Synergy

Sixty-Five

"Take this back and don't you ever speak to me again."

He clung onto my hand for dear life, as if he'd let go and the floor would fall through. I felt my whole arm start to call asleep and grow tingly as we posed backstage for pictures with the pristine award. I just wanted it to end. Standing here acting like it was just another day for Harry and I was so hard. Pretending to gleefully pose and cling to Harry happily was by far the hardest thing I've done.

Holding Harry's hand and feeling his shoulder against mine made me feel something. I've been working so hard on pushing those feelings aside and for it all to be ruined with one encounter with him would destroy me.

"Okay, that's enough. Thank you everyone." Melinda shooed the swarming cameras aside and quickly we all filed into a dressing room for touch ups.

"Girls dressing room." Melinda faked smile and faked laugh as Harry attempted to step through the door frame.

"I want to see Ela." He spoke sternly.

I shook my head no several times. I couldn't do this. Not here. Not now.

"Later Harry! You know the drill." She gritted through her teeth attempting to shut him out.

"Aw come on! They just won big! Let him smooch his girl!" A back stage camera man pressed a camera close to the whole scene. Sighing dramatically Melinda reluctantly opened the door back up and Harry slinked in.

Melinda slammed the door shut and huffed. "Fake appearances are harder than they look." She mumbled as Lauren nodded her head towards her in agreement.

"Ellie."

I jumped as Harry's hand pressed against my forearm in concern.

"You did great out there."

I scrunched my eyebrows in disbelief.

"What do you want Harry?"

His face hardened. "I want to talk."

The heel of my shoe dug into the golden tiled floor as my nails pressed against my palm.

"No." I stepped left, ready to pass him. I was blocked.

"Ela, come on. Don't do this."

"Stop." I seethed wretching my elebow away from his grasp.

"Harry, go back to your seat. We're heading back out now. We'll see you out there." Melinda called giving him the stink eye.

I nodded to Melinda signalling I was coming as all the girls filed out with Melinda following. Again I went to pass Harry.

"Two minutes. That's it. I swear."

"No."

"I am worried about you Ela. Im sick to my fucking stomach everytime the press drops your name."

Looks like I didn't have an option. I gave up trying to push past and readied myself for a blow out fight.

"You don't need to worry about me." I sadly smiled shaking my head. "I can fend for myself. I'm used to it."

Silence pervaded the room as he stared directly to my face while I stared anywhere but him.

"You act as if we never happened." He whispered hoarsely.

My gaze slowly drifted to him.

"I don't know what you want me to say Harry."

"Did it even matter! Did any of it even matter to you!? For fucks sake Ela you treat me like a fucking groupie who just follows you around begging for attention! I know I mean more to you than that. Stop acting like I don't."

"You used to Harry! Used to! Things have changed between us and we cannot get them back! Stop forcing it!! Leave it be!"

"Ela it hasn't been that long! A couple days! This is what you do! You put up walls and shut people out and make yourself the victim! Your the one who shut your Dad out and you act like he threw you out when all he wanted was you back!"

"Shut up." I snared through clenched teeth totally surprised at all the directions this fight was taking.

"You're so god damn stubborn you push the people who truly care about you away and let the people who only care about what do on the weekends and what picture you're going to post next and-"

"Sound familiar? Forgive me for not being able to distinguish who really cares about what I do on the weekend or what picture I post because the lines seemed to have blurred recently for me."

"Are you fucking him?" He gritted through perfectly white locked teeth.

My anger swelled to new heights. "Excuse me?"

His feet took two giant steps and within seconds the distant between us was gone.

I tried to distract myself from his intoxicating scent, but he was wearing my favorite cologne. The one I bought for him at one of the cute little shops when we went to the beach.

"I don't fuck Harry." I spat angrily pushing at his chest to show my anger.

A lazy sloppy grin overtook his features. His thumb swiped against his own lip as he chuckled. "Did with me."

Whack!

He stepped back, totally surprised from my violent outburst. I slapped him. I slapped Harry and hard too.

Tears filled my eyes blurring my vision.

This is what it came down too then.

Stublimbly blinding through tears I reached into my dress pocket and found the bracelet. My fingers shook as the cold metal rested in my skin. My heart felt frozen. Because this bracelet wasn't just a a piece of jewerely. It signified my relationship with Harry. It was the thing I climbed onto when I was nervous. It was the reminder that everything was okay after a long day. It was a trip home without the plane ride. It was a symbol that I loved Harry and he loved me.

"You are an asshole. Take this back and don't you ever speak to me again."

I threw the metal piece at his chest and he stumbled before gripping it in his clutch.

He was confused, partly from recovery of the slap, partly from what I threw at him. But when he found out what it was, I saw a pain I've never seen on Harry before. The worse part was, I didn't like to see him in pain like this. But I wish I did.

"Ela. Please. I'm- I didn't mean that with Kendell..I was just jealous and-and..."

His eyes glazed over and his fingers shook.

I should've felt something as I saw the man in front of me literelly crumble. His eyes glazed, hands shaky, knees wobbled, and features shaken, but I felt nothing. I just felt empty.

He kept looking at the bracelet. His gaze never strayed from it as he turned it over and over again in his palm.

Why was I staying here with him? Why didn't I leave right now, head back to my seat and be done with him?

I didn't have to think of it. Because you're in love with him stupid.

"If that's what will make you happy, yeah?" He finally spoke. The words dragging out slowly and sadly.

Is that what I wanted? No. No kiss me and tell me nothings changed and the contract never happened.

But instead, I nodded.

His gazed stayed on the bracelet for another minute before he nodded tightly and quickly shoved the bracelet in his pocket.

And then he left.