[ASTRID REESE]
London, England

★ ★ ★

It wasn't that Astrid forgot. It wasn't that Astrid didn't want to do it. And it most certainly wasn't because Astrid didn't know how to approach the idea of a second meet up with the godly looking man, alternatively and possibly widely known as Harry Styles.

She was busy. She was so extremely busy that she couldn't even remember the last words exchanged between her and her best friend, even though they did nothing but gossip away for the entire weekend. The usual drinks and spot on the balcony, candles lit with extra soft and fluffy blankets around them, led both Astrid and Sofia into a rather hectic week. While Astrid wasn't sure what cases her best friend worked, she, herself, had one of the biggest clients she has ever had to take care of.

In other words, she had the chance to plan a wedding of anyone's dream.

Astrid found out the budget given to her by the soon-to-be-married couple over exceeded her usual limit. The conversation came up almost immediately on the night of the dinner she had scheduled with the couple. As usual, she treated her clients to a five-star champagne dinner in Central London, along with a view that continuously left her in awe, but couldn't have interested her companions any less. This caused disappointment to flush through her like a simple cold that comes one day and goes the next, but refrained from letting it affect the rest of the evening. After all, if they had such loose brackets, they must've been more than used to the golden skies.

"Before we even begin exploring anything with regards to the wedding, I want you to know that you will remain in complete control of the ceremony. I know how important yet hectic it can be to plan one of the biggest days of your lives, and so I'm here to offer my expertise and support so you feel at ease during the process, and ready for what may come on the day," Astrid spoke up as they were served with a bottle of champagne, from which the liquid almost dripped until the waitress wrapped a gold, fabric napkin around it. Holding it securely, she poured some of the alcohol in each of the glasses, and Astrid continued to inform the couple before her.

"Oh, no, dear," the lady spoke almost immediately, chuckling lightly as she glanced at the man beside her, placing one hand on his. Quickly, Astrid looked at the waitress and nodded towards her when she finished pouring the champagne, then reached for her own glass. Straightening her back in the black midi-dress she wore—short sleeves, a mid-turtle neck—, she tasted the drink and enjoyed the bubbles dancing on her tongue, tickling the back of her throat. "We would like you to take full control."

"We understand your role is to support us with your networks, listen to us and what we want without stepping on our toes, but you have been highly recommended to us," the man appointed, taking a swift look at the woman by his side who vigorously nodded. "We want you to step on our toes."

"Sir, Ma'am, that's—,"

"Please," the woman interrupted Astrid without a blink, reaching forward, almost like she wished to place a comforting hand on hers. "Call us Jennifer and David."

"Jennifer, David—That's incredibly flattering and I feel honoured that you have already placed such trust in me. Thank you," as Astrid carefully positioned her glass on the white, silk table cover, she smiled as graciously yet professionally as she could. Then added, "However, it is important to me that you share your thoughts, and, essentially, help me help you explore options in order to create a wedding that will most certainly exceed your expectations."

Astrid's need to ensure the couple completely understood what they were doing by giving her the power to work off of a simple and—in her personal and professional opinion—half assed theme and mood board meant, ended up taking almost the entire night. On and off, she would casually mention how truly crucial it was for her to know whether her work was satisfactory to the couple or not, and in the end, she got them to agree to some sort of involvement.

The entire reason behind this dinner invitation was always to connect with her clients. Astrid was good at getting inside their heads, which made it easy for her to get to work as soon as possible and present a range of potential ideas to them the next time they meet. All the while Reese believed to be really good at what she did, the underlying chance of how she envisions the couple's ideas and the outcome they hope for was there. The open window of things ending up entirely differently. Now, that has never happened before, and she prayed it never would, but falling between two chairs is much easier than one would assume.

On average, Astrid would say it takes around two hundred and fifty hours to plan an entire wedding from start to finish. She wouldn't want to have to start everything from scratch if her clients end up hating everything. And yes, there are bespoke wedding planning opportunities and wedding-day-only management jobs for her to take on, but there was something quite so magical about full wedding plans. No matter how long they could take or how much risk they could come with, getting to be a part of something like this, being the main point of contact—someone who the couple entirely relies on, comes with a sense of responsibility and contentment that Astrid couldn't find anywhere else. Not to mention, she absolutely adored the pride filling her chest every time she got to witness all of her precious time, effort and work come to life before her own very eyes.

With this job in particular, she was in for a complete wedding plan—to the point where she felt like Jennifer and David would've let her pick their wedding cake flavour.

And that was a whole lot of trust.

On top of that, to know that she had been recommended to the couple caused her to wonder. What felt like hours of her little to no spare time, she desperately tried to figure out who would push such rich clients her way. Astrid couldn't help it. She didn't want to focus on it because she does get referrals from here and there but this was a surprise. A massive fucking surprise, actually.

She was going to make absolute bank.

No. Truly. She was bound to make a shit ton of money, and the bare thought of that felt enough for her to pull an all-nighter after all-nighter. During practically every single meeting, the couple let it slip that they are looking to spend from anywhere between five to ten million on the big day because, 'the missus deserves the best', and Astrid couldn't help but enthusiastically agree with the promise of delivering nothing but that each time.

So, yes. She knew she was in for a massive holiday on a sandy beach with the water so clear that she will be able to see her own feet.

With that thought, she clicked on the save button on her document twice, just to ensure she had it all locked away, then proceeded to turn her computer off. With a quick glance at the time on her phone, the 03:58 hit her harder than a coffee from Costa would. She was most certain they put crack in the coffee with the way she would shake, and bounce off the walls after consuming her order. Although, now that she began daydreaming about an incredible iced coffee, brushing her teeth felt like a chore she shouldn't have been doing, but instead, go for a drive to get a drink. The craving for the caffeinated beverage became worse as she hid under her duvet and cuddled up the teddy bear that she got as a present from her parents a really, really long time ago.

And then she tossed and turned for what felt like the entire night. It wasn't until eight in the morning that she actually realised she spent about five minutes asleep and that it was going to kick her in the ass so hard that she might not be able to sit on it for the remainder of the week.

It was Tuesday.

With bags beneath her eyes that caused her to resemble a raccoon, she graced her best friend in the kitchen. What first appeared to be a black pencil dress on Sofia, turned out to be navy blue as the sun hit the material but still perfectly matched the blazer that hung from her arm. Each step in the high heels accentuated her calves and Astrid noticed everything. The way the tight dress clung to Sofia's ass, and how it gave her the most flawless décolletage. There was no shame in admitting that Astrid one hundred percent checked her out and loved what she saw. How could she not?

"You bronzed up your collarbones. Who are you bronzing your collarbones for?" Astrid sounded like she had a cold, as her deep voice carried through the kitchen, and she crossed her arms as though she was Sofia's concerned partner.

"Myself," came the answer from the woman with ease, and a slight movement of her arm to push a strand of hair from her face.

"And you are lying for them already," Astrid broke her character as she laughed and pushed her best friend aside so she could make herself a coffee. Of course, the Nespresso machine was out of water. Glaring at Sofia for a quick second, she turned back and filled it with tap water, then popped the clear tank back in its place. As the machine turned on, she placed a glass underneath it and sighed, looking for the soy milk in the fridge.

"There might be, um—well, there is this new guy at work."

"Oh?"

"He started yesterday and I tend to look like a slob on Mondays," she explained, although Astrid knew this. Sofia worked mostly in the office, preparing for things or whatever the hell her best friend was doing, so she rarely bothered to get ready. Having worked at the same place with the same people for years now, she began to lose interest in putting effort in when not required. Mondays did not require effort.

"So, you're bronzing your collarbones today."

"Yep," Sofia nodded and finished off her breakfast.

"And you're wearing your hair clipped up."

"Mhm," she hummed. "Makes my neck look longer, doesn't it?"

"Expecting a bit of neck kissing in the lift?" Astrid teased her best friend, only to be slapped across the cheek with the answer.

"Better than to expect an orgasm."

And that burned.

It burned because it almost had been two weeks since that Friday night and she still couldn't believe it. To make matters worse, she's been getting off to the thought of the man and the way he made her feel, but with the difference of actually giving herself an orgasm. Perhaps the bitterness that flooded through her from time to time also kept her from texting the surgeon.

"Ouch," Astrid reacted in a quiet voice, only to be laughed at by Sofia who absolutely lived for tearing into her friend.

"Called him yet?" Sofia wondered as they desperately tried to fit in the quickest conversation ever. As of late, they had barely any time during the week, and as grateful as they were to be so busy, they missed sharing everything with each other as things happened.

"Maybe today."

"Let me know when you do. I have a couple of things to say to him," she answered, though it sounded more like a threat towards Harry Styles than something encouraging from one best friend to another. "Okay. If I'm not home tonight, could you please pick up—damn it," Jameson groaned as her phone went off, reminding her it was time to leave home.

"I will. You just go and be all judge-y and defend your clients or whatever," Astrid waved her off while she poured the coffee on the ice then the milk and stuck a straw in it to mix the ingredients together.

Of course, she wasn't left without a little squeeze on the shoulders and a grateful peck on the cheek from Sofia, who mumbled a quick, "You're an angel. Thanks." Then it was just Astrid and her iced coffee.

And a face that looked almost unrecoverable.

She would've been fine with looking the way she did on any other day. When she didn't have meetings with her clients, she sat in the office and worked up the plans, called the people she had to call, and pretty much got on with her work. Today, she was bound to face Jennifer and David, and she needed to be on her top game. If she's unable to satisfy her biggest clients, she may as well just quit, right?

Think of the money. Think of the money. Think of the money.

Motivation 101. Worked every time. Even when Astrid had to force herself to take a morning shower so she could wake up and actually make it to her meeting—well, if visiting potential locations for the wedding can be referred to as a meeting. She had to look good for it, nevertheless. Resulting to a double hair-wash, and her favourite bourbon and manuka honey conditioner, she thought she was off to a good start. That, paired with an outfit that complimented her soft stomach through the high waisted, off-white-kind-of-greyish trousers, and black, sleeveless top, with appropriate jewellery, made her feel a lot better. Suddenly, as she stared back at herself in the full-length mirror, also serving as the double sliding doors to her wardrobe, Astrid believed that the day wouldn't be so bad.

That maybe, she really will call the surgeon.

After all, she still had a plan to bring to life, didn't she? A revenge of sorts that she needed to mend her own heart. For that, though, she needed the surgeon. She needed him so badly that she decided to text him before she left the house for work that morning.

★ ★ ★

Astrid Reese felt like a mother of two. A very young mother to two people who could've easily passed as her own parents. A day in the park, with the wind breezing around them yet it still being fairly sunny. She wouldn't have minded, had she decided to bring an extra layer with her to cover her bare arms. The walk from the car to the locations felt too long and her undecisive clients made it a lot more challenging.

"We like it, don't we, David?" Jennifer wondered out loud as Astrid stood back to let the couple look around freely. She knew how much pressure it could be to have someone hovering while trying to make a big decision.

"Certainly," the man nodded while supporting his soon to be wife.

"It's just that we're not sure, you know, dear?" she sighed which made it difficult for Astrid to refrain from rolling her eyes. She knew they would've stayed stuck backwards.

"Right," Astrid hummed understandingly. "What exactly is it that you are unsure about?"

"We liked all the previous locations as much as this one," David decided to answer the question with such seriousness that Astrid almost believed they would finally make a decision right then and there. "So, we'd like to know what you thought of them."

"Yes, that's it!" Jennifer exclaimed, turning her head from looking at David then to Astrid. The middle-aged couple eagerly awaited Reese's reaction and response. "We would absolutely love to know what you think. After all, you are in charge of our big day."

"Right," she smiled at the two as happily as she could. The lack of sleep began to crawl up her back like spiders with their feather-like touches, leaving her skin bubbled with goose bumps and a little shake of her body. It was then, that she made the move to step forward and closer to Jennifer and David so they could have a proper chat, as opposed to talking from across the room. "Personally, I see the second location working for you."

"Hmm," Jennifer reacted, rather interested in where Astrid headed.

"The colour theme you mentioned you liked would suit an outside venue much nicer, and the flower arrangement could be what you initially wanted," she explained. "Whereas if you were to choose an inside venue, it would still be beautiful but would obviously have to be done with some alternatives."

"So, you like the outside venue, right?" Jennifer wondered, although it sounded more like she desperately wanted to put words into Astrid's mouth.

"It really is not entirely my decision, but yes," she smiled reassuringly. "I would prefer the second location with what you had in mind."

"What do you think, David?" the fiancée turned to her partner.

Before he could've answered, the ringing of Astrid's phone interrupted the moment. Apologising right away, she added, "I'll give you some time to discuss the options but I will be right here."

Harry Styles decided to call her.

It was a surprise, mostly because she never received an answer to her text, but then she supposed this was his way of responding. Albeit, a very annoying one because she was working and speaking on the phone wasn't exactly her favourite activity but to hell with it, right?

She needed him so she accepted the call.

"Hey," she greeted him soon enough, only to hear him sigh like he was fed up but still fit in a little, "Hi," and so, Astrid couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright?"

"I just got out of a ten-hour surgery," Harry told her which came as a surprise.

"Oh, wow."

"Mhm."

"Well, that's um, that's great, right?" she wondered, aiming to create a conversation out of his work day but it sucked. Every part of her cringed and she wished she would shut up instead.

"Are you kidding? It was more than great," Harry chuckled, his speech slow. Astrid thought he was tired but then who wouldn't be, after standing around for ten hours? "I did an awake craniotomy on a patient whose brain had completely remapped due to the tumour pressing against it, and it caused the speech part to, um, to switch to the other side—sorry, mate," he spoke to someone off the phone before he refocused his attention like nothing happened. "And, uh, although she was a little unsure of the being awake part of the surgery, she ended up being quite excited about it—or maybe I was a little more thrilled than I should've been for a professional. Nevertheless, it was a success!"

"Oh, that sounds great," Astrid said while her eyes focused on the couple and how they walked around the venue, talking to each other.

"Yeah, I know!" he exclaimed, sounding extremely excited about his work.

"Listen, I'm working right now. Is there a reason you called me?" Reese chose to break the little lift in his mood and she knew she did because she heard him clear his throat. Then, the next time he spoke, he sounded a lot flatter.

"You texted and I assumed it would be fine if I called instead."

"It's fine. I just can't talk at the moment."

"Right... um. I'm gonna go for some food then crash in one of the on-call rooms. I'm shattered after this operation," he shared the plans like they were familiars and it was something he would do often. It left Astrid speechless because Harry made it seem like they have known each other for a very long time. "But I thought we could meet later this week? Whenever you have the time."

"You want to meet up?" there was a lot of confusion in Astrid's voice for someone who should've been bouncing off of the walls at the sound of that offer. This was her golden, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory special ticket in to win the surgeon over and finally make her ex's heart bleed like he did with hers.

"Yes, I would love to," he said confidently. "Unless you don't—which is fine."

"I, um, no—well, I mean, yes—,"

Harry laughed and Astrid shut up. Squeezed her eyes shut. Bit into the back of her teeth so hard her jaw clenched.

Damn it, you fool. Get it together.

But how was she meant to play cool? She felt like she was cheating on her ex because she still felt somewhat linked to Derek Molyneux. Three weeks without him and aware of the ugly truth, Astrid's heart remained bruised and battered, and all she needed was some loving. Some glue to hold it together. Harry Styles could be that glue, she imagined, but it hurt. It hurt to feel the pieces of her heart being picked up because the shapes didn't fit. There was an outline and the way he wanted to put the parts back wasn't right. It didn't feel right to Astrid. Could that have all been in her head? After all, this man happened to be a surgeon. And surgeons know what they are doing.

"Listen, have a think about it, alright?" he offered and took away the pressure that somehow managed to weigh down on Astrid. She didn't feel it properly until he said those words to her, until he gave her the chance to breathe and step back a little.

"Mhm-hmm."

"Text me when you know and we'll figure something out. There's no rush, okay?"

"Okay," she answered eventually, nodding a couple of times to herself while she listened to Harry echo her soft, "Okay."

And then Harry added, "Alright, then. I'll let you get back to work."

"Yeah... okay."

Another little chuckle from the surgeon and he said, "It was nice hearing from you," through which Astrid could so easily tell he was smiling. Grinning, if she wanted to be specific.

"Yeah?"

"You sound surprised."

"I'm not," she said immediately. Very out of character for her to act this way, actually. And she feared that after their single interaction almost two weeks ago was enough for Harry to realise that, too. "Anyway, I really have to go. My clients are—they need help."

"Alright, okay," Harry mumbled. "Have a good day, then. And don't forget to let me know—,"

"Yep. I won't. Thanks. Bye-bye," she said hurriedly and pulled the phone from her ear faster than she usually would have. Ending the call with an easy click to the red circle on her screen, it was in that moment that Astrid felt herself breathe properly.

Which made no sense because she never acts that way when speaking to someone on the phone. Granted, she can be awkward, she can say the wrong thing at the wrong time. But not like this. She felt uncomfortable but on a whole other level. The kind of uncomfortable when you don't know how to act around someone you like because you shouldn't like them.

Harry was to blame for this. That much, she knew. He was the one to tell her how nice it was to talk, and he was the one to offer to meet up soon. Why would he aid her interest in him like this? He should've known better—and she knew how stupid she sounded, even if she wasn't serious. Not completely serious, anyway.

While the plan was to get with him so she could face Derek later on, she, somehow, failed to take into account that feelings may develop. Somehow, she failed to take into account that by getting involved with her ex's mistress' brother, there may be a lot more complications than she initially thought.

A new question fell to her with this realisation.

How will she manoeuvre through this without any serious injuries? 

★ ★ ★

[A.N.]

[Happy Sunday!]

[Today's chapter was double the length of last week's! Sometimes, I get carried away with details but I like them too much to cut down lol. Plus, it's part of the story! Nothing is ever written in there for the sake of it ;) .] 

[I hope everyone is keeping well and safe!] 

[Thank you for reading, and leaving a vote and comments.] 

[With love, B.]