On Halloween, I found myself getting up at about three in the morning. The boys knew I would be leaving early, but I left a note on the counter anyway, making sure I had a couple days worth of clothes. Honestly, I didn't know where I was going, or how long I would be staying, but I wanted to be prepared. My shower didn't take that long, and while I normally would have dried my hair, I didn't care as much as normal. Putting on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, I headed downstairs, thankful to see that Trey was here, and ready to get me. He took my duffle bag and backpack, setting the items in the trunk after I had gotten into the vehicle.
"Good morning, Miss Amato. Mr. Styles said to get you breakfast from wherever you would like."
"I usually want Starbucks, but Dunkin sounds good."
He said it was no problem, asking for my order before locking the vehicle with me in it. I didn't really know what I was going to be in the car for, or how long, but I hoped it wouldn't be that bad. After all, my sleeping time had been a total of two hours. Sure, it was my fault, but I was too excited to sleep. After all, I was going to see Harry, and that was the most important thing. When Trey came back to the car, I thanked him for the food and my coffee, placing the drink in the cup holder after I took a sip. It was then followed by eating the breakfast sandwich I had ordered, Trey driving through the city. It was only about thirty minutes before he was parking the vehicle in long term, the two of us getting out. I figured that we would be going on an airplane, all things considered, but it was still a bit of a surprise.
"So, are we going to sit next to each other?" I asked as he carried my bags, and I drank my coffee.
"I mean, I guess if you really want that," he chuckled. "Are we not sitting next to each other on the plane already?"
"Hold on," he stated, the two of us walking past the usual baggage drop off, as he glanced at the sign briefly before continuing to walk.
"Wait, don't we need to—"
"Miss Amato, I appreciate your concern, but I know what I'm doing."
Rolling my eyes, I continued walking with Trey, the two of us having to go through security, but due to some card he had, it took nearly no time at all. Once we were past that, the two of us were being led by a worker now, my brow pulling in. I had no idea where we were going, especially if the terminals were manned by associates. However, as we were about to start heading to a specific terminal, there were several girls that ran up to us, the three of them grinning.
"Is Harry with you?" they asked.
"Uh, no, he's in LA," I told them.
"See, Bridget! I told you he was still there!" one of the girls complained, then looked at me with bright eyes. "Do you mind if we get our picture with you?"
"With me?" I asked. "I'm not really dressed for a picture."
"Please!" the girl, Bridget, insisted. "You look so pretty, and you're literally in only a sweatshirt and leggings!"
"Uh," I glanced at Trey.
"It's your call."
I wanted to tell them that if Harry found out they said anything bad about me, he wouldn't be pleased, but it sounded kind of whiny in my head, so I didn't. Instead, I thought for a moment about the pros and cons of taking a photo with these girls, deciding that they would probably not have anything mean to say if I did take a photo with them, rather than brushing the three of them off.
"Please don't say anything bad about me," I joked, but kind of hoped they wouldn't either.
"No, no!" they shook their heads.
"We think he's so nice, and there would be no reason to treat you poorly when you're super freaking gorgeous," one of them continued.
Nodding, I took my picture with them, thankful that when they showed it to me, it wasn't that terrible. They thanked me for stopping before we continued down the terminal, Trey saying that I was lucky it was a group of nice girls, and not a group that was out for me. It had crossed my mind that they were only being nice because they wanted a photo with me, but I also didn't really think they seemed like the type to write rude stuff online. However, I found myself discarding the thoughts as we walked down a flight of stairs, lights showing on the tarmac and making it obvious that we were walking there.
"Trey, I've never done this to get on a plane."
"It's smaller," he shrugged. "The plane holds maybe twenty people if you have all the chairs in place, but even then, there's room to sleep and such."
My eyes narrowed, and I had no idea what he was talking about. We continued walking with the attendant, and suddenly it became very obvious as to what type of plane this was. It wasn't just a regular plane, and it certainly wasn't one that I had ever been on. Of course, I was expecting to be sitting on a plane with a bunch of grouchy people, yet it was very clear Harry had sent a jet for me, my eyes focusing on Trey.
"You allowed this?"
"Mr. Styles is my boss. I will not speak to him in any way that makes him believe I am being disrespectful."
"Why did he do this?" I scoffed, following Trey up the stairs. "I'm so mad."
"Don't be. He wouldn't like to hear that."
"I'm just mad at this. I would have been fine with an economy priced ticket, on a plane that is filled with about two hundred people."
Trey simply laughed, and I was so surprised by everything that was included in Harry's private jet. There was a bar for drinks, I assumed, as well as two sofas. I noticed that there was a room back past the bar, but I figured I would wait until I was on this plane with him to find out what it was. Aside from that, Trey showed me that once we were in the air, I could make my seat turn into a bed. It was absolutely insane, and I had never seen such a thing like this.
"He's going to hear it from me, let me tell you."
"Alright, Miss Amato," Trey chuckled. "But I can assure you that he will start changing whatever he thinks is a complaint from you."
It wasn't what I thought I would hear. The idea that Harry would willingly change anything for me, if he thought I was complaining, was kind of crazy. After all, I didn't think I was that much of an influence on him, yet with Trey's words, it would have appeared that way. Once we were ready, the pilot waited for an okay that everything was running smoothly, as well as an opening on the tarmac to take off.
"So, should my phone be off?" I asked Trey, who was sitting across the aisle from me.
"It doesn't have to be. Oh, I'll give you the WiFi password. It's BigBootyBitches123."
"I truthfully doubt that."
"No, you're right," Trey laughed, and I had never truly talked to Trey to know he was a funny guy. "It's actually TPWK94."
"What do the letters stand for?"
"Trevor, Penelope, Winston, and Kelsey."
"Oh, his nieces and nephews? That's adorable!"
Trey thought that was funny, but then told me he would be going to bed. I nodded, cuddling up into the blankets I had been given by the woman that was working this flight. Although, just as I was also about to go back to sleep, I got a text from Harry.
Harry: are you on your way yet?
We are still ascending
Harry: oh, alright
Harry: are you comfortable? I swear to God, if anything is not to your liking, I'll be pissed
I'm happy, and comfy, yes and thank you
Harry: good good
Isn't it like two in the morning there???
Harry: yes, but I'm checking on my princess
Aren't you sweet?
Harry: just to you
Your WiFi password is sweet also
Harry: ohhh yes, my lil babies
That's so cute, honestlyyyy
Harry: I know, I'm just so cute (;
were you serious when you said Mrs. Woods was coming out here?
Harry: yeah, but she won't be here until tomorrow night
So, I'm actually working in LA
Harry: Y E S
I'm just checking, damn
Harry: haha it's okay, neonata, sorryyy
No worries
Anyway, I wanna sleep so that when I see you, I'm very rested
Harry: okay, we can either go to breakfast, or you can come to my hotel first
Hotel PLEASE I look like SHIT
Harry: that's obscenely doubtful
Harry: according to this photo of you at the airport that I've been tagged in a bunch of times, you look beautiful
Ew, seriously???? You've seen that already???
Harry: stuff relating to me spreads v fast, angel, and everyone, except a few shitty people, like you a whole lot
I like you, and that's all that matters to me
Harry: I like that attitude, especially since I like youuuu
((((:
Harry: fuck, I get to cuddle with you today, hoLY shit that's crazyyyy
Hehe I'll see you soon (:
Harry: okay, baby
You get some sleep
Harry: you also
Goodnightttt
Harry: haha good morning (;
Setting my phone down, I cuddled into the blankets again, very excited to see the man who I had just been speaking to. Honestly, I missed his adorable face, and his arms around me, and pretty much anything and everything about him to be fair. He was the perfect man, and I would have done literally anything for him. I just wondered what we would be doing later tonight.
- - -
He was standing on the tarmac when we arrived. Since there happened to be a decent sized bathroom, I got ready about an hour before we were supposed to land. I had changed into a T-shirt and jeans, and I was wearing makeup now, and my hair was also fixed. As I walked down the stairs, Harry was wearing sunglasses on top of his head, a brown jacket hanging on his shoulder, while a Gucci sweatshirt adorned his torso. He looked like he was wearing a pair of jeans, the little boots he was also wearing matching his jacket.
"Why is it cold?" I asked, practically running up to him.
"Hi, hi, I missed you lots, but I'm really hugging you for warmth."
It made him laugh, Harry letting me slip my arms into his jacket. He looked so pretty, and I cupped his cheeks, brushing my thumbs along them easily. It was very obvious he was still tired, but his excitement to see me was more overpowering. I giggled when he picked me up, my lips pressing to his briefly before he pulled away so he could see where he was going.
"My baby, I've missed you," he told me, setting me in the black SUV. "I'm so happy you're here with me now."
Nodding, I cuddled into him when he slid into the seat, Trey shutting the door. He had put my things in the back, Geoff switching to sit in the passenger seat while Trey got in the driver's seat. Harry asked us both if the flight was okay, and I told him it was great, Trey explaining that he had a hard time sleeping, but it was fine overall. Harry appeared pleased with the information, his lips pressing to my temple as I cuddled into him.
"It's only been, like, a week or so. I'm definitely whipped," he chuckled quietly.
"Maybe just a little," I teased, leaning up to kiss his lips for a couple of seconds. "Ooh, are you going to take me to your favorite diner?"
"We can go there tonight after the party. I'll be drunk, and we're going to have such a great time. Oh, and you'll get to meet Nick!"
"Your radio friend?"
He nodded.
"When do I get to meet your mother?" I asked quietly. "You keep telling me that she adores me, I want to meet her."
"Uh, well, I don't know. I do want you to meet her, so let me say that first. However, bringing someone home to my mother is also a very large step for me, and I've only done that with one person."
"Oh."
The thought of Harry being haunted by one person in his past still always hurt my heart in the worst way possible. He deserved to be happy, and appreciated, and certainly didn't need to feel as though I would ever hurt him. I mean, we had talked about it before, and I always reminded him I would never hurt him, but it was clear he was still fearful. Then again, he had been abused for several years, so it wasn't something that he could just get over.
"Don't get upset, please. I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean it poorly, I j-just get so—"
"Harry," I stated softly, his body wincing when I went to reach up. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you."
My hand cupped his cheek, green eyes squeezing shut as if he was waiting for me to get it over with. I knew he was still terrified, and while it pained me to see, I also knew I had to just give him lots of affection, and care for him to see that I wouldn't lay a hurtful finger on him. My lips pressed to his opposite cheek, and I ran my thumb along his cheekbone carefully, praying to God that one day he wouldn't be so scared of me.
"I'm s-sorry," he whispered.
"For what?" I questioned. "You're totally fine, baby. I don't care. I know what happened still upsets you, but you don't have to be scared with me."
"But I s-said that I-I wasn't sure about you meeting m-my Mum, a-and doesn't that m-make you angry?"
"No," I told him quietly. "You're just scared. I am so scared to meet her because she made such a kind man, and I'm not sure if I'm even worthy of meeting her. You're so sweet, and caring of me, and I'm worried I'm not good enough for you."
He shook his head no. "You are. You're so good to me, I swear. You're enough. More than, actually."
His words made me smile, Harry seeming far more vulnerable this morning than I was ready for, yet it was okay. He was a precious man, and I wanted so badly for him to open up to me more. However, I wasn't going to pry. Not when he was still affected by his ex, and was still scared that I might hurt him somehow. It wasn't too long before we were pulling up to what looked like a little breakfast place, Geoff getting out of the vehicle once Trey had stopped. Our door was opened, Harry sliding our first. I followed, taking his hand in mine. It wasn't long before Geoff was following us, the three of us heading inside. Harry and I got a table toward the back, while Geoff got one not too far away for him and Trey.
"You look tired."
"I couldn't sleep," he stated, playing with one of my hands as we looked down at our menus easily.
"We can sleep back at the hotel," I told him, Harry agreeing softly before I continued. "Is something bothering you?"
"For me to sleep?" he questioned.
I nodded.
"It's not that big of a deal," he murmured.
"We can talk about it."
"It's really not that big of a problem," he said to me quietly.
"If you're not sleeping, it must—"
"Stop. I'm not going to fight with you, so stop asking questions."
Swallowing hard, I glanced down at my menu, pulling my hand away from his. Honestly, it shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but it clearly was to him. Even with him claiming it wasn't a problem, he was being kind of rude about it, so it must have been an issue of his that he just didn't want to talk about. But, that didn't mean he could be rude about it. Either way, we both ordered food, talking very minimally at breakfast. I didn't like being upset with him, but he had been too rude to me not to be. After all, maybe if he just opened up about his past, or what was keeping him up at night, we could find strategies to make him less vulnerable to those type of things. In the end, we just stayed rather quiet, eating our food, and then leaving. Harry didn't let me pay for my food, per usual, the two of us heading back to the car with Trey and Geoff.
"Finley, I—"
"No, it's whatever," I told him. "We don't have to talk about it."
"But you're mad."
"It doesn't matter."
He went to open his mouth, but kept it shut, the ride to the hotel taking about twenty minutes, even though it was only a few blocks away. There were people waiting outside the hotel, and when we stepped outside, I knew it was for Harry. However, I was under the impression that he also had a house somewhere nearby, so I didn't really get why he was staying here.
"Don't you have a house here?" I asked, walking inside beside him.
"I'm building a new one."
"Oh. Are you selling the old one?"
"Someone lives in it already. How did you know I even had a house here?"
"Mrs. Woods said something about it."
"I see. Did she tell you why I sold it?"
"No."
"Good."
He was being very standoffish, and I didn't like that at all. It was one thing for him to be kind of grumpy, but this was obvious that something was bothering him. Taking a deep breath, I stood beside him in the elevators, Geoff walking us to Harry's room before saying he would be just down the hall. Trey agreed, and it left the two of us to go inside, my brow tugging in at the size of the room. It was absolutely insane, but I didn't dwell on it, taking my bag that had been set down, and carrying it to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind me, I pulled out my clothes from the plane, switching into them after I had used the bathroom.
"Finley?"
"What?"
"You're still going to take a nap with me, aren't you?" he asked. "If you don't want to, I can sleep in the other room, but I—"
"I'll sleep with you, it's fine."
Once I had washed my hands, I took my makeup off, thankful I hadn't gone all out with it now. When I was finished, I headed back into the main room, Harry flicking through the TV channels. His sweatshirt was off, and I could tell his jeans were also, leaving me to climb into the bed. Getting under the covers, Harry stopped on Impractical Jokers, the man beside me shifting so he could cuddle me.
"Don't be mad at me," he said softly.
"I'm not."
"You feel tense, and you're not being as loving, and I-I'm sorry if I made y-you upset."
"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not," I told him softly, knowing that when he got all hesitant, that was where his mind went. "You're so safe with me, I could never do that to you."
He nodded, hiding his face in the crook of my neck. Harry sniffled quietly, and I felt my heart break, knowing that it might have been four years ago, but he was clearly still hurt by his ex-fiancé. I would have done anything to make him see how much I appreciated him, my lips pressing to the top of his head. He was shaky feeling now, and I didn't like that he was this torn up over her. Not now, and especially not with me.
"I'm not leaving you."
"I'm so m-mean to y-you," he cried.
"Mean? You're not mean. Rude? Maybe a little bit, but that's not even that often. You are so precious to me, stop crying. I'm okay, baby, I'm fine. You're okay, too. It's okay."
"I-I want you, a-and my M-Mum, a-and I'm such a f-fucking b-baby, and I—"
My heart was breaking, and I had no idea what was really bothering him, but I wished that I could help him. If he would tell me, I could figure it out, and it would be perfectly fine. My arms tightened around the crying man beside me, and all I wanted to do was make him feel better. He cried himself to sleep against me, and it was the worst thing ever, but he just kept saying that he wanted his mother, and that he wanted me.
Easing myself out from under him carefully, I put a pillow in my place, thankful he didn't stir too much. His phone was right on the night table beside the bed, and I grabbed it, trying to figure out if he had a password. Of course, he did, but it matched his WiFi password on the plane, only in number form. Glancing over at Harry, I was glad he wasn't near waking up, sending his mother's contact card to me before setting his phone down. It didn't take me long to grab my phone from my bag, quickly sending the new contact a message.
Hi, it's Finley. I'm Harry's girlfriend, and I think he's mentioned me to you before. Um, I don't know if you're very busy, but he's more upset than usual, and he keeps saying he wants you, and I know we've never spoken, but I don't like seeing him like this. I'd love to meet you, and I'll pay for your flight and hotel, I just want him to be happy. Sorry to bother you!
Before I could even set my phone down, I was getting a text message back, surprised his mother was responding so quickly.
Anne: Hi, Finley! It's nice to talk to you, even in text form. I'd love to see my little baby, but I'm only free the next three days, and I couldn't ask you to pay for my flight and hotel
No, please, anything to make him happy
Anne: You're very sweet, you know that? He's dated some girls who wouldn't even think of spending their own money while with him, and especially not on him
Well I'm not like that at all. If you send me the flight that works for you, I'll be more than happy to book it. Also, we might not have been dating that long, but he really does mean the world to me, and I hate that he pays for everything, so paying for you to come here would make me happy
Anne: Alright, fine. However, I'm paying for my hotel, because I know that can be expensive. You're a very kind girl
Thank you. I can't wait to meet you, I just hope he doesn't get mad at me
Anne: If he does, I will squish his little cheeks and tell him to not be so mean
It made me smile, Anne sending me the flight that would work best for her. Once I had booked everything, I told her that I knew Harry would be very happy to see her, and she said she was thankful to have someone so kind dating her son. After everything was settled, I deleted my text to myself from Harry's phone, crawling back into bed with him, and praying that he would appreciate what I was doing for him.