Savannah
"Call him now." Hazel suggests the same thing for the tenth time now. I sigh in exasperation and tiredly look at her. "Haze, I can't call him right now. This is his working time and the last thing I want is to disturb him."
"Then, why didn't you call him in the morning??"
"I would've if you had woken me up!" I snap. "You decided that it'd be better if I get some beauty sleep and let me snore my butt off when I could've actually called and talked to Harry. Now I can't."
"Jeez," she rolls her eyes, "I was just looking after you."
"Well, I don't need you to look after me, okay? I need you to kick me in the butt and command me to get my shit together because I'm on the verge of breaking down."
She makes a tch sound and then wraps her arm around my shoulder. "Sav.. Everything will be fine. There's just this gigantic misunderstanding between you two which will resolve the moment you talk to him."
"But, when..?" I wail and lie down on the couch. "I have no idea when he'll get free. The only chance I have of talking to him tonight, when he's ready to go to bed. But, even then I don't know when that'll happen because he might be in a meeting or at a party -" I pause abruptly, terrified by the next thought taking root in my mind. "What if he's with a girl? What if -"
"Oh, shut up! That's utter nonsense." Hazel scolds me. "You and I both know Harry isn't that kind of a person. He's genuine and he's ridiculously good. Almost like a freaking angel, if you ask me. Even though he called it quits but I can bet my life that he wouldn't get close to any girl. He loves you, Savannah. He truly does."
"But, I messed it up.. I don't know what went wrong.."
She groans loudly. "Mis-un-der-stand-ing. That's what went wrong. Now stop whining and get your head in the game. Do you even know what to say to him?"
Her question makes me realize that I actually have no clue as to what I'm gonna say. Obviously, the truth has to be explained but what guarantee is there that he'll listen to my blabbering on call? I suddenly feel very nervous and scared.
"I don't know.." I mumble. "I don't know."
Hazel notices the panicked expression my face. "Okay, look.. The first thing you have to say in order to make him listen to you is that you need just one more chance to explain yourself. Don't start off with blurting I love you, like you always do," she rolls her eyes, "but start off subtly and when you're done unwinding, then tell him that you love him."
I take a deep breath, mentally absorbing and digesting everything and bringing it all into perspective. Maybe, just maybe he'll listen to me without hanging up. This impatience inside of me keeps increasing by the second and all I want to do is hear his voice; his heavy and husky voice which has the ability to calm me down. God, I can't wait for night to come already.
So much for praying for night to come. His phone is switched off. After trying to call him for the hundredth time and wishing that the jackass switches on his phone, I cry my heart out and go to sleep.
The next day, I wake up early and get on with the task of calling him. But, what do you know? It's off again. A dreading sensation overtakes me as I realize that he may or may not have switched it off on purpose so that I don't call and disturb him. Really, Harry? I think to myself. Are you seriously so mad at me that you won't even talk to me? Are you really not gonna ever talk to me again?
Hazel comes in my room and sits on the edge of the bed. "Any luck?" She asks softly.
I wipe my tears. "No.. His phone is still switched off."
She doesn't say anything, just sits quietly. I don't think there is anything she can say to make me feel better. I feel like I'm in some sort of emotional loop; determined to hopeless to gloomy to numb.
I wake up with a sense of determination to talk to him but every time the automatic response is heard instead of his voice, I get hopeless and my energy starts to drain out. Then come the waves of gloominess as they hit me and I slowly start feeling numb.
Right now, I'm numb to everything.
"Haze?" I croak out. She looks at me and raises her eyebrows in question. I sigh softly and say, "Can you leave me alone for some time? I just wanna be on my own."
A sympathetic look flickers across her features as she nods and quietly goes out, closing the door behind her. I pull my knees up to my chest and tightly wrap my arms around them. Tears fall silently as I let myself feel numbly heartbroken.
I wake up due to loud banging on my door. "What?!" I groan, burying my face in the pillow.
"Savannah!" Hazel gasps. "You have got to see this."
The panic interlaced with shock in her voice is enough to make my heart rate accelerate. It's enough to make me feel certain that something bad has happened. I cautiously step out into the living room and the first thing I see is Harry's face on the TV.
For a moment, I feel an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness just looking at him. Even though it's only been three days since I last saw him but it seems like three years have past. It is not until I glance at the caption flashing below that I feel my stomach twisting into knots.
The end of Havannah?
I stay rooted in my position as a strikingly attractive girl appears and speaks, "Harry Styles is currently in Boston for his photoshoot while his girlfriend, Savannah Smith, has been spotted back in Torrance. Now this may not seem that much of an issue but a spokesperson of Harry has said that there is some sort of distress going on between the two. Whaaat?!"
A video footage starts playing in which Harry is seen leaving the hotel and escorted by security into the car, all the while a stern and tired expression is etched on his face.
"The stunning couple started dating six months ago and have been going strong ever since. It's like they're enveloped in a bubble of happiness and love because they're always smiling and affectionate towards each other and the people around them. While we haven't seen Savannah in these three days, people have taken note of how tired and sad Harry has been ever since he came to Boston. It might be due to the fact that he's so far away from the love of his life, or it also might be due to the circulating rumours and how true they are. What do you think, guys? Are these two still as close as ever or is the Havannah ship sinking already? Give us your feedback on You-"
The screen goes blank as Hazel switches off the TV. An eery silence engulfs the room and the only audible sound is the ticking of the clock, reminding me that the whole world is moving on while I'm stuck in one place.
I breathe slowly and softly, unable to move myself. The worst part is that I knew this would happen. It was obvious that these rumours would spread. There's only so much he could've done to make it seem like everything is fine, but he can't always fool the world.
We've fooled the world for far too long. Finally, finally, everyone will blame the girl and not him.
"Savannah?" Hazel snaps her fingers in front of my face and I blink quickly a couple of times, coming out of the trance I was in. "Call him. Now. It is imperative that you talk to him before things get out of hand or before he himself publishes a statement."
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Not only does my throat feel dry, it's like my vocal cords are disrupted too. Hazel goes to my room and comes out with my phone in her hand. She dials his number and waits.
"Fuck.." She mutters. "It's off." She tries calling again but the response remains the same. "Why the fuck does he needs a phone if he plans on keeping it switched off for eternity?" She grumbles to no one in particular. "I feel like punching him in the face. Idiot."
I quietly sit on the couch, too tired and miserable to do or say anything. Hazel keeps calling him and says the F word probably a million times before finally taking a seat beside me. "Is there anyone else whom you can call? What about his bodyguards?"
"Yes.." I say softly, then loudly. "Yes!" A small seed of hope plants in my heart as this new possibility comes into view. "I have Chad's number. I can call him!"
"What're you waiting for?! Call him already!"
He picks up on the third ring, his voice barely a whisper. "Savannah? What the hell is going on?"
"Thank God you answered!" I squeal with excitement. "I've been trying to reach Harry since yesterday but his phone is switched off. What's going on?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me.. Harry's been acting so aloof and weird. He hasn't been talking properly and I don't think I saw him smile except for the time the photographer asked him to. Did something happen?"
I sigh. "It's a long story.." The background noise coming from the other end of the line disappears. He probably just went to a quiet place. "I've got time. Tell me what happened."
"Harry thinks I made him fall in love with me for a bet."
"You, what?!" He shrieks. "You lied to him?"
"What? No! Jesus Christ, Chad."
"I can't believe you would do such a thing." He mumbles. I rub my forehead and try to calm myself down. "Would you please just listen -"
"No wonder Harry's been so sad. His eyes are always puffy."
"He's been crying?" I ask abruptly, my heart breaking with this new piece of information.
"Well, obviously." Chad huffs. "After what you did to him, what else is he gonna do other than cry?"
"I didn't do anything! Why are you -"
Hazel, who had been listening patiently to my failed attempts of trying to talk to Chad, snatches the phone from my hand and puts it to her ear. "Hello, is this Chad speaking?" She asks sweetly.
"What are you doing?" I quietly ask her. She gestures me to stay silent. "Yeah, I'm Hazel Azalea. Savannah's best friend. I believe we've met before, yes?"
Her voice sounds so pleasant and sugary sweet, it's almost as if she's trying to flirt with him. An image of Hazel and Chad together flashes in my mind and I involuntarily shudder, driving the scary thought away.
"I'm doing fine, yeah. Chad, can you do me a favour?" She pauses for a moment as he answers. "Great. CAN YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO WHAT SAVANNAH HAS TO SAY BEFORE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS AS IF YOU'RE SOME SORT OF LOVE GURU?!" She screams into the phone. Her expression changes from enraged to happy in a split second. "Perfect."
I stare at her, terrified, as she hands me the phone and raises an eyebrow in a perfect arch, smiling smugly. I bring the phone closer to my ear and squeak, "Hello?"
Chad's voice comes as a frightened whisper. "Don't ever let her come close to me, okay?"
Despite the tense situation and everything that's been going on, I let out a small laugh, suddenly feeling very light. "I won't. I promise." A soft sigh escapes my mouth. "Chad, can you somehow make Harry talk to me? Please?"
"He's coming here." He whispers quickly. "I'm giving the phone to him. Good luck, Savannah."
I take a deep breath and wipe my sweaty palms against the fabric of the couch. There's some commotion as the phone gets transferred and the next thing I hear is Harry's voice. "Hello? Who is this?"
My mind goes blank. It really does. All I can think is how much I've missed his voice. "Hello? Chad, who is it? No one's speaking."
Savannah, this is your chance. Don't screw it up. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "H-harry..?" I croak out, cringing at how pathetic I sound.
There's silence for a second as I wait for him to speak. "Why have you called?" He asks sternly. It hurts to hear him talking so harshly to me, but I bury this feeling to the back of my mind. "Harry, please just listen to me once. I'll tell you the truth, just -"
"I don't ever want to hear your voice again." He snarls. "Do not try to contact me because I won't listen to anything you have to say."
He hangs up. I pull the phone away and stare at it incredulously, breathing out small tufts of air through my mouth as I try to make sense of what just happened.
"Well?" Hazel asks. "What happened?"
I look up at her, my vision blurring as tears pool in my eyes. "He doesn't want to hear my voice.." I say, feeling my heart break. "He won't listen -" I'm interrupted by a hiccup and a loud sob escapes my mouth. Hazel pulls me close and lets me cry for as long as I want.
When I'm done, she holds my shoulders and shakes me slightly. "Savannah, listen to me. I know things are going bad and all you want to do right now is go back in time when you and Harry were happy and together."
I gulp and nod. She continues to speak again, "But, we can't stop the tape and rewind, because life does not give us that option. In fact, life doesn't give us any option other than to go along with it as it plays the movie planned for us. But, what we can do is improvise as we go along. And that is exactly what we're gonna do."
"What are you trying to say?" I ask her.
She smiles. "Call Chad again. I have a plan."
Soooo what do you think is gonna happen? Oh, the next chapter is the last one =P
And I apologize for taking so long to publish this chapter. Been extremely busy so didn't get the time to write.
- H <3