Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment :) Love, Allie.
The song Harry sang to Thea: Come Here by Kat Bloom
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Thea returned to her flat the next morning and ran into Blake. He had just come back from his morning run, was about to open his door when he saw her, and his expression closed up as he pressed his lips into a small smile.
"Good morning."
"Good morning." She smiled back and pulled out her key. It was hard to act normal after their conversation a few nights ago. They hadn't spoken since, and she had stopped expecting the good news from him. Laura Hilfgard had probably thrown her manuscript in the trash, and the sad part was she wasn't even upset as she was already used to rejections.
"Can we talk?" Blake spoke as she opened her door.
She turned around, holding her breath. "S-Sure. What is it?"
A corner of his mouth turned up as a way to tell her, "you know what it is," but she was too embarrassed, she breathed out a laugh and wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't stop thinking about how she had overreacted the other night, and she'd rather have him never speak to her again than talk about it now.
"I'm so sorry," he said, to her surprise. "I hope you're not mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you."
"You're not?"
"No." She licked her lip and let out a soft breath. "And I'm not moving in with Harry either." Seeing his eyes go round, she didn't want to give him the wrong idea so she had to add, "we've decided that this isn't the right time, but it's definitely something we both want in the future."
"That's good. I'm glad you're happy." He jammed his hands in his pockets as she took a deep breath with a beam on her face.
"Thank you," she said, noticing his reluctance.
He cleared his throat, raising a finger like he finally remembered something and patting his pockets to look for his phone. She had a feeling that she knew what he was about to show her. She just didn't want to get her hopes up.
Staring at his fingers, Thea didn't realise she wasn't breathing properly as she saw him unlock his phone and open his messages.
"Here. Read it yourself." He gave the phone to her. She hesitantly took it and saw the text delivered at 8 PM last night when she was at dinner with Harry.
Loved your friend's story. Will contact her soon! :)
Her heart skipped a beat as she gasped and covered her mouth. Blake let out a chuckle while she was still speechless. "I already gave Laura your number so don't turn off your pho--"
Thea didn't let him finish as she gave him a full bear hug, the first one they had shared in three years. It startled him at first but he hugged her back in less than a second. If she hadn't pulled away, he probably wouldn't either. But she did let go of him to grip his phone with both hands, and while she was smiling at the message, he was smiling at her.
"I have to tell Harry!" she said, turning his smile into a frown. "Should I tell Harry now or should I wait until Laura contacts me?"
Blake was about to answer when she cut him off, "you're right! I should wait until it's official! She could change her mind at the last minute." She breathed through her mouth, clutching the phone to her chest. "Oh God, I'm so happy!"
"I could tell." He chuckled.
"Thank you so much! Just tell me what you want and I'll buy it for you as a gift."
"You don't have to buy me anything, T."
"Nonsense!" She scoffed as her face screwed up. "I have to repay you somehow!"
"Well, you could buy me dinner?"
"Deal!"
"Really?" He furrowed his eyebrows, half surprised, half elated.
"I'm gonna tell Celine and Amala now. See you later!"
"Thea, wait! My phone."
"Oh, sorry!" Thea rolled her eyes, laughing nervously as she returned his phone and rushed into her flat. The door was shut, and Blake was left in the hallway with a large grin on his face.
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With all the crazy things happening lately, Harry had completely forgotten the day of the big announcement he'd been waiting for since months ago. He had been in the shower when he received the news and almost ignored the call, but thankfully his manager had kept blowing up his phone.
When he heard his name, 'Oscar nomination', and 'Best Actor' in the same sentence, his heart almost exploded. He shouted and jumped on the bed and started bouncing in his bathrobe like a little boy. He wouldn't have cared if someone had seen him like that. For fuck's sake, he just got his first Oscar nomination at twenty-five!
He was over the moon, and the first person he decided to call was his mum. It would've been Gemma if they hadn't just argued the previous night, but he decided to shake it off and not be sad on this wonderful day. He talked to his mum for almost an hour and could have gone on for much longer than that, but he must hang up to break the news to his girlfriend in person.
He was eager to leave the house and almost hit a street lamp when his Ferrari swerved around a slower car. The driver cursed at him, and he just burst out laughing like a crazy person.
He parked his car on the side of the road, adrenaline pumping in his veins as he ran into the building and climbed to the fifth floor without breaking a sweat. He was panting heavily, yet still smiling from ear to ear as he banged on her door, shouting, "Bambi! Bambi!"
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"Bambi! Bambi!"
"What? What is it?" The little girl looked up as Harry tackled her to the floor, almost suffocating her with his violent hug.
"I got it, Bambi, I got it!"
"Got what?!" She pushed him off, annoyed and curious at the same time.
"The lead in the school play! I'm Romeo in Romeo and Juliet!" His face lit up as he took her hands and held them against his chest. "Oh, Juliet, I love you so much, let's die together!"
"That's not--"
"I know, I'm just messing with you." He laughed and gently knocked on her forehead.
She pulled away, rubbing the spot and raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Who's gonna be Juliet?"
"Some girl I don't know, but who cares? Isn't this great?"
"I care!" Thea got up to sit on her heels, fingers pinching her thighs. "Romeo and Juliet kiss! You're gonna lose your first kiss to some girl you don't know, Harry!"
Her reaction was priceless. Harry didn't know how she managed to look angry and sad and embarrassed at the same time, but he thought it was adorable as he cupped her cheeks and pinched them together, making her lips pucker up.
"I'm not kissing any girl, Bambi," he said as she pushed him away. "We're not gonna do the kissing scene because our drama teacher thinks it's inappropriate. I have no idea why."
"I agree with your drama teacher!" she said as her eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Congratulations, Harry! You got your first acting role!"
"Aww, Bambi." He shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. "What would I do without you?"
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"Har--"
Harry grabbed Thea's face before she could finish his name and silenced her with a passionate kiss. She was still startled when he let her go, but he didn't want to break the news immediately, he wanted her to guess. It only took a second for her clear brown eyes to go wide.
"They told you, didn't they?!" she asked, making him brighten.
"Yeah, I just got the phone call!"
"Oh God, I told them not to tell you before I do!"
Wait, what?
Thea let out a heavy breath as she held his hands. "Fuck Cece and Amala for ruining the surprise, but it's official, babe."
What is official? Wait, what is happening?
"Laura Hilfgard called and...I'm her new client!"
"Shit, babe, really?!" His mouth fell open, he was laughing uncontrollably. "That's great! So it's official?!"
"It's official!" She squealed, hugging his neck.
For a second, Harry was too happy to think about his big news, but as soon as they pulled apart, he instantly remembered the reason he was there in the first place. Half of him wanted to tell her, the other half didn't. But on second thought, he received stupid awards all the time; an Oscar nomination wouldn't change his life, but a book deal would definitely change hers.
"You know what? Let's celebrate!" he said and opened his hand. "Give me your phone."
"What? Why?"
"Just give me your phone."
Though confused, Thea still pulled out her phone and placed it on his palm. He turned it off and she frantically tried to grab it but he was quick to put it in his pocket.
"What are you doing?! I need to call my dad."
"I'll let you call your dad after our date." Because he couldn't let her find out about his nomination online.
"We're going on a date?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Thea chuckled as he circled his arms around her waist, playfully biting his lips. "I may or may not have brought a bottle of champagne to take you to a rooftop so we could celebrate your good news."
"You're joking."
"Do I not seem like the most romantic boyfriend in the world?" He leaned in and smeared his mouth over hers, making her giggle and push him back a bit to hold his face.
"I love you so much," she said.
"I love you more," he said back before kissing her passionately.
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"Stand tall! Romeo doesn't slouch!"
Harry straightened as Thea walked around him with her hands behind her back like a military commander observing her subordinate. "Now I wanna hear you say your lines. You have to convince me that you're Romeo, all right?"
Harry cleared his throat so he could fully transform into the famous lovesick character. With a deep breath, he began, "see how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand. That I might touch that cheek! "
He playfully touched her cheek and she slapped his fingers away, trying not to guffaw.
"Was I good?"
"Very good." She nodded proudly. "But you have to be serious and stop fooling around like that."
The boy gave a shrug. "Well, I'm only fooling around with you. I'm always serious at the actual rehearsals."
"Oh, do you prefer the actual Juliet then." She rolled her eyes and looked away, pouting in annoyance. He wasn't sure if she was really jealous or just simply upset because he wasn't serious with her; either way, it was so funny.
He took a deep breath and got down on one knee, extending his hand, leaving her confused. "May I dance with you, lady Juliet?"
"That line is not in the play."
"Shh!" He put a finger to her lips. "Don't speak, my lady. Dance with me!"
"Harry!" Thea burst out laughing as the boy grabbed her hands and started swaying her around the treehouse. They kept stepping on each other's feet, but at least they were having fun.
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Harry was breathless as he raced Thea up the stairs, shouting at her to slow down and wait for him but she was too excited to listen. The last time they were there for her twentieth birthday, the building had been under construction, and now it was a residential building where actual people lived. They would have gone insane if they had found out they were in the same building with Harry Styles. However, since Niall's uncle owned the whole place, Harry managed to sneak her in without anyone knowing, and the building management had even allowed them to have the entire rooftop for themselves.
Thea pushed the heavy metal door open and stepped outside, meeting a cold breeze which blew right through her thin shirt. She waited for Harry to catch up, took his hand and pulled him with her.
"This is so cool!" she screamed at the pedestrians below. They looked like ants from where she stood. Seeing the look of elation of her face with wind blowing in her hair made Harry's heart feel a little jumpy.
They spotted an old couch someone had discarded and moved it to the perfect spot to sit and watch the sunset together. Last time, it was already dark when they came up. They had never watched the sun go down from a rooftop before so both were as thrilled as little children going to the movie for the first time.
They admired the fiery red horizon lit by the blood-poured sun and imagined themselves being ten years younger and watching the same scenery from their little treehouse. Now the view below them was an enormous city with wide-stretched and never-ending roads instead of their own backyards and the roofs of their neighbours' houses.
They sat in silence until the warm bronze sunlight was swallowed by the horizon, and the sky was finally engulfed in darkness. A beautiful and calming darkness that seemed to be made just for them. They popped the bottle and sat side by side, with her head on his shoulder as they enjoyed good champagne and the breathtaking view of London after sundown.
"We've gone so far since our first date on this roof, haven't we?" he asked, making her pull away.
"That wasn't our first date."
"It was to me." He put a hand on her neck, smiling softly. "I was falling for you then."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Her eyelids fluttered as she leaned in closer, brushing her lips against his before kissing him lightly.
"You kissed me for the first time that night," she whispered while holding his affectionate gaze.
He nodded. "I did."
"And I stayed awake all night thinking about it."
"You did?"
"I did." She rested her cheek on his shoulder and looked up. "I was afraid that if I fell asleep and woke up, it would all be a dream, and I would never get to kiss you again."
"Well, here we are."
"Here we are."
Giving a small smile, Harry grabbed her face and leaned in for a full-on, opened-mouthed kiss. He slid his tongue against hers, smirking as she fisted his shirt and whimpered his name which sounded so heavenly.
He cupped her neck to deepen the kiss before grabbing her waist and pulling her to his lap, but she refused to straddle him and got up, leaving him gasping for air. He shoved his fingers into his hair and groaned loudly as she laughed and took his other hand, pulling him up.
He got on his feet, letting her guide his hands to her waist but as she started searching in his pockets for their phones, he snatched her wrist, clicking his tongue. "Nuh-uh, I don't think so, kid."
"I'm not gonna check my phone. I just want to put on some music!"
"I can sing for us. I'm a great singer." He snorted and started swaying them slowly. "Any requests?"
She giggled, her head resting on his chest. "How about a song that reminds you of me?"
"I have a whole playlist. How do I choose only one?"
As she only gave him a shrug, he inhaled deeply and pulled her back in. He liked how close they were and made sure to leave no space between them as they slow-danced to the sound of the wind, and soon to his gentle singing voice.
"There's a wind that blows in from the north. And it says that loving takes this course. Come here. Come here."
She moved quietly in his arms as the champagne pulsated through their veins, casting a warm glow upon them as if they were dancing in an empty ballroom without a roof.
"No, I'm not impossible to touch. I have never wanted you so much. Come here. Come here," he continued signing, allowing her to feel the urgent rhythm of his heart as he drew her even closer. "Have I never laid down by your side. Baby, let's forget about this pride. Come here. Come here."
In no hurry, he took pleasure in being close to her and knowing they had no boundaries between them during or after this dance. He held her chin and gently lifted her face up to see her chocolate brown eyes in the soft glow of the night city. He loved the smell of her hair and the way her cool skin grew warm under his touch.
"Well, I'm in no hurry. You don't have to run away this time. I know you're timid. But it's gonna be all right this time."
Their foreheads rested against each other as their bodies swayed slowly 'round and 'round. He found himself falling again for her mesmerising eyes.
"There's a wind that blows in from the north. And it says that loving takes this course. Come here. Come here."
All he could think about at that moment was that he loved her. And he thought--No, he knew. He knew he wanted to marry her. One day. One day he would.
"Another song, please?" Her voice pulled him back to reality. He didn't answer and also stopped dancing as he squeezed her hands against his chest.
"Can I just say I'm very proud of you?" he uttered, making her smile. "You're one of the most hard-working people I've known. You have no idea how happy I am right now."
"Aww." She sighed and tiptoed to peck his lips. "I wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for you."
"That's not true. You've done this all by yourself, kid."
She shook her head, smiling. "The first story I wrote was about you. And all the stories I've written since were inspired by you. I didn't have friends before I met you, and I became friends with Cece thanks to you, so..." She chuckled, chewing on the corner of her lips. "You are, by far, the worst and the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"Oh God." He tossed his head back and laughed. "Why did you tell me that? Now I'm sad and happy at the same time."
"As you should be." She wrinkled her nose and draped her arms over his shoulders.
He sucked his lips into his mouth, staring at her intensely as he tried to decide on what to say next. Knowing him too well, she didn't break their eye contact and stayed patient. What she didn't expect was him pulling away and getting down on one knee. Her face was pale as she turned paralysed. "Harry?"
"Bambi, will you..." He took in a long breath for suspense, knowing she would kill him afterwards but it'd be worth it. "Will you be my date to the Oscars?"
"W-What?"
"I got nominated for Best Act--"
"HOLY SHIT!" She jumped right on top of him. He landed on his back, groaning in pain while laughing hysterically as she sat on his stomach and showered his face with hurried kisses.
"I can't believe it! When--When did you find out?"
The funny look on his face made her gasp, "you lying motherfuc--"
He shut her up with a kiss that left her breathless when he finally pulled away.
"I'm gonna have to punish you later," she said against his mouth, making him whine.
"Noooo! Why later?"
"I mean, I would suck your dick now if you weren't famous, babe."
"Didn't stop you many times before."
She scoffed and swatted his chest for the joke. "Well, you're an Oscar nominee now. Time has changed!"
"So, will I get my dick sucked after the party then?"
"What party?" Thea froze, her fingers tightened in his hair as he gave a suppressed laugh at the look on her face.
"I forgot to tell you there's a party happening at my house right now."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She got up quickly and kicked his leg. "Pick up your glass and the bottle. We have to get there now!"
"Bambi, hold on!"
"People are expecting you! I won't suck your dick if you don't hurry up!"
"Okay, okay, coming!"
Harry was in hysterics as he chased her back to the door. God, he loved her. He really loved her.
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Harry ignored the looks the others were giving him as he walked around in his Romeo costume just three minutes before showtime. He found Thea standing by herself at the entrance and called out, "Bambi!"
"Harry!" She rushed up to him. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm so glad you made it." He hugged her tightly and pulled back, holding her shoulders. "I thought you were grounded."
"Well, I am but my parents didn't see me sneak out." She gave a shrug and changed the subject, "I'm so sorry that your family cannot make it."
"Don't be." He shrugged. "I mean, it sucks that Gemma broke her arm but I understand that mum has to be in the hospital with her."
"Well, I'm here now so you must do your best because I'm gonna be judging you, and that girl who plays your love interest."
Harry chuckled and stroked her head one last time before running backstage so the play could begin.
This is just like one of those rehearsals, he told himself, but instead of acting in front of empty rows of chairs, there's a real audience watching you.
His heart was beating like a drum as the teacher announced he was up next.
Your Bambi is here, he sucked in a breath, she's here, and everything is fine...
The audience applauded as a spotlight followed Harry to the centre of the stage. He started exchanging lines with the kid who played Romeo's cousin Benvolio. Even that kid could tell Harry was nervous, so he purposely said his lines slower to give Harry more time to relax and get used to being on stage.
Harry was sweating through his costume, thinking everyone could see what a terrible choice he was for Romeo and would start booing him soon enough.
Confidence, Styles! said the voice inside his head as he remembered Bambi's words and stood straight, because 'Romeo doesn't slouch.'
Harry was so nervous he could hear his blood pumping through his veins. He stole a quick glance at where Thea sat in the audience, hoping to see her smile which he knew would make him feel much better.
But she wasn't the only one he saw. There was also his mum and his sister with her arm in a white cast. Gemma gave him a thumb up and Anne looked so proud of him. The boy was so elated he was glued to the spot until his Bambi waved her hand to remind him to concentrate.
"In love?" his co-star asked.
"Out."
"Of love?"
"Out of her favour, where I am in love." Harry's face showed genuine distress that made the audience clap and cheer.
Though the boy managed to stay in character, he was smiling so wide inside. He didn't care if he would pull this off or be the worst Romeo to ever been on stage; he just knew that he was having fun and his family was all there to see it.
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Harry arrived at the party in his nice car, holding hands with the love of his life, and was welcomed with thunderous applause by the people he'd admired his whole life. He felt as if he'd achieved every single goal in his life in one day, and yet, something was still missing.
Fuck it, he thought as he poured another drink down his throat. It was supposed to be the best night of his life, and nothing could stop him from drinking and dancing until morning. He would have a good time at his party, with or without his sister's presence.
Thea handed him a glass of water which he accepted but put on a table and put his arm around her. She asked what he was doing when he suddenly pulled her to the spiral staircase and climbed a few steps to stand taller than everyone else.
He whistled to get everyone's attention, and the music stopped, all eyes fell on him. At this point, he was somewhat tipsy so all the guests, including his girl, expected him to give a silly speech to thank everyone for coming.
"Thank you for coming, everyone!" he said drunkenly, making Thea snort and bury her face into her palm. Still holding her hand, he lifted the invisible glass in his other hand and began his toast, "I just wanna let you know that my girlfriend is about to be a best-selling author and I'm very proud of her! Her name is Bambi--I mean, Theadora!"
"Get down!" Thea laughed with her mouth and eyes wide open as she pulled him back to her side while everyone was clapping for them. She waited for the guests to start minding their own business and turned back to him. Though annoyed, she was looking at him fondly. "What the hell was that?"
"They need to know this is your night!"
"Jesus," she muttered into her palm. "You're lucky I love you, dumbass."
"Yes, it's me. Your dumbass." He giggled like a little boy and tucked his flushed face into her neck. "Hmm...You smell so good. Let's find a room."
"Hold on." She gripped his shoulders to push him away, not letting him whine about it. "Wait here for me, I'll be right back."
"No, Bambi, stay."
"Be a good boy and I'll be right back, I promise," she said before kissing his forehead and making him sit on the bottom stair. He didn't know where she'd gone, but he wanted to be her good boy so he stayed there like a little puppy and waited for her to come back.
As he was getting bored, he started counting his fingers and recounted them as if new ones had grown when he wasn't paying attention. When a person towered over him, he almost didn't notice until he heard her voice.
"Are you missing me?"
He lifted his face, his red eyes widened. "Gemma!"
Gemma rolled her eyes as her brother stood up and held her tightly in his arms. Still, she cracked a smirk and rested her hands on his back, her chin on his shoulder.
"I'm only here for the party. I'll be mad at you again tomorrow," she said, making him chuckle.
"I know, I know." He nodded fast. "I'm just happy that you're here."
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The first person Isaac saw when he arrived at the party was Thea. They made eye contact from across the room, and her smile slipped at once. He expected nothing but trouble when she left Harry on the staircase and made her way towards him, but he had to keep his cool otherwise he would screw up again.
He sucked in a deep breath, trying to recall the things he wanted to say which he'd prepared in the car, but his head was completely empty as she approached.
"Hey, congrat--"
"Be honest!" She pointed a finger to his face. "Did you give Emilia Gemma's number?"
"Y-Yes." He swallowed hard. "Is everything okay?"
"Of course not! Why did you do that, Isaac?!"
"I'm--I'm sorry. Emilia told me she wanted to call Gemma herself. She thought it'd be a better idea if she was the one who reached out instead of Harry."
Thea let out a sharp breath as she put both hands on her hips. "Well, thanks to you both now Gemma is angry at Harry."
Isaac stuck out his bottom lip, pointing over her shoulder. "She doesn't look very angry to me."
Thea turned around, tongue-tied when she saw Gemma and Harry sharing a hug. She quickly turned back to Isaac, completely baffled. "Did you bring her here?!"
"I wish I had." He lifted his shoulders in a half-shrug. "Maybe if I had you wouldn't be mad at me."
"You're damn right!" She huffed and shot him a glare. "Just stay out of their family drama next time, please. I know you have feelings for Emilia--"
"I don't."
"--but stop trying to be her hero. You're going to ruin everything and I don't--" She slapped a hand on her forehead, taking a deep breath. "I don't want you and Harry to fight again."
"So you'd rather have you and me fight instead?"
She rolled his eyes at the joke and punched his shoulder.
"Sorry," he mumbled, giving a smirk. "I won't do that again. I promise. Anything else?"
"Actually..." Thea trailed off and bit her fingertip. He waited for her to say something, but she only shook her head. "Never mind. Just...stay out of their family drama."
"Got it." He gave a firm nod and exchanged another smile with Thea before she went back to Harry. Once she was gone, he let out the longest sigh as if he'd been holding his breath since she came up to him. He watched Thea start a conversation with Gemma and pulled out his phone to send a text.
⌲ I spoke to Thea, everything's good
A reply came in less than five seconds.
⌲ Emi: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
He rolled his eyes and walked into a corner to text her back.
Isaac had helped Emilia the first time by giving her the address of the studio Harry was doing his photoshoot at. He just wanted Harry to hear Winton's side of the story. He'd witnessed how devastated Thea had been when she discovered the secret about her parents, so he didn't want Harry to go through the same thing.
What he had not intended to do was lie to his friends by admitting something he hadn't done.
⌲ I feel terrible for lying to them, please don't do that again
This time, Emilia took more time to send three messages in a row.
⌲ Emi: I'm very sorry
⌲ Emi: But if Harry knew I asked his assistant for Gemma's number, he would be so angry
⌲ Emi: I just wanted to help, I thought if I was the one who reached out to Gemma then she would know I sincerely wanted to know her
Isaac swallowed hard and typed down a quick reply to end their conversation.
⌲ Just don't do that again, okay?
⌲ Emi: Yes, I promise
Taking a deep breath, he put his phone away and went to find Harry.