stained: pretty angel
Harry steps into Violet’s world, but he doesn’t stay long.
(part 6)
stained series <> part 6 teaser
word count: 6.7k
warnings/tags: harry x fem, tattoo artist h, angst, toxic
To say she was incredibly nervous would be an understatement. She was practically terrified. Violet kept taking slow, deep breaths as she waited outside of the gallery for Harry to arrive. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. She’s had to remind herself several times that this was just a platonic get together and nothing more than that. No matter how much she wanted it to be, it was simply nothing more.
Her hands were clammy as she held them together in front of her. She didn’t want to scan the street like a stalker trying to seek him out, so she opted to look down at the sidewalk beneath her feet. Maybe Harry was stuck in traffic or something. He wasn’t late by any means, it wasn’t four o’clock just yet.
There was a small piece of her that believed he wouldn’t show up. Maybe she misinterpreted their interaction the other day and couldn’t tell that he was pretending to be nice to her. How could she so easily sway him into doing something he’s never done? They weren’t friends. He didn’t owe her anything.
“Hope there isn’t a dress code.”
His voice made her jump. She turned around and smiled as she saw him standing just a few feet from her. He looked her down, taking in the sight of her pretty sundress. Pretty. That wasn’t a word he used or thought of much before she came into his life. Now it seems he can’t stop thinking about it.
“Hi.” She grinned.
“Am I dressed okay?” He asked with a chuckle, glancing down at his attire.
She wasn’t surprised to see him wearing an old band tee and a pair of jeans. They were normal fitting and dark in color. A chain hung from his belt loop, connecting to his back pocket. His arms were on display for her curious eyes. The eyeliner around his eyes seemed more fresh than what she was used to seeing. The black paint on his nails was also new. There weren't any chips in the polish.
“You look fine!” She said with a smile. “I’m the one who’s probably overdressed.”
Harry knew that these sorts of dresses weren’t an occasional thing for her. The last time he saw her at his mother’s house she was wearing one. She looked like an angel. The thin white cardigan covering her arms was just as pretty as the dress. He wasn’t sure how to compliment her outfit without being weird about it, so he just gently shook his head.
“Are you ready to go in?”
He took a deep breath. “If you are.”
“C’mon. I’m super excited.” She grinned.
Harry was somewhat reluctant to follow her inside, but he knew he had no choice. He made this commitment and he was going to go along with it. The inside of the gallery lobby smelled like sugary lemons. He scrunched his nose at the scent and started to look around.
Violet was familiar with the place, so she immediately led him down a wide hallway. There were several open doorways that went into different rooms full of art pieces. Harry kept his attention on Violet so he wouldn’t look completely lost. They started in another lobby type room. There were large signs promoting the event and featuring some of the artists. There were pamphlets available, but she didn’t grab one. This specific showing was for local artists and those from surrounding areas.
“Am I allowed to talk in here or just stand and stare at stuff?” Harry asked when she twisted around to face him.
Violet held in a laugh and smile. “You’re allowed to talk. You really haven’t been to something like this, have you?”
“No. Never.”
“C’mon, I’ll lead the way.”
Without hesitation, Violet grabbed his hand and tightened her grip on his palm before tugging him along with her. Harry looked down at their joined hands and swallowed hard. She was making this very difficult for him. He was trying not to cave in to her anymore than he already had.
Violet led him into the first room. The walls were painted a very dark color, allowing the decorated canvases to pop against it. He furrowed his brows as he looked around. He wasn’t sure why this sort of thing was considered impressive.
“Basically, we’ll just look at each piece for a few minutes and talk about it, if there’s anything you want to say.” She explained, dropping his hand as they approached the first artwork.
He sighed gently and copied what she was doing. They just stared at it. He was positive that the things happening in her mind were not happening in his own mind. He didn’t care about this canvas. It looked like someone dropped a bunch of paint on it accidentally. He didn’t like it. Did she like it? Was he missing something about the piece that made it interesting?
He started to second guess himself. Was he capable of being in a place like this and providing critiques and observations? He didn’t care about this painting. Was Violet going to be disappointed if he didn’t like it? She cut his spiraling thoughts off when she looked up at him, a smile on her lips.
“What do you think?”
Harry felt a lump forming in his throat. “Um.. it’s.. alright.”
Violet stared at him for a long moment, making him fearful of her response. Surely she was going to be upset with him. She cracked a smile, leaning in closer so she could whisper back to him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not much of an abstract person. You don’t have to pretend to like it.”
He was definitely relieved. “I just don’t get it.”
“Neither do I.” She took his hand again. “Let’s get out of his room and try something more interesting.”
He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but if she never let his hand go, he’d be perfectly satisfied and content. Unfortunately, once they walked into the next room, she let it go.
He wasn’t as concerned with the artwork as she was. Instead of gawking at the pieces on the wall and coming up with some introspective thoughts and interpretations, he was looking at her. He admired the way she was gazing at the piece in front of them. It was like watching an angel standing in front of heaven’s doorstep. She looked perfect. As she turned her head, he shot his eyes to the piece so he wouldn’t get caught.
“This is actually done by my friend Aiden. He’s so good at landscapes.” She said with a proud look.
“It’s definitely more interesting than the first thing.” Harry smiled back.
Violet shifted her eyes back to the piece. She started to read the small description that was posted on the wall next to the canvas.
The mention of a male friend made him clench his jaw. There shouldn’t be any jealousy towards people he didn’t even know, especially when it came to this girl. He had to keep telling himself that she was not supposed to be that important to him. Telling himself and believe it were two very different things.
“I’m not the biggest fan of doing landscapes. They stress me out.” She said as she stepped closer to observe the details.
“Do you do portraits?”
“Mhm, mainly. Portraits and full body stuff.”
He wanted to ask her more, but he didn’t want to interrupt her studying. She was very focused on his piece. Maybe it was because she knew the artist, or perhaps she just liked the way it looked. Harry couldn’t help but wonder if she’d stare that intensely at something he made.
He followed Violet around the room. They stopped to observe each piece for a few minutes. When they went into the next room, Harry glanced around. These all appeared to be sitter or portrait focused. It was slightly more intriguing than the landscape room.
Violet didn’t say anything until they made it to the second painting on this wall. She looked up at Harry, a cheeky smile on her face. He met her stare, not sure why she was so excited all of a sudden.
“Do you notice anything about this one?” She asked curiously, still staring at him and ignoring the painting entirely.
He squinted his eyes as he looked over the figures on the piece. It seemed familiar. Maybe this was some sort of recreation or something along those lines. All of the visible figures were nude. The delicate shading of the skin made the canvas seem real. He shook his head, looking back at her slightly confused. The only other thing he noticed was how big it was. It was definitely taller than him. This room had the tallest walls and most of the paintings in here were quite large.
“It’s big.”
She laughed softly. “Read the description.”
He leaned forward to read the tiny print on the sign. This specific piece was done a year ago and it was a master copy of a very famous painting. A painting that was done by Bouguereau. Harry recognized the name immediately.
“Oh, that’s the artist you like, right?”
“Keep reading.”
As he continued reading, he found the artist’s name listed at the bottom. He looked back at Violet, his brows furrowed as he met her sparkling eyes. She seemed very amused right now.
“Wait.. you did this?” He asked in a mumble.
“Yes, I did.” She nodded back.
“Really?”
Violet reached past him and touched her name on the sign. “That’s my name right there.” She shifted her finger down to point at the bottom of the canvas. There was a signature. “And there.”
“Wow, I.. I didn’t know you were so good at this. Like, really good.” Harry shook his head in utter disbelief.
When his mother talked about how good of an artist Violet was, he figured she was just being nice and over exaggerating. Even when he saw her drawings with his own eyes, he didn’t expect her to be this talented. This looked like it should be in an art museum, like it was painted hundreds of years ago with perfect technique and mastery. This was amazing.
“Well, thank you. I try my best.” She shrugged, lightly giggling at his shocked expression.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a piece on display?” He couldn’t take his eyes off the canvas.
When they first walked up on it, he thought it was quite impressive, but now that he knew she was the hand behind the painting, he was fascinated by it. How could someone in the modern era have such a delicate touch and precision? He was truly baffled.
“I didn’t want you to think I was just trying to brag.” She said with a sigh. “Besides, I wanted you to come without thinking you had to.”
“I would’ve agreed to come if you told me, you know. This is incredible.” Harry wasn’t one to give praise, but he couldn’t resist it. She deserved to know this was amazing.
“This is the only thing I have here, though.” She grinned. “For now.”
“Do you do a lot shows?”
She sighed. “Yeah.”
Harry lowered his brows as he noticed her mood shift. “Are you okay?”
She chewed on her cheek for a moment as she debated unpacking her feelings onto him. Something about the way he was looking at her made her think he actually cared to know what was bothering her. Violet couldn’t look at him anymore. She feared she’d fall further down the rabbit hole if she did. She moved her gaze to her painting and chose to tell him.
“I’ve been waiting for weeks to hear back from the art museum downtown. They have a gallery room becoming available soon.”
“Surely they’d pick you.” He said with a soft smile.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It’s been a while since I applied.”
Harry wished she was looking at him, but he was taking the chance to stare at her features. She definitely wasn’t as upbeat as she was just minutes ago. He felt a pinch in his heart as he realized she was probably anxious and upset about this situation.
“If the rest of your work looks like this, I can’t imagine why they’d say no.”
Violet turned her head, meeting his eyes. “That’s the thing. It’s too similar. It’s not unique.”
Harry licked his lips. “But it’s amazing.”
“I wish that mattered.” She mumbled back. “But it doesn’t.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Violet dropped her eyes again. “Because it’s not original. It’s not creative or personal or.. or anything like that.”
“It’s perfectly executed.” He furrowed his brows further. “I can’t imagine anything being better than this.”
She felt her heart flutter at his compliment. It wasn’t enough to ease her worry, though. She took in a slow breath and pushed it back out.
“We can go to the next piece.” She said with a light smile.
Harry shook his head. “I want to look at yours.”
She didn’t know what to say. Was it possible that he actually cared? It seemed so. She didn’t want to read too much into it.
“Since I have the artist here.. I have some questions.” He said after clearing his throat.
She laughed. “Questions?”
“Mhm. I want to know the story behind this painting.” He put his hands behind his back as he waited.
Violet got out the rest of her laughs and tried to be serious with him. She turned towards the piece and started to explain it, even though the explanation was written out next to the painting. Harry had glimpsed at the words, but he wanted to hear it from her.
“This is The Birth of Venus by Bouguereau.” She began with a light sigh. “It was originally done in 1879. It depicts Venus emerging from a shell.”
Harry reached for his chin, tapping his finger against his skin. “And who’s Venus, if I may ask.”
Her smile widened. “The goddess of love.”
“Why did you choose to recreate this one?” He pulled at his bottom lip mindlessly while staring over the delicate details of the painting.
“It’s one of my favorite paintings. I wanted to capture the beauty and essence of the original.”
“I think you captured that quite well.” He said with a gentle smile.
“You’ve become an art critic in such a short time.” Violet held in a giggle.
“What can I say, you’ve changed my perspective.”
He couldn’t hold back his smile this time. He let her see the genuine happiness change his features. She thought he was very cute when he grinned like that.
“Do you really think it’s good?” She asked in a soft voice.
Harry wanted to grab her and confess everything to her. How could she not see that he was obsessed with her work? He would stand here for hours if she would let him and observe every single centimeter of the canvas. Couldn’t the girl tell he was absolutely infatuated with her?
“It’s incredible.”
“You’re not just saying that, are you?” Violet didn’t seem to believe him.
“Are you serious?” His words were laced with a laugh. “This is the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen.”
She lightly rolled her eyes as she tried to hide her blushing cheeks and giddy smile. He seemed to be truthful.
“C’mon, we have some more rooms to go in.” She motioned for him to follow her, so he did without hesitation.
The rest of the artwork the gallery had on display couldn’t even compare to Violet’s piece. Harry saw no competition, no threats. Her work was beautiful and stunning, just like she was.
They spent about two hours walking around and looking at everything. Harry didn’t necessarily want to be here that long, but if he made her happy then he didn’t care. Every now and then, she’d ask him for his thoughts on a piece. She would hold in her laughs and try to contain her grin when he’d give her his honest feedback. Most of it consisted of confusion and claims of ‘that’s just not appealing to me’. She was appreciative of his input and participation.
She explained some things to him that he was unaware of, like different art movements and painting styles. He didn’t know a lot about the classifications of art, so hearing her well worded descriptions was very informative. She spoke like she was an art historian.
Harry enjoyed it way more than he expected to. It was mostly because of her. Being with her made him feel very safe and comfortable. She wasn’t pressuring him about work. She wasn’t picking and prying into his life like his friends did. She didn’t try to tick him off to get a reaction out of him. She was simply just being nice and joyful.
Violet was a refreshing splash of sunshine in his life. She was bubbly and cute, funny and bright. She was everything he’s never been. Being with her was like being on a whole different planet. She was special.
When they finished in the last room, she looked over at him with a soft smile. It was sort of bittersweet that the gallery tour was over. She was glad she got to show him something different, but knowing they’d part ways soon was disheartening.
“I guess we can head out.” She said with a sigh.
Harry smiled as an idea struck. “Can we take another look at yours?”
Violet felt her cheeks heat up. “I guess so.”
He let her guide him through the gallery until they ended up in front of her painting. Someone was looking at it, so they stood a few back and waited for them to move along.
“Violet, this really is amazing.” Harry said honestly.
“Thank you.”
“I can’t believe you made this.” He added, walking up to it as the other person moved away.
“It took a lot of work, but it was worth it.” She stared at her piece for a long moment, appreciating and reminiscing about the process of creating it.
“Y’know.. I’d like to see some of your other work.” Harry turned his head towards her.
He saw her skin flush more than it already was. Maybe she liked the sound of that idea. She swallowed gently, then lifted her eyes to his.
“I have some things curing in my studio that you can see.” She felt her heart start to race. “You can come over sometime.”
His stomach twisted up at the thought of being in a private space with her. Sure, they’ve been in his workroom and even in his mother’s house together, but the studio was different. That was completely private.
“If you want me to, yeah.”
She nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
Harry looked back at the painting, still in awe of her creation. He wanted to know more about her process. He wanted to watch her draw and paint and create something beautiful.
“So, when you say curing, do you mean, like, drying?”
Violet was surprised that he was curious, but glad to know he was somewhat interested.
“Sort of, yeah. Oil paints dry on the surface, but they have to fully cure. Like each layer.” She said with a nod. “Once a piece is cured, I varnish it.”
“Is there anything you’re working on right now?” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes still fixed on the painting. “Will I get to see any unfinished work?”
“Yeah, I have a few I’m working on.”
He smiled at the thought of potentially getting to watch her work. “I’ll be looking forward to that.”
Just as she was about to say something, someone approached her with a wide smile. “Violet, hi! How are you?”
She turned to see one of the gallery owners. She greeted her with a smile and a warm embrace. The woman asked if she could talk with her, so she kindly excused herself from Harry for a few minutes.
Being alone in front of her painting felt surreal to him. He’s never had something engulf him as much as this painting has. It was incredible to look at it. Each time he scanned back over an area, he saw something new or noticed a detail in the blending. It was fascinating. He hardly noticed how long Violet was gone.
Harry was never really into traditional art. He thought it was old and boring. But something about seeing this up close made his thoughts change. Was it actually due to witnessing something for the first time, or was it simply because Violet created it? Technically, this piece wasn’t old like the things in museums. This was a recreation, but she made it look centuries old in the best way. It was perfect.
Violet was going to break into his quiet bubble when she stopped herself just a few feet behind him. She stood back and watched as he observed her work. This wasn’t just any beholder, it was Harry. She studied his posture as he’d lean forward to squint his eyes and get a closer look. She noticed how he placed his hands behind his back, careful not to reach for the piece. Despite it being tempting, he knew he shouldn’t touch it. Even if she gave him permission, he wouldn’t do it.
He looked like he was a professional at this, like he had experience being in galleries and museums. To know that he’d never done this before, yet he was so fixated on her painting, made her feel warm and tingly inside. Her heart could barely take it. That rock hard shell he protected so well didn’t seem so sturdy right now.
“Are you ready to go?” She asked in a soft voice to not frighten him.
He looked over at her, his eyes seemed to gleam in a different way than she’s ever seen. He looked like a child who just saw the best toy in the store or the biggest piece of birthday cake. He looked happy.
“Yeah, yeah. We can go.” He nodded back.
She gestured for him to follow her, and he did without a split second of thought. Violet moved them back through the lobby and out of the door. She knew this was probably the point at which they’d split ways, but something in her gut made her speak up. She was never this courageous, but he made it feel easier to be open and bold.
“There’s a cafe down the block that’s pretty good. Do you want to come with me to grab a bite to eat?” She offered, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of the place.
Harry didn’t have to consider any other options. That was going to be his only choice. He didn’t care about anything else right now. If he could spend more time with Violet, then he was going to do just that.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. I’m starving.”
She wasn’t necessarily surprised that he agreed to it. She sort of expected he would. They started the short trip down the block, walking side by side but not close enough to accidentally touch each other. Harry ensured she was walking on the inside away from the street. She didn’t think much of it in the moment, but it would be something that would circle back into her mind later on.
When they made it inside, Violet stopped just shy of the counter to give Harry some time to look over the menu. She was already certain on what she was going to get. After a few minutes, she looked up at him with those eyes - the prettiest pair of eyes he’s ever seen.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, you can go ahead.” He nodded, motioning for her to go in front of him.
Harry listened as she placed her order. He didn’t intend on copying her or anything, he just wanted to hear her voice. She was always so polite and sweet sounding. His order was rather bland compared to hers. He got a black coffee and a banana muffin. Violet waited until he had his stuff to pick out a table for them to sit at. She chose one by the front window.
“So, be honest with me.” She said through a sigh.
Harry swallowed lightly, waiting for her to continue. He watched as she sipped her honey tea and took a bite out of one of the cookies she got. She licked her lips, her eyes moving up. Of course, she didn’t think he’d be staring at her.
“Did you have a good time today?”
He took a small swig of the coffee before answering. “I did.”
“Like, actually?” She lifted her brows, grinning wide.
“Actually. I really did.” He gave her a confirming nod.
“Well, I’m glad I could help you experience something new.” She brought the cup to her lips.
He thought about that day at his mother’s house when he was forced to serve her a cup of tea. He had mocked her for putting honey into it. There was a bit of guilt laced in his chest as he watched her sit the cup down.
“You really like honey in your tea, don’t you?”
Violet flicked her eyes back up. “It’s my favorite way to have tea.”
“Maybe one day I’ll give that a try, too.” He laughed under his breath.
“I would be very proud if you did.” She smiled. “Trying new things is fun.”
Harry let her have a few minutes of silence to enjoy her cookies. He took the time to eat his muffin and drink his coffee. She was scrolling on her phone to fill the quiet void. It was extremely difficult to not sit there and think about her, especially when she was sitting so close. Thinking about Violet was something he was good at these days. He often found himself caught up in thinking about her while he was tattooing someone, or while he was cleaning the shop, or when he was fixing himself dinner, or literally any time he did anything. She filled his head constantly.
His eyes were lingering out of the window, just looking at the people and cars passing by. He was about to look away when he caught sight of a familiar face. He immediately felt his chest tighten. What the hell was Niall doing across the road? He read the sign above the just door he just exited. It was a hair salon. Harry refrained from making any obvious faces. He didn’t want her to notice anything. Niall was standing out front smoking a cigarette, his eyes locked on the cafe window. There was no doubt that Harry was visible. He held his breath as he started to think of all the ways this was going to play out.
It wasn’t long before Sky, Niall’s longtime girlfriend, came through the same door. Harry had no idea that she got her hair done at that salon. He had no idea that either of them would be anywhere close to him today. If he had known the possibilities, he wouldn’t have come.
“I know you work on Mondays, but if you want, you can come by my studio tomorrow afternoon.” Violet’s voice broke him from his trance.
He looked back at her, smiling lightly. “Yeah, sure. I can try to make it.”
“I can’t promise that it’ll be clean and tidy.” She laughed.
Harry glanced out of the window, but he no longer saw Niall standing across the street. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
It became quiet again as they both finished up their food and drinks. Violet wasn’t thrilled to be ending their day, but she kenw it had to come to a close eventually. Harry didn’t want it to end, either. However, he was distracted by his thoughts regarding Niall. He needed to be alone.
After a short while, they said their goodbyes out on the sidewalk and parted ways. Harry wanted to make sure she made it to her car, but he was too anxious to make a move. Instead, he watched her for a bit as she walked away. He wasn’t sure where she parked. Thankfully, it wasn’t far down the street.
— —
It was quite a stressful Monday for her.
For most of the morning, Violet cleaned the studio and tried to organize some of the usual chaos. She lit her favorite candle and made sure there were some snacks in the cabinet in case either of them got hungry later. She didn’t know how long he’d want to stay, but she figured he’d be over long enough for her cleaning to matter. She tidied up the painting area, trying her best to arrange her supplies on the tiered cart so it looked less messy. Painting was a messy process, to be fair, she could only clean up so much.
She even made sure her small bedroom area was clean in case he got curious about the space. She intended on telling him that she spends a lot of time here, including at night. Every space was cleaned and organized before the morning ended.
The rest of her day was spent drawing in her sketchbook. The one she chose to work in wasn’t the one Harry saw. Instead, it was a secret one that she began not too long ago. It felt sort of odd to have an entire book dedicated to this specific topic, so she kept it to herself. This sketchbook didn’t leave this studio.
She was sitting in her comfy chair that was placed next to one of the big windows. She had it open to let the breeze into the room. Her favorite aspect of this studio was the wall of windows. She was grateful to claim the space as her own. The windows offered natural light to flood the room, which was perfect for accurate color mixing. Right now, it provided the best glow on her sketchbook spread.
Normally, she didn’t work with colored pencils, but she liked to experiment at times. Especially in a sketchbook, that was the main point of them. She held the pencil tight in her fingers as she made small, delicate marks inside an iris. The pencil was a lovely shade of green. It was a perfect accent to put into a pair of eyes she couldn’t get out of her head.
This sketchbook was dedicated to her slight obsession with Harry. She had drawn sketches of him, close up details, and even some of his tattoos. She found most of her references on the tattoo shop’s social media pages, and from a bit of staking on Anne’s accounts, too. Was it weird? Probably to anyone else, but not to her. It felt personal, it felt intimate. She had a love for art she couldn’t explain. If she spent time working on something and studying a subject, then it meant that it was important to her. How could that be weird?
Violet stayed there for a while as music softly played from a speaker across the room. She kept quiet and just did what she loved to do most in the world.. studying beautiful things.
Down at the tattoo shop, Harry was sitting in his workroom when the door opened and Niall welcomed himself in. He huffed and rolled his eyes to himself. He was trying to finish a client’s design before their appointment tomorrow. Niall sat down on the tattooing chair and propped his legs up. Harry stayed turned away, his eyes fixed on the screen as he drew.
“How was your date yesterday?” Niall asked with a devious smirk, waiting for Harry to spin around on the stool.
He didn’t move. “The fuck are you talking about?”
“I saw you with that girl. The weird one.”
Harry shook his head lightly and clenched his jaw. It really irked his nerves that Niall was talking about her. He didn’t want to talk about her with anyone. It was nobody’s business.
“She’s not weird.” He mumbled back.
Niall faked a gasp. “Oh, you’re defending her? It was a date then.”
“It wasn’t a fucking date.” Harry snapped, falling victim to Niall’s plan.
He turned around, a pissed off look on his face. Niall laughed and leaned his head back in the chair.
“Then what was it? I thought you didn’t know her?”
“It was a favor for my mum.” Harry stated as if that was the cold, hard truth.
In reality, he had spent many hours the night before brainstorming ways he could get out of this. He knew Niall would eventually stumble into him and start to pick apart everything.
“A favor?”
“Yeah. She had to cancel plans with her and forced me to go instead.” He shrugged, pretending not to care about the situation.
“How sweet of you, lover boy.” Niall didn’t completely believe him.
“Fuck off.” Harry sighed as he swiveled the stool back to the counter.
“I’m heading out.”
To his surprise, Niall didn’t mess with him anymore. He left the room within a few seconds, but he chuckled the entire way out. He attempted to get back to work, but it was practically impossible to think of anything else. Violet was clouding his mind like a thunderstorm. High wind speeds swirled his throughts and clogged his brain. He was absorbed by the thought of her.
To hopefully relieve some stress, he got up and headed to the back door. He needed to take a break and try to escape for a few minutes. He lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips. He took a long drag of it, his eyes closed as he tried to push away all of those thoughts.
Violet was confusing. He didn’t understand why she was so captivating, why she was so intruding. It wasn't like he’d never seen a woman before. Sometimes she made him feel like he was the only other person on earth. Nobody had ever made him feel that way. He couldn’t decode it. He couldn't figure it out no matter how many countless hours he laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. She was so confusing.
On the other hand, he knew why he was so possessed by the thought of her. She was beautiful. She was a literal angel on earth. She swept into his life and opened up a brightness he had never seen before. Her laugh was precious, her smile was stunning, her features were perfect. How could he not be easily lost in thought?
The cigarette didn’t help very much.
As he walked back inside, he looked up the hallway and saw that Niall had cut the lobby lights off and the open sign wasn’t glowing. He checked the time on his phone. It was getting very close to the time he told her he’d be leaving work. They quickly talked about it before they separated yesterday.
His feet felt like anchors as he walked into his room. He opted for the tattoo chair this time. Just as his head hit the chair and a sigh pushed past his lips, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out again, but this time there was more on the screen than just numbers.
Violet: my studio is on the fifth floor. studio 5C :)
A second message came in just a few seconds after with the address to the building. He stared at her name on the screen. The longer he looked at it, the more intensely he thought about her. He could vividly remember the feeling of touching her soft skin with each tattoo that he did on her body. She felt like a dream. He could still hear her small whimpers of pain and her pretty giggle. Everything about her was rushing back to him. It never stayed gone long, though.
He missed her. He missed the sparkle in her eyes. He missed the stretch of her full lips when she grinned at him, her cheeks turning red so easily. He missed the smell of her perfume. Whatever she chose to wear, she wore it everyday. She smelled the same every time he’s been around her. He’d do anything to be with her again.
Anything but go to her studio today.
There was a level of excitement radiating through her body that she couldn’t remember ever feeling before. She was so thrilled about Harry coming over to her studio. It was rare that she had people here, but that just meant it was a special occasion. This was her safe space where nothing in the world could bother her. This was her literal world protected by these walls. She wanted Harry to step inside her universe and experience something new.
As the time ticked closer, she started to pace back and forth. She was starting to overthink everything now. Was she dressed too casually? What did he expect from her? She was wearing a tshirt and a pair of leggings, nothing fancy at all. She was waiting for some kind of text response from him, but nothing had come back yet. Maybe he was running late at work. It would make a lot of sense if a session ran later than he planned. She waited.
There was a chance he was lost and didn’t know where to go. Violet grabbed her keys and phone before heading out of the door. She rushed to the elevator and made it to the lobby, expecting to see a confused Harry lurking around. Instead, she saw nobody aside from the security guard at the desk. He was leaned back in his chair asleep. She sucked in a breath and walked out of the front entrance.
Her eyes darted down the street on both sides, even checking across the road. She didn’t see any sign of him anywhere. It had already been half an hour past the time they agreed on him arriving. She was starting to really lose hope.
Violet pressed his contact and held the phone to her ear, positive that he would pick up the phone and let her know he was on the way. It rang. It continued to ring until it cut off at his full voicemail. She swallowed hard. Maybe he wasn’t able to answer right now. If he was driving, he didn’t need to be distracted. She checked her messages, thinking maybe she missed one from him explaining why he was late. There weren’t any messages.
There was a bench outside of the building, so she claimed a seat on it and patiently waited. Her hands were trembling on her lap, barely holding onto her phone. Why was he running late? She didn’t want to believe he wouldn't show up, but as the minutes ticked by, that was becoming impossible. She sent him another message, asking if he was still coming today. When he didn’t reply within a few minutes, she started to feel a sinking pit form in her stomach. She denied the worrying thoughts and waited somewhat patiently.
Violet waited on that bench for almost an hour. Each time she thought about getting up, she would stop herself. What if he came around the corner right then? She was so anxious about missing his arrival that she refused to believe he wasn’t coming. He had to come, right? He agreed to it. He was excited about it. She witnessed the way he gawked at her painting. He wanted to see more of her work. Or so she hoped.
As a last resort, she sent one more message asking if he was okay. Unfortunately for her sake, something changed on the screen. The messages were read just then. She licked her lips, praying to see the bubble pop up.
It never did.
She stayed in the same spot until a wetness hit her cheek. A second later, the same feeling dripped down her other cheek. Her vision became blurry. She quickly flicked the tears off her skin as she got up. She hurried back inside to the elevator, hoping nobody would cross her path.
When she got back into her studio, she kicked off her shoes and ran to her small bedroom. Before she hit the mattress, she was crying.
All she could think about was whether or not she did something wrong. Was she too pushy with him about the gallery? Was he just pretending to be nice to her? The thoughts came in like a hurricane. Her tranquil, calm universe was shattered to pieces.
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