"Hello everyone, you've got Josh and Dave here on 106.1 fm, and that was Niall Horan's latest song you just heard. But, now, we turn our attention to our guest today, who is an international superstar originally from over the pond in Cheshire. He's got a new single coming out soon, a single that I'm sure will join all his other's at the top of the charts. Please, say hello to . . . Mr. Harry Styles!"
"Hello," Harry said casually. The two radio DJ's, whom I presumed to be Josh and Dave, chuckled into their microphones. All three of them wore big headphones over their ears and lounged in chairs in front of tables stacked high with technical equipment. I stood off to the side, silently toying with my necklace and trying not to think of all the ways Harry could screw up this interview.
"So, as you heard, that was Niall Horan's new song. Have you heard it before?" One of the radio DJ's asked. He was a big man with beady eyes and a terrible toupee. I was pretty sure that one was Dave.
Harry nodded, then said, "Yeah, it's a great song. He's a neat dude. We, uh, spent some time together after the VMA's."
I closed my eyes. I sincerely hoped they would get off this topic soon because all Harry was going to do was solidify his alcholic, bad-boy image, which was something we really didn't need at the moment.
The other DJ, Josh(who was much skinnier and less-pedophilic than Dave), nodded and smiled. "Oh, nice nice. Are you guys friends?"
Harry shrugged, although I don't know why considering it was a radio interview and the audience couldn't see him. "I guess so. I mean, we have the same manager," he gestured over to me, and I could feel my face bloom red. The two interviewers turned and smiled. "Say hi, Ash!" Harry said, smirking.
I smiled politely and gave a little three-finger wave.
"That's right! I heard that you fired your old manager," Dave responded. "Is this one working out better?"
Harry smiled. "Yeah, she's cool."
I could feel my heartbeat quicken. This was not good. If Jackson ever heard this interview . . .
"What's that face for, Harry? Is there a little . . . somethin'-somethin' going on with you and your manager . . . uh, Ash?" Josh raised an eyebrow, apparently not entirely sure what my name was.
Harry chuckled. "Her name's Ash Winter, and I don't know. She's a bit cold when you first meet her, like her last name suggests," he continued, laughing at his own joke. "But she's cool. She likes the Breakfast Club and orange chicken."
I was frantically gesturing to him to stop. Screw his reputation. This is was going to destroy our lives.
His smile faltered for a moment. "Although, past that, I don't know much about her. I don't know. She doesn't let many people in," he stared off into space for a second, then suddenly cleared his throat and winked at me before turning back to the DJ's.
"Ooh, sounds, er, interesting," Josh responded, glancing at me. I was still doing hand gestures to try to get Harry to stop talking about us, and fortunately, Josh picked up on that and switched the subject. I thanked the Lord that there were at least a few interviewers left in this world that respected privacy more than their ratings. "So, Harry, tell us a bit about this new upcoming single."
The interview continued on for a little longer, surprisngly, with very little bumps. When it was over, I yelled at Harry for his comments, at which he just laughed and rolled his eyes. I probably would've laughed along with him if it hadn't been for the text from an unknown number that I had received right when the interview ended. The number might have been unknown, but as soon as I had read it, I knew exactly who it was.
Alright, Ash. I guess threatening you wasn't enough. I'll just have to go after your boy toy instead. Fine with me. Watch your back, Ashton. Watch his, too.
"Where'd you get that necklace that you always wear?" Harry asked, interrupting me in the middle of my sentence and throwing me off.
I paused for a moment. "What?"
"That necklace you wear every day. Where'd you get it?" he repeated, looking at me intently. It had been a little over a week since that radio interview and Jackson's text, but so far I hadn't seen him since that morning in New York. I had hired extra security for Harry and was constantly keeping an eye out, but so far, nothing. To be honest, his non-appearance worried me more than if he had shown up.
Jackson's plan actually sort of back-fired on him. I had been spending more time with Harry lately because I wanted to make sure he was alright instead of staying away. Talk about irony.
"Oh, um, nowhere. Anyway, so today you've got an interview--" I started, but Harry interrupted me again.
"Did someone buy it for you?"
"Is it really that important?" I asked, my hand instinctively going up to touch the locket dangling around my neck. The bruises had pretty much gone away, only a slight purple-ish coloring left behind, so I didn't need to wear scarves anymore.
Harry smirked, showing off his dimples that I was most definitely not thinking about. "That's a trick question. If I say no, then you have to tell me anyway 'cuz if it's not important, why not tell me? But if I say yes, then you still have to tell me 'cuz if you don't, that means you don't trust me and that's just not okay. So, you're in a pickle!"
I shook my head and ignored him. "You've got an interview at three--"
He interrupted me again. "Was it your boyfriend? Oh wait, you're too cynical to have one."
"Well, aren't you just a charmer?"
"Was it your mom? Or maybe your dad? Cousin? Sibling?" he fired off question after question, walking slightly behind me as we made our way through a studio where he had just finished a photo shoot.
"Drop it, Harry," I warned. I had stopped calling him Mr. Styles since we had talked before that radio interview. I knew that he had noticed, but he hadn't said anything because I think he was afraid that I would go back to calling him that if he brought it up.
"Past boyfriend? Your friend from the VMA's? Niall? Did you just buy it for yourself to make it look like someone bought it for you? Dead grandparents? Alive grandparents?"
"It was my best friend at the time, okay? Jesus," I finally admitted. Harry stopped for a second, looking slightly surprised that I had actually told him something. I took this as an opportunity to direct his attention away from the necklace. "So, your interview is at three and you've gotta get there an hour--"
"Best friend at the time? What happened? Are you not friends anymore?" Harry asked, blatantly ignoring my attempts to tell him his plan for the day. I sighed.
"Seriously, Harry, stop. I don't want to talk about it."
Apparently, he had no regards for privacy. "Was it a falling out? Was it bad? Was it over a boy? Did it get physical? Did you wrestle? Shirtless?"
"God, you're such a boy."
"Did you win? If you aren't friends anymore, why do you still wear the necklace? Does she have a matching one? Did you guys just stop talking? Grow apart?"
I stopped walking abruptly and turned around to face Harry, who was startled that I had stopped. "Okay, Harry, I'm gonna tell you one more time. Shut up, okay? Stop asking me. I don't want to talk about it."
Harry stared at me for a second, silent. I sighed, thankful that he had finally stopped persisting me. I turned back around slowly and started walking again.
"So, they need you there an hour early--"
"Come on, Ash, just tell meeeee," he whined. "Why aren't you friends anymore? Did you leave her for California? Did she marry a guy you didn't like? Did she replace you with someone else? Did you replace her with someone else? Was she an alcoholic? Did she--"
"God, she hung herself two and a half years ago! Any more questions?" I finally blurted out, whipping around. His arrogant smirk suddenly fell and I saw his green eyes widen. His mouth dropped slightly open as he grappled for something to say. A wounded expression softened his face. I sorta glared at him, though I don't know why. He was just curious and I knew it wasn't his fault, but still. He could be so annoying. "No?" I challenged. This was the first time I had ever seen him speechless. "Good, now about that interview," I continued to fill him, turning back around and walking towards the door, . I didn't look over my shoulder, but I could hear his heavy footsteps following behind me after a moment. He didn't interrupt me again.
A/N: So what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments if you're liking the story:) <3