Wish You Were Here - Part 2

Chapter 17

OLIVIA'S POV

You know those dreams where you are watching yourself from above, your body feeling completely detached from your mind? That's how I currently feel, my mind is numb, floating through thick fog as my body sits on the couch staring at Frankie's phone while she perches beside me biting her fingernail.

Bec is kneeling on the floor in front of me like there's a chance I may fall off and when I do she will be prepared and ready to catch me.

My eyes focus on the photo on the screen. My mind is too far gone to process the reasoning behind what I'm seeing so I just take in obvious details.

Harry's hands wrapped around her waist. Harry's body pushed into her petite frame. Harry's face in her hands. Harry's lips kissing hers.

"Do you know who she is?" Bec asks gently and I feel my body take in a deep breath dragging my mind back into its rightful place.

"That's Adriana." I hear the words coming from my mouth but I don't recognise my voice.

"From his old management? The one who planted the microphone?" Frankie gasps and I nod slightly not quite believing this is actually happening.

"Ok, wait a minute, let's not jump to conclusions, maybe it's an old photo?" Bec sits up higher on her knees, hope lacing her question.

I look at the photo again, my eyes blinking so slowly I wonder if I'm just trapped in another horrible nightmare, like the ones I was having about Emma last month.

Disappointment crashes through my chest, leaving what feels like a giant, dark hole open and exposed, sucking the life from within me. I shake my head slightly and clear my throat. This feels too real to be a dream.

"That black and red sweater... he just got it a couple of days ago." I reveal, utterly defeated and watch her sink back onto the floor.

"That motherfucker." She breathes out and my head snaps to her.

"No! No, Bec, he wouldn't do this!" I irrationally start to defend the love of my life regardless of the seemingly clear evidence presented against him.

"Frankie, you know he wouldn't do this!" I turn desperately to my friend trying to find someone to back up my sliver of faith only to see her shaking her head.

"I didn't believe it either at first Liv, you know sometimes people manipulate or photoshop pictures of him with other people?" I nod frantically in understanding.

"But there are other photos, babe. Photos of them talking and some of them hugging." She bows her head, not wanting to look at my face as she violently tears my world down around me.

I thrash my head from side to side and get up from the couch.

"No! I know Harry and I know how much he loves me. There has to be an explanation, he wouldn't do this!" I demand again, trying to convince myself more than anyone else and Bec stands up as I start to pace.

"She's right!" Frankie stands up, scraping together some belief for her old friend, "Maybe he is going to tell you about everything, just waiting for an opportunity to talk to you? When did you speak to him last?"

My heart drops and my breathing picks up pace as I roll my lips into my mouth.

"Half an hour ago." I confess and close my eyes as the girls gasp in unison.

"Call him, confront him! Maybe it's not what it seems" Frankie yells, not wanting to believe this could be the truth and looks at Bec who is rolling her lips together, the look on her face telling us she thinks it's a terrible idea.

I grab my phone off the coffee table and watch my trembling hands hit the call button on Harry's name. I press the speaker button, knowing deep down that there is no way I am going to have the strength to repeat this conversation.

"Hi my love! Finished packing already? Call me on video call, I'm still at the hotel." I hear Harry's delighted voice, as normal as it was moments ago and I feel like I might be sick.

Is this the last time I will hear his voice like this? Is he about to confirm all my worst fears have come true? No, no, there is no way he would have done this to me.

"Hey," I start, trying to be as natural as possible, ignoring his request to use the camera, protecting myself from the heart crushing possibility of seeing the betrayal in his eyes.

"Umm, Harry is there anything you need to talk to me about? I don't want you to lie to me, I'd rather you just tell me." My voice shakes and I fumble over exactly how to approach this. I guess not walking into our bedroom to find her on top of him, like I did with Dan, is a great start.

"What? No? Liv, what are you talking about?" He says, sounding so genuine that my heart splits in two. The part of me that loves him more than life quickly pushes the pieces back together not giving up the soul deep faith I have in him until he gives me a reason to.

I try to ignore Frankie and Bec's hands covering their mouths and try again, silently begging him to explain whatever is going on with a great excuse, freeing him from any wrongdoing but I know that's not looking likely.

"Umm... So, you didn't see Adriana in the street the other day?" I blurt out, my blood surging through my veins in an equal mixture of hope and self protection.

The silence on the end of the phone tells me everything I need to know and my body starts to shake.

I hear him take in a sharp breath and I brace myself for the blow of his deceitful denial.

"Liv, whatever you saw, it's not like tha-"

"I saw a picture of you kissing." I interrupt, my voice sounding as cold as London's November air, not prepared to hear yet another man I love tell me how cheating on me is "not what it looks like".

"She kissed me." He says pathetically and Bec and Frankie cringe before walking to stand by my sides.

I laugh, not knowing what else to do with the bewilderment.

"And you didn't think to tell me about it? Your arms are around her Harry, so you must have been close enough for it to happen to begin with!" I start to yell, my body being overcome with complete devastation and utter embarrassment and I can hear his breathing getting quicker.

"Liv, it's not what it looks like." He says those dreaded words calmly as if he was a lion tamer in front of a wild animal and I shudder at the sound.

"How could you do this, Harry?" I whisper and hang up the phone before he can tell me the next standard line of 'I'm sorry, I love you, it meant nothing'.