Songs:
Overdose: Alessia Cara
Let Her Go: Passenger
The Scientist: Coldplay
Love Me Or Leave Me: Little Mix
If You Ever Leave Me: Bruno Mars
Me, Myself And I: Beyonce
A.J.'s POV
I sat on the edge of the hotel bed that Harry and I should have shared the night before, twirling the cross pendant around my fingers. I honestly didn't know what to do, but I knew I couldn't stay here another moment. I had to get away before he got back and tried to talk again. I looked through the entire room,until I found what I was looking for, my plane ticket.
I called the airline, trying to change my flight for an earlier time. Harry would be busy the entire day, so I had plenty of time to get out of here before he even noticed. I just wanted time to cool off. Unfortunately, with my luck, there were no flights available. I paced around the room, still packing my bags, trying to come up with another option.
The only other idea I could think of was a private plane. I hated the idea, but it was my only other option other than waiting for the stupid flight which would entail having to sit next to Harry and actually have to deal with him.
Once I finished my internal debate, I dialed my grandpa's number. I asked him about a private plane, which thrilled him, a little too much. He promised to set it up and give me a call with the details. While I waited, I decided to go let Sam know that I wasn't going to stick around. I owed her at least that.
I knocked on her door a few times before the door swung open revealing a half ready Samara. "What's wrong baby girl?" She asked, pulling me through the door.
"I'm leaving early, I just have to get some things done for Max and I'll meet you guys in L.A.," I sort of lied.
"Max is just going to start taking advantage of you now that your back isn't he?" she rolled her eyes. "I love that old man, but he gets on my nerves sometimes."
"It's fine Sam, it's only a few days and I'll be staying at home so, I'll also get to see Alicia," I shrugged, faking a smile. "I'll see you guys in a few days okay?"
"Wait, does Harry know?"
"I'm leaving him a note, he'll understand though." He better.
She looked at me for a minute before smiling, "okay, have a safe flight and text me when you land safely."
"I will," I promised, hugging her tightly before going back to my room.
As I sat on the bed, my grandpa called, giving me the details, I scribbled everything down before hanging up and shoving the piece of paper in my pocket. I wrote Harry another note quickly, leaving it in the same place as the first before heading out.
The moment I got into the taxi, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. If everything went as planned, I'd have at least four days free of Harry.
The early morning, Dallas traffic made a fifteen minute drive into a complete hour drive. Once we had made it to the hanger my grandpa had told me to go to, the idea of getting on a private plane alone began to resonate with me, I began to panic and get scared. I wasn't one to be afraid of planes, but I'd seen enough movies to know private planes carried a little bit more risk. All I wanted was to turn and curl up in Harry's arms. Which was only a cruel reminder that he was the reason I was getting on the stupid thing to begin with.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket, my screen lighting up like crazy from endless texts from Harry. Most of them were him apologizing and saying that he loves me. I sent him a text back saying, "I love you too". Once I was sure he received it, I turned off my phone and shoved it back in my jacket.
I was basically running away from Harry and our problems. Instead of staying and talking to him and working things out, I had just left, without saying anything to him. I had left him a note, but he deserved more than that. Or maybe he didn't, but I still felt wrong for leaving the way I did. I loved him, with all my heart. But, I felt like he was suffocating me in that moment.
What he told me about the girl he was with and the way he called me A.J., was too much for me. Especially when I took account of the fact that we were living together. Everything we did, we had to take the other into consideration. Something he clearly didn't do and neither did I when I packed my bags and got on this plane.
This was all wrong, it was petty, I should have stayed. By the time I had come to this conclusion, I realized we had already landed.
Harry's POV
I tried not to think about my current problem with Katarina while we had our press run this morning, but she wasn't returning my texts anymore. The only good thing about today was the fact that she text me back an "I love you", which I knew she didn't take lightly. But, I had this sinking feeling that something was wrong. I didn't know what, but something felt off.
When she didn't show up to have lunch with us, I assumed she had went out with Samara and Gemma. That was sort of their thing now.
I decided to head back to our room and wait for her there. We still had a conversation pending and I knew I needed to do some serious apologizing. The sinking feeling inside me got worse when I walked in and noticed Katarina's bags were missing. My first thought was to check with Louis, since they have been so close, maybe she went back to stay in his room.
I rushed down the hall, knocking on the door furiously, dreading and hoping that she was there.
"What the fuck," Louis swung the door open. "Harry, what's wrong?"
"Where is she?"
"Who?"
"Katarina, her bags are gone, and I know she's here, she has to be," I walked passed him.
His room was filled with everyone, including Samara, who came up to me. She wasn't angry so she probably didn't know what had happened the night before. Thankfully, because I didn't have it in me to deal with her right now. All I wanted to do now was find my girlfriend.
"Where is she?" I asked Samara, desperation taking over my voice.
She looked at me confused. "She had to go to L.A. last minute, she said she was going to leave you a note?"
I left the full room, heading back to ours, looking everywhere for the damned note. It sat in the same spot I had found the one from this morning.
I had to go and clear my head.
I'll see you in a few days.
Please don't freak out.
I love you.
A.J.
Like the first note she had left, I read and reread the note over ten times. She left. She was gone. I had screwed up so bad that she needed to get away from me.
I paced around the room for a few minutes, contemplating what I should do. We had a gig that night and I couldn't miss that. If it was just me, I would have, but this was also about my band members, my best friends. They were counting on me, and I knew Katarina would be pissed if I just up and left them. Even if I did go after her, I didn't know where to look. She told Samara she went to L.A., but for all I knew she lied and probably headed back home to London.
Home. There was still the fact that we had moved in together. We shared a home together, that had to count for something. I was going to hold onto that sliver of hope.
Just as I laid across the mattress, my phone began to vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out quickly, the screen showing Katarina's name and picture.
"Katarina?" I answered without hesitation.
"Harry, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," her voice was low and strained.
I felt my heart breaking into. She was in pain because of me, yet she was the one feeling bad and apologizing instead of me.
"Do you want to break up with me?" I found myself asking, instead of apologizing. I was such an idiot.
"If that's what I wanted I would have done that before I left," she scoffed. "I just needed some space and I took it too far."
"Are you coming back?"
"No, I'll meet up with you when you get to L.A.," I heard shuffling in the background. "I just got home, I gotta go. I love you, bye."
I was about to tell her I loved her back, but the line went dead, I had a feeling that this was how it would be until I saw her again. I tossed my phone onto the bed, falling next to it, face first. This was going to be a long couple of days.
A.J.'s POV
I searched through my purse, thankful that I still had my keys. I unlocked the front door to my grandpa's house, letting myself in. The heels from my boots echoed through the foyer as they came in contact with the marble floor. I called out for Alice as I looked around the house. I made my way to the kitchen, which was surely the place she would be.
"Alice," I called out to the small woman sitting on a stool with a book in her hands.
She peeled her eyes from her book to look up at me as she slammed the book down onto the counter top. "Kit?" The short woman asked, removing her reading glasses. I nodded with a smile, tossing my purse onto the counter as I walked over to her. "My sweet girl, when did you get here?" She asked in her thick Irish accent, enveloping me in a warm hug.
I hugged her back, she smelled of peppermint and roses. An odd combination, but one I had grown accustomed to and associated to her hugs specifically. "I just got here," I answered, reluctantly letting go as she held me out at arm's length to inspect me.
"Are you moving back in?" She asked, her eyes still roaming over me. "My girl, you get more beautiful, but look at you, you're so tiny, you need food," she let go of me walking over to the fridge. "Are you eating properly?"
"Nana, I'm fine I've just been running a lot lately," I assured her. "And I'm not moving back in, I'm just visiting for a few days, if that's okay of course."
"Of course it is, this is your home. Oh your grandfather is in London, why didn't you tell us you were coming? I would have gotten your room ready."
"I can do it," I wrapped my arms around her again. "I actually want you to meet someone."
"Who?" She looked around me, expecting someone else to walk in.
I laughed, kissing her cheek. "He isn't here yet, not for a few more days," I informed her.
"He?" Her brow raised, looking at me like I had just announced World War III.
"Yes he, nana. He's my boyfriend, Harry."
"Ah yes, I almost forgot about that little rugrat you moved in with."
I couldn't help the loud burst of laughter that came out when I hear her call Harry a "rugrat". He was anything but.
"It's not funny, Sarah told us all about him."
"Nana, Sarah over exaggerates, he's really sweet and I love him."
"Respect your mother. No matter what she's done, she's still your mom."
"I'm sorry."
Once Alice was up to speed on my love life, all the bumps included. She finally concluded that as long as I loved him, she was willing to give him a chance. I missed having Alice around to talk to. Unlike my own mom, she was always my sounding board, even when I didn't even know it. And she always supported me in anything and everything. Even if my ideas seemed crazy to most, she always pushed me to do them anyway. That's how I ended up becoming an author. It was what I really wanted to do and if it weren't for her, I would still be writing in my journals for fun.
Soon enough, I had received a text from Eva, asking to hang out. Of course, Sam had let it be known that I was back in town, because once Eva text me, a lot of my old "friends" began to flood my phone with invites to hang out. Aside from Eva, I could really care less if I saw any of them. Most of them were just looking for an excuse to party and the whole point of this trip was to relax and not have to deal with drama.
After Alice made sure I was eating properly and I was in perfect health, otherwise, she let me go to my room to get a quick shower in before Eva showed up. She didn't live far so she would probably show up at any minute. I took the shampoo and body wash Alice supplied me with and took a quick, warm shower. If I stayed in there too long, I would probably end up dwelling on Harold and our pending conversation. Which was something I wasn't prepared to contemplate just yet.
I almost had a heart attack as I walked back into my room and saw someone sitting in the middle of my bed. I threw my wet towel at Eva's head.
"When are you gonna stop doing that? You freak!" I yelled.
She laughed, tossing the towel back at me. "Your nana let me in," she beamed. "What are you doing in L.A. anyway, you should have called me!"
"It was last minute," I answered honestly.
"Well, get out of those ratty ass pajamas, were going out."
"Where?" I groaned. "You're supposed to be the good friend that doesn't pressure me."
She rolled her eye, "come on, I'm taking you the gym, the one you used to go to."
I waved my booted leg at her and the sling I was about to put on.
"Shut up, go change. Hurry we don't have all day," she yelled as I grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to change into.
I found myself fidgety in the passenger seat of Eva's car. I had gotten used to the driver being on the other side. Once we had parked in the lot of my old gym, I felt excitement and annoyance. I hated the stupid boot and sling.
As we walked in, I was relieved that it still looked the same, it even smelled the same. Which I found oddly comforting. I missed this place. There was no other gym like this one. I found myself wondering, taking in the scene around me. It was relatively empty, but when I checked the time, I realized it was the time the owner, Mike had blocked off for one on one sessions.
I was about to head back to the office in the back to look for Mike when Eva, pulled my attention to her.
"Michael, this is my sister, A.J. Sloan. A.J. This is Michael," I looked at her than at the tall man standing in front of us taking off his gloves and extending his hand out to me.
It wasn't just any Michael though, it was Michael B. Jordan. The only celebrity that I was crushing on at the moment. Well, I don't think Harry counts.
"Nice to meet you," I spoke softly shaking his hand, still mesmerized by him.
"Wait, this is thee "A.J. Sloan"?" He asked looking me up and down with a shocked expression.
I looked at him confused before training my eyes at myself, trying to see what he was looking at, which earned a chuckle from Eva, who was clearly amused by the interaction.
"Told you," she smirked at him.
"Told him what?" I asked, frustrated and confused.
"He didn't believe me that the infamous A.J. Sloan was a girl."
"Infamous?" I questioned, looking between the both of them, still confused.
"You're all Mike talks about," Michael spoke first. "You have quite a reputation around here, no one ever mentioned you were a girl."
"What's wrong with being a girl?" I found myself getting offended. "Yeah, probably because they didn't want to admit that they got their ass kicked by a girl," Eva said at the same time.
Before anyone could answer, there was a thud from the back of the room that caused us all to look.
"Why isn't anyone in the ring?" The large man yelled as he came down the stairs that came from his office. "A.J.?"
"Hey Mike," I smiled and met him halfway.
His arms wrapped around me, engulfing me in a bear hug. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked as he let me go.
"Motorcycle accident," I answered sheepishly.
I tried to avoid the disapproving eyes he was giving me. He was yet another person in my life who disapproved of my riding a motorcycle. If they only knew I used to race them, they'd all have a heart attack. I smiled to myself over my little secret before spinning around halfway so I could see everyone.
After I had convinced Mike that I was fine, I changed into some clothes I was glad Eva had packed for me while I had finished getting ready. I went a few rounds with him, nothing too major since I was still in a boot. It felt great to be in the ring again, it was like everything that was frustrating me just melted away. Thankfully I hadn't forgotten anything, otherwise Mike wouldn't have let me live it down.
When Mike decided to call our little session quits, Michael climbed in.
"How about we go a few rounds," He smirked, hitting his gloves together.
I leaned against the ropes, catching my breath and relaxing my shoulder and arm. He was actually serious about this. Most times Mike had to promise extra training for anyone who would get in the ring with me. No one ever wanted to get in the ring with a girl. If they did, they expected a fragile competitor, unable to hold her own. But, this guy was ready to go toe to toe with me. I kinda liked it.
"Alright, three rounds. Eva is the ref," I agreed, getting off the ropes.
He wasn't half bad. I won the first round, which he was genuinely surprised by. The second round, I lost, making it my turn to be surprised. Now it was down to the third round. I was ready to go, but Michael called for the match to be stopped.
"How about we leave this a tie," he called out from his side of the ring.
"Why the hell would I do that?" I questioned, furrowing my brows.
He smirked, removing his gloves from his hands before I had even agreed to anything. "Because now I'll have an excuse to see you again." Seeing as he was done, I began to take my gear off as well. "How about tomorrow? Same time." He added.
"I'll see you tomorrow than." I answered, getting out of the ring and heading over to Eva who had a raised eyebrow at me.
I decided to ignore her, wiping my face with the towel and heading to a back room to change again. I was a little annoyed that Mike still hadn't put up a locker room up for women so I couldn't actually shower.
Instead of putting the sling on, I tossed it in my bag, there really wasn't a point in using it anymore. The only reason I still did was because Harry insisted on it. Though I was glad to have it off, I knew I was going to be very sore for awhile.
"I thought we were going home?" I asked curiously as Eva pulled into a parking lot. I hadn't paid attention, so I wasn't sure where we were. That was until I saw the huge sign that signified we were at a salon. "Really?" I asked again.
"I didn't do it on purpose," she defended herself. "I already had an appointment before you came out of nowhere," she insisted. "I just had to pull a few strings to get you one too. Now shut up and be grateful."
I followed her into the salon, which was pretty empty. Then I noticed the sign said they were closed, so I guess that could be an explanation. We were ushered to the back each of taking a seat in our waiting chairs. After about ten minutes of me being a little grump, I decided to indulge the notion of bonding with Eva and get a haircut myself.