GREEN (RL Harry Styles fanfic)

49. End of the Rainbow

"Um, you're welcome," said the kid in the blue polo shirt. I quickly released the Apple Genius and stepped back at the realization I had just hugged a stranger over setting up my new iPhone.

"Sorry, I just really love my phone and I really needed all the stuff on it," I apologized and tried to justify my actions. Gemma would get a kick out of this story later.

"Well you're all set m'am." He handed me my new phone timidly with a half smile.

"Thanks again," I said with a wave as I practically skipped out of the store.

I had been without my iPhone for three and a half days. It was nice to have Harry's phone so I still had a connection to the world, but I needed my own phone. It had my calendar with appointments, my email, my contacts, my life. As I walked back to the car my voicemails and texts began to come through one after the other. I had a handful from friends and family and I made it a point to give them call or a text today. I scrolled through all my texts before stopping at the final one- a text from Harry.

I love you

That was all it said and I felt tears in my eyes. He had told me he loved me countless times, but this particular message was sent on Friday. The day he thought I was gone.

My phone vibrated and sang out in my hand, sobering me from my sudden sadness. My mother was calling. Normally I would send her to voicemail and call her back when I was mentally prepared to talk to her, but considering she had been trying to get a hold of me for days, I answered.

"Hi Mom," I said with my best smiley phone voice to sound excited.

"Hello stranger," she said sarcastically in a tone I had become very familiar with in my rebellious teenage years. "I thought you'd just up and moved to London. It seems you had quite the time out there."

"London was great. I got home on Saturday, but I broke my phone. I actually just got a replacement."

"So you didn't get my voicemails Livy?" I hated when she called me that and she knew it. She always worked it in when she was annoyed with me.

"No, I haven't listened to any of them. Is everything okay?"

"Well you tell me. I saw you on the E! channel and I'm a little stunned Olivia." My mind sifted through all the things she could be referring to, but I didn't reveal anything. I didn't want to guess the wrong thing and end up in double the trouble, and who knew what tabloid TV was saying about Harry and I. Plus my mother had a tendency to get upset about everything. Even in my thirties I had a fear of being scolded by my mother.

"Mom, what are you talking about?," I questioned as I opened my driver's side door and slid into the seat.

"I shouldn't be seeing you kissing girls on my TV Livy!" Fuck. Well I guess the photo had really gotten around if my own mother had seen it. I braced myself for the argument that was guaranteed to follow. "Are you one of them now Liv? Are you one of the gays?" Her ignorance was enough to make me laugh out loud, which certainly didn't seem to improve the situation. Still, I couldn't bite my tongue, even if it would save us from a fight.

"Mom. People are born gay. You don't just become gay. And what if I was? Would that matter?"

"That's besides the point. Don't you realize my friends are calling me and asking if you're a lesbian?" Once again my mother had made something completely about her. It was her specialty. "What am I supposed to say?"