Chapter 20 : "Pretend What Exactly?"

3.5K 111 21
                                    

Video on the side is the story trailer made by the fantastic @BitterSweetFantasy! I adore it so much <3 Thanks. c: You all should really watch it!




Chapter 20

HARMONY'S POV





"Are all the rumors true, Louis?" Kyra pushed for more information, leaning forward in her seat the slightest bit with a sickening twinkle in her eye.



I held my breath as I stared towards the boys waiting for what they would say. Louis had his jaw clenched tight and his blue eyes trained on his hands that were resting on his lap. He flicked his eyes up towards Kyra and took a deep breath.



"I know it must be a touchy subject but don't you think you owe an explanation to your fans?" She batted her lashes sweetly, oozing fuax sincerity.



"Well honestly, I don't think it's anyone's business." Louis stated firmly with his eyebrows raised sassily. I could see Harry lean closer to Louis to whisper something that no one could hear but everyone blatantly saw. Whatever Harry had to say must have had an impact on Louis because his eyebrows lowered and the harshness to his gaze diminished to nothingness.



"There must be some truth behind it." Kyra urged completely oblivious to the tensed atmosphere. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose expectantly. "For example, is she really crazy?"



If it wasn't already deathly silent in the building, it for sure was now.



"Harmony suffers from bipolar disorder, that's it. She isn't in the slightest sense crazy." Louis said simply but I could tell from where I was standing his relaxed front wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The way his hands were clenched so tightly on his lap was the evident indication.



"Oh Louis, come on. She is unstable. All the stories floating around on the internet, whether they be true or not, are a clear warning." Kyra lectured. By now my stomach was doing uneasy flips and I felt as if I could get sick. The crew of people that were busying themselves backstage took occasional glances towards me, knowing full well, that I was the wretched girl Kyra was talking about.



"That's not fair, Kyra. The stories are done up by people who don't personally know Harmony. They probably don't have anything better to do with their time." Liam defended sternly. His brown eyes almost as dark as Louis'.



The fact the boys were defending me had this uneasy feeling already weakening but I couldn't listen to anymore. So I took off down one of the corridors in hope of finding the exit. Thankfully, Paul quickly found me with tears running down my face that I had unknowingly let fall.



"Harmony, what's wrong?" His deep voice inquired. Lines of concern were beginning to etch across his forehead. I shook my head aggressively causing my curls to whip around.



"Nothing, nothing at all. Can you take me back to the hotel?" I almost begged Paul as I heard my voice crack. Feeling his eyes look over my features before he nodded his head and began to lead me out towards the exit.



I could hear the door open before I noticed we were even close. The shouts and screams were still evident even after the hour or so we had been here. But the difference with the crowd this time compared to when the boys were with me, was that everything they shouted wasn't as nice. Every last thing said my way wasn't something to be proud of.



Paul quickly got me into the van and started for the hotel. I could feel his eyes trained on me in the rearview mirror but I avoided his gaze at all cost because I felt if I saw his pitying eyes, I would surely cry. So the short trip was done in silence.



As soon as we came to a stop in front of the hotel, I whipped the van door open and sprinted towards the welcoming hotel doors. I quickly made it up to Louis and I's room, ignoring all the curious glances. But I was disappointed to discover I didn't have the key.



An exasperated sigh slipped from my lips as I slid down the door in the hallway. With my face in my hands and tears continuously slipping down my cheeks I didn't notice that Paul had come down the hall and was now squatting beside me. He grabbed a hold of my upper arm gently and began pulling me up so I was standing. I risked a small glance towards him and was surprised to see his features blank, unlike the frustrated or angry expression I assumed he wore. Opening the door for me with his extra key, I walked into the room and waited for the sound of the door shutting before heading back towards the bed.



Once behind closed doors, I pulled myself under the covers of the huge cozy bed and tugged the them close around me. Closing off the world efficiently for the time being, I thought back to the interview. Why had I run off? I'm not completely sure besides the feeling I got from all the things Kyra was saying. I knew very well that I am "unstable", why did she have to say it on a live interview?



Was she trying to make a point? That I shouldn't be with Louis and Louis shouldn't be with me. I've been making that argument since the beginning. If only he would listen to me, then I wouldn't feel this way. A nuisance. I bet all his fans feel the same way too.



The negative things I was thinking began to suffocate me under these thick covers and I felt as if I could die. Right now, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.



My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door followed by a hushed creak from the hinges. I didn't make a move to peek out from the covers to see who it was. I already had a feeling I knew who it was.



"Harmony?" His voice called to me and I heard his footsteps getting closer. "Babe?"



The cool air touched my skin as the covers were lifted the slightest bit and I was welcomed by Louis' blue eyes locking on mine. His harsh features from earlier were softened but consumed in worry. I wish he would stop worrying about me...



"Hey." He said softly with a sad crooked smile. Leaning forward the slightest bit to peck my forehead, I shut my eyes at the soothing warmth of his lips. Once he pulled away he wiped at the tears that were on my cheeks.



"Hi." I mumbled back to him.



"What was with the quick exit, speed racer?" Louis inquired as he started to push me over a bit so he could get under the covers beside me.



Shaking my head stubbornly, I snuggled in closer to him so he couldn't see my face. But he quickly grabbed my face gently between both his hands and gave me a stern look.



"Seriously, Harmony. What's wrong?" Louis urged with a desperate tone to his voice.



I stared back at him, searching his eyes before I took a deep breath. "I don't know how many more times I will have to say this before it gets through your thick head." I stated miserably. Everything's been rather miserable lately so my sad state is only expected. "The odds are stacked against us. We aren't meant to be. It's as simple as that. Your fans are worried about you being with me, which is understandable. Even your band mates are worried. They may not be as verbal about it but I can see the way they look at me." My reply obviously wasn't what Louis wanted to hear because he promptly rolled his eyes.



"Jesus, this again? Harmony, you know I don't care and neither should you. If people have a problem with us than that's there problem, not ours." Louis stated tiredly. "Please understand that." He pleaded with me. I merely nodded my head even though I still didn't see it the way he did.



Louis sighed tiredly and grabbed for one of my hands that were clutching the covers. Smoothing out my hand and playing with my fingers, he looked towards me.



"Can we just forget about today? Forget everything and just pretend." Louis whispered. I stared back at him confusedly with my eyebrows pulled together.



"Pretend what exactly?" I inquired.



"I don't know. Just pretend for a while that everything is normal and we don't have anything to worry about." He stated with a hopeful tone and I couldn't help but let a smile slip through my depressed mood. Nodding my head, Louis' lips spread into a smile like mine.



Before I could process what he was doing, Louis slipped out of the bed and pulled the covers from me. He had a mischievous grin playing on his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him, apprehensive about the plan he was conjuring up in his head.



"Come on." Louis reached his hand out towards me but I merely stared at his hand causing him to sigh a little over-dramatically. "We're going for a walk." He explained.



I continued to stare Louis down curiously but reluctantly gave him my hand, interested in what he had planned. He sent me a wink before pulling me up and out towards the door.



Her Neverland [ Louis Tomlinson]Where stories live. Discover now