Cheating By The Rules | Harry Styles AU (ongoing)

chapter 14

"Harry," I breathed, my voice carrying a tremor of nervous excitement.

"Hello, Ivy," his voice a low, velvety tone. He came closer to kiss me on the cheek and I tried not to freeze. I let his soft lips delicately touch my skin and I felt the rush of adrenaline surge through me, which I accepted to the core. "You look beautiful." He whispered.

"Thank you."

"Sit down, please," Harry said, and the moment we sat down a waiter arrived with a bottle of wine and antipasti. "I figured you must be hungry after work and the long drive."

"I am," I smiled at Harry for thinking about me. Knowing that I was about to have some food, made my stomach growl. "It looks really good." My mouth was watering as I stared at everything on the plate.

"You can eat something if you'd like. You don't have to wait." Harry assured. I saw a grin tugging at his lips.

"I don't know what I want to have first," I said.

"Start with the olives on your left," Harry instructed me, so my eyes moved to that side of the dish. "That's something I always do whenever I order this."

Him saying he had ordered this before, made me wonder if he had been here often. The thought of it didn't sit right with me, but maybe I was overthinking this.

"You eat here frequently?" I asked, searching for clarity.

"I don't, actually. I have only been here three times. First time I got here was because I needed to know if this location would be the right place for us to meet up. The other two times, well, I think you can guess."

A nervous smile captured my lips. "I'm glad I'm the only one you've brought here." The moment I said it, our eyes locked. The way he looked at me, I knew he felt the same way.

The taste of the olives was perfect and we slowly began to eat the rest of the plate.

"As much as I love the antipasti here, it doesn't come close to the ones I have had in Italy." He shared.

My brows were knitted together. "Italy?" I said. "Sounds like you often go there."

"I do." Harry said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Italy has been my escape for a very long time. I like to go there at least twice every year."

I didn't know why, but I never thought he'd be the type of person to leave the States regularly. I knew, because of Ashley, that they wanted to expand their charity and get started in Europe. It gave me the impression they had been too busy in the States making it impossible to take a break.

I had thought about leaving the US numerous times. Whenever I scrolled through my social media feed, I found myself becoming jealous of the people who were seeing the world, making memories with the ones they loved. I knew there were able to go places, because they had different occupations thus making it easier for them to have some time off. I, on the other hand, didn't have that luxury. Not even when I needed it the most.

"How do you do that? Like, how do you take a few days off and head to another country? I haven't left for such a long time. I haven't even had enough time to travel within the States." I told him. I was genuinely interested in how he did this.

"I just make sure I plan my trips ahead of time instead of just going whenever I feel like it." He let me know. "I must admit, I have hopped on a plane without thinking twice. It's just that leaving so abruptly never sits right with me. I need to schedule these trips on time so I don't feel bad about leaving my work behind."

"You make it sound so easy." I said, laughing nervously. I almost felt embarrassed for not making it happen myself.

"Oh no, it isn't." Harry made known, erasing the embarrassment which had entered my mind. "I do get why you find it difficult to get out, I really do, Ivy. I recognize the situation. Ours jobs aren't made to put on hold, because it not only affects others but ourselves as well. Most of the time our schedules are packed with meetings and networking, and we can barely reschedule these appointments. But I do believe it's necessary to go on vacation now and then. Not being here, not being surrounded by work, it's good for your mental health."