Caught in a Landslide (ft. Harry Styles)

The Rain

It started raining suddenly, so I closed the balcony door. My chest hurt and was still heaving as I picked up the phone to call Wendy. 

"Hello, Sophie," she said cheerfully.

"Hi, Wendy. I-I-I'm going to be staying out the rest of the night," I sniffled and dabbed my nose with a tissue. "I will pay you extra, but I need some time to myself tonight - I will be home in the afternoon."

"Are you ok?" she was genuinely worried.

"I just need a little time," I responded choking back another outburst.

"Take all the time you need," she said politely. 

"Thank you," I breathed.

We ended the call and I walked over to sit on the couch. I was normally not this emotional, but my marriage was ending, I pushed away someone I cared for very much, and I was alone. 

After 30 minutes of moping, I pulled myself together, went into the bathroom, washed my face then reapplied some light makeup. I grabbed my purse, hat and sunglasses and left the hotel room - with a mission. A door to my right opened and Charles walked out. 

"Wha-what are you doing here?" I asked, surprised to see him.

"Mr. Styles requested that I stay and escort you home," he replied.

Harry asked him to wait for me? I already knew where I was headed and Charles would actually be able to help me with my task.

"Well, I'm not going home," I said. "But maybe you could help me?"

______

Charles purchased an umbrella from the hotel's gift shop and guided me through the kitchen to the back door. Even though it was well after 10 pm, I put my hat and sunglasses on my head. It was cold, rainy and terribly windy outside. Charles attempted to steady the umbrella and hold me close as we walked past a few flashing cameras; it became obvious that we needed a car. 

He stepped away and put his arm up for a taxi. Lucky for us, one stopped rather quickly. Charles opened the door for me. We squeezed in to the backseat of the car and gave an address to the driver.

We sat in silence as we waited in some Friday late night traffic, I started shivering, so Charles removed his jacket and put it over my shoulders. 

"Thank you," I said feeling grateful not to be alone.

The cab stopped, the driver pointed ahead and said with a strong Russian accent, "Looks like there's some type of accident and it's too late for me to turn around."

I glanced at Charles, hoping he had an answer. He was already looking out the windows and making a plan. I paid & thanked the driver, then we hopped out of the car. Brrrrr.... It must have dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes. Charles opened the umbrella and held it over us until we ducked into a clothing store.

"You might want to grab another outfit," he suggested as he pointed at my soaking wet clothes.

I nodded and realized how exhausted I was - but I had to do this. So, I picked out a new pair of jeans, two shirts and a jacket. As soon as I paid, I put the new jacket on and we fled from the store to continue our journey. We stood under an awning and I looked at the buildings surrounding us.

"We are five blocks away," Charles said before I could even ask. "We need to go one block and grab another cab."

"Ok," I responded and started to walk with him.

The city was abuzz and there were hundreds - possibly thousands - of people on the streets. Charles guided me down a well-lit alley and hailed another taxi as soon as he reached the curb. No one can miss this beast, I thought and chuckled.

Again, he opened the door, we climbed in and he gave the driver the address as he closed the door. It was 11:25 pm, I was worried about my not-so-well-thought-out plan; apparently, Charles could tell and he glanced at me reassuringly. 

We arrived at our destination at 11:45pm, paparazzi surrounded the entrance, so Charles instructed the driver to drive one more block. We got out once the cabbie stopped the car. I put my hat & sunglasses back on, paid for our ride and then stepped out behind Charles. He put his arm around me and held me close as we walked to the service entrance.

The service elevator was small but we stepped in & stood there, dripping wet from the rain. I removed my hat and glasses, checked my makeup in my small mirror, and applied some lipgloss. The doors opened and we quietly tiptoed down a narrow hallway meant for employees. 

As we came up to the door, my nerves got the best of me. Charles blocked me from walking away.

"You've got this," he encouraged.

I took a deep breath and knocked. 

___________