Sparks Fly

twenty-three

“Okay, come on, spill it,” Zayn shoved my feet of the sofa and landed next to me with a soft thud, his eyebrows raised as he eyed the half-eaten tub of ice-cream in my hands. “Whoa, Ben and Jerry's, you're on the hard stuff. Must be bad.”

“It's nothing,” I mumbled, shrugging my shoulders and digging my spoon back into the chocolate-y goo.

“Well, clearly it's not nothing,” Zayn crossed his arms over his chest and shuffled down in his seat, resting his feet on top of the coffee table – something he constantly told me off for doing. “You came back last night from this date that was supposed to be amazing, you shut yourself in your room and, please, Cassie, I heard you watching Cruel Intentions, okay? You only watch that film to cry when Sebastian dies at the end. Then you get up this morning and have three cupcakes for breakfast before you go to work? And now you're on to like your second tub of ice cream? Harry's not answering his phone so it's down to you. Spill.”

“It's dumb, I don’t know,” I sighed, twirling my spoon around in the tub before huffing and placing it on the coffee table, crossing my legs underneath me on the sofa as I turned to look at him. “Ella says she's pregnant.”

“W- wait, wha- Ella- Ella, Ella? Harry's- I mean, Ella? Pregnant? With… a baby?”

“Yes, Zayn, pregnant with a baby,” I rolled my eyes at him. “She turned up at Harry's last night, she had Anne with her and she said she was pregnant. I accused her of lying, Anne told me to leave and Harry agreed with her. So, I did.”

“W- Cassidy,” Zayn groaned. “Well, accusing her of lying about a baby probably wasn't a good idea, no matter how angry you are with the situation. This is something you're going to have to support Harry through, he's going to need you to be there for him. God, I can't believe he's going to be a dad, he's only-”

“He's not going to be a dad,” I rolled my eyes at him, sighing as I explained to him about Ella turning up at the office, and about what Nate had told me, leaving Zayn staring at me with his mouth hanging open in shock. “So, you see? She's not pregnant.”

“I- wow,” Zayn mumbled. “Does Harry know about his? About what she's done in the past? Have you told him?”

“I didn't get a chance to,” I groaned. “I just- I was going to, I really was but she turned up and he wouldn't listen. And, like you said, he hasn't been answering his calls today, so I haven't spoken to him.”

“Why was she at the office, though? Why was she talking to Matt?” Zayn sighed, shaking his head. “Doesn't make sense. Must have a screw loose.”

“Actually,” I frowned, sitting up in my seat. “Why was she at the office? She had no reason to be there and why would Matt- why would he just let her in his office, who is she to him? No one, just Harry's ex-girlfriend?”

“Well,” Zayn paused, shrugging his shoulders as he looked at me. “Maybe she concocted this story and went to Matt about it, maybe he stopped her from going to the press or something. He told you to stay away from her, right? Maybe she had this planned all along.”

“But-” I stopped, my mind reeling back when I remember something Ella had said. “She said something about a contract, Zayn. Something about Matt ending her contract?”

“…Are you sure?” Zayn looked at me sceptically. “You're not just imagining things you wish had happened?”

“Zayn!” I cried, slapping his leg. “I'm not crazy, alright? I know what I heard, she definitely said something about a contract. I just- I don't understand? What kind of contract could she possibly be under?”