"CUT!!!" The director yelled so loudly that Elena jumped. She quickly realized it was her fault for the interruption as she closed her eyes.
"Daniel, I'm sorry." She apologized.
Daniel Norris, the director for this little straight to video movie, jumped off of the rig. He approached her slowly, a rolled up copy of the script clutched in his fist,
"Everything ok Elena?"
Elena's eyes opened as she glanced around at the crew members. None of them seemed to care that she was screwing up as they reset the scene. Still, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the fact that had it not been for her, everyone probably would've been sent home hours ago.
She nodded,
"Yeah. I-I'm ok."
"You seem distracted." He said softly.
Elena was grateful, he was at least trying to keep her failings between the two of them. She cleared her throat,
"I'm just...dealing with...some things..."
Daniel glanced around them, resting his hand on her shoulder gently as he pulled her to the side,
"Look, I saw the pictures too. Are you sure everything's alright?"
Elena wanted to explode with everything that had happened the last few days but she held it in,
"I am. I just...can I get five minutes?"
Daniel nodded,
"Sure." He looked up at the crew milling around them, "Hour break so we can reset and regroup people."
Elena's feet felt heavy as she trudged back to her trailer. She felt so weighed down, like she was drowning and her limbs were dead weight pulling her to the bottom. Was there a single person in her life she hadn't let down?
She pulled the door open and closed it behind her. Her body slumped into the couch like a sack of potatoes as she buried her face in the pillow.
------------------
Harry's face registered a smile. Probably the first time he'd genuinely smiled since Elena left. Randy's text message was long and rambling, but he'd grown accustomed to it. She was funny and sweet and supremely freaked out that Harry Styles was texting her on a daily basis, but she was entertaining and she kept his mind of the dumpster fire that was his current life.
He felt Jeff's hands on his shoulders,
"You ready, Buddy?"
Today was kind of big. Harry's first interview about his upcoming movie and what was in store for his next CD. He hadn't really put himself out in the public eye since his last tour ended, opting instead to enjoy his time with Elena. His first few writing sessions had turned out little that was viable so he decided to do another movie instead. And now that the pictures of Elena at an abortion clinic had come out he was sure to be asked. The terms of the interview had been set months ago, when he was happy. So he had agreed to a "no holds barred" interview. This was sure to be brutal.
Harry pushed his phone into his back pocket,
"Yeah. I'm ready." He answered as he turned to look at his friend.
Jeff glanced behind them nervously as he watched the interviewer get situated. He turned back to Harry,
"They're gonna ask you about Elena."
"I know."
"About the pictures."
"I know."
"They're gonna wanna know if you're-"
"Jeff!" Harry yelled. He quickly calmed himself when a few people looked up, "I know."
Jeff chewed on his lip. He couldn't help it. Jeff had always liked Elena. She was funny and sweet and she had the best of intentions when it came to Harry who was like Jeff's brother. She may not have been perfect but as far as Jeff was concerned she as the best option. And although he would never say it, Elena was unproblematic when it came to Harry. She had her own career and her own life and she wasn't regarded as a gold digger, which made Jeff's job all that much easier.
Well. She used to be unproblematic.
Jeff was worried about Harry. Since he and Elena had fallen out his friend had changed. Harry's cool, easiness was all but gone and he had such a short fuse it was sometimes hard to know what might piss him off. The happy go luckiness of Harry Styles was completely gone.
Harry walked towards the interviewer, holding his hand out for a handshake. Jeff let out a deep sigh. It was going to be a long day.
Harry took a seat on the other side of the table. He reached forward to grab the water bottle on the table just as his interviewer offered him her hand,
"I'm Claire."
Harry smiled,
"Hello, Claire."
She sat down with a pad of paper and then pulled out a recording device. She held it up as she looked up at him,
"Do you mind?"
Harry shook his head,
"Not at all. You record and take notes?" Harry asked as she hit record.
Claire nodded,
"Yeah. The notes are so I remember when I listen back what I wanted to emphasize." She took a deep breath while she smoothed down some of the auburn wisps that had escaped her tight bun, "Alright. Ready?"
Harry smiled. She seemed nervous. Harry was always better prepared for an interview when the interviewer was nervous,
"Yes."
Claire situated herself in her seat and as if on cue, her nervousness disappeared and she became a serious journalist.
------------------
Elena was so tired she could barely keep her head up. But she powered through the rest of the shoot and even managed to impress Daniel with some of her scenes. It felt good to feel useful again even if everything in her body was screaming at her how useless she was.
She was warming up some soup on the stove when Andrea came home. Her face lit up when she saw Elena,
"Hey Ben, how was your day?"
Elena shrugged,
"Ok, I guess."
Andrea's smile faded as she closed her front door,
"You guess? How was the shoot?"
Elena aimlessly stirred her soup, her thoughts getting lost in the swirls,
"Fine, I guess."
Andrea sighed. Elena had been depressed and stoic since the argument with Harry. Andrea had never seen her so upset, not even when the thought of soccer being taken away from her had almost become a reality.
Andrea was used to the Elena who was so driven she bulldozed anyone and anything in front of her. She pulled herself onto one of the stools,
"Ben..." Elena didn't even hear her, continuing to stir her soup. Andrea sighed, "Ben?"
Elena reacted then, but continued staring at her soup,
"Yeah?"
"Have you thought about what you're gonna do?"
Elena turned her head slowly, finally focusing on Andrea as if she'd seen her for the first time,
"What I'm gonna do?"
Andrea nodded,
"About Harry. About the baby. About..." Andrea stopped, "Your life."
Elena blinked,
"It's all I think about." She answered, "He won't talk to me."
"It's been a couple weeks. He has to have cooled down a little. He'll listen to you."
"You didn't see how angry he was."
"You're right, but he's had some time to process."
Elena shook her head,
"He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you." Andrea stood up. She rounded the wall into the kitchen and leaned against the dishwasher, "Don't you even want him back?"
"Of course I want him back!" Elena exclaimed, "He's all I've ever wanted."
"That's not true." Andrea corrected, "You've wanted soccer and a family of your own and a way to make the world a better place. Don't let your other hopes and dreams get wrapped up in him just because he's the catalyst for how you feel right now."
Elena let out a frustrated sigh,
"You don't understand."
"What?" Andrea asked, "What don't I understand?"
"What this is like for me. He wouldn't listen."
"So? When has that ever stopped you before?"
Elena switched off the burner,
"You're acting like this is easy."
"No." Andrea corrected as she leaned forward to put her hand on Elena's shoulder, "I'm acting like Elena Bennett is the most driven, ambitious person I've ever known. She doesn't take no for an answer. And she doesn't wallow in her own misery. She makes shit happen."
------------------
Harry was relieved. So far Claire had been rather innocent with her questions. She was interested and fun and contributed to the conversation more than other interviewers did. It almost felt like they were just two friends having a discussion rather than this being something a story would be written about later.
But he couldn't help but watch the clock above her head. 20 minutes and he was home free. Claire glanced down at her pad. She pursed her lips, made a weird clicking noise with her tongue and then she looked back up,
"So...a few weeks ago, some pictures came out,"
Before she'd even finished the sentence, Harry's smile was gone. He felt his entire body stiffen. Claire had to have noticed, being that he sentence stopped. But she pushed through it,
"Of your girlfriend Elena Bennett coming out of an abortion clinic."
"Yes." Harry answered robotically.
Claire blinked. Up until that point Harry had offered up more than just yes or no answers to things. She cleared her throat,
"They came out rather close to the moment the two of you had happily announced she was pregnant."
This time there was no yes. Harry simply nodded.
Claire took another breath,
"Care to explain that?"
Harry couldn't help but glare at her across the table. He shook his head,
"No."
Claire nodded. She looked down at her pad of paper. Harry could tell she wasn't deterred in the least. She looked right back up at him,
"Are you still together?"
Harry shifted in his chair but didn't answer. Claire shrugged,
"Word on the street is she's moved out and the two of you are over."
Jeff swayed back and forth on his feet as he watched what had to be the most awkward exchange he'd ever seen.
Claire smiled,
"Look Harry, I get that discussing these things can be uncomfortable but people wanna know about your life. They're fascinated with the two of you. You have to know that."
Harry stared back at her. His blood was boiling,
"Well Claire..." He said as he leaned forward, "Maybe people should spend a little more time paying attention to their own lives."
Jeff ran his hand over his face as Harry walked out of the room. Claire watched him go, before sitting back against her chair and scribbling some notes.
------------------
Randy stepped out of her old beat up Volkswagen after about ten minutes of psyching herself up to even open the door. Her decision not to treat Harry any differently was easier said than done, especially while fielding text messages asking her to come to his house for dinner while trying to help out irritated customers at her retail job. Now sitting outside of his multi-million dollar house in a car that was earned her a look or two on the drive up from his neighbors, she knew she was out of her league.
But something inside of her told her Harry needed a friend. And for whatever reason he'd chosen that to be her for the moment. And while she felt grossly unprepared for the job, she wasn't about to say no when someone was so clearly in need.
So she took a deep breath and made her way up the front steps, surveying the stark white exterior and black shutters as she walked. Harry's house was pristine down to the lawn that Randy was sure someone used scissors to cut. The paint was immaculate, the landscaping so well kept it looked like it was drawn and the windows sparkling clean.
She shook her head, set her shoulders and reached forward to push the doorbell.
The door opened a few seconds later, but it wasn't Harry on the other side. Randy felt her stomach land with a thud into her feet. She tried desperately not to let her eyes pop out of her head as a very sweaty Niall Horan answered the door. He held a bowl in his hand, his mouth crunching as he chewed on whatever cereal he'd just spooned into it. He looked unimpressed,
"Can I help you?" He asked, his mouth full.
Randy's mouth opened but nothing came out. She licked her lips, cleared her throat and tried again,
"Um. Hi."
Niall looked her up and down. He swallowed, nodded once and opened his mouth to answer,
"Hi."
"I'm Randy."
"Ok."
Randy quickly understood that Niall wasn't a person who volunteered much information. Probably from years of being trapped into questions by over zealous interviewers looking for a story. He was also highly unimpressed with just about...everything.
She took another breath,
"Harry asked me to come over."
Niall raised his eyebrows,
"He did, did he?" The amusement dripping from every word made it clear he'd heard people try that one before.
Randy racked her brain to think of something to say. She opened her mouth to answer when she heard Harry's voice,
"Hey!" He said as he appeared behind Niall. He opened the door more, "Come on in. Sorry, I was on a call."
Niall glanced between her and Harry a few times before he stepped out of the way and made a grand sweeping gesture with his arm for her to come in. Randy swallowed hard as she passed them both. In all of her life she never expected she would be entering Harry Styles' house while flanked between two members of One Direction.
Harry led her to the kitchen while Niall closed the door,
"I'm glad you got here alright. Were my directions clear?"
Randy glanced behind her to see Niall curiously watching them before he followed them into the kitchen. She looked back at Harry,
"Um. Yeah. I'm fine- I mean...it was fine."
Harry quickly opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Randy. She was keenly aware of Niall entering the kitchen behind them and taking a seat on a stool. Harry shot him a look before he turned his attention back to Randy,
"I got some steaks at the butcher today. Thought we could fire up the grill and have some dinner."
Randy was speechless for a moment. And she could not get past the thought of Niall behind her.
"Great. Love steak." Niall said behind her, "I'll go get changed."
Harry shot him a dirty look,
"I only bought two."
Randy lifted her finger,
"I don't eat red meat."
Niall clapped his hand on Harry's back with a smile,
"Great. Looks like she'll have chicken. Be back in five."
Harry sighed as Niall turned and ran out of the kitchen,
"Excuse my...bandmate."
"Bandmate? Not friend?"
"He's on thin ice at the moment." Harry answered.
------------------
Elena didn't want to admit it, but Andrea was right. She was tired of being upset and scared all the time. She had made a mistake. She had apologized for it. Harry was being unreasonable about it and she needed to make him see her side of things. He had a right to be hurt, but he still needed to listen.
Practice that morning had been an exercise in futility. She couldn't concentrate or get her feet to work right and there was no way in the world she was going to get through any foot drills. So she spent a couple hours in the gym, hoping to work out some of her anxiety on the weights.
It worked.
By the time she was done, she had figured out what to do and what to say.
Andrea looked up from her couch when Elena came into her apartment. Elena closed the door, turned around and plopped on the couch right next to Andrea,
"You were right." She said after a moment of silence.
Andrea closed her book,
"I was right about what?"
"Harry...and me. But mostly me."
"Ok. What does that mean?"
Elena exhaled sharply,
"I'm gonna go over there. And I'm not gonna leave until he listens to me."
Andrea stuck out her bottom lip as she processed,
"Good plan. As long as he doesn't call the cops." When Elena swatted at her, Andrea dodged and laughed, "Sorry."
Elena leaned back into the couch,
"I've never let anyone or anything I really wanted just walk away. And I'm not about to start now. He has a right to be angry...but if he'd just listen to me I think we could work through it." Elena looked down at her yet-to-be-formed tummy. She spread her palm out over her stomach, "We have a really good reason to try." She whispered.
Andrea watched Elena caress her belly and warmth spread through her. Elena, the friend she'd known and loved for years, was back.
She swatted at Elena's shoulder gently,
"Let's go find you something irresistible to wear."
------------------
Randy wasn't sure what was happening, but it seemed like Niall was trying to keep an eye on she and Harry while they ate dinner. Harry was irritated, to put it lightly, but for whatever reason he refused to tell Niall to take a flying leap. The whole scenario lead dinner into awkward, albeit kind of hilarious, territory.
Harry and Niall had been lobbing sarcastic comments at each other all night. Randy found it hard not to laugh.
Niall sat back after grabbing his beer bottle,
"If the singing thing doesn't work out, you could definitely be a chef, Mate." He said as he tipped a bottle at his friend.
Harry swallowed his own sip of beer,
"A compliment?" He said sarcastically, "Will wonders never cease."
Niall shrugged,
"Was bound to happen sooner or later."
Randy nodded in agreement,
"It was really good, Harry. Thank you so much. I haven't eaten this well in weeks."
"Why's that?" Harry asked.
"I don't have a lot of time to eat." She answered quickly, "Or money." She finished under her breath.
Niall raised his eyebrows,
"It all makes sense now."
"What's that?" Randy asked softly.
"Harry's community outreach program for tonight." He answered sarcastically.
"Niall." Harry warned.
"What?" Niall asked innocently, "It was a joke." He fixed his stare on Randy, "You can take a joke right?"
Randy nodded,
"When it's funny." She shot back without missing a beat.
Niall's face broke into a smile after a moment,
"Ah...so she does have a mouth."
"Niall, what is your-" Harry started just as he heard the front door close. He sighed, glancing back at Randy for a moment as he stood up, "I'll go see who that is. Be right back."
Niall kept his gaze focused on Randy. She tried to ignore him but it was no use. She finally threw her hands up,
"What? What is your problem?"
"Why are you here?" Niall asked.
"Harry asked me to come over."
Niall shook his head,
"No. I mean why are you here?"
Randy stared back at him for a moment. She sat back into her chair,
"He needs a friend."
"He has plenty." Niall shot back.
"Clearly you all aren't doing your job then."
Niall raised his eyebrows,
"Our job? What job is that?"
"I don't know. But something is going on that he's reaching out to me for and I'm not going to turn him away."
Niall studied her closely. It made her uncomfortable but she didn't want him to see that. He nodded,
"Alright. Fair enough." He leaned forward, "You don't know what's gone on do you?"
Randy shook her head,
"No."
"I don't think you wanna know do you?"
"If he decides to tell me. I'll listen."
"Wouldn't the friendly thing be to ask?"
"No. That would be the nosey thing though." Randy shot back sarcastically.
"Good to know."
"Look," Randy started, "I don't have to defend myself or my relationship with him. Whatever it is."
"Whatever it is?" Niall asked, "What do you think it is?"
When Randy didn't answer, Niall laughed. But it wasn't a funny humorous laugh. It was more sinister and amused,
"You think he's interested in you?" He sputtered out a snort, "Really?"
Randy stood up abruptly,
"Ugh. I always thought you were the nice quiet one." She said under her breath as she stood up to leave.
------------------
Harry stopped the moment he walked towards the front room just as Elena walked through the door. She looked fantastic. Every inch of her body in the same amazing shape it had always been in covered by a pair of black jeans and a cropped black t-shirt.
She stopped when she saw him, looking slightly shocked despite the fact that she had to know he was there.
After a few moments of neither of them moving, Elena turned to close the door. She wiped her palms onto her jeans while her heart hammered in her ears. All the preparations in her head of what she was going to say flew out of her head. She took a breath while she turned around,
"Harry..." She started, "I think we should talk."
Harry glanced at her, his head turning towards the kitchen and then back to her,
"Elena, this isn't-"
Elena walked forward,
"Just listen for a minute ok?" Harry glanced at the kitchen again but Elena charged forward, "You and I have been through so much. And I know this was my fault. And that you have every right to be angry with me." Elena swallowed as she reached forward for his hand. She pushed his palm against her tummy, "But I think we have a really good reason...to tr-"
"Oh."
Elena stopped when she heard a female voice behind her. She and Harry both turned their heads to see Randy standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
The hope Elena had felt when she walked into the house completely disappeared. Harry's preoccupation with the kitchen suddenly made sense. She had thought he was just using it as an excuse not to look at her.
Elena stepped away from Harry, his hand falling away from her stomach to land at his side.
The entire room was silent.
Randy cleared her throat, which sounded like a freight train driving through the room due to the silence,
"I have work early in the morning." She said softly as she reached out for her purse on the table behind Elena. She desperately tried to look away from Elena despite Elena's eyes locked on her. The tension in the room was so thick.
She glanced up at Elena for a few seconds before looking back down,
"Thank you for dinner." She said softly as she walked out the front door without another word.
Harry's breathing was shallow. He wasn't sure why he couldn't meet Elena's stare. But when he thought about how she'd lied to him, he looked up at her. Harry set his chin in defiance while Elena's own glare burned into his skull.
But while he could see she was angry, he could also see the hurt. The hurt he'd put there. And a tiny part of him felt like an asshole.
Elena gave a slight nod of her head. She turned and walked out of the house behind Randy.
Harry didn't move, still processing exactly what had happened a few moments ago. While he wasn't meaning for Elena to get the idea that he'd moved on, it was clear that's exactly the idea she'd gotten.
"Ya know..." He heard Niall's voice suddenly.
Harry turned his head to see Niall standing right where Randy had been standing. Niall took a step towards Harry,
"If your goal was to hurt her on purpose...I believe you achieved it." Niall finished.
Harry watched as Niall turned and walked down the hallway to his room.