"How did the interview go?" My father asked as he opened the door for me. I walked deeper into the house and dropped my car keys on the kitchen counter.
"It was great, I got the job!" I grabbed a glass of water and sat down.
"Everyone was nice and super laid back. They offered me the novice composer spot and I'll be shadowing other composers and songwriters before I get to work with artists! I went out to lunch with some of the workers and they showed me around Chester. But the traffic was insane." I continued. All the while, my father was nodding his head up and down. He was always a listener.
"That's great, honey. So," he dragged on, "The Styles invited us tonight." The water currently in my mouth went down the wrong pipe and I began to cough violently.
"Woah," My father laughed and patted my back.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I knew exactly what he said, I just didn't want to believe it.
"The Styles are having a New Years party tonight and I already said 'yes'." My jaw dropped open and I could feel something coming up my throat.
"I-I don't think I want to-," I started to protest, but my dad stopped me.
"You haven't seen them in four years, come on. And Harry is finally back in town, too. Wow, the last time I saw that boy," He trailed off in thought and all I could feel was trepidation tearing at every single part of me.
"He's been around the world, you know? He's doing pretty great things." My father stated, but I could barely focus on what he was saying. How the fuck was I supposed to confront Harry?
"I'll be upstairs." Quickly, I got up from my seat and sprinted up to my room. My mind was swirling and I couldn't contain my emotions. I was panicking about absolutely everything. What was I supposed to do when I saw Harry? What was I supposed to say? Would he recognize me as Melanie?
I threw myself at my bed and groaned. Maybe if I wasn't such a liar, I wouldn't be in this mess. I couldn't hold up this lie any longer, knowing that the real Cassidy was going to the party tonight. Everything would be revealed and a whole bunch of shit was going to go down.
Hopefully, I can just stay low and avoid Harry the whole night. It is a Styles party anyways, there would be tons of people there. I nodded in satisfaction, I would do just that. I would not interact with Harry Styles, at all.
* * *
"Melanie!" Ms. Styles shouted as she opened the front door. Wow, I thought, so much for staying low.
"Hi, how are you Mummy Anne?" I hugged her tightly and she smiled.
"I'm wonderful! Come in, come in!" She ushered everyone inside and picked up Riley.
"How are you, little one?" Riley wrapped his arms around Anne's neck and giggled. My father and Cassidy walked into the living room to greet other people inside the house. The loud chatter added to the music blaring in the background and little kids were screaming and running around. It felt nice to be back, but the anxiety settled in the pit of my stomach could not go unnoticed. I was so paranoid that Harry would be standing right behind me.
"Harry is in the kitchen! He can't wait to see you." My mouth twitched and I tried not to squirm. I was holding a large case of booze and I didn't want to set it down. There was no way I was going to the kitchen.
Walking into the living room, I set the case on the coffee table and turned to greet many familiar faces. I had small conversations, but I couldn't help but look over my shoulder once in a while. An hour passed and I had managed to stay out of trouble, but there was still two more hours until midnight. Leaving the comfort of the living room, I glanced around before walking into the kitchen. A couple of people were sitting at the kitchen table, but the space was very open.
Pouring myself a pint, I realized that I had to relax. If I could stay away from Harry for an hour, another two would go by like a breeze.
"Hey." My heart stopped and the drink in my hand tumbled to the floor. The golden liquid covered the floor, but that was the least of my worries. Shifting my gaze to the left, I took in his large smile, dimpled cheeks, and green eyes.
"H-hi." I stuttered. Quickly, I grabbed the closest rag and knelt down to clean up my mess. Honestly, I was just trying to keep my hands from shaking uncontrollably.
"I didn't know you were coming." Harry knelt down and picked up the fallen cup. I tried to look anywhere else than his green, dreamy eyes. If I was in his presence for another minute, I would probably be sucked into him again.
"Uh, yeah. I-I was just stopping by." I stood up and rinsed my hands in the sink. They were still shaking.
"No, stay!" Harry exclaimed. He poured us two shots of something and handed me the small glass.
"Here drink this and get comfortable." He continued and urged me by flashing a cheeky smile. I took one weary look at the shot and decided that one drink wouldn't hurt. The bitter liquid slid down the back of my throat and I could feel it warm my insides.
"I'll be back, I'm just gonna look for my friend. Don't leave, yeah?" His hand went up to squeeze my shoulder and a bolt of electricity shot through my veins. Or maybe it was the alcohol working, I was a lightweight, anyways. His warm fingertips brushed down my arm as he departed and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from falling apart.
Despite what he said, I had to get out of here and fast. It wouldn't take long for him to figure out who I was and the moment he did, all trust would be gone. I had no idea how he would react, but if the roles were switched, I would be furious.
I went around the back and saw Harry surrounded by people in the living room. He was laughing and I couldn't help but stare at him for awhile. He seemed so content and put together.
Discreetly, I made my way to the front door and before I could open it, Riley jumped to stop me.
"Mel! Where are you going?" He shouted my name so loud that I unintentionally glanced back to Harry to see if he heard. He couldn't have, it was so noisy.
"I just need to get some air, that's all." Riley frowned and grabbed my hand.
"Please don't leave. Let's go play games!" I really wasn't feeling it, but I didn't want to hurt Riley's feelings.
"I'll be in the back, alright. Come find me in an hour." Riley huffed in annoyance and walked away. I frowned, but I needed some time to think about how to approach Harry.
The backyard was filled with more bodies and it was just as loud as it was inside. The only evident place I could find peace and quiet without being found was the tree house. It seemed a bit unstable, but it was a chance I was willing to take.
As I climbed the rope ladder, a few of the steps were missing, but I was able to get into the house safely. Old bean bags covered in dirt and leaves lay strewn on the floor and an old notebook lay in the corner. Suddenly, I regretted coming up here all together. I didn't realize how many memories this place held.
I brushed off the rubbish from the bean bags and took a seat. A part of the ceiling had fallen off and the moon was clear in sight. It was a perfect place to come and just relax. I must have been in the tree for a long time because I began to drift. Before falling into unconsciousness, I heard shuffling at the bottom of the tree.
"Hey, you know it's not really safe up here." His curls popped up into view before his face did. Harry was everywhere.
"Mh, well." I shrugged, not really caring. There was no way I could avoid him now, we were both trapped up in the tree.
"I thought you left." Harry chuckled nervously before taking a seat in the bean bag next to me. I shifted uncomfortably and continued to stare up at the sky.
"Oh, no. I just needed some space." Moments passed and neither of us said a word. The silence wasn't awkward, though, which was surprisingly nice.
"Did you find your friend?" I asked cooly. I couldn't tell how much time had passed.
"No, I don't think she's here, but I saw her father though." I could literally feel the unhappiness in his voice.
"Speaking of her, this used to be our tree house." Harry continued and I took a short glance at him. He was smiling and admiring the battered construction.
"Oh, yeah?" I wanted him to keep on talking, but I didn't want to say anything back, in fear of revealing myself.
"Yeah, this place," he paused,"holds a lot of memories." He smiled again and then directed his gaze towards me. I could feel the familiar warmth of his presence envelope me.
"You kind of remind me of her." Harry said, finally breaking our eye contact. A small breeze blew through the tree house and I wrapped my sweater tightly around my body. I got shivers, but it wasn't from the wind.
"Of your friend?" I asked. It was stupid of me to push him. He would connect the dots, eventually.
"Yeah, her name was Melanie. I heard she was back in town and I thought she would be here tonight, but she's not. I haven't seen her in years." He ruffled his hands through his hair and tugged slightly. An old habit of his.
"Oh," was all I could say before the tree house began to creak. I could feel the wood beneath my feet wobble and I grew more doubtful about the security of the small house.
"Let's get outta here. I think it's almost midnight, too." I nodded and he carefully stood up from his bean bag. The weather was making matters worse as the small breeze had picked up to a bigger, more violent wind. The rope ladder was swinging uncontrollably and more steps were falling out.
"Let me get down first. I'll help you." Harry spoke again and began to descend the tree house. We were probably 20 feet from the floor and fear crept up when I saw Harry struggling to reach the ground.
I crouched down and swung my feet onto the first ladder step. Grabbing onto the side ropes for dear life, I hesitantly lowered my right foot. The next step was missing and I was afraid of falling and breaking a bone. The wind was chaotic and I mentally thanked myself for wearing jeans.
"You got it! Keep going." Harry shouted from below. I was jealous that he was on the unmoving and secure ground.
I advanced and extended my leg further to catch the next step. Successfully climbing down the ladder, I was only a few feet away from being able to hop off safely. When I placed all my weight onto the next step, the wood fell and my grip on the rope slipped. My fear of breaking a bone was probably going to come true.
I screamed and vigorously swatted the air for something to grab. I was literally falling to my death before Harry grabbed my waist and legs. The impact caused him to stumble backwards a little.
"I've got you, don't worry." I opened my eyes and let out the breath I was holding in. He set me down gently, but kept his hand on my waist.
"Thank you." I muttered, my voice was shaking, just like my body.
"Are you good?" I nodded and realized that everyone had gone inside. The countdown was probably starting in a couple of minutes. We walked to the back door and his hand remained at the small of my back.
"I'll get you some water." Harry spoke and left to go the kitchen. An empty feeling evaded my senses when the warmth from my back was gone.
I shook my head. I was still a terrible person. He still didn't know it was me. I walked into the crowd of people who were surrounding the telly. The adults had glasses of champagne in their hands and the children had poppers and confetti ready. Only a minute left until the new year.
My back pocket began to vibrate and I groaned at the call's bad timing. I moved out of the middle of the crowd and stepped next to the back door, where people were more spread out. Pulling out the device, I realized the call was from an unknown number.
I accepted it and brought the phone up to my ear.
TEN! Everyone shouted.
"Hello?" I slightly shouted into the phone. Who could possibly be calling at this hour, let alone on this day?
NINE! The noise level rose unbelievably high.
"Who -," The voice began to speak, but it was impossible to hear anything.
EIGHT! I covered my left ear to block out the boisterous party going on around me.
"What?" I shouted into the phone.
SEVEN! The heat was rising and people were beginning to jump around.
"Who is this?" I yelled. I was curious to know who was calling me at this moment.
SIX! Kids, including Riley, ran around my legs before disappearing behind me.
"Hello?" I tried shouting again.
FIVE! There was foot stomping and laughing. Everyone was out of control now.
"Who is this?" The other line crackled.
FOUR! It was almost a new year and I was on my phone!
"It's Melanie Harte!" I shouted even louder this time.
THREE! Who was this person and what did they want?
"Is this Melanie Harte?" The voice shouted back. The person obviously could not hear what I just said.
TWO! I turned around to face the crowd. Everyone was on their feet.
"THIS IS MELANIE HARTE." I shouted at the top of my lungs into the phone.
ONE! Everyone screamed together and all the kids jumped as high as they could. Confetti filled the air and people clanked their glasses against each other. Couples shared their New Year's kiss and everyone was laughing and having a good time.
Everyone, but one person, who stood only a couple of feet away from me, with his jaw wide open and his stunned eyes blazing into my own. He had his phone up to his right ear and a cup in his left hand. It was only then that I realized the caller wasn't a stranger. The caller was Harry Styles and he knew exactly who I was now.
"Melanie?" He gasped.
I gulped. I had already started 2013 on the wrong foot.