Nine Months (One Direction fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-One

Zayn's POV

"Unbelievable. Just unbelievable, Harry," repeated Simon, as he paced back and forth in front of our chairs. We didn't see Simon often - he was a very busy man - and since he had made an appearance today, I knew this could not be good. Paul was next to him, his arms crossed. They looked upset, angry, and disappointed. 

Harry sat there quietly, Grace's hands tangled with his in his lap. Grace was looking to Harry, waiting for him to say something or fight or apologize. Something. But instead he was mute, eyes fixed on an invisible spot on the carpeted floor.

I looked around. Louis was in the seat farthest from Harry, which surprised me. Niall was next to Grace and I, and Liam was on the other end of Harry. We were all silent, Simon and Paul the only ones speaking. 

"So let me get this straight. Grace, the new girlfriend of Harry that also happens to babysit Lux, is pregnant with his baby, and both of you are only eighteen. Right? Is that it?" Simon asked sarcastically, as he finally stopped pacing and looked directly at Harry. 

"Nobody knows about it," Niall croaked. I looked at him in surprise. Niall never usually spoke during meetings, just nodded and laughed occasionally. But then again, he was defending Grace. I don't know why he put himself in that line of fire.

Paul put his head in his hands. "It doesn't matter, because the fans will find out. I'm surprised they don't know already. How far along are you?"

Grace spoke finally, taking her eyes of Harry. "Fourteen weeks."

Simon sighed and ran his fingers through his short, greying hair. "Alright. Alright, here's what's going to happen. You guys need to make as many public appearances as possible. Dates everywhere, you got that? Let people take pictures and follow you around. Harry, tweet about her and post pictures. Confirm you're dating whenever someone asks," he told the couple, taking a moment to think before he spoke again. "Don't tell the fans about the pregnancy. God knows how long you'll be together, and we need to make sure you're serious before the fans start freaking out.

"You two also need to tell your families about both the baby and the dating. And boys-" he turned to the rest of us, eyes like daggers into our souls. "Make sure you don't tell anyone about the baby. Got it?" 

We all nodded in agreement, and finally were dismissed. "This is going to be a crazy few months," I heard Paul say to Simon just before the door closed. I couldn't agree more.