CD.” I said earnestly. “It’s a local charity so it’s not as if you have to travel far. And it’s just the one time. I don’t think you have much to lose in attending one function.”

“Really now.” He said.

“Yes really.”

“Well. If you want me to go so bad, you’re gonna have to come with me.”

“You want me to go with you?”

“Yes.”

Was he asking me on a date? I didn’t know what to say or where to look.

“I can’t attend this kind of event without my assistant, can I?”

My beating heart plummeted. Okay, this was not going to be a date. This was just business.

Notes

This was a short chapter, but I promise more action in the next chapter!