"It's a private event, Harry. No photographers and no one without an invite. You'll be fine, okay?" Evelyn was using her condescending tone with him, and he felt frustrated and tired. He didn't want to be going to her work's holiday party. He wanted to be home, or with a certain spunky blonde.
Harry: I hope you have a wonderful night, doll. xx
She replied less than a minute later, and it brought a smile to his face.
Nora: Wherever you're going, I hope it's equally as wonderful, Harry.
Harry: Are you sure you can't get together tomorrow night?
Her reply wasn't instant, in fact it was almost five minutes later. But it certainly made Harry happy.
Nora: I'll see what I can do! I'd really like to see you before I leave..
"What's Grimmy saying?"
"Huh?" Harry was confused by Evelyn's inquiry.
"I assume you're chatting to Nick?"
"What?"
"You're all smiley. You and that goon of a man are always cheeky with each other."
"I'm...yeah. He's being a snide little prick." Harry lied, and felt obscenely guilty for it.
"I know that you won't want to spend the whole night holed up here...so just say hi to a few of my colleagues, have a drink and then you're free to go, okay?"
"No, it's fine."
"I'm serious. You're just going to be grumpy if you stay."
"Is that what you think?"
"It's what I know, darling."
"You just assume that I don't want to support you, or that I'll be a dick. I won't be. Jesus, Eve."
"Don't fight with me right now." She deadpanned back.
"You started it."
"What are we? Twelve? I simply stated the obvious. "It's been so long since you supported me in something like this. I've learned to expect much less." Harry hated this constant bickering. He hated it.
"Alright then, I suppose that's just the way tonight is going to go."
"I suppose so." She bit. He returned his attention to his phone screen and his thumbs typed rapidly against the glass.
Harry: Please do. xx And if not, I'll be coming to nyc very soon.
They pulled into the underground car park in utter silence. A huge part of Harry wanted to prove his girlfriend wrong. He wanted to stay and stick it out. He wanted to shove it in her face, that he did support her. The other part, however, wanted nothing more than to get in the car and rive. Just drive. "I think we need to have a discussion about our future." He found himself saying. She let out a vicious chortle and shook her head.
"Let's wait until after the night is over, yeah?"
"Sure."
"Let's go."
"I need a minute."
"Are you bloody serious? Jesus, fine. I'm going in, I'll see you inside." She slammed the door and Harry winced.
"FUCK!" He screamed. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He slammed his hands against the steering wheel in a fit of rage, but exhaustion soon took over. He breathed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. He was glad it had grown out more. He looked more like he did back in 2013, and it wasn't terrible. He wasn't sure the short hair quite fit him. Suddenly, fingers tapped on the window and he turned to see a familiar face. He smiled at her and stepped out of the car.
"What the hell is wrong with you, kid?" He hugged his friend. "Oh, wait, don't tell me. You're lovely other half. Trouble in paradise then?"
"It hasn't been paradise for...for a very long time, Daisy."
"Walk in with me?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Course." He locked his Range Rover and they headed inside. "How are you, babe?"
"I'm fucking lovely, Harry. I really am. I'm in a happy relationship...I'm satisfied and my career's on track..."
"I'm glad to hear it. That makes me happy."
"Yeah. It's new for me you know? Either my love life is great or my career is great. Never before has it been both."
"Now it is?"
"Mhm. Even more so, actually. That's why I feel very confident in telling you to let this relationship go. It's not working, love. If it's causing you this much grief now, can you even imagine what the future will be like?"
"I met this girl..." He confessed.
"Have you now?" He smiled just thinking about her.
"I have. She's...she's something else, Dais. I smiled more today than I have in months."
"You were with her today? I hope you wouldn't stoop down low and cheat..."
"No, no, of course not. But we sat and we talked for hours. And when I realized the time, it felt like it had been mere minutes. It was so easy and she's so...she's just wonderful. She's really wonderful."
"Does she fancy you?"
"I hope so...I mean, I think she might. I've been crushing on her for quite a bit now...a few months. But I properly met her the other night."
"So, wait...you knew her before? Who is she?" They walked inside and the party was pretty busy. Harry recognized some people from Evelyn's team and he smiled and waved. Suddenly, Daisy's attention was completely off of him and Harry's mouth dropped open. The fucking odds were unbelievable. "Nora!" His friend called her name, completely oblivious to the irony. Harry frantically glanced around for Evelyn, before his eyes settled back on the incredibly pretty girl who he'd spent most of his day with. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, but she hugged Daisy first.
"Hi, you fucking stunner!" They kissed each other's cheeks and Harry stood by, smiling like a shy little boy. She let go of Daisy and her fierce grin turned to one that mirrored his. She smiled softly...timidly, and he stepped forward.
"Hi, lovely..." They hugged one another tightly. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders and her mouth was near his ear.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Harry thought for a moment. Supporting my girlfriend.
"Supporting...friends. Like, Daisy here." He grinned to hide his discomfort.
"I love this girl." As Nora said this, Daisy, who already had a look of 'oh hey, now I get it' plastered across her face, looped her arm around the blonde's thin waist.
"How do you know each other?" Daisy answered for him.
"We met a couple'a months ago, right lovey?"
"Sounds about right." Nora concurred. "That fucking DKNY shoot, remember the heat?!"
"Oh lord, that was the bloody worst!"
"So, we're shooting in East Village in the fucking dead of summer," Harry smiled as Nora began to delve further into this little tale, "and I'm telling you, Harry...I've never sweat so much in my life, but the directors were like, 'nah, you guys are fine, the sweat makes for a good picture' and I'm like, fuck no. I was born in the heat of the summer in New York City, and I was fucking trained to stay indoors, from June to August."
"Nora was quite literally about to hit someone, I'm sure of it..." Daisy laughed loudly as she pulled her friend's waist tighter.
"I definitely was, yeah. I don't do New York heat. Let alone any East Coast heat..."
"Aside from the Hampton's, of course."
"Right...I can tolerate the Hampton's." Daisy noted the way Harry was practically gawking at the woman in front of him, and she had her answer from only minutes before.
"Nora, babe, will you come grab a drink with me?" She nodded. "We'll be back, Harry." Just as the two girls disappeared into the crowd, Harry felt a tug at his arm.
"Are you over your hissy fit?" Evelyn was smiling, despite the negative words that were leaving her mouth. Her fingers went up to his tie and she began fidgeting with it.
"You're kidding, right?" Harry asked, not bothering to suppress the anger in his whispered tone.
"Do I look like I'm kidding, darling?" He shook his head, finding this whole situation unbelievable. Despite his long day spent with Nora, he still didn't technically know the girl, I mean, they'd really only met twenty-four hours ago, but he knew that he wanted to be free and able to see her as much as he wanted. He wanted to laugh with her and talk with her without worrying where his girlfriend was, and whether she was lurking near by or not. He loved Evelyn once. He really did. He had fallen for her smile and her kindness, but somehow, and without Harry ever really noticing, she became hard. Cold and hard, and her emotions were suddenly gone. She worked until she could barely move and then she complained about how tired she was from her excruciating day. She used to look at Harry like he was her world, but now...now it was a chore to smile at him. Their relationship had been fairly private for the whole three years, but people were aware of her spot in his life. The media knew that Harry had somewhat of a significant other.
"I'm leaving, I can't do this right now." He removed her hands from his jacket, handing her the keys and then he began to back away.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"Away from here." He clipped, coldly. He pushed himself through the people and phoned one of his drivers. He wouldn't take the car, although it was his. He was still a gentleman. He wasn't aware of Nora's eyes on him as he stormed out, but she followed him out to the car park.
"Hey..." She called after him. He turned around and smiled at her.
"Hi.."
"Leaving so soon?" Disappointment was laced in her tone, but she forced a smile.
"Erm...I'm not feeling well." He lied. "I just have to leave." She nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable now.
"Feel better then..."
"Nora!" He called to her as she began to back away. She stopped and turned back around. Her beautiful brown eyes boring into his. "Come with me. Let's just...let's just get out of here." She looked torn. "We can go anywhere."
"I - I can't, Harry. I just got here, and I signed with them the other day...I have to stay and mingle, at least for now." He nodded, understanding, but feeling a pit in his stomach.
"Right, of course." He shrugged. "Have a good night, Nora." She walked back to him now and her mouth hit the corner of his. His lips tingled upon her touch and he wanted to move just a little to his right, but he knew it was wrong. He wasn't like most of the philandering men that he knew. He still respected Evelyn, even if their relationship was nearing it's end. He wouldn't hurt her like that, and lastly, he'd rather die than put Nora in that god awful position.
"Goodnight, Harry." This was the second time she'd said goodnight to him today, but for some reason, it hurt a little bit more. He watched her little heart-shaped bum sway as she walked away from him, and he knew that he was in trouble. A wondrous amount of trouble.