When Elena had landed in London, she'd scheduled the press conference to announce her team choice for soon after. However, both her agent, Liv, and her parents thought it would be better if she pushed it back. Elena didn't see the point being that she'd made her choice, but Liv pointed out that making her choice so soon might make it look like she was impulsive.
And Elena was nothing if not sensible. Especially when it came to her career.
So she moved it, not realizing how her life would have imploded in the interim.
Harry walked into the bathroom, a pair of black slacks unbuttoned and hung low on his hips. He set down a coffee mug on the counter before pressing a soft kiss to Elena's bare shoulder,
"You alright?" He asked as his arms wound around her middle.
She had yet to put her clothes on, simply standing in her bra and underwear while she straightened her hair,
"Yeah. Just...biggest decision of my career but...who's counting?" She answered, her voice shaking just slightly.
Harry smiled, squeezing her into him just a bit,
"You're making the right decision."
Elena met his gaze in the mirror,
"Am I?"
Harry nodded, lifting his chin off her shoulder. He raised his hand to caress down her hair,
"Never known you to do things off the cuff. You've always weighed every decision carefully. That's why I have such faith in you."
Elena felt her heart slam inside of her chest. Harry released her, turning to walk into the closet.
"Y-you..." She stumbled, "You think I always make the right decision?"
"Yeah." Harry answered. He emerged from the closet, pulling on a black button down shirt, "I mean...you decided on me didn't you?"
Elena couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Harry to ease her back into reality. She went back to straightening her hair,
"Then maybe I'm due for a real screw up."
Harry shook his head while he buttoned his shirt,
"Nah. I think you have a winning streak going." He leaned over to pop a kiss to her mouth, "Want some toast?"
Elena shook her head,
"No. I'm way too nervous."
Harry shot her a look, popped another kiss to her mouth, ran a hand through his hair and shook his head,
"Nothing to be nervous about if you ask me..." He turned to walk out of the bathroom, "I'm gonna go eat a quick breakfast. You'll be ready by then?"
Elena nodded,
"Just gonna put on some makeup and my clothes and I'm good."
Harry frowned as he turned to walk away,
"Don't need any of that crap either." He yelled as he walked down the hallway.
Once again, Elena couldn't help but smile.
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Harry could feel Elena's anxiety growing as they got closer to the hotel where she was holding her press conference. He frowned each time her phone buzzed or rang, knowing it was Liv or her parents or her brother or someone else trying to pressure her into something. He knew she was getting more and more tense and none of this was helping.
Elena gave a tight smile to the doorman who opened her door for her, barely even giving a sideways glance to Harry as she turned to walk into the hotel. The moment she walked into the room about 15 people mobbed her. Harry watched as she was plopped down in a chair while one of them immediately went to work on her hair.
He shook his head as he walked over to Liv who was currently engulfed in whatever was happening on her phone,
"All this necessary?" He grumbled.
"Yes." Liv answered without hesitation. She looked up at him, "All what necessary?"
Harry waved his hand towards the mob of people around Elena,
"She did her hair and makeup before we left. She looks fine."
Liv took a bite of her scone,
"Just getting her ready for a bit of TV, Darling." She patted his shoulder, "Let the professionals handle it."
Harry blinked at her,
"You're talking to me like I haven't been a part of the entertainment industry for the last decade."
Liv sighed as she set her scone down on a nearby napkin. She then looked back at Harry,
"Look, Love. This is what she pays me to do. This press conference is being watched the world over with half of that population in this country alone. Where Elena Bennett chooses to play is a big deal."
Harry nodded,
"I know it is."
"Then let me do my job."
Harry sighed as she walked away. He turned back towards Elena, watching as she fake smiled her way through all the people around her cooing as if she was their Queen. He walked towards her slowly, leaning his mouth down to her ear,
"You alright?" He asked.
Elena felt her anger start to ramp up. She knew Harry was just being attentive, but she was so sick of being fawned all over. She glared at him through the mirror,
"I'm fine." She said firmly.
Harry caught her eyes in the mirror. He wasn't sure why her anger was being directed at him but there was no mistaking her glare. He cleared his throat, glancing at the people around him to see if they'd heard. It was clear all of them were trying to make it seem like they hadn't.
He stood up, turned towards the door and walked out.
Elena felt terrible the moment she watched Harry's back as he walked out of the room. She was slowly cracking under the weight of her secret. All of her anxiety was well deserved for all the lying she'd done lately.
When he walked back into the room he leaned down to kiss the top of her head,
"The room is full of people waiting for you."
Elena let out a frustrated sigh. Her nerves were out of control. Her stomach was tight. She felt like she might vomit at any moment. Morning sickness hadn't gotten her, but this sure as hell was. Was she even in her body? She wasn't even sure anymore.
When Harry's hands slid up onto her shoulders and squeezed she shrugged away from him,
"Stop..." She said, her voice low as she stood up and turned away from him, "Geez."
Harry's confusion was palpable. He watched while she folded into herself. He knew she was nervous, but this was much more than nerves. She lifted her hand to her forehead as her eyes closed. Her shoulders slumped into a deep sigh.
She shook her head,
"I just...I can't deal with you hovering right now."
Harry awkwardly slid his hands into his pockets,
"I'm sorry...I just-" He stopped abruptly, "I thought I was being supportive."
Elena turned, her eyes sheepishly meeting his before she looked down,
"Everyone is pulling at me today. I don't need you telling me how many people outside are waiting for me. I don't need you trying to make me feel better. I know this is huge. Alright?"
Harry watched as a few people left the room, leaving them alone. He reached over to close the door. Elena had turned her back on him again.
Harry took a deep breath,
"Are you alright?"
Elena sighed, her head shaking as she turned to look at him,
"I'm fine. Stop asking me that."
Harry's eyebrows raised while he watched her latch a watch around her wrist,
"Then why are you snapping at me?"
Elena let her phone drop to the couch,
"I am about to make a decision that could make or break my career. Excuse me for being a little on edge." When Elena saw the hurt cross over Harry's features she felt like shit. But she couldn't stop herself. She closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh before she opened them again, "I can't..." She held her hands out, "I can't deal with you along with all of this right now. Ok?"
Harry stared back at her. With each passing moment Elena saw more pain register in his eyes. He gave a slight nod of his head,
"I'm uh...I'm sorry for making things worse." He reached down to open the door, gesturing out towards the ballroom where her conference was, "I'll just wait for you out there." He gave her one more glance, "Good luck." He said softly before opening the door.
He was gone seconds later. Gone as if he'd never been there, leaving Elena alone and wrapped up in her anxiety.
-----------------------
Harry walked down the hallway towards the ballroom, his hands balled up into fists inside of his pockets. He had to get a grasp on his emotions. He couldn't risk someone seeing how torn up he was and deciding to take the spotlight away from Elena's big moment. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Harry was an actor...and so he would act his way through it.
He pulled the door of the ballroom open and was immediately hit in the face with the loud hum of a huge crowd of people. Thankfully none of them seemed to notice a superstar was in their midst. He snuck off to the corner, taking his stance next to Andrea.
She glanced over at him, a smile spreading over her face,
"You look nervous."
Harry raised his eyebrows,
"Do I?"
She nodded,
"She's already made her choice...this is a formality. Don't look so scared."
"I'm not scared." Harry sighed as he leaned on his hands behind him, "Just don't want anyone to focus on me instead of her."
Andrea glanced around the room. Though it was full of media folk no one seemed to care a bit that Harry Styles was in the room. She looked back at Harry,
"I think you're safe."
Harry looked over at her,
"So...why are you here anyway? Didn't you have practice today?"
Andrea nodded,
"Figured she could use some support. European soccer is much different than American. Y'all are a little intense about your teams."
Harry nodded, it was nice to know at least someone could support Elena when she needed it. He always thought he would be able to help Elena through anything but this was out of his league.
Andrea knocked into his shoulder,
"Don't look so dejected."
Harry looked down at his feet, a gentle shrug lifting his shoulders,
"Just...sometimes feel like I'm out of my league with her."
Andrea snorted out a laugh,
"Out of your league? With Elena? How on earth do you figure that?"
Harry took a deep breath as he looked back up and out across the sea of people in front of them,
"She deals with anxieties and stresses I don't have any idea about. I'm a popstar who acts sometimes. What business do I have trying to help an athlete through something like this? She works her ass off to keep her body and mind in shape to be able to play a game of immense skill. I..." Harry let his sentence trail off for a moment, "I...sing songs."
Andrea studied him closely. Had Elena told him of her pregnancy? She didn't think so considering Harry's demeanor probably would have been entirely different. Somehow she always expected Harry would've been walking on air if he knew Elena was pregnant,
"I think she needs you more than anyone in this room...honestly." When Harry focused on her she continued, "And you don't just sing songs..." Andrea pointed out, "But nice try." She giggled when he smiled and looked down, "Elena loves you Harry." Her smile faded slowly when his eyes met hers, "Remember that..."
Harry stared back at her. It sure seemed like there was more to that than just the words. But he nodded in recognition.
-----------------------
Elena took a few deep breaths. She could hear the crowd behind the door. Any other day she would've been locked and loaded for this announcement. But after finding out she was pregnant it was all she could think about. And now with having argued with Harry she was so agitated she felt like she might burst out of her skin.
Liv came walking towards Elena, her stilettos tapping on the marble floors getting louder as she approached. She put her hand on Elena's back,
"Are you ready?" Elena's face must have read pure fear. Liv's eyes widened, "Are you alright?"
Elena quickly relaxed her eyes and face. She nodded,
"I-I'm ok."
Liv relaxed a bit,
"You look a little...scared."
Elena shook her head,
"Just a lot of people out there."
Liv smiled proudly,
"You're welcome. I'd say I called in some favors...but I didn't need to. These people were clamoring for passes into this thing. We were actually denying some once the room was full." Elena's eyebrows quirked.
Liv glanced at her watch,
"We're on kid." She turned, walking out the door first.
Elena squinted when the flashbulbs went off as she made her way through the door behind Liv. The moment she was in sight people started shouting questions at her. Liv immediately sat down, her body leaning towards the microphone,
"Alright...settle down all of you. We'll get your questions answered."
She glanced over at Elena as Elena took her seat. Elena nodded at Liv. Liv looked back at the room,
"Alright...we'll let Elena make her announcement and then we'll take questions."
Elena looked down at the prepared statement she'd worked on with Liv. It was perfectly typed out on a white index card sitting in front of her. And after weeks of getting the wording just right, it felt incredibly stilted and impersonal.
Elena looked up into the face of hundreds of cameras. She took a breath,
"Chelsea." She said with such confidence that Harry raised his eyebrows. Elena nodded, "I'm going to play for Chelsea." The room was silent, most likely waiting for her to say something else. Elena leaned forward, "It took me months to make this decision. I was scared of disappointing my friends and my family..." Her eyes met Harry's suddenly, causing his heart to hammer in his chest, "People who love me..." She focused back on the cameras, "But I'm doing this for me. I've dreamed of playing for the best team in the world my whole life. I believe that team is Chelsea. I hope I can fit in and learn things from players I have dreamt of playing with my whole life. I chose Chelsea because I believe they will make me a better player. And I can't wait to get back out on that field."
Liv smiled as she turned back to her microphone,
"And we're now open for questions."
Harry smiled proudly from the back of the room. Despite their earlier argument, he couldn't help but be immensely proud of his love at that moment.
The press conference had ended. Harry stood in the corner silently waiting for her to finish up with the coach and president of the club. Everyone seemed to be so happy, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of that even though he was worried about their earlier confrontation.
Elena hugged Liv,
"Thanks."
Liv nodded,
"Go take a week with your boy and don't think about any of this. Get refreshed and then come back and kick ass..."
Elena nodded,
"Yeah."
Liv left then. Elena approached Harry silently. He gestured out the door, his hand landing on the small of her back as they walked out to his car.
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The car ride home was quiet. The only sound was the radio. Elena kept her hands lightly rested on her thighs as Harry drove.
She wasn't sure what to do or what to say. Should she apologize? It seemed necessary even if she couldn't find the words right now.
Elena walked into the house while Harry grabbed the trash bins outside to bring back into the garage. She was back in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before he made it into the house. When Elena walked out of the bathroom, he walked into the bedroom.
Both of them stopped as their eyes met. Harry tried not to frown but his mouth turned down anyway as he tossed his keys and the contents of his pockets out onto the dresser haphazardly. He looked back up at Elena when he was done, his body leaning against the wall behind him.
Elena wasn't sure why but her defenses shot up out of nowhere. Her shoulders slumped,
"What?"
Harry shook his head,
"I didn't say anything."
She shook her head as she sat down to put a pair of socks on,
"You didn't have to." The room fell silent again, but Harry didn't move. Elena suddenly shot up off the bed, "What? Say what you have to say! Stop staring at me like that."
"Len..." He started. He closed his mouth, "I don't know what to say."
She threw her arms out,
"You're making me feel like the bad guy. I'm not the bad guy." She shot back.
Harry took a few steps towards her,
"I don't think you're the bad guy. Look, I just want you to talk to me."
"Talk to you about what?" She asked, her voice shaking with a sudden attack of tears, "I'm fine."
Harry's hands dropped to his sides,
"Are you?" His eyes pleaded with her, "Len, I know something is up. I know you're stressed and you're full of tension...if you think I can't feel that..." He stopped, his head shaking.
"What?" Elena asked, "If you think I can't feel that what?"
Harry stared back at her for a moment before answering,
"Then you and I have bigger problems." He answered.
Elena was speechless. Her entire body was screaming at her to tell him. He looked so worried and upset. Elena could set his mind at ease.
She shook her head,
"There's nothing up. Look, I just moved here and the press conference was a lot...and..." Elena searched for something else. Anything that would make him back off, "It's just a lot alright? And it doesn't help when you look at me with these expectations."
"Expectations? Len, I just want you to talk to me. We've always been able to talk to each other about anything."
"There's nothing to talk about." She protested.
Harry watched her for a moment,
"I know you're keeping something from me." He finally said, "I can see it in your eyes...feel it in your touch. Len...whatever it is you can tell me."
Elena stared back at him. She wanted to tell him. But her mouth just wouldn't allow it. She finally shook her head,
"Harry, I'm not keeping anything from you."
Harry sighed. It was clear this conversation wasn't going to get them anywhere for the night. He sighed,
"Alright, Len." He said softly as he walked past her into the bathroom.
Elena let a few tears fall down her cheeks after he closed the door.
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Harry lifted his hand to knock on Anne's door. He glanced around her rental property, shaking his head when he realized she'd planted new flowers and pruned a couple bushes. He jumped slightly when he heard her voice from the front window,
"Why are you knocking? Come in, My Love!"
Harry opened the front door, frowning as he stepped inside,
"Mum, this is London...might wanna lock the door."
She waved her hand,
"The people here are lovely." She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen, "C'mon...I have tea in the backyard."
Harry pointed out towards the front of the house,
"Did you do yard work?"
She nodded as she poured two glasses and set them on the patio table,
"Just a few things...it needed some color."
Harry took a seat,
"I don't think they require you to do yard work when you rent."
She shrugged as she sat next to him,
"No bother. I like doing that kind of stuff." She focused on Harry, a smile spreading over her cheeks, "So...what brings you over today?"
Harry finished his sip of tea. He leaned forward to put his glass back on the table and then focused on his mother,
"Am I...can I be..." When he saw his mother's questioning expression he sighed as his shoulders slumped, "I don't know what's happening."
"With what?"
"Elena."
Anne's face instantly changed to one of concern,
"What's going on? Is she alright?"
Harry nodded,
"She's fine I mean...health wise. But I just...ever since she got here she's been on edge. It's just like we aren't on the same page anymore."
"Well maybe it was the press conference. She's been under a lot of stress picking a team and all that."
Harry shook his head,
"That's just it...her press conference was two days ago. She bit my head off that day. It was like she didn't even want me to be there. Like I was...making her stress worse."
Anne hated seeing her son so upset but she also knew he was probably being slightly dramatic,
"Honey, she's been under a lot of stress. Give her a couple days. Aren't the two of you supposed to go off on holiday this weekend?"
Harry nodded,
"I don't even know if she wants to do that anymore. She and I haven't exactly had a conversation in the last 48 hours."
Anne reached across the table to grasp Harry's hand,
"I think she just needs to decompress. Get her away from all of this and I'm sure things will improve for her. She did make a big move."
Harry frowned,
"Everyone keeps telling me that...it makes me feel like I'm being overbearing."
Anne tried not to laugh, only letting a slight giggle escape her lips,
"Well...you do like to make sure everyone around you is happy all the time."
Harry let out a frustrated sigh,
"She wanted to move here right? I didn't..." He let his sentence trail off, "I didn't force her into it...did I?"
Anne's smile instantly faded,
"No. Oh my God Harry she was ecstatic to move here. She wanted to be with you. She and I spoke on the phone at least once a day the two weeks before she got here. She couldn't wait to get here. Your life together was all she cared about."
Harry ran a hand through his hair,
"That's what I thought..."
Anne squeezed his hand,
"Look, just wait until this weekend. The two of you will have time to focus on each other and then you'll work all of this out. Elena loves you."
Harry nodded. He knew Anne was right. Elena wanted to be here. It had been her idea. She was excited about experiencing the soccer world in another country.
Harry reached for the tea. He was being ridiculous. Elena was just adjusting. They were fine.