015

       listen to the song on the side. It is beautiful for this chapter and Harry's character.

        Gentle as tears. Bright as the souls of two lovers. Yet, so rough and dreadful. His posture and his gracefulness were two equally beautiful things like these. The form of his complexion, the texture and pigmentation of his skin. He was death and life, in two ways that mixed so effortlessly they seemed unrealistic. 

        And I reminded myself this while I watched him from a window. In the bright sun, he strained himself and pushed his muscles to physically impressive limits. Push-ups, sit-ups, laps and laps around the house. He practiced his shooting range, too. The sweat trickled down his tanning skin, his tattoos looking like they danced in the light. He was so beautiful, a kind of perfection that hurt to see it get ruined by his anger. 

        "I wonder about him, too." Zayn spoke behind me. I was startled immediately, embarrassed to be caught watching him. His hazel brown eyes glistened with amusement, a perfect smile sculpted so visibly perfect on his face. He had a flawless face.

        I parted my lips to speak, but I couldn't find the strength in my voice. 

        Zayn crossed his arms over his chest alike to me, standing beside me while he stared at Harry through the clear glass. "He's depressed inside, you know. As his friend of six years...I still don't know a single thing about his life before it all happened." 

        I peeked at Harry before looking back at Zayn. "Do you remember when he started working for my father?"

        He nodded slowly. "Yes. He showed up here in a school uniform. All dirty and cut up. He looked like he just went through Hell and back. At only thirteen, he looked like he's seen all the fear and terror in world and swallowed it all down. He scared me at first, honestly," Zayn chuckled. 

        My eyebrows furrowed a little, gazing at Zayn with interest. "He's never showed any sort of emotion?" 

        Zayn gazed up at me. "I would stay away, Catalina. Listen to him. Hear his concern rather than his anger. When he yells at you to stop asking questions, he's yelling out of worry. There is a lot of gravel burying his emotion with anger." 

        "But, there's just so much I need to know," I said, shaking my head. "I'm afraid I'm so --"

        "No. Okay? As someone who's known him for six years, don't run to the end of the tunnel. Because there is no end. There is no light. It's cold and a torturous journey. Endless, as a matter of a fact. I know it's tempting to know. I see the way you look at him. But he's devoted to forget and never feel again. I know it sounds stupid to you, that it sounds like he needs therapy. But sometimes..." he sighed. 

        "Sometimes people aren't meant to be saved."

        My heart felt like it was in my throat. Symptoms of sympathy. "He's so alone...," I trailed off softly. "He wants to be saved. It's just no one's tried hard enough."

        "Trust me, I've tried. Right now, you see him working out his body until he can't feel anything? It's because of you," Zayn said lowly.

        I raised my eyebrows. "Because of me?"

        "You make him feel something. I don't know what it is, but since he's seen you he's been doing this for days. Working out until he can barely stand. Forcing himself. In his mind, he's all thoughts and memories and pain. In that heart of his, he's all blood, death, and anger. He worries me sometimes. He is so alone because he chooses to be." He said quietly.

        "I'm afraid I believe you. He does everything in his will to push me away, but he does little things that I know he's calling out to me." I told him.

        Zayn frowned. "Like what?" 

        I held my breath, without a doubt hesitant to tell him what had happened. I decide to keep the plane scene a secret. "He carried me when we were in the desert. He held me closer every time I was about to slip. When I smiled, he said not to, -- that it was temporary."

        He shook his head. "Harry is a complicated man."

        "I know," I sighed, frustrated. "I mean, I feel like I'm spinning every time we're in a room alone, but really I'm standing perfectly on my feet." 

        "Do you have feelings for him?" Zayn inquired, gazing at me with a look of concern.

        I looked back at him with my mouth open, my eyebrows furrowed as I tried to say no, but it didn't want to release itself from my throat. All I did was shake my head and rasp out, "I...I think I'm more wondrous of him." 

        "You're more curious of him, you mean." Zayn suddenly frowned and held the ear piece to his ear, listening to what others were communicating. "Copy that," he spoke back before turning back to me. "Listen, I have to go take care of some business. But remember what I said." 

        "I will." 

        "Catalina," he warned slowly, beginning to walk backwards. "This is his life. His everyday life is this job. Don't mislead him. Don't make him feel something you won't return. Don't change anything." 

        The man disappeared down the corridor in a fast pace. A silence took me over, looming behind my shoulders as the sunlight brightened what was in front of me. His mysterious character is buried beneath so much concrete, the shake of the Earth would never break it.

        Then I thought to myself, how can I possibly change anything?

        +

        I sat at the kitchen, quietly eating a strawberry yogurt left for my father in the fridge, but I took it knowing he wouldn't mind.  My spoon drowned in the delicate sweetness before I scooped it up into my mouth for another consecutive eight minutes. I sighed in peace, feeling like there was no one else in the world, but me and my thoughts. 

        A scream ripped through the air, swirling like a hard wind through the air. I gasped and dropped the spoon to the floor. The metal clashed against the pastel tiled floors, my body running and taking me to where the commotion began. Right before me there were already five men at the front.

        I pushed myself between them to see my sister had tripped onto the floor in her new heels, straining her ankle in an odd direction. The pain latched onto her facial features worried me sick. Her glassy eyes made me feel sympathy.

        Harry bent down beside her, examining her ankle for a few seconds before shouting out, "Too early to tell if she's sprained it. Probably not, however. Just injured for now."

        Later, after no one spoke, he shouted, "Well just don't stand there! Take her to her bedroom!" He ordered. 

        I watched in concern. Zayn, being the one to help her, grabbed her from the concrete. Paige walked past me and sent me a wink, a small smirk painted on her lips as she moved herself closer to Zayn. That is when I realized she hadn't injured herself at all. She only did it because she would get attention. 

        "Catalina," Harry called, and I whipped my head around to gaze at him. When he earned my attention, he pointed to the house. "Your room, now. It's time for you to sleep."

        I parted my lips. "But, I'm not ti--"

        "Orders!" He roared. He seemed to be extra agitated this evening. 

        My eyes gazed deeply into his. He watched me, on edge as if I was going to disobey him. I wanted to because I began to feel too controlled. Too constricted to orders I shouldn't have to follow at my age. But, I sighed deeply and rid myself of that feeling. I nodded my head and headed for my bedroom. 

        +

        The next morning I was sitting by the fountain at the front of the house. I needed some fresh air, some peace. I trailed my fingers up and down the seam of my jeans, bored and somehow feeling content because of it. My moments of silence were interrupted when someone asks, "Excuse me? Are you supposed to be sitting here?" 

        I whipped my head to the side to see a young guy. He was maybe about eighteen years old. I frowned, beginning to say something, but the blonde boy with hazel eyes wrapped a strong grip around my arm, tugging me harshly up from my seat. 

        "Hey," I began to protest, but he glared at me. 

        "Who are you?" He spat out, fury in his eyes. 

        I winced as he moved me around with a painful grip, nearly knocking me to the ground. I didn't answer him right away like he wanted, so he shouted in my face, making me scream, "Get off me!" The only feeling I received was the tightening hold. "Harry!" I shrieked, not being able to control myself but to ask for his help before this kid hurt me further.

        I believed he would hurt me further, however another voice interrupted this abrupt guy's torturous words. 

        "Hey! New boy!" Harry roared. My breath hitched as once second I whipped towards his direction when he stalked towards us. And the next I was ripped from the guy's grip and pulled towards the body of my guard. Without realizing it, Harry held me close to him while his face burned red with absolute anger. 

        "Harry," the 'new boy' breathed, "This chick was just --" 

        He let me go and took a few steps towards the guy. "This chick," Harry spat out loudly, "is your boss's daughter, you fucking idiot!"

        "I'm sorry! I-I didn't kno--" 

        Harry didn't hesitate to pull out his gun and aim it at the poor, trembling kid. "No stuttering on these fucking grounds, kid! Do you want to die on your first day!?" The kid's lips trembled in terror, his eyes pride open widely. Harry harshly nudged the gun to his temple while I forced myself not to say anything. "Tell me right now! And if you fucking stutter, I'll blow your brains out!"

        With a huge sigh, the kid said, "No." 

        "No what?!" Harry screamed.

        He gulped loudly. "No, I don't want to die, Harry." He quickly blurted out. 

        Slowly, Harry began to lower his gun and place it back into his pocket. "This is Catalina, the boss's daughter," he spat angrily, "She is also assigned to me. Therefore, you're not allowed to fucking touch her or even question her. Don't you ever allow me to hear her shout my name because of you. You're lucky I was the one to see this. If it were her father, you'd be dead the second he saw it." 

        "Is that fucking clear?" He gnarled. 

        Frantically, the blonde guy nodded his head. 

        "Now return to the fucking grounds you're supposed to be watching on this shift. Boss has another daughter by the name of Paige just in case you get another gun to your head today for hurting her, too."

        The new kid rushed away, disappearing around the side of the house soon after. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding just as Harry turned around to look at me. He peered down at my body before sighing heavily and rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. 

        "Are you alright?" He asked lowly. 

        I rubbed my arm slowly, nodding my head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

        note// and bam I'm excited to continue this story <3 thank you for so many reads so freaking quickly. and so many votes. thank you. this is beyond incredible. i love you guys. thank you for the support and your lovely comments. 

        this is a different harry i've never written before so this shall be interesting to see how his character reacts throughout the story. so thank you so much everyone. <3